COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Like many business leaders across the United States, these last few weeks have led me to think deeply about racial justice in America and the role that businesses can play in driving meaningful change. One thing has become abundantly clear the time for statements is over. We need real action. Fighting for racial justice starts with addressing inequalities in our criminal justice system, and, in particular, the sentencing of our youth. Heightened law enforcement presence in communities of color has resulted in African American children being overrepresented in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, where they are disproportionately subjected to extreme sentences such as life without parole. Nationally, Black youth are sentenced to life in prison without parole at a per-capita rate ten times that of their white counterparts for the same crime. This must change. And in Ohio, we have the opportunity to change this now. Senate Bill 256 will abolish life without parole for children. In doing so, Ohio will issue a strong statement that it will no longer allow racial inequality to permeate our system of justice. I believe strongly that no child should be locked away based on the worst moment of their young lives without regard for their potential to rehabilitate and change. It goes against everything we know about human development, and flies in the face of everything we teach about forgiveness. I also believe this because my company is founded in the belief that rehabilitation is possible. John C. Rush is founder and CEO of CleanTurn. CleanTurn is one of Central Ohios leading commercial cleaning companies. Since 2012, CleanTurn has been providing second chances to men and women with significant barriers to employment, including those formerly incarcerated. Nearly 40% of our team members are either still with us or have used us as a stepping stone into other opportunities in the marketplace. Our collective economic impact exceeds $20 million an impact created and caused by our team and our customers without a dependence on philanthropy or taxpayer dollars. The success of CleanTurn is based on the ability of people to show that their past does not dictate who they are now, and who they can become. We demonstrate how people can change. Our system of justice must allow others to do the same. My employees are not unique, and research supports what many of us parents know from personal experience the adolescent brain does not fully mature until the mid-to-late 20s. Kids are less capable than adults in long-term planning, regulating emotion, impulse control, and the evaluation of risk and reward. Additionally, because the adolescent brain is still developing, children possess a unique capacity for change. The majority of children who commit crimes outgrow their delinquent behavior, which means long prison sentences without parole eligibility prematurely gives up on many young people who would likely grow to be contributing members of society. Im not saying that children shouldnt be held accountable. They absolutely should. But they should be treated like the children that they are and given the opportunity to show they can change and mature. Senate Bill 256 will do just that. John C. Rush is a Marine Corps veteran and social entrepreneur focused on Fair Chair Employment. He is the founder and CEO of CleanTurn, 180 Demo & Third Way Cafe, which collectively have provided supportive employment for more than 1,000 criminal-justice-involved individuals over the last decade. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com ORIENT George Iubelt, 96, son of Arthur (Juby) and Irene Iubelt of Orient, whom preceded him in death, died July 15, 2020. His wife, B.J. Coleman Iubelt, also preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by two great-grandchildren, Tyler Iubelt and Sidney Iubelt. He is survived by daughter, Lou Ellen Nelson of Kansas City, Missouri; sons, Albert Iubelt of McLeansboro, and Stephen Iubelt of Paducah, Kentucky; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. George was a World War II veteran. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1942 and was discharged in 1945. George began his coaching and teaching career at Galatia High School in 1949 and then took a coaching job at West Frankfort High School in 1951. In 1959, he left the high school ranks and accepted a coaching position at Southern Illinois University, his undergraduate Alma Mater. He always had the ambition to bring to Southern Illinois and to the people he loved the quality of basketball that you had to travel to major athletic institutions to enjoy. George retired from SIU in 1989. He was a member of the Christian Church in Reidland, Kentucky. There will be no visitation. Graveside services for the family will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, in Denning Cemetery, with Dr. Brett Beasley officiating. Military rites will be accorded by the American Legion Post 1961 and Zeigler Post 177. George requested that any memorials be made to the Orient Church of Christ in Orient. Union Funeral Home in West Frankfort is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.unionfh.com. National Weather Service A 'tropical wave' making its way through the Caribbean has a chance of turning into a tropical cyclone that could batter southeast Texas, according to the National Weather Service. Computer models from the National Hurricane Center show a disturbance near Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There's a 20 percent chance that could form into something stronger in the next five days, forecasters said. 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. By PTI WASHINGTON:The Indian-American community could be "an absolute difference maker" in battleground states in the November 3 presidential elections, a top Democratic leader has said. As a little over 100 days are left for the elections, both the Republican and the Democratic parties are making huge efforts to reach out to the small but influential Indian-American community in some of the key battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Democratic National Committee chair Thomas Perez on Saturday said that Michigan has 125,000 Indian-American voters. "We lost Michigan by 10,700 votes in 2016," he said, referring to the loss of Hillary Clinton, the then Democratic presidential nominee at the hands of President Donald Trump. In the eight battleground States of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, there are 1.3 million Indian American voters. "In Pennsylvania, (there are) 156,000 (Indian-American voters). We (Democratic party) lost (presidential elections in) Pennsylvania by 42,000 (votes). In Wisconsin (there are) 37,000 (Indian-Americans). We lost Wisconsin by 21,000 (votes) in 2016," said the head of the Democratic party. "The Indian-American vote, the AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islanders) vote more broadly, can be an absolute difference maker (in the 2020 presidential elections)," Perez said at a virtual event 'An Electorate Coming of Age: Indian Americans for Biden', jointly hosted by the South Asians for Biden along with AAPI Victory Fund and Indian-American Impact Fund. "We are hustling to the finishing line - 108 days till the weekend. Think about those three states alone that I mentioned. The Indian-American votes alone can be the difference in moving forward," Perez said. Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of AAPI Victory Fund, said 77 per cent of the Indian-American voters polled in favour of Hillary in 2016. "Today in all the polls and surveys, their favourability for Biden over Trump is 2.3 to one, (which) is very close to what it was then (in 2016: 2.4 to one)," he said, asserting that the party can aspire to get 75-80 per cent of the Indian-American votes. "It is our goal to deliver 1 million to actually vote in by November 3, 2020 and vote for a Democrat candidate namely for Joe Biden," Narasimhan said, referring to the 1.3 million Indian-American voters in the battleground states. He said the information was based on data and latest research prepared by data guru Karthik Ramakrishnan. "There are sectors of the Indian-American community throughout our country, throughout our battleground states. And we want to make sure we're engaging and connecting directly with you all," senior advisor of 'Biden for President' campaign Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in her address to the event attended by over 800 Indian-Americans from across the country. Amit Jani, the national AAPI director for the Biden campaign, said that the Indian-American community has grown in size, influence and in political and civic involvement. More Indian-Americans are joining politics and government. "The election in November for the president is going to be historic, and we really need the help and support from the Indian-American community to really make a difference," Jani added. Al Mason, co-chair of the Trump Victory Indian American Finance Committee, has earlier spoken on the importance of Indian ethinic voters. "For the first time they (Indian Americans) would make a big difference," he told America's Voice in an interview early this month. Mason, who operates a team of 100 experts in the battleground states, said Karthik Ramakrishnan's finding that 77 per cent of Indian-Americans voted for Hillary in 2016 will not repeat in 2020. He said 50 per cent of the Democrat voters are now going to choose Trump. "My finding is that for the first time Indian American Democrats will be moving big time to President Trump. At least 50 per cent of Indian American Democrats who have been voting for Democrats since the time of Bill Clinton are going to move to the column of President Trump," he had told America's Voice. In the town hall with Thomas Perez, AAPI Victory Fund chairman Narasimhan said if the Democratic party works hard, they can aspire to get 75-80 percent of the Indian-American votes. The survey results of both the Republicans and the Democrats show that in case of a close race, the Indian Americans will play an important role. Mason, who has been holding a series of virtual meetings with Indian-Americans, said his survey results show that there is an unprecedented level of enthusiasm among Indian-Americans for the president. "These 50 per cent of the Indian Americans (switching away from Democrats) which constitute 50,000 to 60,000 additional votes for President Trump in each of the battle ground states, will surprisingly make a big difference, in case of the race running close - though Trump will win those states with a wide margin," Mason told PTI in a recent interview. According to Mason's study, in Michigan 45,000 voters out of 70,000 Indian American voters who vote for Democrats, will switch to Trump. Similarly, in Florida 50,000 voters out of 110,000 Indian Americans who vote for Democrats, will switch sides in November. In Texas, Mason expects 50,000 voters out of 200,000 voters who vote for Democrats, will switch for Trump. In Pennsylvania, 40,000 voters out of 110,000 Indian Americans voters who vote for Democrats, will switch to the Republican party. Hong Kong's status as a bastion of press freedom is in crisis as authorities toughen their line against international media and fears grow about local self-censorship under the city's sweeping new security law. For decades the former British colony has been a shining light for journalists in Asia, lying on the fringes of an authoritarian China where the ruling Communist Party keeps a tight grip on public opinion. The civil liberties that have stewarded the city's success were promised to Hong Kongers for another 50 years under a deal that returned the trading hub to Chinese rule in 1997. But Beijing's new national security law -- imposed in response to last year's huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests -- has sent a shiver through the financial hub's media landscape. "It's a body blow. It's the end of press freedom as we knew it in Hong Kong," Yuen Chan, a former local reporter now lecturing at London's City University, told AFP. The New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, the Financial Times and AFP are among numerous international media outlets with a presence in the city, many basing their regional headquarters there. Free from the harassment, censorship and restrictions pervasive on the authoritarian Chinese mainland, semi-autonomous Hong Kong has thrived as a safe haven for both local and foreign reporters. But signs of the sands shifting have begun to emerge since China introduced its draconian new law earlier this month. On Tuesday the New York Times announced it would relocate a third of its staff to Seoul, saying it faced unprecedented trouble obtaining visas. Hong Kong authorities recently launched a review of independent but state-funded broadcaster RTHK following accusations it was overly sympathetic to pro-democracy protests. Immediately after the security law was passed, two columnists quit the city's rambunctious Apple Daily newspaper, a staunch advocate for greater democracy. The tabloid is owned by Jimmy Lai, a tycoon who Chinese state media has labelled a leading "black hand" colluding with foreign forces to destroy the mainland. - 'Open season' - Beijing has made little secret of its desire to rein in Hong Kong's media, both domestic and foreign. One provision of the national security law orders authorities to "strengthen the management" of foreign news organisations. "It seems like they are starting to at least consider using the visa as a means to punish the people they don't like," said Keith Richburg, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong and a former foreign correspondent for the Washington Post. In 2018, Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet was refused a visa renewal weeks after he hosted a talk at the city's foreign press club with an independence activist. Sharron Fast, deputy director at Hong Kong University's journalism programme, said the clause about foreign media in the new law "sounds ominously like Hong Kong will move towards a China-style press credential requirement". The legislation also grants the territory's police and China's intelligence apparatus sweeping surveillance powers, something Fast said could make it harder for journalists to protect their sources. "It is basically open season on interception of communications and online surveillance," she told AFP. Much of the law is broadly worded and criminalises certain speech, such as a ban on instigating hatred towards the government or advocating independence. Journalists fear they may inadvertently cross a red line by reporting what others say. - Self-censorship - Media groups warn local outlets are particularly vulnerable. Hong Kong reporters have historically been a crucial conduit of information out of mainland China. And the city's press corps routinely barrages officials with the kind of critical questioning that would be unthinkable north of the border. Last week, city leader Carrie Lam was asked if she could "100 percent guarantee" media freedoms. Her reply was that if reporters "guarantee that they will not commit any offences under this piece of national legislation", then she could. However, even before the security law, local media were under pressure, with advertising often drying up for the most Beijing-critical outlets. "The problem of self-censorship, which has already been a concern, will get worse," said Chris Yeung from the Hong Kong Journalists Association. "It is likely that the mainland-style media control system and mechanism will be gradually introduced in Hong Kong." But London City University lecturer Chan said the press would not be easily tamed. "Journalists in Hong Kong will do as much as they can for as long as they can," she said. Apple Daily boss Lai was asked in an online Q&A on Friday about the future of his reporting staff. "It's very difficult to protect them. All I can do is tell them to do things according to their conscience," he said. "I cannot ask them to be a martyr." A man reads a newspaper on the edge of a promenade overlooking Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong The New York Times has had a presence in Hong Kong for decades Beijing has made little secret of its desire to rein in Hong Kong's media Jimmy Lai owns Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper and has been labelled by state media as a leading 'black hand' colluding with foreign forces One of the peculiar things about the Black Lives Matter movement is what a small role blacks play in it. Most recently, San Franciscos hard-left mayor London Breed, when she sat down for an interview with Vogue magazine, scolded whites for horning in on a black movement. Ive commented repeatedly in past posts about the way in which white leftists have co-opted the Black Lives Matter movement. (See here, here, and here, for example.) Interestingly, the most vocal white activists seem to be college-educated women. Theyve somehow managed to take the movement from Black Lives Matter to White Womens Drama: Another spectacular example of the White Womans Drama phenomenon was Robin Broshi, a member of New York Citys Community Education Council, who had a complete meltdown because a fellow council member had been holding a black child on his lap. And then there was Oaklands white mayor, Libby Schaaf, who had her own drama queen moment when someone mistakenly thought that exercise ropes that Victor Sengbe, a black man, had put in trees for himself and his friends, were nooses. Sengbe was offended that Schaaf took it upon herself to tell black people, who were untroubled by the ropes, that this was a serious problem: Oaklands Mayor Libby Schaaf wasnt going to let all that cheat her out of a chance to signal her virtue, he said. Why is this white woman seeing racism where a black man isnt? The mayor also said, intentions dont matter, but they do matter. And white people need to stop trying to cancel other white people whose heart is in the right place but dont exactly get it right on the first try. Bill Maher immediately latched on to the way white people are appropriating the movement: Black people have to demand that white people stop culturally appropriating how mad they are about racism. It's great that Caucasians have finally joined the fight for racial justice, but hating racism the most? #BlackLivesMatter #VirtueSignaling #SJW pic.twitter.com/4snH4vftZa Bill Maher (@billmaher) June 27, 2020 All of which gets us to that Vogue interview. The interview covers San Franciscos myriad problems, such as its Wuhan virus response, escalating crime, drug abuse, and homelessness. However, the interviewer, Andre-Naquian Wheeler, began with the large numbers of white people [who] are coming out to protests, something he, as a black man, sees as a complicated development. Breed responds that, on the one hand, shes pleased that whites are taking the problem seriously. It gives me hope. Its like, finally, you guys understand what were talking about. Having said that, though, Breed is extremely unhappy that whites, having become woke, insist on whitesplaining and taking over: I have a real problem with the takeover of the movement by white people. I want people to respect the opinions and feelings of Black people and allow us to decide what is in our best interest. I talk about the plan to reduce the police budget and reallocate those resources to the African American community, and a large number of non-Blacks reached out to tell me what I should do for the Black community. Then, they say what their community deserves because of their challenges as well. That really bothered me. The Black community [of San Francisco] is capable of speaking for ourselves and deciding whats in our best interest. [snip] Whats happening in San Francisco now, and has for so many years, is you have a progressive movement made up of people who are mostly white and feel that they know whats in the best interest of Black people. Im over that. One of the things that most disturbs Breed is that whites, having co-opted the Black Lives Matter movement, are busy turning it into an All-Lives-Except-For-White-Lives Matter movement. She has no room for the lefts beloved intersectionality: [She takes issue when whites] say that we need to court more minorities and try to put everyone under in this bigger category. But when you look at police violence, close to 50% of the cases involve African Americans. With this issue, African Americans are disproportionately represented. So, no, Im not going to compromise and try to be inclusive for this. We need to be equitable in our need to support and invest in the African American community, and in a way thats different. And then theres White Fragility, the huge bestseller by Robin DiAngelo, another white woman. According to John McWhorter, a professor and regular contributor to 1776 Unites, a black website dedicated to Americas core values, the book is one enormous condescension to blacks. I have learned that one of Americas favorite advice books of the moment is a racist tract. Despite the sincere intentions of its author, the book diminishes Black people in the name of dignifying us. There is a schism coming very hard and fast as black people, many of whom are horrified at the thought of seeing police leave their neighborhoods, watch white people, especially hysterical white women, once again tell them how to live their lives. Image: Twitter screengrab Mumbai, July 19 : Touching a new high, Maharashtra's Covid-19 cases on Sunday climbed over the 9,000 mark, while deaths again shot above the 200 level, health officials said. The state notched a staggering new 9,518 cases, higher than the 8,641 recorded on July 16. The number of deaths increased sharply from 144 on Saturday to 258 on Sunday, but were still less than the earlier single day's toll of 295 on July 4. With the fresh fatalities, death toll went up to 11,854, while the total cases reached 310,455 - both highest in the country. According to Sunday's figures, there was one death roughly every 6 minutes and a staggering 397 new cases every hour in the state. The recovery rate marginally dropped to 54.62 per cent on Sunday, while the mortality rate stood at 3.82 per cent. The Health Department said that of the total cases till date, 128,730 are active. On the positive side, 3,906 recovered patients returned home, taking the total number of discharged patients to 169,569. Of the total 258 fatalities, Mumbai recorded 64 deaths, taking up the city toll to 5,714, and the number of corona cases increased by 1,038 to touch 101,388 now. There were also 60 deaths in Thane, 45 in Pune, 13 in Raigad, 12 in Palghar, 11 in Jalgaon, 10 in Nashik, seven in Nagpur, six in Sangli, five each in Aurangabad and Satara, four in Latur, two each in Ratnagiri, Ahmednagar, Akola, and Solapur, and one each in Dhule, Nandurbar, Kolhapur, Jalna, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Yavatmal, and Washim. With complaints of alleged fleecing by private hospitals, the state government has appointed an independent auditor who will vet all the bills issued to patients before payment. The decision was announced by Health Minister Rajesh Tope at a review meeting in Solapur presided over by Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar. In a shocking development, a suspected Covid-19 patient jumped off the fifth floor of a corona hospital in Kalyan and died on the spot. The motive behind him taking the extreme step is being probed. The MMR (Thane division) remains on the brink as deaths spiral and cases pile up, with the current toll at 8,220 and a staggering 3,789 new cases pushing up the tally to 199,835. Thane's cases have touched 75,111 with 2,036 fatalities to emerge as the second worst-hit district after Mumbai in the state. Pune district continues to zoom ahead with 54,624 cases, with the death toll increasing to 1,359 on Sunday. The Pune division's death toll reached 1,823 with the case tally touching 62,590 - but it remains far behind MMR and Thane district. Nashik division has 895 fatalities and 20,582 cases, followed by Aurangabad division with 435 deaths and 11,913 cases, and Akola division with 188 fatalities and 4,644 cases. Next is Kolhapur division which has notched 104 deaths and 4,440 cases, Latur division has had 119 fatalities and 2,749 cases, and Nagpur division 38 deaths and 3,447 cases. All the eight divisions recorded fatalities on Sunday, while only Chandrapur (out of total 36) remains a zero Covid death district till date. Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased sharply to 754,370, while those in institutional quarantine went up to 45,846 on Sunday. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text BERRIEN COUNTY, MI A 33-year-old Chicago man is dead after he was rear-ended by a vehicle while riding his motorcycle early Sunday morning on I-94 West. Troopers from the Niles Post were dispatched to the scene near mile marker 19 in Lake Township at about 1 a.m. July 19, according to a news release from the Michigan State Police. Troopers believe alcohol was a factor in the incident, Sgt. John Miller told MLive. Miller said the driver of the vehicle, a 26-year-old man from Covert, came over a hill and rear-ended the motorcycle. Troopers are still investigating whether speed was also a factor, he said. The driver of the vehicle was cited for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death. He was subsequently lodged at the Berrien County Jail. His name is being withheld pending arraignment. The highway was shut down from the time of the crash until about 6 a.m. The Michigan State Police are working with the Illinois State Police to notify the victims family at this time. Also on MLive: We are not the mask police, officers, state at odds over enforcing Michigan governors orders Man, 24, is Grand Rapids 20th homicide victim of 2020 Woman stabbed in fight at New York Fried Chicken in Grand Rapids Two teens shot in Kalamazoos West Douglas neighborhood Patna: One person was injured on Sunday after Nepal police allegedly shot at three Indian nationals near the border in Bihar's Kishanganj. The injured have been admitted to hospital. Kishanganj SP said that investigation is underway. The incident comes amid border row between the countries over territorial claims to Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in Uttarakhand. This is the second incident reported from the borders in a month. The Nepal Armed Police Force, responsible for border security, had last month opened fire on a group during a clash at a border point near Sitamarhi in Bihar, killing one Indian and injuring two others. 1 By PTI MUMBAI: Filmmaker Rajat Mukherjee, best known for directing Manoj Bajpayee-starrer "Road" and romantic thriller "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya", passed away due to kidney ailments in the wee hours of Sunday. He was in his late 50s. Producer Anish Ranjan, a close friend of Mukherjee's, said the director breathed his last in Jaipur, where he had gone to be with his family for Holi but got stuck when the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown was announced. Ranjan said the director had developed breathing issues over a month ago and had gone to get a COVID-19 test done, when the doctors realised that his "sodium potassium levels" were imbalanced. "He had kidney and heart issues as well. About 12-15 days ago, one kidney was removed. He was on dialysis and had come back to his house. On Saturday, he went for dialysis and returned around 8 pm. "His wife, who was taking care of him, realised something was amiss. By the time the ambulance arrived and he was taken to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead," Ranjan told PTI. Other friends of the director, including Bajpayee, filmmakers Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta and actor Urmila Matondkar paid their tributes to the late director. Bajpayee recalled filming the 2002 thriller "Road" with Mukherjee and said his passing was shocking. "I will always remember the shoot days of 'Road' and how we created it while having so much fun all because of you! Will miss you dearly my friend Rajat. Still can't believe that we will never meet or discuss our work ever again. Be happy, wherever you are," Bajpayee wrote on Twitter. Matondkar, who worked with Mukherjee in "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya" in 2001, said she was saddened to hear about his demise. "A talented and live wire personality who made this rare gem of a Film. Deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace dear friend," she wrote on the microblogging site. Mehta said Mukherjee was one of his oldest friends from his struggling days. "Rajat Mukherjee, director of 'Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya' and 'Road' was a friend from our early, early struggles in Bombay. Many meals, many bottles of Old Monk consumed. Many more to consume in another world. Will miss you dear friend," the "Aligarh" director wrote. Sinha said that in Mukherjee's death, he had lost a friend. "Another friend gone too soon. Director Rajat Mukherjee. He was dealing with multiple health situations past few months in Jaipur. Go well mate," he added. Mukherjee is survived by wife, mother and brother. Parents of primary school children have been banned from withdrawing them from a new 'relationships education' class. But the Government's decision is facing a judicial review, according to The Telegraph, over the lessons which cover LGBT issues, consent and how to recognise abuse. The Department of Education's new regime is due to start in September and though schools are asked to liaise with parents, the ultimate decision on what is taught lies with staff. Parents of primary-aged children are allowed to remove them from sex education classes, without the need for any explanation, but this prerogative does not extend to the new 'relationships' subject. The Department of Education's new regime is due to start in September and though schools are asked to liaise with parents on the curriculum, the ultimate decision on what is taught lies with staff (stock image) Campaigning group Let Kids be Kids says the classes should not be compulsory because they could interfere with a family's 'religious and philosophical convictions.' In a letter to the Government ahead of the judicial review, the group wrote that this is 'an educational regime which taken as a whole no longer gives effect to the rights of parents to ensure teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions and is therefore in breach of the parents' rights.' They say the right to remove from sex education should be extended to 'relationships education' due to the 'controversial moral' material which could be taught by teachers of a particular ideological persuasion. The Government has a July 31 deadline to respond to the letter before a claim is launched. Parents of primary-aged children are allowed to remove them from sex education classes, without the need for any explanation, but this prerogative does not extend to the new 'relationships' subject (stock image) A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'From September, Relationships Education will be compulsory for all primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) will be compulsory for all secondary school-aged pupils, and Health Education will be compulsory for all state-funded school pupils. 'These subjects are designed to foster respect for others and to educate pupils about healthy relationships. 'Schools are best placed to understand their pupils and the guidance gives them the flexibility to tailor their teaching to the needs and backgrounds of the young people in their care.' Let Kids be Kids was founded by Charlie Colchester in 2020. He set up Christian Action, Research and Education (CARE) in 1983. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia Sun, July 19, 2020 07:03 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066776e42 2 Entertainment Australia,Hollywood Free Australia is hoping its success in dealing with the coronavirus will lure more big budget Hollywood productions Down Under, with the government announcing incentives worth hundreds of millions of dollars Friday. Promising "lights, camera, jobs," Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveiled a AU$400 million (US$280 million) boost in cash grants for film productions, a move he said had already piqued the interest of major studios. "Jerry Bruckheimer's outfit and Ron Howard's outfit have already reached out to Australia on the basis of the announcement we have made today," Morrison said. The plan aims to generate 8,000 jobs a year over seven years after Australia recorded its highest unemployment rate in two decades last month. But Morrison pointed instead to the return of more than 200,000 jobs as a sign Australia was charting a path through the pandemic. The announcement mirrors a similar push in New Zealand where the crew filming the "Avatar" sequel was granted special exemptions from virus rules to enter the country. Australia has long chased Hollywood productions by offering tax breaks and in recent years hosted several blockbusters including several Marvel movies, a Pirates of the Caribbean film and currently Baz Lurhmann's Elvis biopic. Back in March, Lurhmann's production highlighted dangers of the virus when Tom Hanks became the first major Hollywood star to contract COVID-19 while working on Australia's Gold Coast. But the plan, made on Morrison's first visit to Queensland since the beginning of travel restrictions in the country, is the latest sign of a nation now emerging from virus shutdowns. Most of Australia's regions are dealing well with the virus but an outbreak in the second-biggest city of Melbourne is threatening to derail the recovery, with the city recently returned to lockdown and its outbreak spreading to parts of Sydney. "Australia's success in managing COVID has been well recognized around the world, and Australia is not the only country who is dealing with an outbreak like we are in Victoria," Morrison said. "If Australia reopens, Australians are going back to work and that is where we want to be." Topics : Australia Hollywood A new hiking trail in the Catskills area that runs through a quarry that provided stone for the building of Ashokan Reservoir in the early 1900s has officially opened. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Catskill Mountain Club and the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program made the announcement Friday about the Ashokan Quarry Trail in the town of Olive. It runs 2 miles through the former Yale Quarry. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser I like the simplicity, said Roman, who used sticks for a bridge to the castle. We Chicagoans love our bridges. The contest drew 21 entries, said Marie Laudeman, an interpretive naturalist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Laudeman said the contest takes advantage of all the beautiful sand around us. This is a great recreational opportunity for families to get out into this beauty. Friends of Indiana Dunes provided gifts for all participants and prizes for winning entries. Angel Gochee-Goins, president of the Friends board, praised the contest as a family-friendly event. It gets people out and theres a lot of hands-on activities for kids. Gochee-Goins added that the contest is keeping with the Friends of Indiana Dunes mission to enhance the visitors experience at the dunes. Meanwhile, Charlotte Demsich, 8, and her sister Abigail, 10, of Chesterton, and their friend, Kallissa McLendon, 10, of Rock Hill, S.C., were busy recreating the solar system. Were still trying to fit it all in, Charlotte said. This is our first time here, and we wanted to be creative and take part in the competition. Many Center City high rises have been empty during the pandemic. Employers are studying ways to get workers back together in one spot. Read more Thousands of employers initially thought of working from home during the lockdown as a temporary measure. Maybe a month two, tops and people would be back in the office by late spring. In the thick of summer, many offices remain empty. But as cases have begun to stabilize in some areas, testing has increased, and hospitals have gained more experience and resources to treat sick patients, some employers are tentatively planning to bring workers back by fall, and some are finding creative ways to rearrange them. A few others, however, are asking: Do employees even need to come back to the office? If so, does it need to be in 2020? And actually, do we even really need so much office space? A lot of my clients have come and said theyre going to downsize their office space, said Jason Kramer, senior vice president and a partner at Binswanger, a commercial real estate firm based in Philadelphia. The one thing for sure this is going to change the way that people view office space, period, for people who are going to be downsizing. You may see a shift to more private spaces, but I think its going to depend on the industry. The lawyers and the accountants might think differently from the techs and creatives. The equation is not as simple as it seems, said the commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, noting that an increase in remote work does not automatically mean a decreased demand for offices. Complicating factors range from the state of the coronavirus outbreak and government response to it, to technology and company culture. READ MORE: Going back to the office? What public health experts say about using the elevator. From an employee perspective, the office provides a place for face-to-face interactions that technology struggles to replicate, such as social interaction, face-to-face collaboration, mentoring and managing, the firm said in a report published in late June. Even after the recent success of working from home, employees still state they would like to be in the office for the majority of the week. Twitter, historically receptive to a work-from-home model, has said its employees can permanently work remotely if they choose. Facebook, Google, and the New York Times said that many of their employees can work from home until 2021. In the Philadelphia region, Bryn Mawr Trust has decided that about 40% of its 635 employees will permanently work from home. The financial company plans to sell its building on Lancaster Avenue in Bryn Mawr and end two leases at its other offices on the same street, said Tina McDonald, the companys director of marketing and communications. Next month, she said, the company will end another lease at its location in Chadds Ford. It is also looking for someone to buy its building at 22 W. State St. in Media, then lease it a deal referred to as a sale-leaseback transaction. Bryn Mawr Trust had been considering the work-from-home model before the pandemic, McDonald said, but the outbreak cemented the decision. More companies have to be more forward-thinking, she said. Other companies have sought more space to spread out their employees. READ MORE: Philly is reopening but office workers are staying home. That means peril for lunch spots and stores. EwingCole, a Center City-based architecture firm with offices throughout the country, is stationing more than a quarter of its Philadelphia staff in suburban Chester County for at least a year as part of its strategy to get its workers back in the office after months of mostly working remotely. EwingCole plans to sublease 30,000 square feet. The firms leadership decided on the move because the 70,000-square-foot office it occupies at the Federal Reserve Bank building at Sixth and Arch Streets, which the firm designed in the 1970s, was too small to adhere to social-distancing guidelines for the roughly 280 employees who had worked there. Some workers who had depended on public transportation to reach the Center City office, where parking is scarce, were also fearful of being exposed to the virus on trains and buses. The company never considered leaving Center City, where it has deep roots. The offices downtown location helps it recruit graduates from surrounding architecture programs who want to remain in an urban environment, EwingCole president Bob McConnell said. READ MORE: Vanguard transfers 1,300 staffers to outsourcing partner Infosys, which will open a Malvern center At the same time, the collaborative nature of EwingColes work made it hard to continue having staff work from home full time, so that wasnt seen as a viable option, either. Those casual interactions as an architect or an engineer, where you can exchange ideas in person, or on the fly, is critical to how we work, McConnell said. EwingCole worked with Hether Smith of commercial brokerage Savills to find a furnished office that could be leased on a short-term basis. About 200 employees will continue to report to the firms Center City office, with the remaining 80 working out of the suburban space, although many will likely continue working from home a few days a week to further reduce density. Nobody knows what tomorrow is going to bring, and where were going to be six months from now or a year from now, McConnell said. We just thought this gave us some flexibility. Though some companies have requested to downsize, or otherwise permitted employees to always work from home, theres such a value of having people in the office, said Binswangers Kramer. While I am productive remotely, he said, I do miss working aside my coworkers and the water cooler talk. READ MORE: The open office floor plan has to change at least during the coronavirus pandemic Employers have to remain vigilant about protecting their workers by laying out detailed safety plans, Kramer said, and taking proactive measures. Companies are really going to have a pretty good job of being strict about this. Employer plans for creating a safer workplace include installing safety barriers, new air ventilation systems, and no-touch buttons and handles, as well as handing out personal protection equipment and taking employees temperature before they come inside. Such measures would prove essential, particularly if Congress passes what could be the last stimulus package, which could include employee liability protection for businesses. The measure, if passed, would shield businesses, health-care facilities, and schools from being sued by customers or employees who say they contracted the coronavirus from them. Republicans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have backed the proposal, while Democrats have opposed it. Companies really need to listen to their people and get a finger on the pulse of their people, Kramer said. Understanding what your employees want is a major thing. The Delhi zoo has started installing CCTV cameras on its premises, including in the animal enclosures, for a round-the-clock monitoring of animal behaviour and to prevent the visitors from violating rules. Around 230 CCTV cameras will be installed in the first phase. The number may go up, a zoo official said. He said a server room has been set up and the work of installing hubs and laying wires is going on. According to zoo Director Ramesh Pandey, the CCTV cameras will be used to monitor animal behaviour round the clock and sort out issues, if any, immediately. Apart from a separate CCTV monitoring room, the official said, monitors have also been installed in the offices of the zoo director and other officials."So, there will be many eyes on the screens," he said. The CCTV cameras will help the staff ascertain if an animal is eating properly, if it is unwell or displaying abnormal behaviour, the official said, adding that it is a scientific way of approaching animal healthcare-related problems. Earlier, the zoo staff used a "standby" camera if the situation demanded it. Mostly, it was used to monitor carnivorous animals showing abnormal behaviour or ascertain if an animal was ill. The CCTV cameras will also prevent the visitors from flouting rules, the official said. Many a time, the visitors attempt to irritate the animals, give them food or throw pebbles at them. On a few occasions, people tried jumping into the enclosures of carnivorous animals, the official said. "Though a guard is deployed at every enclosure, the CCTV cameras will make the premises more secure," he added. The zoo also plans to introduce virtual reality technology, allowing the visitors to "get closer" to the animals, and a GPS-based mobile application to make zoo visits more engaging and informative. Virtual reality headsets will allow the visitors to see the animals up close. People will find themselves "standing next to a tiger, hugging a deer or caressing an elephant", according to officials. Top zoos around the world have turned to technology to make visitors' experience better. The government wants the Delhi zoo to be among the top 10 across the world. Virtual reality and the mobile application are steps in that direction, the officials said. File image: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav Bihar is heading towards becoming a global hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said on Saturday, as he hit out at the Nitish Kumar government over the "low" number of tests being conducted. Yadav, the leader of opposition in the state legislative assembly, said the government was testing around 10,000 samples per day against the required 30,000-35,000 tests a day given the size and population of Bihar. If the required number of tests are conducted, 4,000- 5,000 cases would be detected every day, thus putting the state at the top in the country in terms of the spread of coronavirus, he claimed. The former deputy chief minister said there is a strong possibility of Bihar not only becoming a national hotspot, rather it is heading towards becoming a global hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yadav said despite the low testing rate in the state, the number of positive cases has remained over 1,000 per day. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The positivity rate in Bihar was at 13 per cent between July 11-17, which is the highest in the country, and it showed that the state stood nowhere in terms of testing, he said. A complete lockdown imposed from July 16 to July 31 will not serve any purpose if the testing rate and the bed capacity at hospitals are not augmented, he said. Yadav said he would urge the central team that is arriving in the state on Sunday to ensure transparency in reporting of COVID-19 figures. "I would request them to ask the state government to bring transparency in putting out the figures, besides ensuring special assistance from the central government, and look into the supply of oxygen concentrators and testing kits," he said. 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 A Pakistani court on July 18 approved the relocation of an elephant to a sprawling animal sanctuary in Cambodia after animal rights activists launched a campaign saying the pachyderm that spent three decades in the Islamic nation was being mistreated at the capital's small zoo, officials said. The decision was hailed by the World Wide Fund for Nature, which said its representative in Pakistan has been part of the continuous efforts to address welfare issues regarding Kaavan," the 33-year-old elephant that was given to Pakistan in 1985 by Sri Lanka. The group had proposed that the animal be moved to a 25,000-acre sanctuary in Cambodia, which already houses elephants and has rehabilitated over 80 elephants. Mian Aslam Amin, Pakistan's federal minister for climate change, called the ruling by the Islamabad High Court a sad but correct decision," which he said was made for the benefit Kaavan, the lone elephant at Islamabad's zoo. He said Kaavan would be relocated but gave no dates for it. The elephant was well-loved by children and was treated well until recent years when it was chained. Authorities had said that was done for the safety of visitors after observing occasional aggression in the animal's mood. Where Ferrari seems to have found its way in the right direction, Red Bull Racing is very disappointing in Hungary. The Italian team managed to recover somewhat by putting the cars in fifth and sixth place, while Red Bull underperformed enormously with seventh and thirteenth place. The difference between Ferrari and Red Bull did not go unnoticed. Corriere Della Sera was very critical of Red Bull and Honda. "Red Bull was a disaster. While the Scuderia managed to recover on Saturday, came the downfall of Red Bull". So while Ferrari performed better, Red Bull was never at the forefront of the field. That's remarkable, because in the preseason very big words came out of the Red Bull camp. Read more Mercedes drivers react with amazement to large deficit Red Bull Racing Honda also zero progression "In the winter there was a lot of talk about the season, but now it looks very gloomy for the team. The development of Honda also seems to be zero, despite the progress they would have made in lockdown". Not only Corriere della Sera was negative about Red Bull's performance, also Gazzetta dello Sport was not satisfied with Red Bull. "(Max) Verstappen had to drive on Saturday with a car that was slower than last year on the same circuit. On Sunday he had to drive all-or-nothing to make something of the weekend. He'll have to take risks, so he'll also have to make sure he doesn't cause any accidents", Gazzetta dello Sport said. Some have dubbed it the Say Anything shooting, but what happened in Portland, Ore., earlier this month to 26-year-old Donavan LaBella after he held up an old-school boom box and started blaring it at an intimidating line of federal robocops looking, in the eerie darkness, much like John Cusack in the iconic 1989 film was anything but a light romantic comedy. As captured on video, LaBella first rolled away a tear-gas canister fired in his direction by the heavily armed, badgeless federal officers, but then falls to the ground struck in the head by a so-called less-than-lethal round, which in the case of this Portland protester was just barely less than lethal. LaBellas mom told Oregon Public Broadcast that her son required surgery for skull and facial damage and that doctors were draining blood from his skull while watching out for permanent damage. An American has been shot and sent to the hospital for apparently exercising his right of free speech, Princeton visiting professor Steven Strauss observed. But the LaBella shooting turned out to be only the near-deadly first shot in what has become an unwelcome and unwarranted federal occupation of a major American city by a shadowy secret police force that answers only to President Donald Trump and his minions like acting Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter As protests in Portland over police brutality and racial inequity near the end of a second month, these heavily camouflaged, helmeted, and anonymous agents have routinely fired tear gas even though courts have mostly banned local police from deploying it and projectiles at protesters near a federal building in Oregons largest city. And as captured in video or described by victims these agents even snatched peaceful protesters off Portland sidewalks, shoved them into unmarked vans, and took them for questioning without identifying themselves or their agency. These are the kind of Kafkaesque, police-state tactics that most civilized folks hoped had gone the way of Chiles late authoritarian (and U.S.-installed) 20th-century dictator Augusto Pinochet, only to return for the increasingly desperate and dangerous final days of Trumps disastrous presidency, and Americas descent into madness and chaos. These hazy, tear-gas-soaked nights in the Pacific Northwest have been five years in the making the inevitable climax of a storyline that began on a morning in June 2015, when Trump descended a gilded escalator to start building a movement of right-wing rabble with hate speech against Mexicans. You were warned in the early days of his presidency, when Trump made good on his promise to the white supremacist unions of cops and federal border and immigration agents to take the shackles off, cheering on police brutality while setting the stage for agents to show up at schools and courthouses and disappear undocumented immigrants with deep roots in their communities. Those who said nothing or uttered toothless platitudes at these tactics, or the agents ripping toddlers from the arms of their parents at the Mexican border, shouldnt be shocked by now seeing Gestapo tactics in the streets of Portland. Indeed, Trumps inexorable frog-in-boiling-water push toward full-on authoritarianism has been so successful that almost no attention was paid on July 1, when the government announced a program with the Orwellian name of Protecting American Communities Task Force, or PACT (apparently the F is silent), which had the stated goal of protecting statues and monuments. But PACTs real open-ended and ill-defined mission seems to be escalating conflict in a handful of cities, like Portland, with the most-active far-left communities. PACT is comprised of officers from an array of agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (yes, even though the Canadian border is 285 long miles away) whose union Twitter feed is a steady stream of pro-Trump propaganda, including diatribes against the Radical Left as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service. Under the leadership of Wolf a presidential lapdog who wields the powerful hammer of Homeland Security even though hes only been confirmed as an undersecretary this is a dream team for a Trumpian secret police. And theres a very real chance that Pinochet-style federal policing may be coming to your hometown very soon. Acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli (also not Senate confirmed) told NPR on Friday that this is a posture we intend to continue not just in Portland but in any of the facilities that were responsible for around the country. Wolf set the template for these unwelcome literally no major government official in Oregon has asked for this intervention, and most have pleaded for the federales to go home mini-invasions when he showed up in Portland on Thursday, snubbed elected leaders but met with the head of Portlands police union, and posted a picture on Twitter of himself rallying the troops, whoever these troops actually are. Our men and women in uniform are patriots. We will never surrender to violent extremists on my watch, Wolf tweeted trying to make it sound like his camouflaged crusaders were ready to storm Omaha Beach rather than fire rubber bullets at graffiti vandals armed with chalk. READ MORE: Why do police unions talk and act like the Mafia? How can we stop them? | Will Bunch Wolfs renegade Homeland Security army is tragic vindication for those of whove been warning since the early 2000s that the extensive security apparatus that America created after 9/11 from that ominous too-1930s-Germanic sounding moniker of Homeland Security to the level of militarized policing unavoidable seen since George Floyds murder would be turned against U.S. citizens, especially if America ever elected a president with an authoritarian streak. For now, though, Trumps 21st-century fascism is mostly a political performance. Unable to run on his leadership or his record, with a mounting coronavirus death toll that just passed 140,000, and an 11% unemployment that may get worse again before it gets better, the president is hoping to save his presidency with fear. But his desperate and misguided efforts to recreate Richard Nixons 1968 law and order campaign and somehow scare voters about Joe Biden wont work unless he can bring nightly scenes of disorder and chaos into your living room. Portland home to folks on both the far-right and the far-left, in a state with a white supremacist past that contrasts with its reputation for hipster liberalism has been in many ways the perfect laboratory. Until the last couple of days, the national media with few, if any, reporters based in the regions second-largest city had been slow to grasp what was happening, yet pro-Trump Fox News was right on top of it, leading its newscasts with tear gas rather than coronavirus bumbling. Its a strategy that wont work, as evidenced by a slew of recent polls showing Trump trailing Biden by anywhere from 11 to 15 percentage points. Far too many Americans have lost someone or watched friends and family members get sick from COVID-19, or experienced job losses, to get really worked up about graffiti on a federal courthouse. Instead, Trumps dictatorial strongman shtick is simply eroding the rule of law in America to levels that were once unthinkable, and raising the prospect that someone will get killed, on top of the folks like Donavan LaBella already maimed. This needs to stop before it spreads to Chicago, or New York, or Louisville, Ky., or, yes, Philadelphia. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tweeted that the unmarked federal forces in Portland are storm troopers, but the most powerful Democrat in Washington seems to have little or no plan for ending the program. Leaders in Oregon including the state attorney general and the local ACLU are suing to make the feds go home, but even a victory may not prevent PACT from moving elsewhere. Meanwhile, protests are likely to escalate, which presumably is what Trump wants. Yes, its more than a little ironic that all of this is unfolding on the very weekend that the greatest living American in the arena of civil rights, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, died at age 80 (and that we also lost another champion of democracy, the Rev. C.T. Vivian). Lewis had a complicated relationship with the type of left-wing activists leading the current protests in Portland, but theres no doubt that the late congressman famously beaten by both angry mobs during 1961s Freedom Rides and by Alabama troopers near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma four years later would have been appalled at the governments brutal crackdown on any form of dissent there. We are tired of being beaten by policemen, Lewis said in his address to the 1963 March on Washington. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. ... I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete. The air has been filled all weekend with political platitudes about Lewis, many of them from hypocrites whove devoted their political careers to fighting everything he stood for, from voting rights to basic human rights. There is so much work left undone to honor the legacy of this great man, but a simple start would be to get Trumps tin soldiers out of Portland, today if possible. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter Hit by unemployment, a rise in Covid-19 cases and reimposed coronavirus curbs, Israelis have taken to the streets in daily demonstrations against the government. There is a lot of public anger due to corruption allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also went on trial in May for the allegations he completely denies like bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Current situation in Israel In Jerusalem, hundreds gathered outside the Prime Ministers residence, marched through the street, demanding Netanyahus resignation. Israeli police used water cannons to disperse these demonstrators around Prime Minister Netanyahus residence on July 18. Police said that at least 2 people were arrested as protests mounted against the Prime Minister over alleged corruption and a spike in coronavirus cases. Read: Israelis Protest Response To Economic Fallout From Coronavirus. Reports suggest that, Israels commercial hub, Tel Aviv saw thousands of people gathered for a rally at the beach side. People were demanding better state aid to businesses hit by the novel coronavirus. Their demand also included better aid to people who have lost their jobs or have been put to unpaid leave due to the pandemic. According to reports, employment currently stands at 21 percent in Israel. Read: Israelis Protest Against 'out Of Touch' Government. A partial lockdown was imposed in March that had flattened the infection curve. In May, many restrictions were uplifted- schools and many businesses reopened. But with a surge in the coronavirus cases, many health experts said that the government had moved too fast, completely neglecting to take the necessary epidemiological steps to control the pandemic. On July 14, A poll by the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute found only 29.5 percent of the public trust Netanyahu's handling of the crisis. Netanyahu has announced various economic aid packages. Some of these have been slow to come through while others have drawn criticism for being ineffective.Reports suggest that, Israel has a population of nine million, out of which, 50,000 coronavirus cases and 400 deaths have been reported. (Image credits: AP) Also Read: Netanyahu's Graft Trial Resumes Amid Israeli Virus Anger 50 Shot, 7 Dead, in Chicago so Far This Weekend: Police Chicago update Seven people are dead and 43 others, including seven boys, were injured in shootings across Chicago this weekend, Chicago police officials said. The latest fatal shooting occurred in the Southwest Sides Little Village. A 20-year-old male was shot and killed at around 3 a.m., officials told the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported that officials said he was dropped off at a local hospital with a gunshot wound in his abdomen before he was pronounced dead a short while later. According to officials, two people were shot, one of them fatally, in the Loop neighborhood about 20 minutes before that, ABC7 reported. One of the victims, a 35-year-old male, was shot in the neck, police said, adding that a 25-year-old woman was also shot in the left arm. Police said that both victims were uncooperative and wouldnt tell officers where the shooting took place, according to the report. Over the weekend, at least 18 officers and four demonstrators were injured in clashes during Black Lives Matter-related protests. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a Democrat, assailed protesters for attacking police. Unfortunately, last night, a portion of the protesters turned violent. A number of individuals came with frozen water bottles, rocks, bottles, cans and other gear to throw at officers. People in the crowd also threw fireworks and other incendiary devices at police, causing injury in several cases. These violent acts are unacceptable and put everyone at risk, she said in a statement. Several people were arrested and could face felony charges in connection to the clashes. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill., on April 3, 2020. (Chris Sweda-Pool via Getty Images) President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is slated to make an announcement about Chicago and the rise of violent crime across various cities this week. Well have another announcement next week with the Attorney General, the FBI, and others concerning our cities, because the left-wing group of people that are running our cities are not doing the job that theyre supposed to be doing, Trump said on July 15. And its not a very tough job to do if they knew what they were doing. So well be talking about that next week and probably have an announcement as to what were planning to do to help them. Theyre supposed to be asking for help, and they dont want to ask, Trump said, alluding to Lightfoot and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who are both Democrats. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany last week called Lightfoot derelict, adding that the mayor has done a very poor job in how the city polices itself. #PrimeroMiSalud Desde Arequipa, el presidente @MartinVizcarraC hace entrega del hospital temporal instalado en el Centro de Convenciones de Cerro Juli, implementado por la @AutoridadRCC para la atencion de pacientes COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/HbZjG0Bh5U Dear Governor: Your lunchtime COVID-19 briefingsNewsom at Noon are must-see TV. No California governor has ever had such a regular, closely observed platform, and you are making the most of it. Your memory, your command of policy and operational detail, and your rambling verbal dexterity, especially with the long words you favor (do you ever stop to breathe?), are almost superhuman. With these briefings, you are giving Californias most preeminent polysyllabic performance since Julie Andrews sang Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for Disneys Mary Poppins. Your skilled delivery of so much epidemiological data and so many changing regulations has put you at the center of Californians daily lives as we struggle through the pandemic and its associated social disruptions and economic earthquakes. Which is precisely why you need to stop giving these briefings. I can hear you and your aides guffawing at my above attestation, but Im not kidding. You are simply too good at this sort of communication for the states own good. The problem is to borrow two big words you love fundamental and foundational. You are a politician, an elected official, with deep experience and strong, well-known views. For the most part, thats great. While many Californians (including this columnist) have criticized your rapidly changing guidance, I feel lucky that a person of your knowledge and judgment is our governor in this moment. But we also are an overly politicized and badly polarized society in the midst of a pandemic. Its literally a matter of life and death that people listen to and follow your complicated public health instructions on mask-wearing, social distancing and the opening and closing of businesses. When a politician, no matter how skilled and public-spirited, is the one giving that information, the public health response is by definition politicized. The fact is that while many Californians voted for you, many others dont trust you. And so we are seeing the wearing of masks and the safety of public-facing institutions become a political issue. Two weeks ago in northern San Diego County, I found myself in a park with more than 150 people watching a softball tournament, and not one person was wearing a mask or socially distancing. When I asked people why they werent protecting themselves, many mentioned you, and none in a good way. Its obvious that you understand the dangers of politicizing the briefings. I appreciate how careful you are to avoid partisan statements, and to halt your righteous criticism of the Trump administration during the pandemic (even though your reticence angers some of your core supporters). I also appreciate that you treat Californians as adults, that you rigorously avoid oversimplifying things, and that you explain the larger context of state and local governance in the Golden State. I especially admire your habit of offering caveats to so many of your assertions, and of pointing out the weaknesses in your own policies. Its a sign of integrity perhaps even a miracle that none of the political consultants youve employed over the last 25 years has beaten that politically problematic habit out of you. Of all the politicians who have taken the microphone in this moment, you are among the most responsible. But you cant change who and what you are. So you need to change the briefings. Across the country and around the globe, myriad reports and leading public health experts have concluded that, in situations like this, scientists and doctors not politicians should be the ones leading public briefings. The good news is that our state has no shortage of such experts. I suggest you elevate one or both of the esteemed state health officials who sometimes appear with you on Newsom at Noon. Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the California Department of Public Health, who worked at the CDC back when it was functional, is a warm and straightforward communicator. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the California health and human services secretary, has the reassuringly goofy-nerdy mien of a teacher in an 80s movie comedy. Neither will be able to talk with the facility or breadth you can about all facets of the crisis. But they are better messengers than you are right now. There will be other advantages. With Drs. Angell and Ghaly handling the briefings, youll have more time to work on stubborn problems like opening the schools and fixing the failing unemployment system. Angell and Ghaly also speak with a simpler vocabulary and structure than you do. Some of your sentences with their endless asides, moral persuasions and wonk-speak remind me of the sentences that my seventh-grade English teacher made me diagram as punishment for being a wiseass. Of course, nerds and Hegelians across the state will mourn that you are no longer on TV saying things like: I recognize the dichotomy and to an extent, the dialectic. But you might remember what Hegel, the early 19th century German philosopher and master of dialectics, famously said: We learn from history that we do not learn from history. Governor, be the rare leader who learns. Be brave enough to step back from the airtime in service of the public good. If you cancel yourself as the star of Newsom at Noon, you will be losing a platform. But you will be meeting the moment. Your constituent, Joe Mathews Joe Mathews is Connecting California columnist and California editor at Zocalo Public Square. SACRAMENTO, Calif. For Laila Barakats children, school will be home, like other students in their district. But they wont participate in distance learning. Their teachers will be mom and dad. Barakat has decided to do home-schooling for her three school-aged children one in first grade, one in transitional kindergarten, and one in pre-kindergarten instead of connecting them to an online classroom. We just decided to take the leap, said Barakat, a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer in Elk Grove. At first it seemed like a radical thing, and now more and more people are doing it. As the COVID-19 pandemic pushes schools in Sacramento County and elsewhere into a distance-learning-only fall and families deal with uncertainty about when in-person learning will resume, parents have begun to seek alternatives to Zoom classrooms. Home-schooling is at the top of the list for many. J. Allen Weston, the executive director of the National Homeschool Association, said that the association has seen an explosive increase in interest over the past few weeks, as parents look toward home-schooling as an alternative. The association increased the size of its inbox to accommodate the new inquiries. We used to get 40 or 50 emails a day, Weston said. Now were getting thousands. About 3% of the students in the U.S. were home-schooled in the 2011-12 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But recent surveys have shown that 10% of parents are now strongly considering home-schooling their children, said James Mason, vice president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Facebook groups for home-schooling support have grown significantly, some by 200 members per day, said Marwa Swelam, a former substitute teacher from Elk Grove. She is planning to teach her three children in the fall. She said one group told her that its membership has doubled throughout the pandemic, from 12,000 to 24,000 members. My Facebook wall is flooding with people, Swelam said. I think parents are just scared to send their kids to school. Its scary. Parents have expressed a variety of reasons for seeking home schooling, from fears around COVID-19 exposure to worries about what a socially-distanced classroom environment will be like. Fifty percent of them are saying that they wont send their kids to school if theyre forced to wear masks and the other 50% are saying they wont if they arent, said Weston. Barakat said one reason she decided to switch to home-schooling was that one of her childrens grandparents lives with her family. Even with smaller class sizes, she felt the risk of exposure was too high. You know how flu season is, one kid gets sick and then the whole house gets sick, she said. We have a responsibility; its our duty to protect our loved ones and our elders. In addition, full-time online learning isnt sustainable for many children, Barakat said. She and her husband began to consider home-schooling after they saw their first-grade son struggling to engage in distance learning. This kid used to love school, and then when we said he had a Zoom class his smile would turn upside down, Barakat said. I just thought, if this is how it is in the fall, there has to be another way. After doing extensive research and taking an online Homeschool 101 class, Barakat and her husband are planning to file an affidavit with the state that says they will educate their children privately from home. Home-schooling is more than just school at home, said Diana Hilton, the owner of A Brighter Child, a home-schooling and educational supplies store in Fair Oaks. It is a way to bring a love of learning into a childs everyday environment. When you homeschool your children, it becomes a lifestyle. It kind of has to, she said. Finding the balance between the structure of school and the flexibility of home schooling can be daunting for some families, and activities that are rites of passage in regular school environments may not be options for home-schooling parents. None of these people want to dissect a fetal pig on their kitchen table, and I get that, Hilton said. Still, home-schooling can instill a love of learning in children who previously struggled to get excited about school. Even if they dont choose it as a permanent solution, its a really excellent temporary solution, Hilton said. Parents interested in home-schooling in California can go about it in three main ways. They can become an independent home-schooler like Barakat. They can hire a private tutor with a California teaching credential, meaning that they wouldnt have to file an affidavit with the state. Or they can work with an umbrella school, a public charter school or an existing private school with a satellite program. These programs often provide record-keeping, some parts of a curriculum, financial assistance, on-site classes and accountability for home-schooled students. Personalized learning public charter schools, which help students create individualized learning plans that include a combination of home-based learning, online learning, classroom learning, and community-based learning, have seen a significant increase in interested families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, said Jeff Rice, the founder of the Association of Personalized Learning Schools & Services (APLUS+), a statewide network association that represents 75 personalized education programs in California. Personalized learning involves a wide variety of settings and learning options for students, from in-person classes to online work to community-based internships and apprenticeships. Though the in-person aspects of personalized learning have been adjusted for COVID-19, personalized learning charter schools were able to quickly and effectively shift to distance education, Rice said. We didnt have to close down our schools at all. We could shift to alternative sites and continue providing a highly successful learning delivery program, said Rice. Though public charter schools that provide personalized learning have an increase in interest, they are struggling to enroll more students due to a change to the education budget. School funding in California has long been allocated based on a combination of the prior years funding and the current years attendance rate. This has meant that the money that funds a students education moves with them when they switch schools from one year to the next. But this year, budget trailer bills AB 77 and SB 98 allocate funding to schools based on attendance through Feb. 29, calculating funding based on pre-COVID-19 attendance. Under the new budget, funding wont follow students to new schools if they decide to switch and growing charter schools wont have the funding to add new students. The bills hold harmless schools that experienced declines in attendance due to the pandemic. But Rice said that the new budget would force schools that performed well under distance learning conditions, such as personalized learning public charter schools, to turn away students whose families are interested in switching to this type of curriculum. A petition created by Rice to restore per-pupil funding for all district and charter public schools before the 2020-21 year has more than 11,000 signatures, as of July 17. According to data from APLUS+, personalized learning programs enrolled more than 5,000 new students in 31 schools across California after Feb. 29. Another 13,414 students were wait-listed for next school year. We essentially cant enroll these families that are interested, said Fisk. Going through a charter school program is beneficial because those programs have funding, said Swelam. But like many others, she has been hampered by the long wait-lists. Now we are in the middle of nowhere, Swelam said. If shes unable to use the charter school option, she will file an affidavit to do home-schooling for her fourth-grader, second-grader and first-grader independently. Though school-from-home is a temporary adjustment for families across the country, Barakat said that home-schooling may be a lasting solution. I do think this is something that we might actually do long term, she said. Mara Hoplamazian of The Sacramento Bee wrote this story. 2020 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. For years, they fought to be released from Guantanamo Bay, where they were wrongfully detained. Now theyre pleading with the Canadian government to let them come here to reunite with their families. When our children see planes in the sky, they ask me, is my dad on that airplane, when is he going to come to Canada? says Melike Aierken, whose husband, Ayub Mohammed, has been stuck for 14 years in Albania, where he was sent after being released from Guantanamo Bay. Aierken is speaking by phone from Montreal. Her husband, Mohammed, is speaking through an interpreter from Albania. I thought there would be opportunities for me in Albania once I graduated from university, but there isnt, he says. Once my first child was born, I just couldnt see a future for my children in Albania. This is the reason I want to go to Canada. Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic group native to Xinjiang, China, who have historically faced persecution by the Chinese government. Mohammed was among 22 Uighur detainees who spent years in the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after being kidnapped in Pakistan three months after 9/11. Aierken is a Canadian citizen. She was sponsored to come to Canada from China by her father before meeting Mohammed online and moving to Albania to be with him. She has since returned to Canada to raise her two children, who are also Canadian citizens, and began the process of sponsoring Mohammed to join her in 2014. The process has been marked by many unexplained delays. We are waiting for some positive news, says Mohammed. Ive been separated from my wife and kids for one and a half years. The separation is very hard. Across the Atlantic Ocean in Bermuda, there are two other Uighur men released from Guantanamo Bay who are in similar situations, trying to get to Canada. Their fight to come immigrate is the latest chapter in what has been a long and bizarre saga that began 19 years ago. Ayub Mohammed left China at 17 to study in the United States after getting his U.S. student visa. While passing through Pakistan, he and 21 other Uighurs were kidnapped by bounty hunters after 9/11 and turned over to the U.S. military in December 2001. The men were held in American prisons in Kandahar, Afghanistan, for six months and then transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where they spent the next four to seven years. They were detained due to unsubstantiated claims that they were part of an alleged terrorist group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). This separatist group of militant Uighurs has claimed responsibility for a number of violent attacks and riots carried out by Uighurs in China and at Chinese embassies abroad. All three men were exonerated and determined by either the U.S. Combatant Status Review Tribunal or the District of Columbia Circuit Court to not be enemy combatants of the United States, Mohammed in 2005 and Mamut and Abdulahad in 2008. ETIMs links to al-Qaida proved to not exist. The men were released and sent to live in Albania and Bermuda, two of only three places to accept the Uighurs as refugees, the third being the Pacific island of Palau. In Bermuda, two of the Uighur men are in similar situations to Mohammed. The men have been living and working in Bermuda since June 2009, when they were released from Guantanamo Bay. Khalil Mamut met his wife through a mutual friend while she was living in China. After communicating online for months, Aminiguli Mamut came from China to live in Bermuda, where she married Khalil. Their connection to Canada began in 2014 when their first child became very sick and was transferred to Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. Khalil Mamut was unable to join his wife and son for the treatment. Aminiguli decided to permanently move to Canada to continue medical treatment for their son. She and the boy were granted refugee protection in 2015 and permanent residence in 2017. Salahidin Abdulahad met his wife, Zulpiye Yaqub, online and she also came from China to live in Bermuda. But after experiencing depression and social isolation in the country she decided to move to Canada to be closer to her Uighur community. (There are an estimated 2,200 Uigurs in Canada.) Yaqub, who now lives in the GTA, was granted refugee status in 2013 and permanent residence in 2016. The three men have been brought together in their struggle to reunite with their families. Ayub Mohammed was denied permanent resident status in 2016 by a Canadian immigration officer in Rome. The officer cited reasonable grounds to believe that he was a member of an organization the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) that engaged in terrorism. This was based on documentation from his detention at Guantanamo Bay, which stated: U.S. authorities believed that he had received training at an ETIM camp in Afghanistan. This was despite the 2005 ruling from the Combatant Status Review Tribunal that said he was no longer considered an enemy combatant of the United States. The tribunal did not explicitly state whether it believed he was ever a member of ETIM. Mohammed has denied these claims, and his lawyer says overwhelming evidence shows that he was not a member of ETIM. The High Commission of Canada in Nairobi and New York, where the cases are being processed, as well as the minister of public safety, refused to comment on the cases and the security concerns associated with them. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not reply when asked for comment. After a successful appeal, based on breaches of procedural fairness, in 2019, Mohammeds case is now in the process of being reassessed for admissibility. Mamut and Abdulahad have both been waiting for decisions since 2015 and 2014 respectively. Mamut left China at 18 and was studying English in Lahore, Pakistan; Abdulahad left at 24 for school and was only in Pakistan six weeks before being detained. Ultimately, they were all in the wrong place at the wrong time 19 years ago and continue to pay the price. While in Guantanamo Bay, the men began to understand why they had been wrongly detained but held on to hope they would be released swiftly. I continued to have faith because I have never done anything wrong to anybody, from any country, including China, says Mamut from Bermuda by phone, through an interpreter. He says he did not know the reason he was being detained until he got to Guantanamo and learned about the terrorist attacks in the U.S. of Sept. 11, 2001. Says Mohammed: Every time I think about my time in Guantanamo it takes me a while to recover because of the psychological impact reliving that time has on me. Mohammed in particular had a number of painful experiences while at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay. He described in an interview with documentary filmmakers how he was beaten several times, dragged, had gas sprayed in his face, was sexually assaulted by guards, refused food and witnessed others commit suicide. Mohammed went on hunger strikes to protest his treatment and was sent to the isolation block a number of times for up to one month alone. He was never in the same cellblock as other Uighurs. Their stories have been told in the documentary film Uyghurs: Prisoners of the Absurd in 2014, which charts the odyssey of these prisoners linked to worldwide terror networks through no fault of their own. Upon being released, none of the men had a say in where they were sent. Mohammed arrived in Tirana, Albania, in 2006. He didnt know where he was until he got off the plane and was terrified that they had returned him to China. He has been trying to leave Albania ever since. Meanwhile, Abdulahad and Mamut ended up being sent to Bermuda along with two other Uighurs. Abdulahad was promised by the American lawyers representing him that he would be sent to the United States, but later was told this is not possible and was sent to Bermuda in 2009. I didnt know anything about Bermuda, but I had heard of the Bermuda Triangle, says Mamut, referencing an area of the Atlantic Ocean where ships and airplanes supposedly vanish. I told my lawyers I didnt want to disappear in the Bermuda Triangle. Today, the men are trying to relocate to Canada, where their wives have permanent residence. The separation is really hard for me and my wife, says Mamut, I wasnt there when my second and third children were born. I wasnt there at my wifes side when she had a C-section. Says Abdulahad, speaking from Bermuda through an interpreter: My wife delivered our third child alone at home (in Toronto) because she couldnt connect with the doctor. Our two other children saw her give birth. They were so scared, they were traumatized. They are expecting their fourth child in September, and Abdulahad desperately wants to be at his wifes side. Even if the Canadian government could give me a one- or two-month visa so I can take care of my children and wife. Its really hard for me raising three children alone in Canada, says his wife, Zulpiye Yaqub. My children need their dad. Their lawyer, Prasanna Balasundaram, from Downtown Legal Services in Toronto, began representing Mohammed in December 2016 to appeal the inadmissibility decision, which he calls very problematic. Typically, you can have a judicial review determined within eight to 10 months, says Balasundaram, but it took almost two years before a hearing and thats because the government opposed virtually every procedural request we had along the way. That included opposing the disclosure of material that had found Mohammed inadmissible on security grounds. At the Federal Court hearing in February 2019, over 20 people from the Uighur community showed up to hear the judicial review. That Toronto hearing is where Balasundaram met Aminiguli Mamut and Zulpiye Yaqub, who told him their husbands were in the same situation. Balasundaram took on the cases of Mamut and Abdulahad. Mohammeds appeal was successful. The court determined that the decision of inadmissibility fell short of the standard of fairness that we expect in these situations, and therefore the Federal Court ordered the redetermination, says Balasundaram. They said, you have to do this over again and you have to do it right. Mohammeds case could still go either way. Balasundaram continues to have concerns about the process and delays in Mohammeds case. For example, the case has been transferred from the Canadian embassy in Rome to Nairobi, Kenya. But officials there are continuing to rely on interview notes from Rome, where Mohammed was not provided an interpreter, nor was he informed of inadmissibility concerns regarding security. For these reasons the Federal Court found that this interview breached procedural fairness. All three men received procedural fairness letters in February and March of this year. These letters are to inform applicants that the government has reason to believe they will be denied acceptance. The inadmissibility issue for these three men is security inadmissibility, and more specifically their membership in a terrorist organization, ETIM, says Balasundaram. But the inadmissibility that theyre trying to pursue and determine, I think, is ultimately spurious, says Balasundaram. I dont think that there is any serious reason to believe that they are members of ETIM. All three men have responded to the letters, and Mohammed received follow-up questions from the visa office in Kenya in June. Mamut and Abdulahad received letters in early July disclosing limited files that had been requested by Downtown Legal Services back in February. This process certainly should not take years and years, says Balasundaram. Says Mohammed: I guess I have become sacrificed to politics. When this narrative of radical terrorism groups became associated with Uighurs, I became sacrificed to that narrative even though Ive never supported any kind of violent resistance. While there is no evidence of Chinese interference with the mens immigration process, current tensions between Canada and China may be influencing their cases. China previously pressured Sweden to deny another former Guantanamo detainees asylum plea. In China, the mens families have also been facing persecution, and because of communication blackouts in Xinjiang province, none of the men have been able to contact family in China since 2016. There have been multiple reports that Uighurs in China are facing forced labour, constant surveillance and up to two million Uighurs are held in mass internment camps for re-education. In 2015, three of my siblings were arrested by the Chinese government and sent to concentration camps, says Abdulahad. The arrests have taken a major toll on his mental health. His siblings were each sentenced to 12 years in prison. Mohammeds brother and other relatives are also in the detention camps. We are talking about concentration camps here, says Canadian Uighur activist Medmet Tohti. We are talking about ethnic cultural genocide in the 21st century. There is not enough reaction from the world. For these reasons, the three men have never considered returning to their homeland. One year into their time in Guantanamo Bay, Chinese officials offered to return them to China, but Mohammed knew he would face life in prison if he went with them. Instead, they hope to restart their lives in Canada. Each of the mens wives has spent years going back and forth between Albania or Bermuda and Canada. But as their children get older and are in school this is getting harder. Because of the three mens legal status in Albania and Bermuda, they have never been able to travel to Canada to visit their families. COVID-19 has now delayed any future plans the families had for seeing one another. Every time my family comes and leaves, I lose myself and become very depressed, says Mohammed. So now, I have decided I will wait it out, I will be patient and then when we are reunited again it will be permanent. Downtown Legal Services is launching a campaign to share the stories of Mohammed, Mamut and Abdulahad with the public, in the hopes this will prompt the government to proceed faster with their cases. What father doesnt want to rejoin their family? says Abdulahad. That is my biggest dream. Natasha Comeau is a Fellow in Global Journalism at the University of Torontos Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She holds a Master of Global Affairs from the Munk School. Read more about: A self-taught jewellery designer who quit her full-time job to take on a new challenge now makes $12,000 a month selling 'affordable fine' earrings, rings and necklaces. When Samantha Rose, 27, left a graphic communications agency to launch Rapunzille the Label in July 2019, friends and relatives said she was setting herself up for failure. One year later, her designs have been featured in three issues of Vogue magazine. The Melbourne businesswoman now ships around 150 units a month, netting an average of $12,000 every 30 days - three times more than she would be making as a graphic designer. In 12 months, Samantha has learned how to code, source reliable manufacturers, manage Facebook adverts and produce her own quality pieces that don't tarnish or turn skin green. And while making the leap to self-employment has come with a 'fair share of failure', Samantha told Daily Mail Australia she's learned more in a year of business than she ever would have working a nine-to-five job. Scroll down for video Self-taught jewellery designer Samantha Rose, founder of Rapunzille the Label The 27-year-old Melbourne businesswoman (pictured) quit her full-time job as a graphic designer to launch a 'demi-fine' jewellery business that now rakes in $12,000 (AUD) a month 'I've always been a jewellery lover, but I found that any items made from quality metals all had very generic designs that were mass produced,' she said. 'You'd see the same things everywhere. If you wanted something a little different you'd have to purchase fast fashion jewellery that had appalling quality and turned your skin green after one wear! It wasn't sustainable.' That lack of quality led Samantha to a relatively untapped section of the accessories industry: demi-fine jewellery, which combines semi-precious stones with a mix of low carat gold and metals like sterling silver. 'It's affordable fine jewellery,' she said. 'Rapunzille is kissing brass goodbye and the green skin that goes along with it, and saying hello to timeless luxury pieces that are suitable for sensitive skin. It's jewellery that our customers will want to wear season after season.' Her pieces (which include twisted chain padlock necklaces, pictured) range from $35 to $179 Prices range from $35 for sterling silver rings to $179 for gold padlock necklaces. Her nod from Vogue came less than a month after the launch of her online store in July 2019, with buyers from the esteemed fashion bible reaching out over email. 'I honestly thought it was a fake email, I almost deleted it without opening it,' Samantha said. 'I never expected them to contact me, I just couldn't believe they'd stumbled across my small business. It kept me motivated to work harder.' Samantha's designs, made from a combination of semi-precious stones with a mix of low carat gold and metals like sterling silver Her best-seller is the 'Star Struck Ear Threaders', delicate drop earrings made from 18 carat gold plating, sterling silver and cubic zirconia stones. A TikTok video of Samantha wearing the earrings has been viewed 1.1million times since it was posted on June 18, prompting repeated sell-outs. 'It went completely viral! We've been selling out pre-order after pre-order,' she said. Rapunzille's best-selling $79 'Star Struck Ear Threaders' 'We weren't expecting such an influx, so I didn't order enough initially. We've sold out three times and are heading for the fourth in the space of a few months.' One American customer called them 'by far the best jewellery purchase' she has ever made in a review on the brand's website. What started as a range of six simple pieces has grown to 19 in less than a year, but Samantha insists it took 'nine months' to build a consistent customer base. 'It was very slow at the start. We went from a few orders a month to over a hundred a month between April and June,' she said. Despite grave reservations from loved ones, the move to self-employment has ironically sheltered Samantha from the economic aftershocks triggered by COVID-19. Australian retail turnover recorded its biggest ever monthly fall in April, plummeting almost 18 percent year-on-year, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show. The drop reverberated across every industry, with crippling losses in clothing, footwear, restaurants and fashion accessories. And still, amid the chaos, Rapunzille has seen 'exponential growth', shipping a growing number of orders every week. Samantha's four tips for success 1. Preparation meets opportunity is the key to success. 2. You can learn something from every job you have. 3. Make sure you have some savings to live on if you decide to quit your job to pursue your business, as success is slow and steady. 4. Be ready to love learning new skills and to go outside your comfort zone. Source: Rapunzille Advertisement Samantha (left) designs timeless pieces like her $179 gold padlock necklaces and $110 twisted hoop earrings (right) in the hopes that they never go out of fashion 'We've been selling between $10,000 and $12,000 since COVID hit in March, which is crazy. Business grew exponentially during lockdown,' Samantha said. Based on those figures, she says her fledgling company is set to make a six-figure profit by the end of 2020. 'This growth is very new so it's hard to predict future numbers. We literally went from a few hundred dollars to $12,000 a month!' A limited edition collection is in the works to 'keep designs fresh for customers', but for now Samantha is enjoying the success of a risk that paid off remarkably well. A 70-year old widower, who was about to remarry, allegedly lost valuables worth Rs 28 lakh to his prospective bride. The man is a resident of Borivali in Mumbai and reportedly got duped by a woman he was about to marry, back in August 2019. The incident has come to light now, and the police have recently registered a case after the victim suffered a heart attack because he was stressed after being cheated out of the money. The police said that that the elderly man's wife had died in February 2018. His friend advised him to remarry and he agreed. The same friend told him about a divorced woman, after which he got touch with her. She told him that she, along with her parents, brother and 21-year-old daughter, would come to Mumbai to finalise the wedding. Also read: Delhi Man Duped Of Rs 45 Lakh By Nigerian National Who Pretended To Sell Herbal Seeds TOI When the woman and her family came to Mumbai, they stayed at the complainants house. Unaware of the womans intentions, the man gave her a set of house keys. The woman proposed to have a registry marriage in Jaipur, according to a report by The Indian Express. On August 8, 2019, the man and woman along with her family went to Jaipur. They submitted affidavits and other documents but were given a marriage date after 30 days. The man decided to return to Mumbai as he did not wish to stay there for a month. After coming back home, he found that his property documents were missing. Later, when he checked the closet in the room where the womans family had stayed, he discovered that gold ornaments and other valuable articles were missing. He made attempts to contact the mother-daughter duo, but in vain. They went incommunicado. Also read: Indian National In Singapore Successfully Beat Covid-19 But Succumbs To Heart Attack TOI He went to Jaipur, looking for the woman after filing a complaint at MHB Police Station in Mumbai. Later, he withdrew the application for marriage as he could not trace the woman or the members of her family. He became deeply upset. The man told the police, I was stressed, suffered a minor heart attack. My friend rushed me to a hospital there. He came back to Mumbai after getting discharged from the hospital in Jaipur. Also read: Social Isolation Due To Coronavirus May Lead To More Heart Attacks, Says New Study Penn Medicine The mans health worsened and he was hospitalised again. Police have registered a case of cheating under IPC Section 420 after recording the mans statement on July 9. Big Brother's live finale on Wednesday won't have all 20 contestants present. On Saturday night, Zoe George alerted her fans that recent COVID-19 border closures have blocked her from attending. 'Melbourne is in lockdown and production wasn't able to get me Sydney,' the mummy blogger wrote on Instagram Stories. Scroll down for video Big Brother Australia star Zoe George (left) confirms she won't be attending the show's live finale in Sydney this week due to COVID-19 border restrictions... so will Melbourne-based star Laura Coriakula (right) also miss out? 'I feel sad to miss seeing all my friends and the excitement of the finale, but I'm home and safe with my family,' the 39-year-old reality TV star added. Zoe also pleaded with fans: 'It sucks, but please don't message me about it.' Other Big Brother stars who usually reside in Melbourne are Daniel Gorringe, Sarah McDougal, and Laura Coriakula. However, while Daniel and Sarah have been spotted in Sydney in recent days, it appears Laura may be the only other star unable to attend due to border closures. 'Production wasn't able to get me to Sydney': While Zoe said 'it sucks', she is happy to be safe at home with her family in Melbourne An Endemol Shine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia last week: 'Endemol Shine Australia is following Government directives as they are issued in preparation for the filming of the Big Brother Live Final on July 22. 'We hope to reunite all the housemates, but the welfare of everyone involved in our shows is our number one priority and we will be working within the Government guidelines.' Former AFL star Daniel and army cadet Sarah are already in Sydney ahead of the anticipated live finale. Doubts: The only other Melbourne resident that hasn't been spotted in Sydney this week is Laura Coriakula (pictured). It's believed she will also be unable to attend the finale on Wednesday due to recent COVID-19 border closures between the two states Domestic travel restrictions have recently been put in place between New South Wales and Victoria, with borders closing to non-essential travellers amid the escalating pandemic. This month, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that Melbourne would go into a six-week lockdown to prevent the spread of its recent coronavirus outbreak across the state. From 11.59pm on July 8, metro Melbourne went into full lockdown. According to the NSW Government website, there are limited exemptions for allowing Victorians to cross the border, but 'a border entry permit' can be granted for those wishing to cross the border with valid reasons. Final week is here! There are just five housemates left in the competition vying for reduced prize of $234,656. Pictured: Mat Garrick, Sophie Budack, Chad Hurst, Sarah McDougal and Daniel Gorringe There are just five housemates left in the competition vying for reduced prize of $234,656. Australia will ultimately decide who wins the show by voting for one of three remaining contestants during the live finale. Big Brother continues Monday from 7:30pm on Channel Seven UPDATE: N.J. weather: Dangerous heat wave peaks today. Itll feel like 110 degrees in some spots. New Jersey is in the midst of a summer heat wave and it will be getting ever hotter on Monday, forecasters say. Temperatures surged into the mid-90s in parts of the state Sunday as visitors flocked to the Jersey Shore, other beaches and pools. Newark reached 96 degrees on Sunday and it was 94 degrees in Central Park in Manhattan, said AccuWeather meteorologist Danielle Knittle. Monday will not bring any relief, Knittle told NJ Advance Media. We are forecasting things to get a couple of degrees hotter, Knittle said. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory for most of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania Allentown reached 96 degrees Sunday along with all of Delaware and parts of Maryland. It is advising rescheduling outdoor activities to the early morning, or early evening, with 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. being the warmest part of the day. By noon in New Jersey on Sunday, six state parks, including Island Beach State Park, had reached their capacity limits and were temporarily closed to new arrivals. In Long Branch, those heading to beaches closed due to crowding reportedly were buying up badges for access from those leaving for the day. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. A 56-year-old man drowned in the waterlogged Minto Road underpass near Connaught Place on Sunday morning and 10 others stranded on submerged roads and underpasses were rescued by different agencies across the Capital as the city received its first heavy spell of monsoon showers this year. Firefighters rescued three people from the Minto Road underpass where, they said, water was at least 8 feet deep. Besides the tempo which the victim, Kundan Singh Mehra, was driving, a DTC bus and two auto-rickshaws had also submerged. But fire officials said they never got to know that a man had drowned there. Mehra sat on his submerged mini truck for several minutes before his death, showed a small video clip which was authenticated by his family. However, it doesnt show him falling into the water. Also read: Delhi runs for cover as record July rain hits city There were motorists on both sides of the underpass and some of them even recorded Mehra sitting on top of the vehicle. But no one tried to rescue him or even alert the authorities, said Mehras cousin, Pritam Singh. Mehra belonged to Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, where his wife and two children live. He lived in the parking lot of Shankar Market in Connaught Place. Mehra took up odd transportation jobs, mostly from New Delhi railway station to other parts of the city. For the past few weeks, he had been hired temporarily by a contractor who provides food to CRPF personnel deployed in the city, said Singh who lives in Ghaziabad. Singh owns the tempo that Mehra drove. Rajender Dubey, assistant commissioner of police (Barakhamba Road), said the initial probe revealed that Mehra had started from New Delhi railway station towards Connaught Place when he got stranded in the water collected under the Minto Road rail bridge. He tried to manoeuvre his vehicle through the water, but couldnt make it, he said. Mehras cousin said he received a call from an employee of a public toilet near the underpass around 8am, informing him that his brother was trapped in the water and was sitting atop the tempo. The man who called me had worked for me in the past, so he knew Mehra, said Singh. By the time Singh could send some drivers from the nearby taxi stand to help Mehra, the stranded man couldnt be spotted anymore. The fire department, meanwhile, had received a call for help around the same time. We were informed that some people were trapped after a bus and two auto-rickshaws were stranded in the underpass. We rescued the bus driver and conductor and an auto driver, but no one told us that a fourth man was also stuck in the water, said Atul Garg, director of Delhi Fire Services. It took the firefighters about 90 minutes to carry out the rescue operation as they had to use ladders to save the stranded men. Mehras body was finally spotted by a lineman working at the yard of the New Delhi railway station nearby. He swam in the water and retrieved Mehra body. Mehras tempo was found near the stranded DTC bus, said ACP Dubey. Mehras cousin, Singh, said that he has been seeing the underpass get flooded every monsoon for the last 32 years he has been in the city. We have reached the moon, but arent able to solve the problem of an underpass. I hope my cousins death will not be wasted and the government can find a permanent solution to this problem, said Singh. Police said there were no external injuries on Mehras body and while they await the autopsy report, they have initiated inquest proceedings into his death. The definition of hyphen has been a punctuation sign to divide or compound words, word elements or numbers. (Merriam-Webster). In the Twenty-first century weve seen an obsession by some with the hyphen.Weve seen how it often divides more than it links. Take for instance the word Democrat-Socialist. Ostensibly it would appear to link two political philosophies-the traditional Democratic Party of Wilson, FDR, JFK and Hubert Humphrey with the current political beliefs of Bernie Sanders and those who follow him.A careful comparison of what Democrats of the past believed compared to the policies of Bernie Sanders reveals a much different picture.The hyphen used now in the term Democrat-Socialist, like so many increasing uses of that punctuation mark divides far more than it unites. Its intentional and it is sometimes hidden until a candidate is elected.Sanders Socialist views are the same old mendacity Lenin ranted from a soap box in Moscow over a hundred years ago. Because many Democrats are sliding to that way of thinking, Scoop Jackson and Daniel Patrick Moynihan wouldnt recognize the party they represented forty years ago.Its in fact so opposite their party ideals that two Princeton University professors say the name Democrat no longer describes the party in 2020. Writing in National Review, Klainerman and Londregan suggest a name change as many in that party want to erase the symbols and exemplars of American society.We should be very careful about how we cast our vote this year. From school board races to the legislature, Congress and President, we should know if a candidate is a Democrat-Socialist or privately holds those views. Ask your candidates for school board, state and national offices if they are or ever have been a Democrat-Socialist. Our future as an American culture depends on it.Ralph Miller Portlands mayor has called the Trump administrations use of federal agents to quell protests there a direct threat to democracy which could be replicated in other cities across the country. Local lawmakers and national Democratic leaders have called for the removal of the masked, militarised federal agents from the city, following their deployment ostensibly to protect federal buildings. Those agents have been accused of driving unmarked cars and seizing people from the street in recent days in the city, which has seen nightly protests for racial justice since the police killing of George Floyd. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all. They're not wanted here, mayor Ted Wheeler said on Sunday. The tactics that the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are abhorrent, he added. He told CNN: This could happen in your city and what were seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, by a Trump administration that's falling in the polls and this is a direct threat to our democracy. Recommended Portland leaders demand removal of federal troops from city His comments come after Donald Trump defended the deployment, claiming he was trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators, Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal! The deployment has been roundly condemned by Democrats as an abuse of power. US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has accused the Republican president of deploying stormtroopers. Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic, she said. The agents are from the US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Homeland Securitys Federal Protective Service. Video and witness testimony has emerged in recent days showing them detaining people without cause far from the federal buildings they are mandated to protect. Police declared a riot in the city on Saturday night as clashes continued, when a Portland Police Association building was set on fire briefly. Local lawmakers have called for the removal of the federal agents from the city in a letter condemning the Trump administration's actions. The message crafted by the Trump administration to justify this escalation of force and intimidation in Portland borders on propaganda, apparently to serve the presidents perceived political interests. This is unacceptable under our Constitution, said a letter signed by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, together with House Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici. The letter, which was addressed to acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who deployed the agents, and US Attorney General William Barr, accuses the federal agents of operating without identifying insignia in an apparent effort to evade accountability, and of snatching people off the street with no apparent reason. These actions are out of control [...] They are more reflective of tactics of a government led by a dictator, not from the government of our constitutional democratic republic, the officials wrote. Acting DHS Secretary Wolf justified the deployment of the federal agents with a press release that detailed a litany of alleged crimes carried out by violent anarchists. Many of the incidents listed are graffiti of federal property or removing fences. The city of Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob while local political leaders refuse to restore order to protect their city, said the release by Mr Wolf. Each night, lawless anarchists destroy and desecrate property, including the federal courthouse, and attack the brave law enforcement officers protecting it. ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The death toll from a migrant boat disaster in Lake Van in eastern Turkey has risen to 54, the governor's office said on Saturday, after three weeks of search operations. The boat, which sank on June 27, is believed to have been carrying 55 to 60 migrants, according to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Five people have been arrested in relation to the incident. Nine bodies were recovered from the lake on Saturday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 54, the governor's office said. Lake Van is near Turkey's border with Iran, from where migrants from Iran, Afghanistan and other countries regularly cross into Turkey heading west towards Europe. Seven people died and 64 were rescued when a boat carrying migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan sank on the lake in December. More than a million people reached Greece from Turkey in 2015-16. Numbers dropped sharply following a 2016 agreement between the EU and Turkey for Ankara to take migrants back in return for funds. Earlier this year, tens of thousands of migrants tried to cross into Greece via land and sea borders after Ankara said it would no longer stop them. Turkey, home to 3.6 million Syrians, the world's largest refugee population, had said it would open the frontier because it was alarmed by the prospect of another wave of refugees fleeing war in northwest Syria. (Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Ros Russell) Bhopal: Blaming the BJP for the political drama in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday asked Sachin Pilot not to leave the grand old party. In an interview to PTI, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said Pilot should not follow Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP, as he has bright future in Congress. His remarks follow Pilot's open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government, which has been on shaky ground with at least 18 legislators backing the rebel leader. Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief recently and the Congress has accused the BJP of making efforts to topple the Gehlot-led government by indulging in horse-trading. "The BJP is behind the crisis in Rajasthan," Singh said. The Congress veteran said he tried to call Pilot but his calls and text messages went unanswered. "Age is on your side. Ashok (Gehlot) may have offended you, but all such issues are best resolved amicably. Dont make the mistake that Scindia made. BJP is unreliable. Nobody who joined it from any other party has succeeded there," Singh said. He said this is the first time that Pilot hasn't responded to him. "Sachin is like my son. He respects me and I also like him. I called him three-four times and also texted him. He didn't revert. He used to respond immediately earlier," he said. "It is good to be ambitious. How can one move forward without having ambitions, but along with ambition, one must also have commitment to your organisation, ideology and the nation," Singh said. "I heard that he (Pilot) may form a new party. But what is the need for it. Has Congress not given him anything? He was made an MP at 26, a Union minister at 32, the state Congress president at 34 and deputy chief minister at 38. What else does he want? Time is on his side," Singh said. If Pilot had any issue, then as the state party unit president, he should have called a meeting and discussed the matter, he said. Pilot could have involved Congress national general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande in talks with Gehlot to resolve differences, he added. "If you have faith in your legislators, why have you have confined 18-19 of them in ITC Grand hotel at Manesar in Haryana," Singh said. This is the same hotel where the BJP kept MLAs from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (during political dramas in those states), he said. Pilot should forget whatever has happened, come back and sit across the table to discuss how Congress could be strengthened, he said. The Kingdom of the Winds: Yeon A slew of highly-anticipated mobile games based on classic PC titles have been or are set to be launched during the second half of this year, as game publishers aim to attract more mobile game users. In the lineup is "The Kingdom of the Winds: Yeon," by major game publisher Nexon Co., that began the service on mobile platforms on Wednesday, 20 years after the original PC game became available. "The Kingdom of the Winds," a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 1996, is part of the first-generation internet graphic games. It is one of the oldest MMORPGs still in service and was recognized as the "Longest-running commercial graphical MMORPG" by Guinness World Records. A total of 1 million people applied for the mobile version on the first day of the launch, Nexon said. The mobile MMORPG also became the highest grossing application on Apple's App Store for iPhones, and was one of the most popular app on Google's Play Store for Android devices. This mobile version retains much of the 2-dimensional graphic and everything from the opening screen to the music looks the same as the original, but the modern interpretation of characters and contents was added to it, officials said. Ntreev Soft Co., a subsidiary of online game developer NCSOFT Corp. is also scheduled to roll out "Trickster M," a mobile edition of its flagship MMORPG title, "Trickster," that was in service between 2003 and 2014. The fantasy mobile edition will also present 2-D graphics, like the original version, and will provide a new technology that allows players to enjoy a "seamless world." NCSOFT earlier said the mobile edition is to be rolled out in the country within this year, with the global launch set for later. "Ragnarok Origin," a mobile edition of online role-paying game "Ragnarok" by local game company Gravity Co., was launched on July 7 in South Korea, becoming one of top 5 grossing game apps. The original version, launched in 2002, retains the big heads, fairytale scenery and cute graphics favored by local gamers and has spawned a cult animation series in neighboring Asian countries, including Japan. Ragnarok Origin is heavily based on the original version, but also brings forth a satisfying MMORPG experience despite being on mobile platforms. It also features various innovative technology, like an automatic system to deter players from cheating. (Yonhap) Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? As the industry is trying to get back on its feet, a lot of shows have started shooting again in this un-lockdown phase. Along with other serials, comedian Kapil Sharma has also resumed shooting for his popular comedy show after spending 125 days at home owing to the lockdown. Taking to Instagram Stories, Kapil posted a few videos of his co-stars arriving at the sets of The Kapil Sharma Show, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. "Taking all precautions. #Staysafe #Staysanitised," Kapil captioned one of the videos, featuring Sumona Chakravarti. Chakravarti, too, seemed elated to return to the set of the show. Sharma's Instagram posts also featured comedian Bharti Singh and him having 'back-stage fun'. In another clip, we can see comedian Bharti Singh being sanitised while entering the shooting premises. Her body temperature was also tested. The actors happily cooperated with the staff. Bharti even broke into a jig while the security staff sanitised her. The huge fan base of the show is eagerly waiting for its return. Reportedly, actor Sonu Sood could be among the first celebs to shoot for Kapil's show in the new episodes. Media reports also add that the show might shift from its previous line up and show the host interact with COVID-19 Warriors instead of celebrities. Syracuse, N.Y. -- The body of an Adams man who drowned in Lake Ontario has been recovered after a three-hour search. State Police said members of the state police underwater recovery team found the body of Miguel A. Harvey, 49, in the lake at Southwick Beach State Park in the Jefferson County town of Ellisburg. State Police in Watertown and State Park Police responded to the park at 6:55 p.m. Friday for a report of an apparent accidental drowning. Harveys body was found after a three-hour search by State Police divers. State Police were assisted at the scene by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard Aviation, LifeNet Helicopter and multiple fire departments. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Sherifat Sulaimon When the next West African Senior School Certificate Examination eventually begins, Sherifat Sulaimon, will be missing in action. The 21-year-old SS3 pupil reportedly committed suicide last Sunday after she was allegedly beaten by her stepbrother, Moliku Sulaimon, whom she lived with at Olorunshogo Iyewa, in the Isawo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State. Neighbours, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH, accused Moliku of serially assaulting Sherifat, noting that she became frustrated and took Sniper after he repeated the act last Sunday morning. It was learnt that Sherifat and her two siblings started living with Moliku after their mother left the family, following their fathers death. Moliku, the eldest child in the family, is in his 40s. Our correspondent gathered that Sherifat helped Molikus wife to get some loaves of bread she would sell at a bakery within the neighbourhood and placed them somewhere in the apartment. She incurred Molikus anger when rodents tampered with one of the loaves, a resident said. She had been living with him since their father died. She was a kid then. Her siblings used to live with him too. They left out of frustration because he always beat them, the neighbour, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed. He stated that there were marks of canes on Sherifats body, adding that Moliku hurriedly took her corpse to their hometown in Ijebu, Ogun State, where it was buried the following morning. He said, After she returned from the bakery on Sunday morning, he beat her again because rats ate part of a loaf. It was out of frustration that the lady took a poison. She died on arrival at the hospital and he quickly too her corpse to their hometown in Ijebu for burial. He knew he would have been queried if the police inspected the body and saw the marks. Neighbours were bitter that Sherifat died that way without any action taken against the man. The chairman of the community development association, Mr. Adekunle Adeigba, said he was not aware of the assault until the incident happened. Someone called me on Sunday and narrated what happened to me. They said the man beat his stepsister and she went ahead to commit suicide. It was after the incident that I heard people say he had been beating her. I have not heard it before until the incident happened, Adeigba stated. The acting traditional ruler in the community, Pastor Moses Bakare, told our correspondent that he received several calls from locals, lamenting how Moliku used to maltreat the lady. He said an official of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps and a policeman from Owutu Police Station, visited the scene of the incident but did not inspect the victims body to verify if it bore marks of violence. Bakare explained, A resident informed me of the incident on Monday morning. I asked if any security agency is aware and he said one Mr Rasaq from LNSC was at the scene of the incident. I called the official and asked him about investigation carried out so far on the matter. I asked him if he checked her body but he said he didnt. I told him he should have checked to verify what people were saying. Everybody was lamenting that she committed suicide out of frustration. Many residents called me on the phone to make the same complaint and they sought justice on behalf of the lady. I learnt that a policeman from Owutu Police Station also came to check her body. I called him and he said the lady took Sniper. He told me he didnt check her body. Some youths wanted to burn the mans (Molikus) house but I calmed them. I asked his wife what happened and she said the lady erred and her husband beat her small. I had a meeting with the CDA members on Tuesday. We were concerned about the circumstances leading to the ladys death, but there is nothing we can do if the police cannot take the necessary action. In an interview with our correspondent, Moliku admitted beating his stepsister that day but said it was not responsible for the suicide. He said he suspected she was pregnant and was afraid to disclose it as he had warned her against unwanted pregnancy. Moliku stated, I had been taking care of her since she was small. Would I pray that she die now? I didnt beat her over bread. I sent her on an errand and called her on the phone but she didnt pick up the calls. That was why I beat her. I gave her three strokes of the cane on the palm. It happened in the morning and we took breakfast and lunch together. I then went to have a haircut. I suffered a lot on Sherifat and her siblings. She was in SS3 and was preparing to sit WASSCE. Their mother left them at tender ages. I was the one taking care of them. My children have been in sadness since she died. Even when the school was on holiday and I told her to visit her mum, she would not go. If I had been maltreating her, wouldnt she go? There was no mark of canes on her body. I dont know what could have made her to commit suicide but I thought she was probably pregnant. I always begged her not to get pregnant untimely. Moliku denied any cover-up, noting that he was too devastated to report the incident to the police. He added, Officials of LNSC saw her body and they checked it. I was confused. I didnt report to the police but the LNSC officials said they reported the case at the Owutu Police Station. I collected a doctors report and some residents wanted to join me to bury her at a cemetery. I called her mother and some other family members and they told me to bring her corpse home. I searched for an ambulance that Sunday night that took her to Ijebu. She was buried on Monday morning. I never nursed any evil against her. It was only God who could console me. The spokesperson for LNSC, Mr Sikiru Olusesi, said according to information he got from the corps officer in charge of Ikorodu West, some officials visited the scene of the incident and took photographs, adding that the Divisional Police Officer, Owutu Police Station, was informed. Olusesi said, The Chairman CDA Olorunshogo at Yewa Isawo, called the CO (corps officer) Ikorodu West of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Mr Oseni Rasaki, that there was a suicide case in their area. The CO called the Owutu DPO to alert him of the incident being within his jurisdiction and having authority of prosecution on such case. While the CO was on his usual patrol having been alerted of the case met a mammoth crowd at Bethel Hospital where the corpse of the lady was lying. He further told the CDA Chairman and some residents to make sure the case was formally reported and documented at the Owutu Police Station. He also advised them to take the corpse along with the community representatives to the station which they refused for reasons unknown to him. But as of Thursday, we learnt the police had begun investigations into the suicide case having heard the rumour of frequent faceoff that led to beating by her supposed (step) brother. We learnt the brothers two wives were with the police for questioning and that the brother has also been formally invited for questioning. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bala Elkana, confirmed that investigation had commenced on the case. *** Source: The PUNCH Functional forces in Quang Nam Province inspect a residential area in Dien Ban Town to search for illegal Chinese immigrants, July 18, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Dai Quyen. 21 Chinese nationals who snuck into Vietnam illegally have been traced and quarantined under Covid-19 protocol by authorities in central Vietnam. Acting on tip-offs from locals, law enforcement personnel in Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province inspected a residential area in Dien Duong Ward on Saturday. They found a group of Chinese people staying there illegally. The illegal immigrants fled as they were approached, but four were caught on the spot and 17 others later in the provinces Hoi An Town. All 21 have been quarantined at a military facility in Tam Ky Town and their samples taken for Covid-19 testing. Colonel Le Chi Cuong, head of the immigration management division of Quang Nams Police Department, said they are still on the lookout to see if there are more illegal Chinese immigrants left in the province who need to be quarantined and tested. "Its still not clear how these Chinese nationals got into Vietnam. We have focused on quarantining and testing them first. We will investigate the case further," he said. A Hoi An official said the people had possibly sneaked into Vietnam via small paths along the border between Vietnam and China, and that they had come to work illegally in Hoi An Town. Nguyen Van Hai, director of Quang Nam's Health Department, said Sunday afternoon that samples from the 21 Chinese people showed they are negative for the novel coronavirus. "They will continue to be quarantined and then be sent back to China." Vietnams Covid-19 prevention protocol requires all people entering the country from abroad to stay in mandatory quarantine for 14 days, during which they will be tested for the virus several times. The quarantining and testing are free for both locals and foreigners. As of Sunday, the nation has gone 94 days without detecting a single case of Covid-19 infection caused by community transmission. Of the 383 Covid-19 cases recorded so far, 26 are active patients as 357 have recovered. A majority of the cases, 243, have been imported patients who returned or came to the country from foreign countries. 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 From left: the Industrial Bank of Korea headquarters in Seoul, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and the Woori Bank headquarters in Seoul / Korea Times file Woori, IBK silent on Iranian government's threats By Park Jae-hyuk The Iranian government's attempt to regain access to its oil export revenue, which was seized in Korea amid Washington's economic sanctions, is leading to concerns that the situation could develop into a legal battle for Woori Bank and the Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK), both of which have taken charge of the Middle Eastern country's frozen accounts here. But the Korean banks have remained silent about possible threats from Tehran, apparently being cautious about possible involvement in a diplomatic tussle with both Iran and the United States. Sources familiar with the issue blame Iran, claiming Tehran was making "unreasonable demands and false claims" as the pandemic is increasingly weighing on its economy amid the intensifying U.S. sanctions. The Tehran Times was the first to report that the Iranian government is considering filing lawsuits against the Korean banks to regain access to its frozen accounts. The reports came as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said South Korea's seizure of Iranian assets "was by no means acceptable and we expect Seoul to lift the restrictions as soon as possible." Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati also said his country could launch legal action to gain access to the funds, according to the English language daily. The CBI has already filed lawsuits in Europe against financial firms that have withheld its money. "If South Korea continues to block the Iranian frozen funds then it is a clear indication that Seoul is continuing to put U.S. interests first, and with that South Korea is forfeiting its sovereignty and its relations with other nations," the Iranian newspaper reported. "By doing so South Korea will sacrifice the Iranian nation's trust in that country's products and technology which was gained in recent decades, and in the long run Seoul will sacrifice its interests in the Iranian market." Both Woori and IBK said they have yet to take any measures, because they are not being sued. "We've not faced any lawsuit, so we've just kept a close watch on this issue," an IBK spokesman said by telephone. With the approval of the U.S. government in 2010, Korea and Iran could trade with each other using Korean won-based settlement accounts that the CBI had opened at Woori and IBK. However, the banks stopped providing their won-denominated settlement services in May last year after the U.S. ended sanctions waivers given to Korea and seven other countries. The resumption of the services has become more difficult, since Washington tightened its sanctions against the CBI in September last year, following Iran's alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil refinery. Iran-South Korea Joint Chamber of Commerce Chairman Hossein Tanhaee claimed the amount of Iran's blocked assets in South Korea was somewhere between $6.5 billion and $9 billion. He also alleged Woori has demanded Iran pay a maintenance fee and that the Korean government is using the money. But a banking industry insider disputed these claims. "Woori has continued to pay interest on Iran's deposits without demanding any maintenance fee. If the U.S. lifts its sanctions against Iran, the CBI will be able to get its principal back with interest," the source said. "Iran must be aware of that the sanctions have barred the Korean banks from paying them back, but the country seems to be making such demands because its economic condition has deteriorated further." The government has also resumed the won-based trade of certain products with Iran starting this month, so that the Middle Eastern country could import face masks and protective equipment to further prevent the spread of COVID-19. Launching a taskforce in June to increase humanitarian trade with Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently held a presentation for companies interested in exporting medicine, medical appliances, agricultural products and groceries to Iran. "Supporting Korean companies to expand humanitarian trade with Iran, we will continue negotiations with relevant countries, such as the U.S. and Iran," a foreign ministry official said in a statement. It will be difficult for the Korean banks to give back Iran's oil export revenue in cash for a while because the government has conducted "enhanced due diligence" on products exported to Iran, so that the products are not used for money laundering. A multi-agency team probing the seizure of 30 kg of gold from the Thiruvananthapuram airport cargo terminal on July 5 found that at least 230 kg of gold has been smuggled into the country in similar fashion, using some employees of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) diplomatic mission in the Kerala capital over the past year, a senior officer familiar with the investigation said. The gold was contained in a carton with an assortment of pipes, taps, and door handles, food and electronic items. The 24-carat gold the best quality estimated to be worth at least Rs 15 crore was hidden inside the pipes. At least 13 such consignments came to the country in one year, and they all passed without any check due to diplomatic immunity. Some of them were heavier than the latest consignment, which weighed 70 kg. We are also probing some events organised by state government departments, the officer cited above sai on condition of anonymity, adding that all people whose names cropped up during the questioning will be summoned. This include chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans deposed secretary M Sivasankar and former information technology fellow Arun Balachandran. Last week, customs officers questioned Sivasankar for nine hours. The team is also likely to question a minister in the Vijayan government whose number appeared in the call list of former IT consultant Swapna Suresh, which was leaked to the media. Suresh is the second accused in the case; the first was P. Sarith Kumar, who went to the cargo terminal to pick up the consignment Meanwhile, reports from Dubai on Malayalam TV channels said that the third accused in the case, Faizal Fareed, was arrested in the city and he will be extradited soon. On the request of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) , Interpol issued a blue corner notice against Fareed. A resident of Thrissur, he is a key operative in the smuggling racket, according to the NIA. He is reportedly running a gym and garage in Dubai. The NIA has arrested four people and the customs department 13 in connection with the case. The team has also started a massive operation to trace the smuggled gold and seized 10 kg from two jewellers in Kozhikkode on Saturday, the officer cited above said adding that once the investigation gathered speed, many who were part of the smuggling syndicate had come up with voluntary disclosures. But he admitted that it was difficult to trace all smuggled gold. The team has conducted raids in last two days including two apartments belonging to Suresh and a business establishment of the third suspect, Sandip Nair, in the state capital and seized documents. The NIA filed a first information report (FIR) on July 10 against Sarith Kumar, who was arrested by customs officials on the day the gold was seized. Five days later, Suresh and Nair, a friend of hers, were arrested from a hideout in Bangaluru. A a Malappuram-based businessman, K T Rameez, was held by the customs on July 15 and NIA issued a blue corner notice against Fareed. All five were charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act . Chief minister Vijayans powerful secretary was suspended after reports surfaced that he was close to Suresh. State opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday asked investigating agencies to question CM Vijayan. Involvement of his two key aides (Sivasankar and Balachandran) surfaced. Now he cant wash off his hands. He will have to be grilled for more details, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A rally in support of local police departments reportedly drew hundreds of demonstrators to a park in downtown Torrington on Saturday, amid national protests sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police. More than 200 people gathered at Coe Memorial Park, many carrying signs with the slogan no police, no peace, the Republican American reported. The phrase was an apparent reference to no justice, no peace, a common chant by protesters at demonstrations against police brutality in the wake of Floyds death. Several rally-goers wore T-shirts with the slogan defend the police, with defund crossed out. Black Lives Matter activists have called for funding for police departments to be redirected to social programs, including social workers and mental health resources. David LaManna, one of the events organizers, said Sunday that around 400 people had turned out. We all universally condemn what happened to the man called George Floyd, LaManna told Hearst Connecticut Media. However, LaManna said, he was troubled by incidents of violence and looting during protests that followed Floyds death in Minneapolis. My dad died in the line of duty as a Waterbury police officer when I was 10 years -old, so yes I have skin in the game, LaManna said. He said he was aware of one counterprotester at the rally, who held up a sign with a expletive aimed at police. Its a little bit insulting, there were children there and its a vulgarity, LaManna said. Still, If there were others I didnt see them, he added. A flyer for Saturdays rally circulated on social media before the event called it a peaceful rally in support of local police departments. Demonstrators were asked to bring masks and observe social distancing. Come in peace this is not a protest. Lets make this the biggest rally so far, the flyer reads. The event was organized by United American Patriots, a group founded by LaManna and Mark Dorias, a 37-year-old contractor, the Republican American reported. Im here to speak for the silent majority for the hardworking, law-abiding Americans who support the police, the outlet quoted Dorias as saying. The newspaper said speakers denounced the killing of Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer was filmed pressing his knee into the back of Floyds neck for several minutes on Memorial Day. But others raised alarm about protests throughout the country that have resulted in fires and monuments being torn down, the paper reported. Torrington Police Chief William Baldwin attended the rally and stood near the speakers, the outlet reported. Unfortunately, theres a narrative out there thats painting law enforcement officials as being the bad guys when in fact we are nothing but good guys, The Republican American quoted him as saying. Any profession you have, any type of business or profession you are going to have bad people, you are going to have people who are not worthy of working for that profession. LaManna said the officers thanked the rally organizers. He said hes often asked if he had ever thought of becoming a police officer like his father. He said he answers, I would love to follow in my fathers footsteps, but Im not that brave. Former Hollyoaks star Claire Cooper, 39, has welcomed a baby boy with husband Emmett J Scanlan. The Irish actor, 41, took to Twitter on Saturday night to announce the news as he shared a sweet black-and-white snap of the newborn holding his hand. Emmett, who previously played Brendan Brady on Hollyoaks, simply captioned the photograph with: 'It's a boy'. Oh baby! Former Hollyoaks star Claire Cooper, 39, has welcomed a baby boy with husband Emmett J Scanlan The star, who already has daughter, Kayla, was quickly congratulated by his former Hollyoaks co-stars and celebrity pals. Jorgie Porter, who played Theresa McQueen on the soap, put: 'Congratulations both of u xx xxxx.' Hayley Tamaddon tweeted: 'Oh emmett my love I'm so so happy for you both. Sending you lots of love,' followed by a heart emoji. Sweet: The Irish actor, 41, took to Twitter on Saturday night to announce the news as he shared a sweet black-and-white snap of the newborn holding his hand While Bronagh Waugh, who starred with Emmett in The Fall, put: 'Ahhh bro!! HUGE Congratulations to you both!! Well done & Congratulations @CLAIREECOOPER you absolute Mumma! Ye did brilliant & he's absolutely gorgeous! Xxxxx.' Claire, who played Jacqui McQueen on Hollyoaks, announced she was pregnant in May. The actress posted a picture of her baby bump and penned: 'Feeling it all & so happy to share. Lovely: The star, who already has daughter, Kayla, was quickly congratulated by his former Hollyoaks co-stars and celebrity pals Loved-up: Claire, who played Jacqui McQueen on Hollyoaks, announced she was pregnant in May (the couple pictured in April 2019) 'I've been growing into a mama oh so quietly & discreetly, tip toeing a tightrope with the ebs & flows of pregnancy... 'Finding the seclusion exactly what I/we needed to captain the last seven months together, so much joy, so many belly laughs, so much belly, so much morning sickness & moments of fear.' She has since shared multiple updates, including Emmett stroking her baby bump and posing with prams. The couple married in 2015, they first went public with their romance in 2011. According to intelligence reports, one member of Russia-led forces was killed on July 18. Russia's hybrid military forces on July 18 mounted 13 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, with one member of the Joint Forces reported as wounded in action. "The Russian Federation's armed formations violated the ceasefire 13 times on July 18," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 19. "As a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in enemy shelling." Russian-led forces opened fire from proscribed 122mm artillery systems, 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types, anti-tank missile systems, cannons installed on infantry fighting vehicles, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, and small arms. Read alsoMedical officer killed in Donbas had Estonian citizenship Under attack came Ukrainian positions near the villages of Starohnativka, Vodiane, Novoselivka Druha, Talakivka, Hnutove, Novotoshkivske, Khutir Vilny, and Prychepylivka. Disengagement site No. 3 Bohdanivka also came under attack as Russian armed formations opened fire from small arms from the village of Petrivske. The Joint Forces returned fire to each enemy attack. According to intelligence reports, one member of Russia-led forces was killed on July 18. The enemy's prior casualties on July 16 included two killed fighters, according to updated data. "Since Sunday midnight, Russia-led forces have attacked Ukrainian positions six times near the villages of Prychepylivka, Luhanske, Vodiane, and Starohnativka, using 122mm artillery systems, 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems, and heavy machine guns," the update said. There have been no Ukrainian army casualties since Sunday midnight. Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, will take on Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, in November. In an in-person convention in Caroline County on Saturday, Freitas, who has served in the House of Delegates since 2016, received 56% of the vote on the third ballot, outlasting five challengers in his bid to secure the GOP nomination in the one-time Republican stronghold that turned blue in 2018. In the final round of balloting, Freitas topped Del. John McGuire, R-Goochland, who received 44% of the vote. The win for Freitas, who sought the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in 2018, sets up what is likely to be a closely watched contest with Spanberger in a swing district that includes eight rural counties and large swaths of suburban Chesterfield and Henrico. Today is a victory, and its the victory that launches another fight, Freitas told supporters after the results were announced around 8:30 p.m., and the fight that were going on next, this is the one we wanted. We had to fight this one first, but the one were in now, thats the one we wanted. Thats the one were excited about. On August 4, 2020, Meghan Markle turns 39. And with the Duchess of Sussex's birthday fast approaching, royal experts expect a blatant snub from the British royal family. Since leaving the royal family in March with her husband, Prince Harry, and their one-year-old son Archie, she has lost a lot of royal privileges. One of them includes no more ringing bells at the Westminster Abbey to signify a special day of one of their "once" own. While it's a tradition for the bells of the Abbey to be rung, most notably when Prince William and Kate Middleton tied the knot in April 2011, they will not be chime on the former "Suits" star's birthday. "I hear that Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells for Meghan's birthday next month," Richard Eden, a royal correspondent, told The Daily Mail. "To add insult to injury, it did ring them for the birthday of beleaguered Prince Andrew in February, even though he'd stepped down from royal duties," in light of his alleged involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. What's more insulting is that according to the Westminster Abbey bell ringing calendar, the bells on September 15, which is on Prince Harry's birthday, won't chime either. The Duke of Sussex is two places ahead of Prince Andrew. A spokesperson for the Abbey told The Daily Mail, "The bells are usually rung to mark the birthdays of senior members of the Royal Family, and though the line of succession to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children." After the Duchess of Sussex's birthday, the bell is due to ring for Princess Anne's birthday, just 11 days after Meghan's. News of the royal family not ringing in Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's birthdays in the UK comes after a royal author claimed that while the Duke of Sussex doesn't hate Los Angeles, he is reportedly struggling a role in the US. Tom Quinn told the Daily Star that the 35-year-old Prince is getting swept up in his wife's positive energy, which has always been a real problem in their relationship. Quinn divulged that the dad of one is currently experiencing the same feeling Meghan has felt while she was in the UK. He described Meghan Markle as a "dynamo" and someone who has "full of positive energy," as Prince Harry struggles to "fill the days" in the $18 million rented mansion. Despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepping away from their royal duties, it has been reported that the couple is still expected to rake in millions of dollars thanks to their global reach despite Queen Elizabeth II having stopped them from using their Sussex Royal branding. Her Majesty has ordered Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to stop using the label even after spending thousands on their new brand after leaving the royal family. For their speeches and other commercial deals, it has been reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could quickly bring in millions, with the couple demanding around $1 million for every speech. READ MORE: Princess Beatrice FINALLY Married In A Private Ceremony, Buckingham Palace Confirms Mostafa Bakri, an independent MP and journalist, said there were demands that discussions on the mandate be held in a closed session Egypts parliament has delayed to Monday a session to vote on a mandate for President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to intervene militarily in Libya amid escalating tensions, a leading MP said. Mostafa Bakri, an independent MP and journalist, said there were demands that discussions on the mandate be held in a closed session. The postponement comes one day after informed sources told Ahram Online that parliament is expected to hold a plenary meeting this week to discuss the political and military situation in neighbouring Libya. The sources said the discussion is to be followed by a vote to mandate President El-Sisi to intervene militarily in Libya to help defend the western neighbour against Turkish aggression. El-Sisi met on Thursday with leaders of Libyan tribes in Cairo, where they called on him to authorise the Egyptian Armed Forces to intervene to protect the national security of Libya and Egypt if they see an imminent danger to both countries. President El-Sisi said he would do so after obtaining approval from the Egyptian parliament. MPs told Ahram Online that El-Sisi's words go in line with Article 152 of Egypt's constitution, which states that the president of the republic is the supreme leader of the Armed Forces. He shall not declare war or send the Armed Forces outside the state's borders to undertake fighting missions unless he first seeks the opinion of the National Defence Council and the approval of a two-thirds majority of MPs. Egypt, the UAE and Russia are backing military commander Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, while Turkey supports the Tripoli-based GNA. The tensions come one month after El-Sisi had warned that Cairo has a legitimate right to intervene in the neighbouring country to restore security and stability after GNA-affiliated forces pushed back Haftars forces in the capital. El-Sisi said that any intervention in Libya by Egyptian forces would be led by the Libyan tribes, stressing that the Libyan frontline of Sirte and Al-Jufra is a red line for Egyptian national security. The Egyptian presidents statements came weeks after El-Sisi, Haftar, and the speaker of the Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh announced a peace initiative, dubbed the Cairo Declaration, to end the civil war in Libya through a ceasefire and an elected leadership council. The Cairo plan was drafted after the collapse of an offensive launched by Haftar in April 2019 to capture the Libyan capital, further extending the rival GNAs control over most of northwest Libya. Search Keywords: Short link: A record single-day spike in fresh cases was recorded in many southern states on Sunday as India's COVID's tally neared 11 lakh. Delhi, which is placed third among the states and Union territories most affected by the pandemic, continued to show an improvement in the situation, but Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat reported a sharp rise in cases. Maharashtra was still contributing a major portion of the caseload with the highest-ever 9,518 new COVID-19 cases in a day, taking the tally to 3,10,455 while 258 more people succumbed to the disease, including 149 deaths in the Mumbai metropolitan region, the state Health department said. Tamil Nadu reported a new single day high of 4,979 fresh COVID-19 cases as the overall tally crossed 1.70 lakh in the state, the second worst affected after Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on the COVID-19 prevention measures. During the phone conversation, Palaniswami apprised Modi that 48,000 coronavirus tests - a national high - were being done daily (average) in Tamil Nadu, an official statement said. A single-day high of 5,041 COVID-19 cases was registered in Andhra Pradesh as the overall aggregate inched closer to the 50,000 mark on Sunday. Also, the state saw the highest spike in deaths in a day as 56 coronavirus patients succumbed, pushing the toll to 642, a state government bulletin said. Karnataka reported 4,120 new COVID-19 cases and 91 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 63,772 and the death toll to 1,331, the state health department said. The state crossed the 10 lakh tests milestone today from about 88 labs in the state. And though the situation in Kerala was relatively better, the tally breached the 12,000 mark on Sunday with 821 people, including 13 health workers, testing positive for the virus in the highest single day spurt in the state so far. The national capital recorded 1,211 fresh coronavirus cases, the lowest in over a month, and 31 deaths due to the disease in the last 24 hours. On June 8, the city had recorded 1,007 cases. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi is now 1,22,793. The death toll due to the disease is 3,628, according to the latest Delhi health department bulletin. A central team, which reached Patna on Sunday to assess the COVID-19 situation in Bihar, asked the state's health department to focus on tracking and testing to combat the deadly virus, an official said. The state has witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases with the number of total positive cases jumping to 26,379 on July 19 from 10,075 infections on July 1. The three-member team sent by the Union health ministry is being led by Luv Agarwal, who is a joint secretary in the ministry. The director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr S K Singh, and Associate Professor of Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Neeraj Nishchal are also part of the team. The COVID-19 tally in Uttar Pradesh rose to 49,247 on Sunday with the highest single-day jump of 2,211 fresh cases, while the death toll reached 1,146 after 38 fatalities were reported in the state, according to a statement. The state is implementing weekend shutdown, joining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where a Sunday lockdown has been enforced this month. With its highest single-day rise of 965 new coronavirus positive cases, Gujarat's tally went up to 48,441 on Sunday, the state health department said. The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal on Sunday reached 1,112 after 36 people succumbed to the disease, the highest so far in a single day. A record 2,278 people tested positive for the disease, taking the infection tally to 42,487, a state government bulletin said. Jammu and Kashmir also recorded the highest single-day spike of 701 COVID-19 positive cases, while the death toll due to the disease reached 244 with eight fresh fatalities, officials said. With these fresh cases, the total number of infected persons in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 13,899. Jammu district authorities on Sunday announced a complete weekend lockdown beginning from July 24 to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases that had witnessed a spike over the past week, officials said. Madhya Pradesh recorded its highest single-day spike of 837 new COVID-19 cases, which took the count of patients to 22,600, an official said. The state's death toll due to coronavirus reached 721 with 15 more patients succumbing to the infection, the official said. India saw a record single-day jump of 38,902 COVID-19 cases pushing its tally to 10,77,618 on Sunday, while the total number of recoveries increased to 6,77,422, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The death toll due to the disease rose to 26,816 with new 543 fatalities even as 23,672 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest so far in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed. However, a PTI tally at 9pm showed that the COVID tally has reached 11.14 lakh. The Ministry of Health said the 11 most COVID-19 affected countries in the world --the US, Brazil, Russia, Peru, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, the UK, Iran, Pakistan, Spain --together reported 8 times more cases and 14 times more deaths than India. There are 3,73,379 active cases presently in the country. The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners. This is the fourth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 30,000. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 1,37,91,869 samples have been tested up to July 18 with 3,58,127 samples being tested on Saturday. In view of a surging number of Covid-19 infections across the states, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said telephonic town hall will be replacing his large in-person campaign rallies until the "Covid-19 problem" is solved, CNN reported. Speaking to his supporters in Wisconsin during what was described as his first "Tele-Rally," the President said, "I wanted to be with you, and this is really replacing our rallies that we all love so much, we had great rallies in Wisconsin and all over the country, and unfortunately until this gets solved, and we're doing really well with the therapeutics and vaccines, but until that gets solved it's going to be tough to have those big massive rallies, so I'm doing telephonic rallies, and we'll call them the Trump Rallies, but we'll do it by telephone and we have a lot of people on the line and I appreciate it." The 22-minutes telephone rally marked a major backpedaling for the President who last month plowed ahead with his controversial rally in Tulsa, despite pleas from health experts and local officials to call it off. The decision to go ahead was costly, with a top local health official admitting the rally 'more than likely' triggered a surge in new cases of the deadly virus across Oklahoma. The President, meanwhile, also used the opportunity to hit out once again at China over its handling of the outbreak, referring to his popular name for COVID-19 as the "China virus" and blasting the country, stating that they "could have stopped it". -ANI Also Read: US Navy aircraft carriers back in South China Sea 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. Nantes, on Saturday morning. At 7: 45 PM, passers-by saw in the heart of France's sixth largest city, behind the Central facade window of the Cathedrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul flames blaze. The fire brigade was quickly on the spot: 104 fire-fighters, with 45 vehicles moved in and with two hollow-beam tubes are armed, pushed back the flames within two hours. some 24 hours later, the Prosecutor announced that a man was taken into custody. He was a volunteer who had worked in the diocese, reported the news platform France info on Sunday, citing the public Prosecutor of Nantes, Pierre Sennes. He had been for the closure of the Cathedral on Friday evening was responsible, which is why the investigators "wanted to clarify certain aspects of his daily routine," said Prosecutor Sennes to the AFP news Agency on Sunday. Statements as to whether the man had been in the suspected arson involved, however, "premature", - he stressed. Sennes, was launched on Saturday a criminal investigation for arson. There are three spatially separate foci: the main organ above the Central Portal, as well as on the ground floor to the left and to the right of the transept-placed altar. This was no coincidence, but the "signature" of an intentionally caused fire. Later, however, he was sheepish and admitted, you have to go to each track. So I am asked to the Residents of the Cathedral square and the video monitoring in the environment is evaluated, but also the electrical wiring of the Church under the magnifying glass taken. With this latter task, an expert of the Paris police was entrusted. fabric of the building remains intact According to a provisional damage balance of the main organ, the about this description stained glass window and a painting by the neoclassical Church of the painter Hippolyte Flandrin, fell victim to the fire. A comparison to the great fire of Notre-Dame de Paris is not to pull: unlike in the case of this, where on 15. April 2019 flames from crossing had attacked storm on the wooden roof over the buildings here are intact; a General danger of collapse does not appear to exist. Concern is the vaulted gallery, which carried the organ prepares only: This is the commander, according to the fire Department as "very unstable and could collapse". France's newly appointed Prime Minister, Jean Castex, Minister of the interior, Gerald Darmanin, and culture Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, went on Saturday to Nantes at the place of action. The latter stated that as a resident of the Region of Pays de la Loire, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul had been "their" Cathedral. "I'm in tears... in particular, the destruction of an organ is like a stab in the heart." Updated Date: 19 July 2020, 06:20 The foreign secretary has given his strongest hint yet he may suspend the UK's extradition treaty with Hong Kong, as relations with China sour. Dominic Raab confirmed a review into the arrangement has been completed and he will be announcing an "update" to parliament today. He cautioned there wouldn't be "business as usual" with the former British colony after the coronavirus pandemic ends. Extradition treaties are signed between countries to speed up the deportation of suspected criminals. But after Beijing imposed a controversial new security law in Hong Kong , senior Tory MPs have called for it to be rescinded. "We are all going to have to ask ourselves if we recognise the Chinese Communist Party's definitions of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion, and share the interpretation of mainland judges," the members of parliament's Chinese Research Group wrote in a letter on Saturday. Canada and Australia have already taken the step and others such as the US and New Zealand are considering doing the same. Mr Raab did not rule out the UK taking similar action when he spoke to Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday. :: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts , Google podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker "On Hong Kong, I'm going to go to the House of Commons tomorrow [Monday] to make a further statement on the work we've been doing with our partners in government," he said. "I've said that we'd review a whole range of other considerations. "One of the things that we reviewed is our extradition arrangements and I will be updating the House on the conclusion of that review, along with other things that we've been looking at." Mr Raab said the UK does rely on China for issues requiring international cooperation like climate change. But he added: "We have said there won't be business as usual after COVID-19 and we are working with our international partners to get a proper independent review of what happened but we also want to make sure that we're not slipping into some outdated dogmatic approach with China." Story continues It comes after relations with Beijing deteriorated with the news the UK will end the use of Huawei technology in its 5G network as soon as this year over security concerns. Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, said on Sunday it would be "totally wrong" for Britain now to impose sanctions on officials. "If the UK goes that far to impose sanctions on any individuals in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it," he told the BBC. "I think the UK should have its own independent foreign policy rather than dance to the tune of the Americans like what happened to Huawei." There were reports at the weekend that the the Chinese social media company TikTok had broken off talks to open a global headquarters in Britain. Communist Party officials were also reported to have warned UK companies operating in China, including Jaguar Land Rover, BP and GlaxoSmithKline, that they could now face retaliation. Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. Scientists have confirmed for the first time that the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be transmitted to people by mosquitoes , a finding that adds evidence to WHO's claim that the disease is not mosquito-borne. The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, provided the first experimental evidence on the capacity of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes. "Here we provide the first experimental data to investigate the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to infect and be transmitted by mosquitoes," the study noted. "While the World Health Organization (WHO) has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said Stephen Higgs, a co-author of the research from Kansas State University in the US. According to the study, conducted at the university's Biosecurity Research Institute, the virus is unable to replicate in three common and widely distributed species of mosquitoes -- Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus, and hence cannot be transmitted to humans. Samples collected by the scientists within two hours of inoculation in mosquitoes confirmed efficient delivery of infectious viruses to these insects. However, based on the lack of detectable infectious virus in any of the 277 samples collected at all time points beyond 24 hours post-inoculation, the scientists said SARS-CoV-2 cannot replicate in mosquitoes. "Even if a mosquito fed on a person with virus in the blood, the mosquito would not be a vector if feeding on a naive host," they concluded. "We demonstrate that even under extreme conditions, SARS-CoV-2 virus is unable to replicate in these mosquitoes and therefore cannot be transmitted to people even in the unlikely event that a mosquito fed upon a viremic host," the scientists wrote in the study. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Drug dealer Melvin Gambanga, 23, has been jailed for flushing 8,000 worth of crack cocaine down his toilet when police raided his home in Gravesend, Kent A county lines kingpin has been jailed for eight years after throwing 8,000 worth of crack cocaine down his toilet when police raided his home. Drug dealer Melvin Gambanga, 23, tried to get rid of his stash as the cops broke down the door of his Kent base in Gravesend. When officers searched his flat they also found a loaded pistol and ammunition hidden in a holdall with more bullets in a suit in the wardrobe. Video footage of the raid showed officers smashing down his front door, then pulling a plastic bag of drugs out of his toilet. The unemployed warehouse worker was jailed for a total of eight years. A series of phones found at Gambanga's home revealed he was marketing the drugs by sending out regular adverts, a court heard. One of the adverts read: 'We are back...back with the best'. When officers forced their way into his flat they found him inside an en-suite having just flushed crack cocaine with a street value of up to 8,000 down the toilet, police said. Video footage of the raid showed officers smashing down his front door, then pulling a plastic bag of drugs out of this toilet When officers searched his flat they also found a loaded pistol and ammunition hidden in a holdall with more bullets in a suit in the wardrobe Heroin and crack cocaine, which had been assembled into ready to sell wraps, was also discovered in his bedroom. Gambanga was part of a county lines drugs gang known as 'G', the court was told. County lines dealing refers to the practice of city-based gangs pushing narcotics - typically crack cocaine and heroin - in commuter towns. At Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, Gambanga admitted possessing class A drugs with intent, possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition and having 1,000 in cash - the proceeds of his drug deals. Mark Gadsden, prosecuting, said: 'He was responsible for a significant amount of drugs being brought into Gravesend and other parts of the south east.' Mr Gadsden added that the self-loading 9mm pistol that was found in the flat contained four rounds with four more found in his suit, which was hanging in a wardrobe. When officers forced their way into his flat they found him inside an en-suite having just flushed crack cocaine with a street value of up to 8,000 down the toilet The dealer - who has a previous drugs conviction from 2016 - had been peddling drugs in the Kent town from October 2019 until his arrest in May this year. Max Reeves, defending, said Gambanga claimed the weapon had been given to him by someone 'further up the chain of command' and he had never inspected or fired it. Jailing him for five years on the weapon charges and another three years for the drugs offence, Judge Stephen Thomas told him: 'You were heavily involved in the marketing of class A drugs.' Det Con Mark Donovan, investigating officer for Kent Police, said Gambanga, who lived in Abbey Wood, south east London, was 'a threat to public safety'. A series of phones found at Gambanga's home revealed he was marketing the drugs by sending out regular adverts He said: 'Gambanga has demonstrated he is an individual who presents a clear threat to public safety. 'Not only does he see people suffering from drug abuse as a means to make money, his willingness to possess a loaded gun demonstrates he was willing to commit acts of serious violence. 'Despite being based outside of Kent, he was not able to escape capture after our enquiries revealed he had been actively involved in co-ordinating the supply of drugs to Gravesend. 'Each day we are gathering new information on the supply of class A drugs in our town and, as this case shows, we will not hesitate to come after drug dealers at their own homes to ensure they are brought to justice.' Canon launched the imagePROGRAF PRO-300, an A3+ printer with the quality features of the award winning imagePROGRAF PRO series perfect for semi-pros and aspiring photographers, small studios and photo labs. With a lightweight, compact form factor, this mighty printer can produce gallery quality prints from the convenience of a desktop. Replacing the PIXMA PRO-10S, this new entry to Canons imagePROGRAF PRO series inspires confidence with its easy to use software and design, rewarding photographers with impeccable prints every time. Photographers can leave the printing to imagePROGRAF PRO-300 and focus on their photography thanks to the built-in nozzle recovery and skew correction functions, which reduce ink and media waste. The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 enables borderless printing on all media types and improves black density and colour vibrancy on both fine art and glossy media. With the imagePROGRAF PRO-300, Canon photographers can enjoy a seamless workflow from image capture to print with features designed to bring their photos to life. Fuss-free, gallery-quality printing With exceptional monochrome printing, and vivid colour printing up to A3+, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is a must-have for photographers looking to submit quality prints for competitions, galleries, exhibitions or sales. Using 10 LUCIA PRO pigment inks, the printer achieves an expanded colour gamut to create greater depth and outstanding colour in every print. For greater expression of deep blacks and monochrome images, this model uses new ink in both photo and matte black to realise deeper and more vivid blacks than ever before on glossy and fine art media. Its dedicated Chroma Optimiser lays down a clear ink to minimise surface irregularities on gloss or semi-gloss paper, reducing bronzing and delivering stunning tonal superiority. Producing high quality prints without compromise, Canons L-COA PRO processor easily handles large image data and calculates the optimal ink droplet layout at super-fast speeds - printing A3 in less than five minutes[i]. With the LUCIA PRO ink system, photographers can achieve consistent, professional-level results across a wide variety of media with no hassle. With separate ink nozzles for photo and matte black, the printer uses a zero-ink switching method automatically choosing the correct ink based on the paper loaded saving time and reducing ink consumption. Print confidently, work productively The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 brings images to life in print form. With imagePROGRAF PRO technologies built into this model, users have confidence their original images will be reproduced faithfully and with maximum productivity. One of the biggest concerns when printing professional photography is the ink nozzles clogging and causing misfires. To combat this, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 detects if any nozzle is not firing correctly and will switch to backup nozzles to ensure there is no banding in the image whilst it is being printed. If paper is not aligned correctly when fed through the printer, the Auto Skew Correction function corrects and feeds the paper through to ensure a perfectly level print. In addition to this, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 checks the density levels of ink tanks, and periodically shakes the cartridges to maintain constant ink density levels throughout each tank ensuring colours are always consistent. Photographers can also quickly and easily navigate the printers menus and functions with the clear and bright 3-inch colour LCD display that allows instant monitoring of printer functions, ink levels and paper settings. Such features ensure failsafe printing with the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 saving both paper and ink. Print without borders Taking a huge step forward from the PIXMA PRO-10S, this model also supports borderless printing in all print modes including highest quality printing, on a wide variety of media - even fine art paper. Whats more, photographers can even print panoramic images to custom lengths up to 990.60mm. Offering support for Canon and third-party paper, including Hahnemuhle, Canson, Awagami and many more, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 gives users the freedom to print images with the paper of their choice. Alongside the launch of imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is the release of a new fine art paper from Canon Premium Fine Art Rough (FA-RG1). This paper adds a three-dimensional touch to fine art images where depth and expression are desirable. With a luxury touch, the paper uses high quality cotton to deliver a special premium feel. Available in various sizes the paper weighs 310g/m and is available in packs of 25 sheets. With this new addition of Fine Art Rough, Canon offers a complete range of professional photo paper for glossy, semi-gloss, matt and fine art media. Seamless workflow This compact A3+ printer streamlines the printing process, whether thats for a single photographer printing at home or a photo lab. Users have complete control of their prints with the Canon Professional Print & Layout software, which comes free with imagePROGRAF PRO-300. Working as both standalone software, a plugin through Canons Digital Photo Professional imaging software, or Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, users can govern colour management, profiling selection and layout settings such as split gallery wrap printing and panoramic printing. Using this software, photographers can access the soft proofing and hard proofing functions to ensure precise colour matching from screen to print every time. Connecting easily with PC or Mac using a wi-fi, ethernet or USB connection, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 offers a range of connectivity options to support multiple workflows. With a complete line-up of solutions from input to output, Canon photographers can print images like never before. Working seamlessly with Canons EOS camera technology to unlock unique features in the Canon Professional Print & Layout software, using the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 users can achieve the highest level of print fidelity from images captured only using EOS cameras. Functions such as DPRAW Print and HDR Print can read the RAW image data from EOS cameras, to reproduce the sharp areas of an image accurately, as well as recover highlights from single exposure images. Canon also launched the ground-breaking EOS R5, capable of recording 8K RAW, the powerful EOS R6 and four new RF lenses and two extenders the RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM, RF 600mm F11 IS STM, RF 800mm F11 IS STM, RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM, EXTENDER RF 1.4x, EXTENDER RF 2x. The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 will be available from July 2020 and more information about it can be found here: https://en.canon-me.com/printers/professional-photo-printers/a3-printers/imageprograf-pro-300/ imagePROGRAF PRO-300 key features: A3+ Small footprint, big potential Gallery quality printing with no ink switching Print without borders on a wide variety of media Enhanced colour gamut for greater depth Three-inch colour LCD menu screen Outstanding monochrome print quality Accurate screen to print match, every time High speed, high quality printing - TradeArabia News Service More than 9,000 tonnes of spices such as chilli, turmeric and cumin were exported to Bangladesh by rail route for the first time as coronavirus-related lockdown disrupted road transport, an official said. In the past one month, over 5,000 tonnes turmeric, 4,300 tonnes chilli, and 100 tonnes cumin have been exported by rail to Bangladesh from the Andhra-Telangana belt, the official said. Bangladesh is one of the leading export destinations for Indian spices and accounts for about 9 per cent in volume terms and 5 per cent in value terms of India's total spice exports. During 2019-20, around 1,09,950 tonnes of spices valued at Rs 1,005 crore were exported to Bangladesh and the major items shipped are cumin, chilli, ginger, and turmeric. Earlier, over 95 per cent of India's spice exports to Bangladesh were routed through the ports of Ghojadanga, Mundra, Hili, Mohadipur, Petrapole, Nhava Sheva or by road in small quantities. The official said that for the first time, exporters of turmeric and chilli, who faced a tough time in transporting by road during lockdown, collaborated with the South Central Railways for exporting spices through rail to Bangladesh. "Over the past one month, around 5,250 tonne of turmeric, 4,300 tonne of chilli, and 100 tonne of cumin have been exported by rail from the Andhra-Telangana belt," the official added. According to exporters, the rail logistics is faster, safer and easier for dispatch of bulk quantities, besides bringing in a significant reduction of over 60 per cent in transportation charges when compared to roadways, from Rs 5 to Rs 1.7- 2 per kg. The Spices Board, under the commerce ministry, is initiating a series of measures to facilitate seamless and hassle-free movement of export consignments. Backed by the Ministry of Railways, the board recently convened an online interaction of spice exporters with the officials of the South Central Railway to explain the operational modalities as well as to encourage exporters in utilizing the opportunity to the fullest. During 2019-20, the export of spices from India crossed USD 3 billion. Further the official said that exports of small cardamom from India to Saudi Arabia has resumed this year after trade issues were addressed by a delegation sent by the Ministry of Commerce for negotiations with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe News Onalaska, Wisconsin - Remarks by Vice President Pence in a Roundtable on USMCA at the Morning Star Dairy Farm: THE VICE PRESIDENT: First, Id like to invite everybody to thank John and Barb Schaller for opening up this family farm. (Applause.) Fantastic. Thank you so much. Thank you for welcoming us to Morning Star Dairy. I feel right at home. Im a small-town guy from southern Indiana. And I told them we didnt have dairy cattle when I was growing up, but we had about a hundred head of cattle. And it is great to be on this wonderful farm. I want to congratulate you for your success. I want to thank all of the great farmers that are gathered around here. I really look forward to hearing from you. But first and foremost, let me say thank you. In a challenging time in the life of our nation, American farmers came through and kept food on the table, and every American is grateful. (Applause.) You did. It really is remarkable that, literally from the farm to the grocery store, truckers in between, as leading the White House Coronavirus Task Force, I never fail to be inspired at the way that American agriculture responded. So I want to thank you for that, first and foremost. And let me also express appreciation from a friend of mine who is a great admirer of the state of Wisconsin and who loves farmers and ranchers all across this country. I bring greetings and gratitude from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) You know, were living in challenging times, but American farmers have risen to the challenge. Youve met this moment, and I want to assure you that, as the President took action from very early on, in January, when he suspended all travel from China; when he stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force; when we reinvented testing across the country; when we deployed hundreds of millions of supplies that are still being delivered to hospitals, particularly in the Sun Belt states that are still being impacted; the manufacture of equipment, ventilators; medicines known as therapeutics that are being distributed around the country today; and Ill tell you, with American ingenuity and the great, great pharmaceutical industry we have I believe with all my heart, before the end of this year, were going to have a vaccine and were going to put this coronavirus in the past. I truly believe that. (Applause.) But all of you stepped forward and all of you did what needed to be done to keep food on the table for the American people. Its been really inspiring for us to watch. And I know its been a I know its been a challenging time in the midst of this pandemic for American farmers. Literally, the President and I witnessed many family farms struggling during this time, and its one of the reasons why the President made more than $19 billion in assistance available to farmers, including including $1.1 billion thats already gone to dairy farms across this country. And while the trade deal that well talk a bit about today was negotiated before this challenging time, I hope you see, in the USMCA, President Donald Trump fights every day for American farmers and American agriculture. And on the USMCA, we deliver. (Applause.) Im also pleased with the relief. Working with the Congress, we were able to provide support for American families. We were able to provide support for American businesses. In fact, the Paycheck Protection Plan, as Im told, provided more than 86,000 loans to Wisconsin businesses so you could keep employees on the payroll during the difficult days of this pandemic here in this state. And I also I know the Paycheck Protection Plan was able to help Morning Star Morning Star keep your hardworking team on the payroll. And were honored to be a part of it. And in the midst of all of that, were opening up America again. I know Wisconsin is opening back up again. I see the enthusiasm as I drove out to the farm today, and on the strong foundation that this President poured in our first three years the three years that saw the creation of three of 7 million jobs, where we cut taxes, rolled back regulations, fought for free and fair trade, unleashed American energy. And the American economy is already coming back. In just the two months of May and June, more than 7 million jobs have been added to this economy. We lost 22 million at the height of the pandemic, but the American economy, in the city and on the farm, is coming back right here in Wisconsin and all over America. (Applause.) It is a it is a testament to the foundation that we poured. I love that verse that says, If the foundations crumble, how can the righteous stand? Its that foundation of less taxes, less regulation, a respect for private property, a fighting for free and fair trade that really, I believe, has laid the foundation for the comeback that is underway. And you all have been a part of that. And I want to promise you that were going to continue to fight for those things. Which, I want to say at this event, also is a whole lot different than the competition. I heard even just last week that the Democratic candidate for President, Joe Biden, is actually proposing $4 trillion in higher taxes. Hes proposing a $2 trillion version of the Green New Deal. And I have to tell you, the last thing this economy needs, the last thing this recovery needs is more taxes, more regulation. And the last thing we need is Joe Biden in the White House. So were going to be up here in Wisconsin telling that story. (Applause.) And I have to tell you, the subject of today, this the USMCA its a great win for American agriculture. But I wanted to come to a dairy farm because its been a great win for dairy. And I was literally there every step of the way during the negotiations. You know, when President Trump ran, and the people of Wisconsin put their confidence in this President four years ago, he promised that we that we would do better than NAFTA; that hed been he thought the North American Free Trade Agreement had hadnt put American workers first, hadnt put American farmers first. And we rolled our sleeves up. And right out of the gate, we started the negotiations. And one of the things that we learned early on is, in addition to creating incentives to move manufacturing jobs south of the border, we learned about we learned about programs, particularly in the dairy industry, that were going on in Canada that were working against dairy farmers here in Wisconsin and all across this country. Canada actually had what was called a Class 6 and a Class 7 program that subsidized certain dairy products and and literally, I was there, time after time, when literally we were talking we were talking about manufacturing jobs, we were talking about exports. But in virtually every conversation, President Donald Trump told the leadership in Canada, We have got to fix this trade deal for American dairy. And he did it. He did it. (Applause.) Im pleased to report to you that that Class 6 and Class C [7] program in Canada is going to end in six months. Its off the books. Weve leveled the playing field for American dairy. (Applause.) And, John and Barb, because of the USMCA, we predict within six years the United States is actually going to increase our exports by 50,000 metric tons of milk, 12,000 metric tons of cheese, 10,000 metric tons of cream, and the list goes on. Under the USMCA, Canada also will keep the price of skim milk solids at least as high as Americas prices. So were going to maintain a level playing field. The USMCA is a win for American workers, its a win for American famers, its a win for American dairy, and its just one more example of how President Donald Trump puts America first and always will. (Applause.) And Id love to hear how you were all doing, but I just have to mention to you at this event I was doing a little campaigning down in Ripon, Wisconsin, earlier today where the Republican Party was founded, and I said, They were founded back in 1854. And I said: Six years later, they elected the first Republican President of the United States, and four months from now, were going to reelect another Republican President of the United States of America when we reelect President Donald Trump for four more years in the White House. Because the choice is that clear. (Applause.) And for American farmers, again, the contrast between President Trump and Joe Biden and the liberal agenda that the Democrats are advancing couldnt be more stark when it comes to I mentioned this President cut taxes across the board for working families, small businesses, and family farms. Joe Biden wants to raise taxes on working families and on businesses across the country. This President ended the death tax for virtually every American family farmer. And yet, theres Joe Biden talking about raising taxes by more than Hillary Clinton ever even talked about. And the avalanche of regulations are going to all take the form of what we all remember to be the Waters of the USA. It was a it was a direct assault using federal red tape on private property rights. And I couldnt have been more proud standing among farmers in the West Wing of the White House the day that President Donald Trump signed the repeal of the Waters of the USA and restored private property rights to American agriculture and the American people. (Applause.) You know, the choice has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher. We have a President who believes in free enterprise and free markets, private property, and the rule of law. He believes in less taxes, less regulation, free and fair trade. And Joe Biden wants more taxes, more regulation, more economic surrender on the world stage. So the people of Wisconsin knew what to do in 2016, and I believe with all my heart, just like you all did before, that Wisconsin is going to vote for four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House. (Applause.) So I want to say thank you again. I want to say thank you for the resilience and the character and strength shown not just by the farmers around this table, but all the farmers that are gathered and any of you that might be looking on. You know, Ive long believed that adversity doesnt create character; adversity reveals character. And the character of the American farmer has really shown forth in the last four months. It was the farmers, the dairy farmers, the production of agriculture never stopped. Never stopped working, never stopped doing their job. Rolled their sleeves up and made it happen, and kept food on the table for the American people. I think its one of the reasons that its one of the reasons why, when I try to read that Good Book every morning, how often I read about the farmer. The verses often say, Consider the farmer, because the truth is that, in these last four months and all throughout the long history of this country, its been the faith and the character of the farmer thats really been a wellspring of American strength. And so I want to thank you for your inspiration. I want to thank you for your faith. I want to thank you for the way youve served the American people during this trying time. And I want to promise you that President Trump and I, and our entire team, are going to work our hearts out in the next four months and in the next four years to advance the prosperity and opportunities for every American farmer and every American rancher. As you stand on that firm foundation, were going to make sure that American agriculture is stronger and more prosperous than ever before. And with four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House, and with American agriculture prospering, and with these challenging days someday soon behind us, were going to make America great again, again. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Im honored to be with you. With that, Id just love to hear how everything is going, and maybe we can start with Representative Tony Kurtz, if we can. Tony, tell us how things are here and how we can be more helpful. (Roundtable discussion begins.) (Roundtable discussion concludes.) Let me say to John and Barbara and the family and all the distinguished leaders gathered around here: Thank you for your time today. Next time we get together, were going to were going to hold this roundtable in the cow barn because they said it was actually cooler over there. (Laughter.) And I want to I want to thank you all, really and truly. I know I speak on behalf of the President when I say, once again, thank you for the way your character and your faith has shown forth. American agriculture delivered to the American people during the trying times through which weve passed, and I know youll keep delivering until we reach that day, someday in the future, when the coronavirus is in the past. So thank you for what you have done. I want to promise you that were going to continue to fight for American agriculture. Were going to continue to make this USMCA a win for American farmers here in Wisconsin and all across this country. And with your continued support, well reelect President Donald Trump for four more years and, like I said before, well make America great again, again. Thank you all very much. And God bless you. (Applause.) Thank you all. Small employers will be given greater access to a $40 billion loan scheme to help them through the recession when the federal government overhauls its flagship JobKeeper payment this week. The expanded loan scheme will offer companies four times the amounts previously allowed up to a new cap of $1 million, while extending repayment times from three to five years. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has named tourism, arts and recreation, hospitality and aviation as the industries facing the greatest hardship. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But the government is under pressure from unions, social service groups, Labor and the Greens to keep JobKeeper payments of $1500 a fortnight flowing to as many people as possible when the scheme is adjusted within days. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will announce changes to the lending program on Monday after small and medium businesses applied for only $1.5 billion from the original scheme even though it offered up to $40 billion. As Permian Basin operators join with others in the U.S. energy industry in responding to ongoing uncertainties, the natural gas and oil industry remains focused on protecting the health and safety of our workers, communities and the environment. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, energy companies have manufactured and transported medical supplies and essential fuels for communities across America. Additionally, as natural gas and oil power the worlds economic recovery, the industry is working toward a brighter, cleaner energy future. Here at home, EagleClaw Midstream is committed to transporting affordable and reliable fuels to meet the growing demand for energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To that end, this year EagleClaw joined The Environmental Partnership, an industry-led initiative created to improve environmental performance in the production and transmission of oil and natural gas. We recognize that the conversation affecting our industry more broadly has clearly changed. The discourse is now one where environmental considerations are of equal importance to safety. Many companies such as EagleClaw have reflected on this at length and asked themselves some very telling and deep questions. Our actions impact the future of the planet and what we leave for our children and every subsequent generation. As an industry we must change, and so measures such as those suggested by Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian about reducing flaring are exactly the types of steps and measures that we, as an industry, need to get fully behind. By implementing state-of-the-art technologies, convening workshops and sharing best practices, the participating companies including 36 of the top 40 U.S. natural gas producers are reducing emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds in Americas largest energy producing regions. Crude oil reserves in Texas are significant and Texas natural gas reserves account for nearly 30 percent of the U.S. total, making the leadership of Permian Basin energy operators key to advancing industry sustainability. The performance programs, based on Environmental Protection Agency data, have been designed to identify and address emissions from equipment leaks, high-bleed pneumatic controllers, liquids unloading processes including pumps and meter, pipeline blowdowns and compressors. These programs are evolving and advancing operations, allowing the industry to reduce its environmental footprint while responsibly developing our domestic energy resources. In 2019 alone, more than 116 million component inspections were performed during more than 87,000 leak surveys showing a leak occurrence rate of 0.08 percent, which is less than one leaking component in 1,000, significantly lower than EPA estimates. The Partnership, which launched in December 2017, has established itself as a model for industry-driven environmental progress and collaborative investment toward sustainable energy solutions. As EagleClaw strives to meaningfully improve environmental performance, we are proud to lead the coalitions new expansion into midstream operations to address emissions throughout the natural gas supply chain. Currently, EagleClaw operates more than 1,000 miles of natural gas gathering and processing pipeline in the Delaware Basin, reliably transporting resources from the wellhead through our processing facilities to refineries and industrial centers along the Gulf Coast. Natural gas pipelines are the safest, most environmentally friendly way to deliver energy for everyday use more so than trucks or railways and infrastructure expansion is integral to capturing greenhouse gas emissions at the wellhead and streamlining performance systemwide. Environmental protection requires future-focused infrastructure development, an undertaking larger than any single company or energy-producing region. By collaborating with other stakeholders, communities and regulators, the broader industry can decrease flaring volumes and improve the efficiency of natural gas production in Texas and across the U.S. Additionally, the partnership is helping fund the development of new methane-sensing technologies to further reduce emissions from natural gas systems. Members of The Environmental Partnership are committed to producing and delivering the sustainable energy to power our future. At EagleClaw Midstream, we fully support this commitment and recognize that economic and environmental progress are not mutually exclusive. Jamie Welch is president and CEO of EagleClaw Midstream. In the strange world of the Trump White House, job security is fragile. A trusted staffer one day may be a disloyal official the next. Enter Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. To stand in his shoes is to stand on a tectonic plate shifting under his feet; the man is on shaky ground. His transgression? It was among the worst you could commit in the Trump White House. He told the truth. On ExpressNews.com: After ban expired, COVID surged at nursing homes While the president was downplaying the spike of the novel coronavirus in states like Texas, Fauci maintained his sober assessment of the pandemic and how we need to deal with it. Upset with his truth-telling, the president launched a campaign to discredit Fauci, releasing a statement to the Washington Post that several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things. I believe, for the most part, you can trust respected medical authorities, Fauci said during an event with the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service event. I believe Im one of them, so I think you can trust me. Fauci had said, during the early stages of the pandemic, that face masks were unnecessary except for health care workers and those who were sick. Scientists were still grappling with the impact of the virus, and later, in an interview with NPR, Fauci acknowledged his error. It was clear that it troubled him. That mixed message in the beginning, even though it was well-meant, to allow masks to be available for health workers, that was detrimental in getting the message across right now, he said. No doubt about it. On ExpressNews.com: Breathtaking virus numbers show normal life still far away The assault against Fauci came as Trump threatened to withhold funding from school districts if they do not reopen their campuses to students in the fall. He criticized the guidelines of his own CDC. Health experts pushed back, including Fauci, who urged caution as the president forges ahead with his misguided directives. While criticizing Fauci, the president retweeted a message by Chuck Woolery, the former game show host, who alleged: Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. Again, Woolery is a former game show host. Let that sink in. Is his word more prized than Faucis? Peter Navarro, director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, has no more credibility in the medical field than Woolery. No matter. There he was, criticizing Fauci in an opinion piece for USA Today. Throughout the bizarre attack on his credibility, Fauci has retained the poise and equanimity that have made him a national treasure. It is not just his expertise, which is considerable; it is also his demeanor, a tone that remains soothing no matter how dark his prognostications. He called the attacks nonsense in an interview with the Atlantic. Most Americans are with Fauci. In a recent New York Times-Siena College poll, 76 percent of the respondents said they trusted Fauci for accurate information about the pandemic, compared with 26 percent who said they trusted Trump. Fauci is merely relaying the truth, as we best know it in the present moment, to the American people. We need to know the truth. If we get rosy pronouncements about the pandemic, we become irresponsible, our confidence undermined by reality. We stop wearing masks, stop social distancing, stop fearing a virus we should fear. Fauci is not infallible, but he is honest, even when it comes to acknowledging his own mistakes something real leaders do. Arvind Kumar, Additional Director General (ADG law and order ) of Manipur police who sustained critical injury after he allegedly shot himself on Saturday, was flown to New Delhi in an air ambulance on Sunday, officials said. Kumar who was undergoing treatment in Raj Medicity, a private hospital in Imphal was flown in an air ambulance for further treatment at Delhis All India Institute iof Medical Sciences (AIIMS) around 4.30 pm. Chief Minister N Biren Singh who had visited the hospital to see Kumar, tweeted, During my visit, I have interacted with Shri Arvind Kumar, IPS, ADGP (L&O), Manipur Police, who was injured in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Currently, his condition is stable and out of danger. May good health envelop him; I wish him a speedy recovery. Kumar, a 1992 batch Manipur cadre IPS, allegedly shot himself with his service weapon at his official quarter located at 1st Manipur Rifles battalion premises. Kumar was sent back to his home cadre earlier this year after serving in the Intelligence Bureau as its joint director in New Delhi, officials said. He was in charge of the armed police and was given the responsibility of law and order in Manipur on July 5. A mother has died after collapsing during an arrest that relatives say didnt need to happen. Tracie Caroline Emily Cooper, 50, did not regain consciousness after the incident at her home in Southampton. Her life support was turned off days later and a post-mortem found she had died of a bleed on the brain. Ms Coopers husband, Nigel Cross, was held in custody for more than seven hours before being allowed to visit her in hospital. Hampshire Police officers had entered their home on 18 April to make arrests over an alleged assault and racially aggravated harassment. The arrest didnt need to happen they had offered to do a voluntary interview, a source close to the family told The Independent. Despite that they burst into the house, arrested Nigel, tried to arrest Tracey and during the course of whatever happened in the kitchen she collapsed. Ms Coopers 15-year-old son was in the home at the time and she had seven other children. Sources close to the family said the allegations had been made by relatives as part of an ongoing dispute, and Mr Cross was later released with no further action. All Nigel wants is the truth of what happened with his wife, one said. He is devastated, he doesnt know what to do. They were absolutely devoted to each other, they had been together for 25 years. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty A coroners inquest will establish the full circumstances of Ms Coopers death and examine any possible contributing factors. A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said it had referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), but the watchdog passed it to the forces professional standards department to investigate locally. We can confirm that on 18 April, a woman in her 50s collapsed at her home address in Landguard Road, Southampton, whilst police were in attendance at the address, a statement said. The woman was taken to hospital where she subsequently died. This investigation remains ongoing at this time and as such it would be inappropriate for us to comment further. The Transform Justice group said the incident was part of the wider overuse of police custody. Director Penelope Gibbs said police had been told to take people into cells only as a last resort during the coronavirus pandemic. Campaigners say police custody is being overused (PA) Tracie and Nigel were willing to be interviewed voluntarily by the police about the crimes they were accused of, she added. So there was no need to arrest and try to detain them. Even less need to take Nigel into custody and keep him there while Tracie was at deaths door. Ms Gibbs said that detention in custody should be reserved for suspects who pose an immediate risk to victims. Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request found that only 35 per cent of people detained in England and Wales are charged with an offence. A report by Transform Justice said that amounted to hundreds of thousands of people being held unnecessarily every year. The number of hours suspects wait in detention has increased by four hours in the last ten years, it added. A greater proportion of defendants are released by the court than are released by police an indication that police detention is overused and sometimes unnecessary. US Attorney Calls for DHS Probe Into 'Unmarked' Federal Agents Arresting Protesters in Portland Sputnik News 23:30 GMT 18.07.2020 On Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called on US President Donald Trump to remove federal troops deployed to the city by the White House to quell ongoing protests, as the agents have reportedly used heavy-handed tactics against protesters, reporters, and legal observers, with some refusing to identify themselves and wearing no identification. US Attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy J. Williams, called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General on Friday to launch a probe into reports of unmarked, camouflaged federal agents arresting protesters in Portland. Federal agents from different elements of the Department of Homeland Security and the US Marshals Service, not wearing name tags, are seen in video footage picking up and detaining demonstrators in unmarked vehicles. "Based on news accounts circulating that allege federal law enforcement detained two protesters without probable cause, I have requested the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General to open a separate investigation directed specifically at the actions of DHS personnel," US attorney Williams said in a statement on Friday. "As US Attorney, I will continue to work in concert with local and federal law enforcement and city and community leaders to bring about an end to this violence." On Friday, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed in a press release that personnel from the agency had detained protesters in Portland, Oregon, and had taken them for questioning to an unknown location that they deemed safe from what they characterized as violent mobs. "The CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter. The names of the agents were not displayed due to recent doxing incidents against law enforcement personnel who serve and protect our country," the release stated. Williams said that federal personnel have been fulfilling their mission of protecting federal buildings in the city, as required, but in "limited instances", their "conduct has been questioned". He noted that the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General has opened an investigation "into the use of less lethal ammunition directed at a protester last week". On Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called on President Donald Trump to withdraw federal law enforcement troops deployed by the White House to the city and order them to remain in their "own buildings". The mayor observed that sending troops to the city is a "strategy" by the Trump administration to "bolster his sagging polling data". "Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city," Wheeler said during a news conference on Friday. "This is part of the core media strategy out of Trump's White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data. And it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials". Last week, Trump ordered federal law enforcement forces be deployed to some US cities, including Portland, justifying the move by claiming that demonstrations were taking over, and declaring that "it was out of control. The locals couldn't handle it". The move has been met with criticism by Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who has accused the president of using the power of the federal government to distract Americans from the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Portland has been dealing with ongoing anti-police-brutality and anti-racism protests and riots since the 25 May death of African American George Floyd while in the custody of white police officers in Minneapolis. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Despite weaker market risk-sentiment in the past week, the British Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate spent most of the week trending lower. The Pounds appeal has been throttled by a concerning UK outlook, while the Australian Dollar has remained more appealing among currencies more correlated to risk-sentiment. The Australian Dollar is also benefitting from market hopes for global stimulus. After opening last week at the level of 1.8160, GBP/AUD spent the week trending lower. Even as market risk sentiment was limited, GBP/AUD continued to fall. Towards the end of the week, GBP/AUD was trending just above a low of 1.7941. This was the worst level for GBP/AUD in over a week, and the pair had shed essentially all of the previous weeks gains as a result. The Pound has seen poor performance over the past week, as Britains outlook becomes gloomier and gloomier. Sterling was already unappealing, as markets remained concerned about the UK governments action on the pandemic as well as the ongoing Brexit process. The governments coronavirus response has been mixed, and the government also continues to indicate that the Brexit transition period will not be extended. With coronavirus and Brexit uncertainties persisting, the past weeks news that Britains economic growth has been slower than expected during the pandemic has only further hit the Pound. Britains May growth rate data, published early last week, showed that Britains economy was not weathering the pandemic as well as hoped. According to Kit Juckes, Head of FX Strategy at Societe Generale: Sterling does well on the big risk-on days, rallies back, and then as soon as its not a day where theres significant risk appetite in the market it shows its true colours a little bit more, There is concern about the UK economy, there is concern that the MPC (monetary policy committee) might end up easing further in the market, The Australian Dollar was able to benefit from the Pounds weakness more easily, thanks to the markets more optimistic AUD outlook. While surging coronavirus cases in the US have led to some rises in safe haven demand, there is also rising hopes for progress on a coronavirus vaccine. This has helped buoy AUD, as it is one of the markets more appealing risk-correlated currencies. UK Retail Sales May Not Be Enough to Help Pound Sterling Exchange Rates Next weeks UK economic calendar will be comparatively quiet. Following last weeks slew of key UK ecostats, the most notable data due next week wont be published until the end of the week. Public borrowing data due earlier in the week is unlikely to be hugely influential. Later in the week, the Confederation of British Industrys (CBI) latest reports will be published. However, the weeks biggest UK data will be Fridays June retail sales results. June is expected to have seen retail sales slow slightly after Mays rebound. However, if Britains retail sector performed worse than expected the Pound could be in for further weakness. Of course, on top of UK data, the Pounds appeal will also continue to be influenced by other ongoing factors. Even if UK retail stats impress investors, concerns over Britains coronavirus and Brexit outlooks could prevent Sterling from capitalising. Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rate Forecast: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Could Weaken Outlook Investors have been buying the Australian Dollar despite a lack of strong fresh Australian data, and despite some mixed market risk-sentiment. However, if Australias outlook shows more signs of worsening, the Australian Dollars appeal could weaken. Tuesdays Asian session will see the publication of the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) latest meeting minutes report. RBA Governor Philip Lowe is also expected to make comments next week. If the RBA minutes or Lowes comments indicate fresh concern about how a second wave of coronavirus infections could hurt Australias economy, the Australian Dollar could come under fresh pressure. This would make it more difficult for AUD to keep climbing and benefitting from market risk-sentiment. Pound to Australian Dollar exchange rate investors will also be anticipating Australian PMI projections, due towards the end of next week. NEW YORK, July 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Colony Capital, Inc. (Colony or the Company) (NYSE: CLNY) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California, and docketed under 20-cv-04673, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Colony securities between August 9, 2019, and May 7, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Colony securities during the class period, you have until July 27, 2020 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Colony is a leading global investment management firm with assets under management of $55 billion. The Company manages capital on behalf of its stockholders, as well as institutional and retail investors in private funds, and traded and non-traded real estate investment trusts. On August 9, 2019, Colony announced that it would sell its multi-billion-dollar industrial portfolio and, potentially, its related management platform. On September 30, 2019, Colony announced that Blackstone would acquire Colony Industrial, the industrial real estate assets and affiliated industrial operating platform of the Company, for $5.9 billion. On November 7, 2019, Colony Credit Real Estate announced that third party valuation experts assisted the [c]ompany in a robust strategic reassessment of [its] entire asset base, that, [d]uring this process [the company] identified and separated a Legacy, Non-Strategic Portfolio and made meaningful changes to the original business plans, and that [g]oing forward, [the company] plan[s] to report the operations and dispositions from [its] Core Portfolio and the Legacy, Non-Strategic Portfolio separately. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Colonys sale of its industrial real estate portfolio and the bifurcation of Colony Credit Real Estates portfolio were foreseeably likely to negatively impact Colonys financial and operating results; (ii) certain of Colonys remaining portfolio companies carried unsustainable levels of debt secured by hotels and healthcare-related properties and were thus at significant risk of default; and (iii) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On November 8, 2019, Colony announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2019. Among other results, the Company reported a GAAP net loss of $555 million, or $1.15 per share, which notably included reductions of goodwill, real estate and provision for loan losses totaling $540.3 million . . . of which $387.0 million was attributable to the reduction of goodwill primarily as a result of the pending sale of the Companys industrial investment management business and related real estate portfolio, and the decrease in management fees from Colony Credit Real Estate, Inc. resulting from impairments related to its portfolio bifurcation. On this news, Colonys stock price fell $0.48 per share, or 8.76%, to close at $5.00 per share on November 8, 2019. Then, on May 8, 2020, Colony issued a press release announcing its financial and operating results for the first quarter of 2020. In the press release, Colony reported that its portfolio companies had defaulted on $3.2 billion of debt secured by hotels and healthcare-related properties and that Colony had received a notice of acceleration covering $780 million of the defaulted debt. On this news, Colonys stock price fell $0.08 per share, or 3.81%, to close at $2.02 per share on May 8, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com A health official on the Texas Gulf Coast said 85 infants have tested positive for the coronavirus. Corpus Christi Nueces County Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez said Friday that the 85 infants are each younger than 1, but offered no other details, including how the children are suspected to have become infected. These babies have not even had their first birthday yet. Please help us to stop the spread of this disease by staying home except for necessary trips, socially distancing and wearing masks in public, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez did not return messages for comment Saturday from The Associated Press. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is also stressing that the widespread use of face coverings could avoid another lockdown, which he hasnt ruled out. Texas health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday and said 130 more people have died due to Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, bringing the number of reported cases to 317,730 and the number of deaths to 3,865. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sorry! This content is not available in your region Abbie Chatfield has never been shy to speak openly about her personal sex life. And on Saturday, the Bachelor in Paradise star, 25, pulled out a sex toy during dinner with TV presenter Danny Clayton. Abbie was spotted holding a pink vibrator and pretending to interview Danny while enjoying a meal at a restaurant in Bondi Beach, Sydney. Surprised! Bachelor in Paradise star Abbie Chatfield pulled out a SEX TOY during dinner with TV presenter Danny Clayton in Sydney on Saturday The Bachelor star held the sex toy in one hand while she laughed and asked the radio presenter several questions. Abbie put on a very busty display in a plunging black dress and wore a pair of black boots. She styled her brunette locks in waves and wore a neutral palette of makeup for the outing. Danny kept warm in brown pants, a white T-shirt, a stylish navy jacket and a pair of brown boots. The pair were spotted enjoying dinner with model Simone Holtznagel, as well as two other friends. Interview: Abbie was spotted holding a pink vibrator and pretending to interview Danny while enjoying a meal at a restaurant in Bondi Beach Meanwhile, Abbie has previously boasted about her extensive sex toy collection. During an episode of her It's A Lot podcast in May, the 24-year-old said: 'I have nine vibrators at this present time and then three dildos, and I'm really proud of them all.' Abbie also admitted she finds it easier to have an orgasm alone than with somebody else. 'I know that I can **** from masturbating much easier than I can by someone else having sex with me,' she explained. 'So if I'm having sex with someone and I'm not dating them, I don't really care what they think if I have to stop halfway through,' she continued. 'I'll be like, "eh, go to sleep and I'll get my womaniser out",' she finished, referring to one of her favourite vibrators. All smiles! The pair, who enjoyed dinner with model Simone Holtznage and two other friends, were seen laughing and joking Abbie's outing comes after she revealed her Tinder account was reinstalled, almost one year after she was banned from the app on Thursday. 'Hi! We saw your post and we're happy to look into this for you and help out in any way we can,' they wrote. 'Could you please provide the email address associated with your Tinder account, and a member of our Trust & Safety team will be in touch to get more information. Thank you.' Abbie shared their message to her Instagram story with the a caption reading: 'Success!!!!' Style:Danny kept warm in brown pants, a white T-shirt, a stylish navy jacket and a pair of brown boots In June 2019, the influencer revealed on the Sex Love Magic podcast that she went on The Bachelor in 2019 because she had been blocked from Tinder due to months of inactivity. 'I haven't had Tinder [in a long time]. My Tinder got blocked so that's why I went on the show,' she said. 'I had been on two Tinder dates ever. One was a one-night stand, successful after a break-up, and one guy I dated for six weeks.' Abbie went on to reveal the moment she found out that she been blocked from the popular app. 'I was dating a Scottish guy and he moved to Australia and we were living together and it wasn't working so he moved out,' she said. 'The next day me and my roommate downloaded Tinder to see what's happening and it was blocked and I hadn't used the app for seven months and I couldn't get it back.' NSW has recorded 18 new cases of coronavirus with majority of cases spread via community transmission. Sundays figures included a newly infected diner who went to Holy Duck! on Kensington Street in Chippendale, in Sydneys inner city, on July 10 between 7.15pm and 9.30pm. NSW Health is urging anyone who was at the restaurant between those times to immediately self-isolate for 14 days and get tested if symptoms develop. One confirmed case has been linked to Holy Duck, a modern Chinese restaurant in Chippendale. Source: Briggs Jourdan/Google Diners must remain in isolation for the 14 days, even if the test is negative. Holy Duck! was closed for a deep clean on Saturday night, NSW Health said. The restaurant said in a Facebook statement it was committed to doing what we can to keep everyone safe and are currently undergoing a deep clean of the restaurant. Once this is completed, we will reopen to the public, the statement read. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Dr Jeremy McAnulty addressed the particular concern of some venues and social gatherings aiding in the spread of the disease. People are urged to avoid non-essential travel and gatherings. Of particular concern is transmission in venues such as hotels and restaurants, the gym and social gatherings, Dr McAnulty said. We are calling on people across the state to take extra care. Dr Jeremy McAnulty said there were 18 new coronavirus cases in NSW on Sunday. Source: NSW Health The cluster linked to the Crossroads Hotel in southwest Sydney stands at 45 cases, with one person being linked to Planet Fitness gym in Casula. Another case also attended the Anytime Fitness Gym in Merrylands on July 14. Health authorities are calling for those who were at the gym on that date from 9pm to 10.30pm to self-isolate and watch for symptoms. Three people, two in southern Sydney and in one in southwestern Sydney, who have returned positive results have no links to clusters in NSW and one case remains under investigation. The cluster linked to the Crossroads Hotel in Casula has grown to 45. Source: AAP NSW ramps up restrictions on overseas arrivals Story continues Five people who have tested positive are returning travellers currently in hotel quarantine. While recently there has been an increase in community transmission, the bulk of the overall cases in the state are linked to overseas. On Sunday, it was announced NSW would cap overseas arrivals into Sydney at 350 a day starting Monday under a new agreement with the federal government, 100 people less than the previous cap. coronavirus Our number one priority is the health and safety of the people of NSW, and this new cap will help us protect our state from COVID-19, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. NSW is the gateway to Australia and it is important that passengers returning home do not overrun the capacity of NSW Health and hotel quarantine. The people of NSW have done an excellent job putting us in the position we are in today, however we must not let our guard down and this decision will further help keep us safe. NSW will limit overseas arrivals to 350 per day starting Monday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced. Source: AAP Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres said Australians had been given plenty of time to return from overseas. "It is incredibly important the volume of returning travellers does not undo the great work of the people of NSW," Mr Ayres said in a statement on Sunday. "The people, businesses and industries of NSW can only operate in this 'new normal' if we effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19, and further limiting the cap on returning travellers will help ensure this." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. Ayesha Singh By All this while we were told that optimists live longer are happier and more content. They rarely see anything as insurmountable. Every problem has a solution and the key to that is a positive attitude. But turns out, realists enjoy a greater sense of long-term well-being. These new findings were published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and are hinged on an analysis from the British Household Panel Survey, tracking 1,600 people annually over 18 years. Where is the problem Mistaken expectations is the trouble-maker. Over-expecting or under-expecting, both lead to disappointment, which means optimists and pessimists are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, experiencing similar perturbations that stem from a pie-in-the-sky kind of thinking. Its realists who take balanced decisions made on accurate evidence and therefore, enjoy long-term happiness. An optimist will always imagine and act as if the outcome is only going to be the best. A realist bets his money on the most probable outcome. Therefore, while an optimist could make a risky judgement, a realist takes calculated risks. Navi Mumbai-based social entrepreneur Dr Saurav Das quotes writer William Arthur Ward: The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. This sums it up perfectly. Were bread to be optimistic. Its deep conditioning that wants to protect us from misfortune. A part of it might be (or might not be), over-confidence. Maybe idealism. But the new world needs balanced realists. People who weigh the pros and cons and reach an unbiased, practical, and realistic, decision, he says. On the flip side The new finding hasnt found a supporter in psychologist Anuja Kapur. That realists enjoy a greater sense of long-term well-being is not fortified, according to her. "Realists dont see the positive sides of a situation or play down the constructive sides of resources at hand. Optimism is a mindset that enables people to view the world, people, and events in the most favourable light, whereas a realist will always have a curbed approach. Thats why youll see a high-performance confidence in the former, she says. What matters in the end The litmus test lies in how well youll deal with the emotions youve chosen, whether optimism, pessimism or realism. Dubiety brings out different reactions at different times. The questions to ask is that if the outcome doesnt match expectations, do you have built-in resilience and self-esteem to tide over? says Nuthan Manohar, Behavioural and Wellness Expert, Sarva. While realism is necessary to pick the right stock in business, optimism is necessary to bounce back after the stock crash and not have a medical incident like a stroke in the process. Its not a matter of choosing one over the other. Different situations have different demands, according to Manohar. The prefrontal cortex of the brain that defines ones thinking ability is fully developed till age 25, so its necessary to have a better sense of realism at that time, whereas in old age, developing an optimistic attitude to deal with difficulties of daily living is better, she shares. In the current situation, everybody should be a realist. Living in a fools paradise with regards to the pandemic will lead to unpreparedness. In fact, the co-author of the study, David de Meza, noted that optimists will see themselves as less susceptible to the risk of contracting the coronavirus disease and are less likely to take proper measures. Realists calculate the best and the worst before taking an accurate decision, according to Manohar. This brings us to the questioncan we train to be a realist? She answers in the affirmative. Realism is all about training to process information. If we can train ourselves to glean from various data points and then arrive at a conclusion, were likely to have a better-informed point of view. "The philosophy closely associated with this is known as stoicism taught by Seneca in ancient Greece. The students are actively trained to think of all possible outcomes, even the worst. There is also an active distinction made on what is within control and what isnt. The system goes a step further to assure that you are capable of surviving the worst if at all it comes to it, she says. Its all about using the right tools in a given situation. Straight talk A realist can visualise the best, the most probable and the worst outcome. Theyre prepared for the worst. Theyre often humble about a victory. The realist understands and takes into perspective a wider set of scenarios Realists finds practical ways out of a problem Nuthan Manohar, Behavioural and Wellness Expert, Sarva Warren Buffet is a realist and Elon Musk is an optimist. Marcus Aurelius was a realist, Alexander was an optimist. However, what we need to remember is that it's better to bet your money on a realist than an optimist. On the other hand, when it comes to choosing your doctor, various studies indicate that the assurance an optimistic doctor can give you is beneficial for your recovery. Dr Saurav Das, Social entrepreneur Were bred to be optimistic. Its deep conditioning that wants to protect us from misfortune. A part of it might be (or might not be), over-confidence. Maybe idealism. But the new world needs balanced realists... people who weigh the pros and cons and reach an unbiased, practical, and realistic, decision. 8:44PM: Ryan LaMarre has also been released after exercising his own opt-out clause, Topkin reports (Twitter link). The outfielder has hit .236/.286/.338 over 246 PA in five Major League seasons, with the bulk (180 PA) of that playing time coming with the Twins and White Sox in 2018. LaMarre inked a minors deal with Tampa after being let go by Minnesota last fall. 5:54PM: Catcher Chris Herrmann has requested his release from the Rays after enacting the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the club, the Tampa Bay Times Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link). Herrmann signed the club back in January. Mike Zunino is slated to be the Rays starting catcher, with Michael Perez in line for backup duty and Kevan Smith and Ronaldo Hernandez also part of the 60-man player pool. It is clear that Herrmann didnt like his chances of moving up the depth chart, and will now seek out a better opportunity elsewhere. Speculatively, the Pirates and Giants stand out as obvious potential landing spots the Bucs just lost Luke Maile to a season-ending finger injury, while Buster Poseys decision to sit out the 2020 season has left San Francisco without a starting catcher. Though Herrmann has at times flashed some hitting potential over his eight MLB seasons, he has been a below-average offensive producer overall, with a career .205/.282/.344 slash line and 25 home runs over 992 career plate appearances. The bulk of that playing time came with the Twins and Diamondbacks from 2012-17, though Herrmann hit well in 87 PA with the Mariners in 2018 before suffering through an injury-plagued 2019 campaign in Oakland. Herrmanns ability to play first base and both corner outfield spots gives him more of a versatile resume than your average backup catcher, which could help his chances of catching on with a new team. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal ruled Ms Begum could only mount a fair and effective appeal if she was in the UK. Mr Johnson told The Sunday Telegraph: It seems to me to be at least odd and perverse that somebody can be entitled to legal aid when they are not only outside the country, but have had their citizenship deprived for the protection of national security. That, amongst other things, we will be looking at. The Prime Minister said that the Government would also be looking at the whole system of judicial review to establish whether it had perverse consequences. What we are looking at is whether there are some ways in which judicial review does indeed go too far or does indeed have perverse consequences that were not perhaps envisaged when the tradition of judicial review began, he said. Ms Begum, now 20, travelled to Syria in February 2015 and lived under IS rule for more than three years before she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year. Then-home secretary Sajid Javid revoked her British citizenship on national security grounds later that month. Ms Begum took legal action against the Home Office, claiming the decision was unlawful because it rendered her stateless and exposed her to a real risk of death or inhuman and degrading treatment. The Home Office spokeswoman said it would be applying for permission to appeal against the courts judgment. Additional reporting by PA Media Eating a Baylander Steel Beach in Manhattan. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The "world's smallest aircraft carrier" is now an outdoor bar on the Hudson River in West Harlem, New York. The Baylander Steel Beech opened for business in early July offering Manhattanites a reprieve from the standard outdoor bars that have popped up across the island. I boarded the ship on Wednesday to see how well my two favorite topics aviation and food could live together in harmony but left with a hole in my wallet and an empty stomach. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Watch out, Intrepid New York City has a new decommissioned aircraft carrier, and this one has an outdoor bar on its main deck. Just a few miles north of the iconic museum on the same river sits the Baylander, a Vietnam War-era Navy ship that was later used to train helicopter pilots how to land on boats. Its tiny stature meant that only helicopters could access the ship, though it's often referred to as the "world's smallest aircraft carrier," according to Museum Ships, and for good reason. From bow to stern, the Baylander stretches a mere 125 feet, nearly seven times smaller than the famed USS Intrepid. Commissioned in 1968, Museum Ships reports, the ship has been bouncing around different branches of the military for decades and eventually ended up in New York City after its retirement from the service. After entering private hands in 2011, the Baylander was moved to the West Harlem Piers and converted into an outdoor bar called the Baylander Steel Beach. It opened for business in early July. With New York City still holding back on opening up indoor dining, outdoor bars have been in high demand so I went to the Baylander on Wednesday for dinner and drinks with friends to see if the concept held water. Here's what it was like dining on a former aircraft carrier turned restaurant. I first noticed the Baylander while driving down the West Side Highway earlier in the month and saw tables, umbrellas, and what appeared to be an outdoor bar. Story continues The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider After finishing work on Wednesday, a few friends and I decided to make the trek down from 155th Street to the West Harlem Piers, located off 125th Street. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And we discovered the Baylander open for business! The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider As an aviation reporter and food lover, it was clearly a match made in heaven to be having dinner and drinks on an aircraft carrier. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider As we approached the ship, a bouncer checked our IDs to make sure we were of legal age. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The menu was incredibly simple with classic options like hamburgers, fried clam strips, and lobster rolls. The drink menu also had a mixture of specialty cocktails. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Despite the outdoor setting, masks still had to be worn unless sitting and social distancing was required. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The name, Baylander Steel Beach, is in reference to the Navy parties held on the decks of aircraft carriers, known as steel beaches. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider We had great weather and were expecting smooth sailing as we walked aboard. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Before we were given permission to come aboard, the hostess took our temperatures to ensure we didn't have a COVID-19-related fever, with hand sanitizer available also upon request. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider With New York City still restricting indoor dining, the outdoor bar was the perfect environment to hang out in rather than a bar with a makeshift and unprotected outdoor seating section along a busy avenue. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Seating on the main deck included a mix of picnic tables and counters with bar stools along the ship's edge. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Umbrellas also provided a slight reprieve from the sun as it set. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Social distance signage lined the ship with reminders to wear masks and stay six feet apart. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider To avoid crowding in line, the bar had installed placards on the ground telling patrons where to stand while waiting to order. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Here's the main bar near the ship's bow from where food and drinks are ordered. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The bar featured a beer draft system fashioned from ship pipes with a Titanic-style engine telegraph for decoration. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider All cocktails were $10 and over, standard for New York City, but there was a Bud Light bucket deal on offer with five cans for $25. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider I went for the boat's signature drink, the Big Apple Froze, and had a great view of the Hudson River and Midtown. The cool cocktail was refreshing and tasty. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Located in West Harlem, though, the barge also provided great views of the nearby George Washington Bridge to the north. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Instead of table service, patrons were given a buzzer for food orders and picked them up at a window in the back of the ship. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider As I waited for my food, my friends received their order of fried clam strips, buffalo wings, and french fries. It was mouth-watering, to say the least. but not cheap as this order came to $30 before drinks. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider I ordered the fish and chips tacos, an interesting take on the English dish. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed with the portion size, especially with the $12 price tag. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider It took all of two bites to finish one. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider It was definitely tasty but did not do anything to quash my appetite after a full workday. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider After wrapping up the meal, we took a walk around the miniature aircraft carrier. There was additional seating behind the bar for those who wanted to enjoy the views of New Jersey. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider But the real treat was the upper deck that offered near-360-degree views. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider This was arguably the best seat in the house. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The views of the river were unbeatable, especially as the sun was setting. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Back down on the main deck, there are still some holdovers from the ship's time in the Navy. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider There's also an additional seating area near the ship's stern with more picnic tables. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And those wanting to see some of the ship's inner workings need look no further than the restroom, where there's some leftover equipment. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Come fall, the Baylander will serve the scores of Columbia University students and faculty in the area, with the main campus just a few blocks south and some university buildings visible from the ship. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider After venturing back onto dry land, I found myself still hungry. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Luckily, there was an old familiar bar waiting at the end of the pier, 123 Burger Shot Beer, where we could get some cheap hamburgers for the 30-block walk back. 123 Burger Shot Beer Thomas Pallini/Business Insider True to name, the burgers were only a dollar. 123 Burger Shot Beer Thomas Pallini/Business Insider While the Baylander did provide a unique and enjoyable atmosphere, I think next time I'll fill up before getting on board. The Baylander Steel Beach NYC. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Read the original article on Business Insider Backpackers have been warned - when travelling to the Northern Territory, COVID-19 is the least of your worries. Local man Darryl Haggarty took to the Australia Backpackers Facebook page with a hilarious letter on Saturday informing tourists that while coronavirus cases remain low, other dangers are always present. His open letter urged people to stay away from the Top End, joking that mythical Australian creatures like the 'Drop Bear' are running rampant. 'If you planning on visiting Darwin or any part of the NT, were doing OK here right now with COVID cases,' the post read. 'We watch in horror as the rest of the country spikes and wonder how long before it makes its way here. A Northern Territory man has urged tourists to avoid the state, warning of natural predators roaming the region. Pictured is popular tourist attraction Kakadu National Park But the Top End local said those planning to travel to the state should be wary of other dangers. He said vicious wildlife was running rampant and there had been a spate of horrific attacks, including crocodiles eating some 'smaller people' and porcupines 'stabbing small children' should they dare to enter the bush. 'If you plan on vacationing at our rivers, lakes or on our waterfalls this winter, I think you should know that red ants and bedbugs have infested hotels, motels and cabins across the area due to an unusual spring,' he continued. 'We have had rabid dingo sightings at every park and town. We have Bigfoots INVADING OUR PARKS.' 'Drop bears have made their way over and multiplied at unprecedented rates and wander the local campgrounds in packs. 'Murder hornets!?! Weve got S**TLOADS of murder hornets. Not to mention the nasty redbacks. 'Head lice now fly... right beside the bats.' The Territorian begged people not to travel for their own safety. 'So stay where you are, in your own state or country where it's safe!' he said. 'Seriously, PLEASE DO NOT COME HERE... and we also have NO TOILET PAPER!!' The warning worked on some, with a few out-of-staters saying they would stay put. Mr Haggarty joked that crocodiles in the area have been eating all domesticated animals and some 'smaller people' (stock image) Mr Haggarty's post said vicious wildlife had been terrorising people in the Northern Territory 'I will stay in Victoria this year,' one person wrote. Another added: 'Love it. Staying in Melbourne.' Others were undeterred. 'Sounds like my kinda place,' a third comment read. 'I reckon I could get umpteen busloads of Victorians interested in eating tours. Can you start training the Crocs to eat slowly?' someone else joked. 'See you next week mate,' another said. Dominic Raab today warned there were 'no measures' the UK could realistically take that would force the U.S. to extradite the suspected killer of motorcyclist Harry Dunn. The Foreign Secretary said that while there had been a 'denial of justice' in the 19-year-old's case, the UK was powerless in forcing Anne Sacoolas to comply with the authorities. His comments came just hours after Mr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles urged the Prime Minister to make her son 'top priority' during the US Secretary of State's visit to the UK next week. Speaking to Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme Mr Raab said: 'It's heartbreaking, I understand how agonising it's been, I understand how exhausted they are with this. There's a denial of justice here. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned that while there had been a 'denial of justice', the UK was powerless in forcing Anne Sacoolas to comply with the authorities In an emotional plea Charlotte Charles urged the Prime Minister to make her son 'top priority' Harry Dunn, 19, was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year 'There's an extradition request that's outstanding, we've called on Anne Sacoolas to return and our American partners to facilitate that. 'But there's no measures that we could I think credibly, realistically take which is somehow going to force the US or indeed Anne Sacoolas to comply with this. 'I want to be realistic because I don't want to raise expectations which are then going to be dashed.' He added: 'I've raised it, we've raised it in Washington, the Prime Minister has raised it with President Trump and we will continue to make clear we're on the side of the family here, we think that she should return, she must return home, so that justice can be done.' Just hours earlier Mr Dunn's mother called on Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Mike Pompeo to discuss her son's case nearly one year on from his death outside a U.S. military base in Northamptonshire. In an emotional video statement, Ms Charles said: 'Mr Raab, Mr Pompeo, Mr Johnson, when you get together next week with all of your families fully intact whilst mine is in complete tatters and my family has been ripped apart, can you please, please discuss Harry? 'We've been assured he's high on your list of priorities to discuss amongst all of the other important global issues that you have surrounding you but please, please make him top priority.' The heartbroken mother continued: 'It's been nearly a year, please don't let this roll into a second year. We've got his anniversary coming up which is going to be beyond painful for us. 'We don't want a repeat of the last 11 months. It has been horrific. You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. 'I don't want to relive any of it ever again and I certainly don't want to go into a second year of having to face some of what I've faced in the last 11 months since Harry's loss. 'It's just about doing the right thing. It always has been, it always will be. Don't worry about setting a precedent of sending someone back that's supposedly got this diplomatic immunity. 'We've always agreed immunity does need to be in place for certain circumstances. This isn't one of them. 'Please send her back. Bring Anne Sacoolas back to the UK, face the justice system. She can go home, do whatever afterwards, whatever has been handed back to her. That part of it is of no concern for me. The mother of Harry Dunn called on the Prime Minister to discuss her son's case during the Mike Pompeo's visit to the UK next week Anne Sacoolas, 43, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, was able to return to her home country following Mr Dunn's death Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn have continued to call on the government to bring Ms Sacoolas back to the UK 'My concern is to make sure justice is brought and that Harry's life is actually thought of and considered.' Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge today Ms Charles later described the last 11 months as 'beyond excruciating' and said she was 'very much determined to get that justice'. Timeline of events following Harry Dunn's death 27 August 2019: Harry Dunn, 19, killed while riding his motorcycle near Croughton, Northamptonshire near the exit to RAF Croughton, when it collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction 28 August 2019: Suspect Anne Sacoolas is interviewed by police. Northamptonshire police request a diplomatic immunity waver 16 September 2019: Foreign office informs police that the waiver had been declined and that Sacoolas had left the UK on a US Air Force aircraft 15 October 2019: Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn take their campaign for justice to the US where they meet with President Trump at the White House. They refuse meet the suspect, who was waiting in a room next door 31 October 2019: Northamptonshire police interview Sacoolas in the US after requesting permission to do so 25 November 2019: Dunn's parents submit a judicial review of the Foreign Secretary's actions over the extension of diplomatic immunity to intelligence staff and families at RAF Croughton 20 December 2019: Crown Prosecution Service announces that Sacoolas to be charged with causing death by dangerous driving and that it was starting extradition proceedings against her 10 January: Home Office formally requests the extradition of Sacoolas to face charges in the United Kingdom 23 January: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally rejects request for extradition 28 April: Charlotte and Tim write a letter to the US Government, urging it to change its mind on the diplomatic immunity granted to Sacoolas 11 May: An Interpol Red Notice is issued for Sacoolas' arrest Advertisement She said: 'I don't even know where we would even try to begin. Beyond excruciating every single day. We have to wake up every morning knowing that Harry isn't with us and we have to try to live with that. 'You dream about him at night time and you wake up and you feel angry and bitter that we've been left with out family in complete tatters and in ruin and still don't have justice for him. We're tired. Still very much determined to get that justice. 'The determination is still extremely strong but we're tired and we need the UK to work really hard with the U.S. government now and bring a closure to this. 'Bring her back and get that justice and do not allow us and force us to go into a second year of fighting.' Mr Dunn family spokesman Radd Seiger added: 'What we want now, and I've asked this of Mr Raab several times, is a very clear timetabled structured plan to bring Anne Sacoolas back. 'It is no longer any good ... that they raise it continually. That means nothing to the family. 'She needs to come back. Actions have consequences. This is one of the most egregious abuses of human rights America has ever committed on a British citizen, a British family. Where is the special relationship? 'We need a clear specific plan. If the US are not going to send her back what is the UK going to do with specificity to make sure this terrible wrong is righted? 'This is the United Kingdom's opportunity, Mr Raab's opportunity, to show the nation that he is going to fulfil his first duty, which is to safeguard and protect the lives of UK citizens. He needs to stand up to the US now.' Harry Dunn, 19, was killed when his motorbike crashed into a car outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. Anne Sacoolas, 43, the wife of a US intelligence official based at RAF Croughton, claimed diplomatic immunity following the crash and was able to return to her home country. She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December but an extradition request submitted by the Home Office was rejected by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in January a move the State Department has since described as 'final'. An extradition request submitted by the Home Office for her was rejected by Mr Pompeo in January - a decision the State Department has said is 'final'. Last month Mr Dunn's parents lost a High Court battle to force the Foreign Office to reveal documents relating to the 'secret immunity' US-UK agreement deal agreed in 1995 which allowed Ms Sacoolas to leave the country following the teenager's death. Following a preliminary hearing conducted remotely by video call, Lord Justice Flaux and Mr Justice Saini rejected the application for the Foreign Office to disclose further evidence ahead of a full hearing. Lord Justice Flaux said: 'We do not consider that any of the documents sought is necessary for the fair and just determination of the issues in the case, so that application is refused.' Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has told those who bashed him over his birthday message to his wife, Foluke last Monday, July 13, not to bother with the criticism as his message was for his children and not for them. The 78-year-old clergyman was attacked last week after he shared his birthday message to his wife of 52 years. In the post, the clergyman listed the things his wife has done for him and still does that has made their marriage work and appealed to ladies to learn from her. He said she is a submissive woman who still cooks and serves his meals, and looks after his welfare. He was seriously bashed by some Nigerians who accused him of making the birthday post about him instead of just celebrating his wife. This morning, he reacted to the backlash. While delivering his sermon titled From lockdown to lifting up on July 19, the clergyman said only his children would understand his comment. Enid Maude Lindeman grew up in Strathfield, Sydney, the granddaughter of Henry Lindeman, founder of the famous Hunter Valley vineyard Cawarra. Tall, beautiful and spirited, she would marry and be widowed four times: twice to the wealthy sons of shipping magnates, once to a famous soldier and, lastly, to a larger-than-life London journalist and aristocrat named Valentine Castlerosse. At the end of World War II, she and her three children Rory, Pat and Caryll moved to a palatial home called La Fiorentina, at Cap Ferat on the French Riviera, which she allegedly won in a card game at the Monte Carlo casino. Enid as a young bride in 1913. It was the first of her four marriages. Enid had had her fill of husbands. If she married again, given her record of four dead husbands, then the unlucky groom would undoubtedly die, and sooner rather than later, as she told one suitor who quickly withdrew the offer of matrimony. With the notion of pandering to the whims of a lover fading after the death of Valentine Castlerosse, her desire for adult male companionship was satisfied by the attention of her son Rory, who was as attentive as any husband, and the accidental hiring of a man to be her ladys maid. The young man in question was Walter, the footman with the short leg, who was asked to fill in when Enids maid suddenly retired. Rather than be insulted by the notion, Walter had set about his new task with vigour, and was placed in charge of dressing her ladyship each morning, choosing her clothes and advising on style and make-up. He even helped her dress. Enid was happy with Walters attention to detail and decided to keep him on. ADEJE, Spain Music blared from a beachfront cafe along the normally bustling southwestern coast of Tenerife, the largest of Spains Canary Islands. But several tables sat empty, a month after a Covid-19 lockdown had ended, and the doors to many resorts remained shut. Though tourism is returning to southern Europe stretching from Portugal to Greece its restart has been sluggish amid new outbreaks in some countries. Bookings are down 80 percent in Italy despite government incentives. Ferries to the Greek islands are carrying well under half the load they once did. While Europeans are starting to travel more within their own countries, far fewer are venturing beyond their borders, particularly the holiday makers from Britain, Germany and other northern countries who typically journey south each year, spending billions of euros. And visitors from outside the continent are few and far between: Just 13 countries are on the list of those considered safe by the European Union, a list that so far excludes the United States. gettyimagesbank By Kim Hyun-bin Chinese companies' endless attempts to recruit Korean workers have been occurring in key industries here, highlighting the country's global competitiveness in the electronics and shipbuilding sectors. According to workers in the display industry, the past three to four years have seen a boom in Chinese firms secretly trying to scout local talent by offering up to five times their current salaries among other attractive benefits. They also are known to provide large incentives when seeking engineers or other personnel that have access to key technical information. However, the benefits are short-lived with the recruited employees often getting the boot after the company is done draining key information from them. Chinese firms recruiting skilled employees from abroad is causing a brain drain not only in Korea but also in Japan, Taiwan, Germany and the U.S. Since 2008, Chinese firms have been working to recruit talented individuals from high-tech industries in other countries, allegedly setting the goal to hire 1,000 skilled workers from key industry each year. In the semiconductor and display sectors, firms in China are particularly interested in key Korean personnel, with those working for local conglomerates or associated affiliates at the top of the recruitment list. In 2018, two researchers from an affiliate of a major conglomerate here stole OLED-related equipment blueprints and went to a Chinese firm in the same industry. According to the National Intelligence Service, the two were tracked down and imprisoned for 18 months and 14 months respectively, while the authorities were able to retrieve the leaked technologies. Over the past five years there have been over 580 cases of technology leaks 71 of which were solicited by foreign companies. According to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which has tracked technology leaks between 2013 and 2018, out of 71 cases 48, or 68 percent, were solicited by Chinese firms. There have even been cases where Chinese people came to work for key local companies with the express purpose of gaining information about certain technologies. In 2013, a Chinese man deliberately entered a local OLED company to steal its key technologies and passed on the information through his personal email account, an internet messenger and USB devices. Products utilizing these leaked technologies are usually released onto the market after two to five years, as seen in the display sector where there have been endless attempts to steal critical data. In the OLED market, after key technologies were stolen from local Korean companies in 2012, related products were developed by Chinese firms CSOT and BOE, increasing their sales by 65.4 percent from the previous year. Through the thefts, Chinese companies were able to enhance their products, thus increasing their competitiveness in the global market. According to the Korea Information Technology Research Institute, China's OLED market share stood at 7 percent in 2017, but is predicted to surpass 20 percent this year. In the past, Chinese companies focused on securing key technologies and personnel, but after facing difficulties from lawsuits the firms have now changed their strategy to obtain the related technologies through M&As or cyberattack. Maintaining internal security is most important for semiconductor and display manufacturers. "After the establishment of the World Trade Organization and following several economic crises, M&As have become attractive, especially in the materials and equipment industries," an industry official said. There have been calls urging the government and companies to strengthen security entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. "Scouts and M&As have been used as means to achieve technological competitiveness in the industry," an official at the Korea Information Technology Research Institute said. "There have been thefts through increased cyberattacks, and methods have been evolving, resulting in substantial financial damage." By Express News Service KOLKATA: The recovery of a teenage girl's body erupted violence in North Dinajpur districts Chopra, West Bengal, on Sunday. Alleging the minor was raped and murdered, a large group of 200 locals put up a roadblock on the National Highway that connects Kolkata to North Bengal. They set three government buses and one police vehicle ablaze. Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the violent protesters. The police said a group of local people squatted on the arterial thoroughfare demanding immediate arrest of the culprit responsible for the girls death. "We assured them of conducting a high-level investigation while trying to pacify the agitators. The situation worsened when some local leaders of a political party issued statements instigating the assembled locals," said an officer of Chopra police station. As the police personnel, who arrived the spot, were outnumbered against the mob, reinforcement was sought. Personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF) stepped in and the agitators turned violent, said the police. "As the RAF personnel started chasing the demonstrators, bombs were hurled targeting the policemen. The agitators first set one of our vehicles on fire and then targeted the buses of the state transport department. They broke open the fuel tanks and sprinkled diesel on three buses before setting them ablaze," said the police officer. The police had to rain baton on the protesters to disperse them. Till now, no one has been arrested for the arson and attack on policemen but the cops said a separate case was registered. Representative image An asteroid almost 1.5 times the size of the London Eye will make its closest approach to Earth on July 24, Express reported quoting US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The space rock, named 2020 ND, will whiz past our planet at a speed of 48,000 kilometres per hour just 0.034 astronomical units (AU) or 5,086,327 kilometres away from Earth. NASA has described the 170 metre tall asteroid as "potentially hazardous". "Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth," the UK-based news website reported quoting NASA. NASA has described asteroids having a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 AU or less as PHAs. Although the space rock is not expected to collide with Earth, NASA has said that there is a one in 3,00,000 chance every year that an asteroid with a potential to cause regional damage will strike. Even though the giant asteroid will miss our planet by a whisker, we will not be able to see the space phenomena with naked eyes and even those with relatively powerful telescopes may not be able to view it. As a new dawn breaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, we walk, almost enveloped in darkness, down to the New Rivers edge to take in the fresh morning air. Fresh mist moves across the dark water, dancing alongside the reflections made by the magical golden light of an awakening sun. The silence of these early hours is shattered as our presence startles an egret-like bird; the sound of its wings beating for takeoff disturbs our peace for just a moment as our attention goes skyward to watch the grace that comes with flight. Daybreak at Rivers Edge, 2019, by Jason Drake. Oil on linen; 27 inches by 48 inches. Recipient of the Animal Award (second place) at the 14th International ARC Salon (20192020). (ARC) This is the moment captured in Daybreak at Rivers Edge, by American realist painter Jason Drake. The painting won him the second-place Animal Award at the Art Renewal Centers 14th international salon exhibition, 20192020. In the virtual salon exhibition catalog, Drake takes us right down to the New Rivers edge in his artists video statement, as he recounts how that river inspired him. He painted the piece to bring attention not just to that moment, but also to the importance of preserving the natural habitat of the birds not only for our future, but for theirs. According to his website, Drake aims to reflect the glory of God and the dignity of Man in his paintings. Through his art, Drake hopes to encourage us to be uplifted, hold a higher viewpoint, and hold onto things that have meaning. To see Jason Drakes award-winning painting alongside the work of 98 other international realist artists, visit the 14th International Virtual ARC Salon Exhibition on the ARC website through July 31, and click on the exhibition banner at ArtRenewal.org Prince Harry is not just considered the prodigal royal, he is also considered a NOBODY by the British. This, according to the pulse of the nation, measured through a poll. A recent price cut of his and his wife's book on Amazon cemented this reputation. If Megxit made UK people think negatively of Prince Harry at first, they now do not like to think about him at all, a new poll reveals, as reported by Express UK. If the results are to be taken seriously, he is not so much of anything but a nuisance - a liability, in the eyes of most British. Poll results showed that only 35% can view the Duke of Sussex as remaining a positive asset to the royal family, even if he upped and left the whole country to be "financially independent" with his wife Meghan Markle across oceans. He's still not the most unpopular royal out there, but the drop in his popularity is quite shocking. All he did was to become a family man, and yet, his approval rating dropped by 75% according to YouGov. The least popular of royals today is naturally Prince Andrew, whose alleged crimes are more apparent. Among the poll respondents, 80% said Prince Andrew is a liability to the UK. Only 4% believed that he is any way capable of being a benefit to the monarchy. While Prince Harry has 35% approval rating this time, it is quite ironic that his wife, Meghan Markle got even a higher approval rating than him at 38%. Of course, there is nothing positive about this, since this essentially means 62% believe she is a liability as well. Of course, with her steadfast commitment to the throne and to the people, even in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, Queen Elizabeth remains a crowd favorite. She got a high 81% approval rating, followed by Prince William and then Kate Middleton. Given the sudden price cut on the book about Harry and Meghan Markle on Amazon, after making it on top of pre-orders several months back, people are now assuming that the two's popularity has already vanished. Amazon has reduced the price of the book, "Finding Freedom," from 20 to 13.60, which is not a small discount. According to Express UK, this is a massive humiliation to the Duchess. Why the price cut when it has not even been made public? This can do so much damage to them, even if they have claimed to have flown to the US to become less hot in eyes of the UK media and to become independent. Losing interest from people essentially means all their plans on becoming the kind of celerity-slash-royals they dreamed of will be endangered. COVID-19 has already did a number on their plans, losing the interest of the British people, whether positive or negative, can further dampen their chances of becoming financially independent. Hollywood is not even back on its feet yet for Meghan Markle to strike out and recapture her acting career, but if people no longer cares about her, then she can put that dream back in its shelf once more. Prince Harry is yet to start the speaking engagements he is said to have lined up, but if the poll results are to be considered, people would not even listen or believe anything he will be saying. Banking on their tell-alls and biographies to keep them afloat will also now be a futile idea. READ MORE: Prince Andrew Scared? 3 Implications Behind Absence On Princess Beatrice Wedding Bank unions have raised concerns over lack of regular sanitisation and adherence to social distancing norms at various bank branches in Maharashtra, putting lives of employees at risk from COVID-19. Unions have written a letter to state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray seeking his intervention in issuing directives to banks and local authorities for safety of bank employees. In the letter, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said, "Despite standard operating procedure (SOP) prescribed by the central government as also state government and local administration, banks are not complying with regular sanitisation of branches." Banks are not deploying security guards at the entrance of bank branches to manage the crowd, it further stated. "This is resulting in violation of basic norms of distancing and cleanliness and thus banks have become a cause to spread the pandemic, in view of which we seek your indulgence to arrest the spread," the letter said. It said that in Mumbai alone, more than 15 bank employees have lost their lives and more than hundred employees are infected by coronavirus. The UFBU is an umbrella body of nine unions, including All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW). Unions said banks in rural areas are currently flooded with farmers for crop loans but social distancing is not maintained, posing a risk to bank employees. "We request you to please advise the state administration to deploy police personnel to regulate the rush at branches and to avoid any untoward incidents at bank branches," the letter said. It said the local administrations from Raigad, Alibaug, Panvel, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg have asked bank officials to keep their branches open even during weekly offs and holidays. Banks were asked to work on all holidays in June and July too, the letter said. Unions have requested the chief minister to direct administrative officials from these areas to refrain from asking bank employees to report to duty on weekly offs and holidays. Sensex closes 548 points higher; Nifty at 10,901; ONGC, Titan, RIL top gainers Aim to gain market share, protect supply chain, preserve cash, says Sun Pharma Normally, when you buy something online and it says that it will arrive in three days instead of one, you make a face. Well, the next time something like this happens, remember that a couple of aerospace scientists, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram had to wait for almost a year to receive a vital package, that was to be driven from Maharashtra to Kerala. Twitter/PTI Now, before you jump to conclusions, like so many of the people on Twitter did, it is important to know a few things about the entire endeavour that took place. Twitter/PTI The truck in question was carrying a heavy piece of machinery called an aerospace horizontal autoclave. A quick google search will tell you that basically it is a pressure chamber that is used to create, test and process materials that will be subjected to extremely high pressure for a long time. Twitter/PTI Now, the particular autoclave that was being transported was 7.5 metres high, and 6.5 metres wide, and weighed over 70 tonnes. The truck that was used to carry the autoclave had to be attached to a transport bed that was specially designed for this journey from Nasik to Thiruvananthapuram, covering a distance of over 1700 kilometres, crossing 4 states. Twitter/ANI Transporting 70 Tonnes by road is not exactly a piece of cake. The truck, that was pulling the autoclave had over 74 wheels, was manned by a crew of 34 people, and could cover only 5 kilometres a day. No wonder it took them a year to cover a distance that otherwise takes 3 days by a car. Twitter/ANI Desi Twitterati, of course, jumped in and shared their take on this - Then Staff will say Hum ne toh ye wala order nehi kiya tha ... Bhai return lelo wrong delivery hai. Driver be like pic.twitter.com/Pcf2RR0Roc Sanjan (@sanjanind) July 19, 2020 truck paidal aa raha tha kya? Tarun (@bansalsaaab) July 19, 2020 truck paidal aa raha tha kya? Tarun (@bansalsaaab) July 19, 2020 Why sea route was not used .... Good example of wastage of time and resources Bishal Chakraborty (@Politicallytom) July 19, 2020 Sonu Sood after knowing it took 1 year for this truck to reach its destination. pic.twitter.com/J64IaRqlNU Maverick (@iAstroNOT) July 19, 2020 On the surface, it may seem that this long and arduous journey was unnecessary and that the machinery could have easily been sent by air, or through the sea. Actually, no. The only aircraft we have that can carry such heavy machinery is the C-17 Globemaster III that is currently in use with the Indian Air Force. That aircraft has a maximum weight capacity of 70 tonnes. Such a narrow margin of error is simply not acceptable. Furthermore, we don't even know if the machinery would have fit inside the aircraft. Twitter/ANI Coming to seaways, the autoclave was a one of a kind machine that was designed and developed indigenously in Nasik. Because the machinery will be used in developing aeronautical, space and militaristic research, the safety of the equipment was paramount. So, we simply couldn't risk losing the machinery. We're glad that the long and arduous journey is nearing it's ending point and the machinery will soon reach its destination at the Space Centre. Remember, it can cover only 5 kms a day, so even though it is in the same city, it will still take a few days to reach its final destination. New Delhi, July 20 : Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri has questioned the role of two MPs and a "famous" journalist amid questions over Air India's plan to voluntarily send employees on leave without pay. He has said that facts are being misrepresented to create a sensation. "An opposition MP wrote a letter to me describing a VOLUNTARY Leave Without Pay Scheme of an airline as inhuman! The 'cause' was also taken up either separately or in pursuance by another MP & a famous journalist who have their spouse/partner employed by the airline," Puri tweeted on Sunday night. In the tweet, the Minister also attached a press release issued by Air India on the related issue in which leave without payment (without pay leave) was described as voluntary (voluntarily). Besides, Puri also posted the tweet of a journalist, quoting Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, that he had written to the Minister to withdraw the "inhuman scheme of Air India which can force workers to go on Leave Without Pay for 5 years". In another tweet, the Minister said: "It was described as 'Breaking News' by a lazy journalist on what was a dull Sunday morning for her news cycle! Time for them to introspect as to what their motives really are. Facts wrong. And misleading with a view to sensationalise." Due to a challenging financial condition, Air India has introduced Leave Without Payment Scheme. O'Brien had written a letter to Puri criticising the Air India's scheme. It was mentioned that the plan to forcibly send employees on leave is inhuman and also a violation of labour laws. On this, the airlines and the Minister said that the scheme is voluntary, not mandatory. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text DOSWELL, Va. - Republicans picked state Del. Nicholas Freitas at a convention Saturday to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in November, enduring a scorching day at the state fairgrounds as the party tries to regain its footing in Virginia's suburbs. Freitas, of Culpeper, a former Army Green Beret, will try to unseat Spanberger in a longtime GOP stronghold that firmly backed Donald Trump four years ago but has trended blue ever since. The general election is expected to draw tremendous national attention and money to the central Virginia swing territory. Spanberger, a former CIA officer, narrowly defeated two-term Republican Dave Brat in the 2018 blue wave, helping Democrats win control of the House. Former House majority leader Eric Cantor had represented the district for seven terms before losing the 2014 GOP nomination to Brat, a tea party favorite and member of the conservative Freedom Caucus. "Today's a victory," Freitas told cheering supporters afterward. "But it's the victory that launches another fight. ... We need to show the contrast between what we believe ... versus what they're being force-fed by the left in this country right now." Spanberger, in a nod to the nuanced politics of her district, released a written statement ahead of the vote touting her commitment to bipartisanship. "Our district needs someone who puts country before party, not the other way around," she said. Freitas emerged as the winner after three rounds of voting, having led in each round. He was one of six Republicans who competed in the nominating convention, which was originally set for April but was postponed after Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, banned large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. About 2,500 registered delegates traveled to the exhibition hall at Meadow Event Park, the site of the Virginia State Fair, for a "walk-through" convention. The crowd was substantially smaller than the 5,200 registered and the 4,000 organizers had expected. The pandemic and the 97-degree heat were likely deterrents. While delegates entered the hall to cast ballots, they had to exit immediately afterward to observe social distancing. Some spent the time between votes in their cars, air conditioners running. "This is democracy in action. It just happened to occur on the hottest day of the year," James Bates, a 64-year-old private investigator from Goochland, said from behind the wheel of his idling white pickup, hood popped to help heat escape the engine and a towel tucked in one window to block the sun. "Burned a quarter tank of gas sitting right here." Candidates dangled free water, air-conditioned tents, paper fans - even the chance to win an AR-15 - to try to keep supporters from drifting off over the 9 1/2 hours between the first round of voting and the last. Protect Freedom PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Freitas ally Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced it was raffling off the firearm with a catch: The winner had to be present for the drawing, which took place after the final vote. The final round of balloting pitted two state delegates and military veterans against each other. Freitas faced Del. John J. McGuire III of Goochland, a former Navy SEAL. Both had led the field in fundraising; Freitas raised more than $1 million and McGuire $670,000, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. Spanberger has raised $4.9 million. The other contenders were Tina Ramirez, founder of an international nonprofit; Andrew Knaggs, a former Defense Department official in the Trump administration; Peter Greenwald, a retired Navy commander and high school teacher; and Jason Roberge, a Coast Guard veteran. The district is a suburban-rural mix that runs from Culpeper through the Richmond suburbs of Chesterfield and Henrico counties, and it continues down to rural Southside Virginia. Trump won the 7th by about seven points in 2016, but the district has grown less hospitable to Republicans since then, particularly in suburban areas. Independent agencies rate the race as a "toss-up" or "leans Democrat." National parties and political action committees have reserved millions of dollars in airtime for campaign ads. At the convention, the winner had to garner a majority - at least 50% of ballots cast, plus one. The two lowest-performing candidates were eliminated after each round of balloting. Freitas led in the first round, with 43.53% of the vote. McGuire had 25.89%, Ramirez 22.98%, Knaggs 6.95%, Greenwald 0.56% and Roberge 0.08%. As ballots for the second round were being tallied, Ramirez and McGuire struck a deal: The one who did not advance to the third round would endorse the other over Freitas. Ramirez started spreading the word about an hour before the results were announced. As it turned out, she was the one who had to do the endorsing. Freitas took 46.7% in the second round, and McGuire edged Ramirez out, 25.1% to 24.5%. Knaggs took 3.7%. As delegates lined up for the third ballot, McGuire volunteers handed out glossy fliers with Ramirez's photo. "BREAKING: Tina Ramirez endorses John McGuire for Congress," it read. Freitas's volunteers also worked the line, handing out bottled water. Freitas won the last round with 56 percent of the vote. Freitas, 40, has gained a national following for his libertarian views and incendiary floor speeches in Richmond, endearing him to Sens. Paul and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas. A three-term state delegate from Culpeper, he enlisted in the Army after high school, rose to the Special Forces and served two combat tours in Iraq. He left the military in 2010 and works as a consultant. Freitas sought the 2018 nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine but lost to Corey Stewart, the now-retired Prince William board chairman. Freitas's 2019 race for a third term in the General Assembly was among the most closely watched in the state because he failed to file key documents to register for the ballot, forcing him to launch a costly write-in campaign. That effort was bankrolled by GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein of Illinois, who donated $500,000 and helped Freitas win by double digits. He missed the deadline again this year, but state elections officials granted an extension to him and seven other delinquent congressional candidates. - - - The Washington Post's Jenna Portnoy contributed to this report. Its a month into summer, and were celebrating National Ice Cream Day. Indulge your sweet tooth with some cold, tasty treats by learning to make your own ice cream at home. Not into all of that effort? No worries. Weve also rounded up some ice cream subscription services and other ice cream themed fun to make this day the best National Ice Cream Day yet. Cuisinart Classic Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Sorbet Maker Price: $69.95 This fully automatic ice cream maker from Cuisinart comes in a fun pomegranate color or a classic white. You can make 1 quarts of your favorite ice cream in just 20 minutes just add your ingredients and flip the switch. Whytner ICM-15LS Ice Cream Maker Price: $325 The New York Times Wirecutter recommends this ice cream maker after testing 17 different models over the course of 6 years. More expensive than the first option on this list, Wirecutter recommends it for its built-in freezer design. It makes a smooth bowl of ice cream in a shorter amount of time than most machines and is also easier to clean. Sur La Table Ice Cream Tub Price: $9.95 Youll need somewhere to store all of that delicious ice cream you make. This quart size tub is perfect to store your homemade batch. Theyre reusable and prevent freezer burn with tight-fitting silicone lids. Stainless Steel Double-wall Vacuum Insulated Bowl Price: $12.99 If your ice cream turns soupy before you get to eat it, try out eating it from a vacuum insulated bowl to keep your sugary treat cold. Itll also protect your hands from getting too cold while eating. Goldbelly Ice Cream Monthly Subscription Price: $79/month Treat yourself to some ice cream on a regular basis with this subscription from Goldbelly that will ship you 5-6 pints, or 6-24 ice cream sandwiches, a month. You can choose between 3, 6, 9 or 12-month subscriptions. Some packages include San Franciscos Popular Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, North Carolinas Oprahs Favorite Nyes Cream Sandwiches, LAs Amazing Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches, Austins Lick Honest Ice Creams or Nancys Silvertons Nancys Fancy Gelato. eCreamery Flavor of the Month Price: $199/3 mo. Try out a range of ice cream flavors by joining eCreamerys Flavor of the Month subscription. In your first package, youll receive four pints, a metal ice cream scoop, hot fudge, sprinkles, and an informational flyer explaining the club. Subsequent packages will deliver your fresh-churned small batch ice cream on the last Friday of each month. Stainless-Steel Ice Cream Scoop Price: $14.99 Scoop the perfect serving of ice cream with this scoop from OXO. Its pointed tip easily scoops even hard ice cream. Youll get to enjoy every last bit out of the container with this spoons flat edges, perfect for reaching into the corners of your favorite pint. Personalized Ice Cream Bowl Price: $22.09 (reg. $25.99) Remind others to keep their paws off your ice cream with this personalized ice cream bowl. This white bowl has a cute graphic of ice cream with your name printed in script above it. It also has a handle for easy holding, is dishwasher and microwave safe, and holds 32 ounces. Ice Cream Spoon Price: $6.00 Youve probably been using any old teaspoon when you eat ice cream. Upgrade the way you eat ice cream with an ice cream spoon. Theyre not as curved as their regular spoon counterparts, and will deliver that smooth frozen delight into your mouth with ease. According to a Tweet released by the Pakistan Navy, the first Yarmook-class corvette was inducted on July 13, 2020, during an official ceremony at PN (Pakistan Navy) Dockyard, Khi. The Chief Guest, CNS Adm Zafar Mahmood Abbasi termed the induction as an imp milestone for PN & said that PNS YARMOOK will act as a force multiplier to safeguard maritime interests of Pakistan. According to a Tweet released by the Pakistan Navy, the first Yarmook-class corvette was inducted on July 13, 2020, during an official ceremony at PN (Pakistan Navy) Dockyard, Khi. The Chief Guest, CNS Adm Zafar Mahmood Abbasi termed the induction as an imp milestone for PN & said that PNS YARMOOK will act as a force multiplier to safeguard maritime interests of Pakistan. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link New Yarmook-class corvette for Pakistan Navy. (Picture source Twitter account Pakistan Navy) Dutch shipyard Damen signed the contract with the Ministry of Defence Production for two multipurpose OPVs for the Pakistan Navy on 30th June, 2017, following a tender process. The Yarmool-class corvette is based on the design of offshore patrol vessels (OPV) developed by the Dutch Shipyard Damen. The ship was delivered in February 2020. Damen will deliver the Second vessel PNS TABUK (Designate) in May this year. PNS YARMOOK is capable of performing a variety of maritime operations and can transport both a helicopter and a UAV. The ship can launch two high-speed RHIBs of 11.5 meters and 6.5 meters simultaneously and also has the capability to accommodate two TEUs for special mission based operations. According to information released by the Pakistan Navy, the ship will be equipped with a remote weapon station armed with automatic cannon located at the front deck. She is also armed with 2x4 launchers for anti-ship missiles. The Yarmook-class also has a landing pad and hangar for a helicopter. In addition, it can carry two RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boats), specifically one 11.5 m and one 6.5 m RHIB. The Indian-American community could be "an absolute difference maker" in battleground states in the November 3 presidential elections, a top Democratic leader has said. As a little over 100 days are left for the elections, both the Republican and the Democratic parties are making huge efforts to reach out to the small but influential Indian-American community in some of the key battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Thomas Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, on Saturday said that Michigan has 125,000 Indian-American voters. "We lost Michigan by 10,700 votes in 2016," he said, referring to the loss of Hillary Clinton, the then Democratic presidential nominee at the hands of President Donald Trump. In the eight battleground States of Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, there are 1.3 million Indian American voters. In Pennsylvania, (there are) 156,000 (Indian-American voters). We (Democratic party) lost (presidential elections in) Pennsylvania by 42,000 (votes). In Wisconsin (there are) 37,000 (Indian-Americans). We lost Wisconsin by 21,000 (votes) in 2016, said the head of the Democratic party. The Indian-American vote, the AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islanders) vote more broadly, can be an absolute difference maker (in the 2020 presidential elections), Perez said at a virtual event An Electorate Coming of Age: Indian Americans for Biden', jointly hosted by the South Asians for Biden along with AAPI Victory Fund and Indian-American Impact Fund. We are hustling to the finishing line 108 days till the weekend. Think about those three states alone that I mentioned. The Indian-American votes alone can be the difference in moving forward, Perez said. Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of AAPI Victory Fund, said 77 per cent of the Indian-American voters polled in favour of Hillary in 2016. Today in all the polls and surveys, their favourability for Biden over Trump is 2.3 to one, (which) is very close to what it was then (in 2016: 2.4 to one), he said, asserting that the party can aspire to get 75-80 per cent of the Indian-American votes. It is our goal to deliver 1 million to actually vote in by November 3, 2020 and vote for a Democrat candidate namely for Joe Biden, Narasimhan said, referring to the 1.3 million Indian-American voters in the battleground states. He said the information was based on data and latest research prepared by data guru Karthik Ramakrishnan. There are sectors of the Indian-American community throughout our country, throughout our battleground states. And we want to make sure we're engaging and connecting directly with you all, senior advisor of Biden for President' campaign Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in her address to the event attended by over 800 Indian-Americans from across the country. Amit Jani, the national AAPI director for the Biden campaign, said that the Indian-American community has grown in size, influence and in political and civic involvement. More Indian-Americans are joining politics and government. The election in November for the president is going to be historic, and we really need the help and support from the Indian-American community to really make a difference, Jani added. Al Mason, co-chair of the Trump Victory Indian American Finance Committee, has earlier spoken on the importance of Indian ethinic voters. For the first time they (Indian Americans) would make a big difference, he told America's Voice in an interview early this month. Mason, who operates a team of 100 experts in the battleground states, said Karthik Ramakrishnan's finding that 77 per cent of Indian-Americans voted for Hillary in 2016 will not repeat in 2020. He said 50 per cent of the Democrat voters are now going to choose Trump. My finding is that for the first time Indian American Democrats will be moving big time to President Trump. At least 50 per cent of Indian American Democrats who have been voting for Democrats since the time of Bill Clinton are going to move to the column of President Trump, he had told America's Voice. In the town hall with Thomas Perez, AAPI Victory Fund chairman Narasimhan said if the Democratic party works hard, they can aspire to get 75-80 percent of the Indian-American votes. The survey results of both the Republicans and the Democrats show that in case of a close race, the Indian Americans will play an important role. Mason, who has been holding a series of virtual meetings with Indian-Americans, said his survey results show that there is an unprecedented level of enthusiasm among Indian-Americans for the president. These 50 per cent of the Indian Americans (switching away from Democrats) which constitute 50,000 to 60,000 additional votes for President Trump in each of the battle ground states, will surprisingly make a big difference, in case of the race running close - though Trump will win those states with a wide margin, Mason told PTI in a recent interview. According to Mason's study, in Michigan 45,000 voters out of 70,000 Indian American voters who vote for Democrats, will switch to Trump. Similarly, in Florida 50,000 voters out of 110,000 Indian Americans who vote for Democrats, will switch sides in November. In Texas, Mason expects 50,000 voters out of 200,000 voters who vote for Democrats, will switch for Trump. In Pennsylvania, 40,000 voters out of 110,000 Indian Americans voters who vote for Democrats, will switch to the Republican party. SOUTH HAVEN, MI -- Police recovered a body from Lake Michigan near the South Haven north pier that is believed connected to a July 12 search for a man who went missing in the water. The body was recovered just before 6 p.m. Saturday, July 18. On July 12, a person called 911 about 9:20 p.m. to report his friend was missing in the lake. Red flags were flying at the beach and waves were estimated at 5-6 feet high. Related stories Search continues for man in Lake Michigan off South Haven beach Image used for representation. (Reuters) As the cases of coronavirus rise, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will only impose another nationwide coronavirus lockdown as a last resort, comparing the tool to "a nuclear deterrent" in a Sunday newspaper interview. Johnson, who is hoping Britain can return to "normality" by Christmas despite fears of a second wave of cases over winter, insisted the country was getting better at tackling the virus. The UK has been among the worst-hit countries in the world by COVID-19, registering the highest death toll in Europe. Meanwhile, its economy has been battered by a months-long lockdown that has only been gradually eased over recent weeks -- and which Johnson is desperate to repair by avoiding another national shutdown. "I can't abandon that tool any more than I would abandon a nuclear deterrent," he told the Daily Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview to mark the end of his first year in Downing Street. "But it is like a nuclear deterrent, I certainly don't want to use it. And nor do I think we will be in that position again." Johnson insisted health authorities were "getting much better at spotting the disease and isolating it locally" while also learning more about who it affects most and how it is spread. The British premier on Friday sketched out a timetable for easing the remaining lockdown measures in England, including lifting homeworking guidance and reopening sports stadiums and live theatre. Current government advice is for employees to work from home where they can, but under the new proposals employers will have "more discretion" to urge staff to return. Despite Johnson's optimism and desire for a return to normal, his chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said on Friday that social distancing needed to continue "for a long period of time". The government's chief scientific advisor, Patrick Vallance, agreed, judging the risk of a second wave of infection to be "high". Rajasthan crisis: Union min should provide his voice sample, resign until probe ends, says Congress India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 19: Congress senior leader Ajay Maken while addressing media on Sunday said that Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat should provide his voice sample and resign as minister till investigations are complete. Speaking to media, Maken said,''A proper CBI probe will land several big names in embarrassment. If BJP has no role in this matter, then why are Cong MLAs being pressured by Central agencies?," Ajay Maken asks. ''A floor test will be taken if and when the CM deems necessary,'' Maken said. Home Ministry seeks report from Rajasthan on allegations of phone tapping ''Gajendra Singh Shekhawat should step down as Union minister for impartial probe into audio tapes controversy,'' he said. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News Earlier, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the member of Parliament from Jodhpur, during a media address on Friday of being caught on tape conspiring with rebel Congress legislators to bring down the Gehlot government. Shekhawat, the Union water minister, has denied the charge and sought a probe against, asserting that it was not his voice on the tapes. The Gehlot government has plunged into a political turmoil following a revolt by Sachin Pilot, who has since been sacked from the dual posts of deputy chief minister, Rajasthan, and state Congress president. Pilot and 19 rebel Congress lawmakers, who owe allegiance to him, have been camping at ITC Grand Bharat Hotel in Manesar, Haryana that has emerged as a playground for political parleys. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, July 19, 2020, 14:00 [IST] Reality check on return to school Reality check. Students and staff returning to school without assurance of safe learning and work environment is frightening and will jeopardize lives of children, education employees, and their families. Ive been involved with the education community my entire adult life. Schools are petri dishes of germs without COVID-19. Masks, physical distancing, and on-line learning lessen the danger. COVID-19 studies indicate that it is spread as aerosol or particles expelled when breathing, talking, singing, and yelling. Wearing a mask/shield lessens the spread of COVID-19. It is not an infringement on personal rights; we do it to increase safety when outside our homes. No one enjoys it. Classrooms cannot provide physical distancing with 20-plus students present. Safe physical distancing requires additional space and staff. Churches are a logical source of space, but the difficulty remains a staffing and financial issue. Federal CARES act funds should be used to provide for student technology needs and internet access regardless of family economic status. Online instruction solves the safety, space and staffing issues. Online learning is problematic for working families. It is easier to catch up on education than to grieve the loss of students or staff. Education happens whether in-person or on-line. Lost lives cannot be recovered. One life lost is too many. Do you want to sacrifice a family member for a test score? I dont! My only daughter is a teacher. My only grandchild is a third grader. Yes, its personal. Patricia Shipley Nodaway Abuse of power President Donald Trump has shown how fragile our democracy is when we have a president who abuses his power and threatens the Constitution of the United States. During protests in June, Trump wanted to deploy troops from the 82nd airborne division and other units to Washington D.C. to squelch the protests. The rational thinking and recommendations of Defense Secretary Mark Esper; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley; and Attorney General William Barr avoided the deployment. Trump abused his power when he asked the Ukrainian president to interfere in our election, and Trump was subsequently punished with impeachment by the House of Representatives. Trump commuted convicted criminal Roger Stones sentence and interfered with the sentencing of other friends. Attorney General Barr said Trumps tweets were interfering with Justice Department cases. I agree with former Chief of Staff General John Kelly who essentially said we have to scrutinize candidates for the presidency of the U.S. to ensure they have the psychological stability, even demeanor and intelligence to assume the office of the president of our great country, and do not threaten our Constitution. Donald Moskowitz Londonderry, New Hampshire Governor not doing enough Its bad enough that Gov. Kim Reynolds refuses to enact policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Iowa. Now she prevents others from doing so. She and Attorney General Tom Miller say local authorities cant do what she is refusing to do, even though all Muscatine Mayor Diana Broderson did was make mandatory what the governor claims she is strongly encouraging. So whats the problem? The governor is wishy washy about COVID-19 prevention measures like no masking or shelter in place requirements, but shes adamant on actions that put Iowans at risk, like forcing meatpacking plants to stay open without protections or stomping down on officials who actually care about their citizens. The governor should do what experts and public health officials recommend, and what the governors of 20 other states have done: Require masking in public venues. If you agree, contact Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and sign the petition at staysafeiowa.com. Tom Rendon Des Moines Army veteran for Biden As an Army veteran, I am appalled by the reports indicating Russia is offering a bounty to the Taliban to kill U.S. military in Afghanistan. American intelligence has uncovered data showing large sums of money controlled by Russias military intelligence was transferred to a Taliban account involving a number of Afghanis. What is even more disturbing is the President saying he was never told. U.S. intelligence says Trump was informed during his daily briefing as early as February. It is one thing for Trump to lie about the number of people attending his rallies, but to lie about Russian bounty on American soldiers is too much. Where is the concern for those soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday for America? Once again Trump is blaming others for his inexcusable lack of action. That is the Trump way. Blame someone else ... the information isnt credible, the Chinese virus, the WHO didnt act quickly or its a hoax. It is equally appalling when the commander in chief consistently demeans our intelligence agencies when they provide credible information he does not want to hear (especially about Russia) and sides with Putin instead. And then fires competent people for doing their jobs. Why does he do that, I wonder? The commander in chief is supposed to honor, protect and support our military personnel. On Nov. 3, vote for Joe Biden as our next commander in chief. Integrity and compassion needs to be re-established in the White House. Robert Sprengeler Cedar Rapids Better testing needed in Iowa The Reynolds administration spent $26 million of taxpayer money to set up TestIowa. According to Reynolds, we were supposed to be able to test 5,000 people per day in the state. When I first suspected I was sick in May, I set up an appointment with TestIowa. Much to my disappointment, the results came back inconclusive. They were damaged and I needed another test. After speaking with my doctor, she determined that I did not have COVID and no other tests were needed. In July, I became sick again and attempted to go back to TestIowa. Only two test sites were available, Storm Lake and Council Bluffs. Mercy didnt recommend testing per Kim Reynolds recommendations. Luckily I found a place to get tested, but the process leading up to testing was overly-complicated and discouraging. Recently, Iowa has seen an uptick in positive COVID cases, so much so that Chicago requires a mandatory quarantine for anyone coming from Iowa. And worldwide, the European Union banned all flights going to and from the United States. Also cruise lines are not being allowed to sail in U.S. waters through October. Testing should be readily available and the results should be reliable. Fighting COVID is no longer about protecting people. Listening to experts, having tests readily available and wearing face masks is now a political issue. If we want COVID to get under control, we must do better with testing! Tanya Burgess Cedar Rapids As COVID-19 uproots businesses and lives across the country, Wisconsins essential front-line workers, including thousands of immigrants, remain among the most vulnerable. Many immigrant workers must decide: Stay at home and risk losing a paycheck or go to work but risk the coronavirus. That decision is further complicated because many lack health care coverage. Even legal immigrants living in households with those who remain in the country illegally are ineligible for federal stimulus dollars meant to help families during the economic downturn. In Milwaukee, Julio Gumeta, a 26-year-old immigrant who has been living in Wisconsin for the past 19 years, said immigrant workers are not getting the protections that many of the citizens staying at home that use (their) services are getting. Gumeta, a recipient of federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protection for immigrants who entered the country illegally as a child, is a former employee of a Milwaukee-based fresh food supplier, where his mother currently works. According to Gumeta, immigrants make up the vast majority of the companys labor force. Since the pandemic began, his mother has continued to work there risking exposure to COVID-19 with no health insurance so that she can provide for her family. In those workplaces where its mostly immigrants, their safety is being ignored, said Gumeta. Employers are making money out of our labor, out of our bodies, and at the same time, they have complete disregard for our lives. CARES Act In March, the federal government passed the $2 trillion CARES Act, a response to the pandemic-related recession. Nearly 160 million stimulus checks were sent to individuals and families, but nonresident aliens, which the Internal Revenue Service defines as any individual who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a U.S. national, received no aid. In the U.S., an estimated 10.5 million to 12 million immigrants who entered the country illegally are ineligible for federal aid. Immigration advocates cite the essential labor that such communities have contributed during the pandemic. They note families with both individuals lacking proper documentation and legal permanent residents are among those who dont receive federal aid. The Migration Policy Institute estimates about 15.4 million individuals in such households are ineligible for stimulus payments. Even if every member of a family is a natural-born U.S. citizen, if one person in the family is an undocumented worker who legally pays taxes, then the entire family is ineligible for the money from federal aid, said Jack Norman, interim communications director for Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights group based in Milwaukee. Norman emphasized the role immigrants play in Wisconsins economy, paying taxes, actively working and starting families and having children who are U.S. citizens. They dont get money because ultimately it does come down to a form of racism that is implemented by the government in terms of its treatment of undocumented workers, he said. Vital services Within the state, immigrant workers are concentrated in the manufacturing, health care, food services and agricultural industries, each of which has provided vital services during the pandemic. In 2018, immigrants accounted for 5% of Wisconsins total population and 6% of the states labor force, according to the American Immigration Council. In Wisconsin, immigrants hold many labor-intensive jobs, which include semiconductor processors, assemblers and those moving freight, stock and materials by hand. Manufacturing ranks as one of the states largest industries. The American Immigration Council estimates that in 2018 immigrant-led households in Wisconsin paid $968 million in state and local taxes, while undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $101 million in state and local taxes. At the same time that undocumented workers pay taxes, theyre frozen out of so many things like unemployment, health insurance, in many cases, and theyre subject to retaliation at work if they take off sick, Norman said. They cant complain because of the situation theyre in. Dave Gorak, executive director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, an immigration-restriction organization based in Wisconsin, agreed that immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy. But he said immigrant workers occupy jobs at the expense of Americans remaining unemployed. He agreed with the exclusion of millions of immigrants from the CARES Act. This whole argument that we need immigrants to keep our economy afloat, thats just nonsense, Gorak said. We dont need more immigrants and refugees. We need more good-paying jobs for Americans. Risks at work Gumeta described the work environment that his mother and thousands of immigrant workers experience as dangerously unsafe since the beginning of the pandemic. Many workers havent been receiving personal protective equipment, and masks and social distancing arent being enforced, he said. My mom is still working pretty much shoulder-to-shoulder with people, Gumeta said. Some people are not wearing masks, or they have their masks down while theyre at work. In late April, there was a COVID-19 outbreak at JBS Packerland, a beef processing plant in Green Bay where nearly 300 workers were said to be infected. Organizers at Voces de la Frontera, where Norman works, helped advocate for workers at JBS and other nearby facilities. Norman said some of these workers shared with him a list of safety precautions that were not being enforced at the facilities. According to Norman, workers at some of Wisconsins meatpacking facilities told him they were given face masks but during the workday masks would get sopping wet with sweat from all their movement. When employees asked for new masks, management wouldnt provide any. When asked what COVID-19 safety protocols JBS has in place, Cameron Bruett, head of the companys corporate affairs, said through an email statement, Our team members, visitors and applicants can receive and exchange masks throughout the day as needed. During break times, we have COVID Supervisors who hand out masks in the cafeteria for team members to exchange. Bruett also explained that personal protective equipment varies depending on an employees job, but that face coverings are required by everyone on all JBS Green Bay premises. According to Bruett, the company also requires all team members working on production floors to wear face shields. Health care disparities According to 2018 data from the state Department of Health Services, 93% of residents had health care insurance for the whole year, while 7% about 402,000 went without coverage for part or all of the year. Gumetas family has no health insurance, as none of their employers offer it. As his mom continues to work in an environment that feels unsafe, Gumeta fears for his familys health. He suffers from asthma and also lives with his elderly grandmother. Both are considered high risk for COVID-19. Gumeta said his family lives paycheck to paycheck, and taking time off to protect themselves isnt an option. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on national health issues, estimated that nationally in 2018 about 23% of lawfully present immigrants and 45% of undocumented immigrants did not have health insurance coverage. Help available Still, some local health care providers are working to address their needs. In Dane County, the UW Health system and Access Community Health Centers encourage residents to seek health services regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. Shiva Bidar, UW Health chief diversity officer and a Madison City Council member, confirmed that Wisconsin residents can come to their health facilities and receive care, no questions asked. Well make sure they go where they need care and nobodys asking them to pay up front for anything, Bidar said. We will figure out on the back end what we need to do to make sure that their bills are covered. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, which passed the House on June 23, would allow unauthorized immigrants without health insurance to qualify for no-cost testing, treatment and vaccines related to COVID-19, among other protections. Additionally, part of the bill includes the COVID-19 Every Worker Protect Act, introduced by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, which would create enforceable safety standards by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Baldwin introduced the COVID-19 workplace protections in response to outbreaks of infections across Wisconsins meatpacking industry. The bill has yet to be voted on in the Senate and wont be debated until after the chamber returns from its July recess. Photos: UW immigration rally 2017 Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LNP Opposition leader Deb Frecklington has pledged Queensland will make it easier to bring online paedophiles to justice by increasing prosecuting powers based on South Australias Carlys Law. Carlys Law was introduced after 15-year-old Carly Ryan was raped and murdered by a 50-year-old paedophile who had posed online as a teenage student in 2007. The change made it a crime in SA to plan to harm a child under 16 and targeting predators who lied about their age. Carlys Law-styled increased powers comes after frustration among police over the difficulty of prosecuting offenders caught in the early stages of online grooming, Frecklington says. The LNP proposes to make it an offence for an adult to communicate with a child while claiming to be younger than they are, or another person altogether, to meet with a child. It will also be an offence for an adult to communicate with a child while claiming to be younger than they are, or another person altogether, with intent to commit an offence against the child. Therell be no hiding place for vile online predators under a government I lead, Frecklington said. These laws will ensure police have the tools they need to protect kids from online predators. Opposition shadow attorney-general David Janetzki said Queenslands version of Carlys Law would plug gaps within the states own laws. In Queensland, there are grooming offences, however, for those offences to be applied there must be an intent to commit a sexual attack, he said. These laws do not require intent. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk there needs to be absolute firm action to protect children from sexual exploitation and they have implemented laws which are monitored by police. As scepticisms over Chinese brand Huawei intensify, United Kingdom has now turned to Japan to develop its alternates. Citing companies such as NEC Corp and Fujitsu Ltd, the Boris Johnson government has asked Japan to help the UK develop 5G wireless network without Huawei technologies. According to reports, British officials met with their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo in July, two days after the UK ordered Huawei equipment purged from its 5G networks by the end of 2027. The move not only reflects the UKs efforts to bring in new equipment supplier to foster competition but also to help reduce costs for British wireless carriers. Read: China Slams US Clampdown On Huawei, Accuses UK Of Having No 'autonomy On The Issue' Read: US To Impose Visa Bans On Some Employees Of Huawei Over Human Rights Abuse In China 'Woking with allies' Meanwhile, British digital minister Oliver Dowden has revealed that the country was working with its allies to foster rivals against Huawei adding that it was working with Finland, Sweden, South Korea and Japan. On July 14, the UK ordered all its mobile providers to remove all Huawei equipment from its 5G network by the end of 2027 prompting China to order necessary measures to protect its interest in Britain. Speaking about UKs decision, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that the decision to purge Huawei equipment was driven by politics rather than national security. UKs ban follows the US sanctions on Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation, calling them threats to national security. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai had announced on June 30 that the money from the FCC's Universal Service Fund worth $8.3 billion cannot be used to buy, improve or support any equipment or services provided by these suppliers. Read: Huawei At Centre Of Row Between China And UK, US Read: Hancock Quizzed On Trump Statement On Huawei (Image credit: AP) Some were motivated by health concerns about putting their kids back in public schools, while others were concerned that the schools were imposing too many restrictions on students, she said. May had intended to wait until Bellevue came out with its reopening plan, but then decided that regardless of what that looked like, her kids would be home with her. We are concerned about not only the virus, but the schools ability to be able to put together a good plan, and to implement that plan, and try to keep everybody healthy, she said. She said shes tried to prevent her girls from contracting the disease. May said she knows that she cant completely protect them from the virus, but shes not willing to risk putting them in a school where one or two kids get the flu in the wintertime, and it runs rampant, she said. She also felt that wearing masks would be an added distraction for her kids and everyone else in the school. When we talked to our girls about it, they said, We would really like to stay home and not have to wear masks all day. When we hear the word assault, we expect it to be something that predatory men do to women, says Paapa Essiedu. Its such a binary perspective that doesnt take into account the different sexual dynamics that exist. I May Destroy You the BBCs earth-shaking, unflinching consent drama starring Essiedu as Kwame, a gay man who is abused on a Grindr date takes that assumption and blows it out of the water. The show was created by Michaela Coel, who plays Arabella, a writer who is drugged and raped on a night out. As her best friend, Kwame is there to hold her hand throughout the ensuing police investigation. Then, in the fourth episode, he suffers his own attack, when a man he meets for consensual sex refuses to let him leave, pinning him down and assaulting him. Ive spoken to people who have been through very similar things to Kwame, says 30-year-old Essiedu from his girlfriends house in Finsbury Park, where hes been spending lockdown. Its weird that this feels like a radical portrayal of rape, because its an experience that so many people can literally relate to. The rape knocks Kwame sideways. Where he was once so assured and empowered, bouncing from aerobics classes to casual hook-ups and back again, he becomes watchful and wary. Its like flipping a sixpence, says Essiedu. From that point onwards, hes treading water and struggling to reclaim who he was. The actor who has previously played a manservant and a tabloid journalist in BBC dramas The Miniaturist and Press respectively, and a crooked businessman in Skys Gangs of London finds it refreshing that I May Destroy You portrays a black man who isnt hypersexualised, criminalised or impoverished. Its crucially important that we honour the richness and fullness of the whole spectrum of what black men can be on television, he says. Societys monolithic perception of black men plays into the plot of I May Destroy You. When Kwame reports his assault to the police, he is met with a total lack of respect and empathy. Kwame is not just a man whos been abused by a man, says Essiedu. Hes a black, gay man whos come to the police in this country for help, so there are a lot of different things that are intersecting and playing against him. I do think there are elements to our justice system that are both racist and homophobic. You can see that by the statistics around reported crimes versus conviction rates. Figures on sexual assault victims who are both Bame and gay were not available from the Home Office; however, conviction rates for rape, in any demographic, are far lower than other crimes, with only 3 per cent of reported rape cases ending in a conviction for the perpetrator in the year ending March 2019. There isnt space for black men to be seen as victims of crime within our system, Essiedu continues. Black men are expected to be perpetrators. When Kwame tries to position himself as a victim, realising what has been done to him, he is met with ridicule, trivialisation and rejection. I May Destroy You has forced many viewers Essiedu included to question past sexual experiences they may not have realised were non-consensual or problematic. Ive been looking back at myself since the #MeToo movement, he says. Sex education in this country is actually beyond a joke. The lessons are purely to make boys feel petrified of impregnating girls just by looking at them. The teacher doesnt want to teach it and the kids dont want to learn it. Were not introduced to a lot of the rules around sex when were young, meaning so many people are making it up as they go along. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Michaela Coel, Paapa Essiedu and Weruche Opia in I May Destroy You (BBC) Essiedu went to The Forest School in Walthamstow, east London, after winning a scholarship to attend the private college. He was raised by his mother, a fashion and design teacher, after his father left for Ghana when Essiedu was a baby. In Nineties Walthamstow there werent any vegan cupcakes or oat-milk macchiatos to be found, he says, laughing. We didnt have much money, but Ive got fond memories of Walthamstow market, where there were proper East End greengrocers next to Romanians trading trinkets and Jamaicans selling dragon fruit. After school, Essiedus plan was to study medicine at University College London. He was on the verge of going, and had even been allocated a room in its halls of residence, when he made a sudden U-turn and rejected his place to pursue acting. He was accepted into Guildhall School of Drama, where he met Coel. I was starting from nothing, says Essiedu. In the minds of the people who ran Guildhall, an actor was a Tom Hiddleston, an Eddie Redmayne, a Damian Lewis, therefore the curriculum was geared towards that. Essiedu and Coel performed in restoration comedies, David Hare plays and Greek tragedies at Guildhall. It was a really confusing place to be black, says Essiedu. We were doing these plays about high society, which is based on slavery and a class system that historically oppressed, brutalised and murdered our ancestors. He says he had to do mental gymnastics to figure out how to play the oppressor, because apparently thats how you become a good actor. He recalls doing a make-up class where a white teacher didnt know how to paint bruises dark enough to show up on black skin, and an incident where a teacher called him the N-word. It was mad, says Essiedu, explaining that a tutor, who was supposed to be directing, used the slur during an improvisation exercise. We were all playing prisoners and she was the officer. She shouted the N-word and, as the only two black people in the group, me and Michaela looked at each other in horror. It was under the guise of, Oh, its an improvisation, I was in character. But she wasnt even in the play, you know, so... That school was definitely not a safe place for black and brown people. Guildhall did not respond directly to Essiedus accusations, but when contacted for comment by The Independent, a spokesperson said: Guildhall School condemns racism and other forms of prejudice in the strongest possible terms and stands with all communities in tackling racism. It added that since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, the school has pledged to review its acting programme; appoint more black teachers and teachers of colour; provide specific resources for education in anti-racism, allyship and unconscious bias; offer clearer guidance about how to make a complaint and log micro-aggressions; increase the provision of mental health support for black students; and work with external experts to help inform the schools plans. Paapa Essiedu and Joe Cole in Gangs of London (Sky) Essiedu was 20 and partway through his acting studies when he lost his mother to cancer. She was easily the most important and inspirational person in my life, and the real driving force behind everything Id achieved up to that point, he says. It was a big loss, especially to begin with. But grief is a funny thing. Much like trauma, its not something you leave behind or stop or beat or destroy. Its something that becomes a part of you and that you carry with you. Now, its part of my politics, my work ethic, how I am with my friends and my partner and everything. Its bittersweet and I feel lucky to have had someone like my mum who was such an incredible caregiver. After Guildhall, Essiedu earned great acclaim for his performance as the Royal Shakespeare Companys first black Hamlet in 2016. His casting was regarded as a watershed moment for diversity in British theatre, but Essiedu is not convinced. Even saying that its the first black Hamlet gives the impression that there should be some sort of gratitude or luck involved, he says. Its very self-congratulatory on the part of the producer. We need to look at the canteen workers, the crew, the directors what are their backgrounds? Racism in these institutions is structural, and it cant be solved by a cosmetic change on the front face. Essiedu believes there is prejudice against black theatre practitioners at every level. Going back to what happened to us at Guildhall, its all very well letting three black actors in, but if the space is not constructed to make it safe for us to be there, youre not making any progress, youre just putting vulnerable people in danger. He is disappointed that even after playing the iconic prince, he had to work harder than his white contemporaries to get the same opportunities. Essiedus play Pass Over, a politically charged drama about racism and police brutality at Londons Kiln Theatre, was midway through its run when it shut down in March because of the pandemic. And he has just appeared in The Royal Courts online series My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid), exploring racial tensions in modern society. Essiedu wants to do more projects that align with his politics and world view. But he is worried about the future of theatre. Were going into such an economically difficult time, how do we allow ourselves to respond to that? he asks. Do we become more conservative? Or do we double down on recreating an industry that represents a wider scale of peoples experiences? I have a sneaking suspicion that Essiedu will settle for nothing but the latter. I May Destroy You is on BBC iPlayer now Read the rest of our Rising Stars interviews here. Another war front has opened up for the Racing Point team. Already, Renault is tipped to lodge a second official protest against the Lawrence Stroll-owned team over its 'pink Mercedes' car. Reports indicate that the investigation over whether the team illegally copied Mercedes' 2019 brake inlets, or actively collaborated with the reigning champions, will conclude next week. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer is openly unimpressed. "We know the rules very well and stick to them," he said in Hungary. "Having to justify ourselves time and time again is a waste of time. "The FIA was at our factory in March and understood perfectly how we developed this car." But that is not the only thing about Racing Point's technical strategy that is irking its rivals. It is believed the team has found a loophole in the new 'token' system for 2021 that will govern limited upgrades for the otherwise frozen 2020 cars. Racing Point, and also Alpha Tauri, are arguing that based on their alliances with Mercedes and Red Bull respectively, they can use parts of the works teams' 2020 cars next year without using the tokens. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Finland's MTV Sport: "We have a customer-supplier relationship with Racing Point, and we know what the rules are." Ferrari, though, is not happy. "I think we are not fully happy that there are teams that can upgrade their entire package from a 2019 to a 2020 package," boss Mattia Binotto said in Hungary. "That I believe would be unfair, because we've got only two tokens and everybody should be limited to that." Unsurprisingly, Renault agrees. "The system has some flaws, unfortunately," Renault's executive director Marcin Budkowski said. "There's a loophole there that would allow a couple of teams to benefit and it's something we're discussing with the FIA and the other teams." (GMM) Bank Nizwa, a leader in Islamic banking in Oman, has recently extended its strategic partnership with Mastercard to simplify digital payments in Oman. Through this partnership, Bank Nizwa will be introducing innovative and convenient payment solutions for its customers. Aligned to Mastercards focus on innovation, trust, and convenience, Bank Nizwa endeavours to provide a better payment experience for its customers, the bank said. Mastercard is a well-established name in the field of cards and payment solutions, and we are indeed delighted to extend our partnership. While we continue to operate under Shariah-compliant norms, we are also coming up with innovative solutions to serve our customers better. We are confident that this extension of partnership with Mastercard will give us a good impetus to help drive a steady growth of our cards in the market, said Arif Al Zaabi, AGM Retail Banking at Bank Nizwa. At Bank Nizwa, we are constantly devising new ways to further enhance our customers experience, whether it is through top-notch services, innovative products, or added privileges. We will remain dedicated to providing our customers with exceptional services while incorporating the latest technological advancements for their convenience, he added. Girish Nanda, General Manager, UAE & Oman, Mastercard, said: Bank Nizwa stands as one of our most established partners in the sultanate, and we are proud to extend this collaboration with them. The Sharia compliant financial services market continues to show a strong indication of growth and we are committed to working together in delivering bespoke Islamic payments innovations that resonate with Bank Nizwas customers. Be it shopping, travelling, running a business or managing finances, our solutions make everyday transactions seamless, secure and rewarding. Currently, Bank Nizwa offers an array of debit card options for its customers to ensure they can easily access their accounts whenever and from wherever they need to. According to their varying needs, customers can choose between Value Banking, Special Banking, Privilege Banking, Ladies Banking Account, Youth Banking Account, and Wealth Management. Bank Nizwa also offers the widest range of Sharia-compliant credit card facilities to its customers. Customers can opt between Basic, Standard, Gold, and Platinum credit cards, each of which comes with its own range of privileges and offers. TradeArabia News Service Representative Image (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.) A study by Singapore-based researchers have found that some individuals may have developed immunity to the novel coronavirus scientific name SARS-CoV-2 due to exposure to other coronaviruses. As per the study, published in Nature journal on July 15, a few people may have developed an immunity to COVID-19 even without being exposed to it due to having been previously infected by other coronaviruses, as per a Hindustan Times report. According to the study, some individuals have T-cells, the type of white blood cells that recognise the virus two proteins structural or nucleocapsid proteins and non-structural viral proteins (NSP). T-cells typically detect viruses/infections in the immune system. We characterised Sars-CoV-2 specific T-cells in COVID-19 and SARS (the 2003 outbreak) convalescents and uninfected healthy individuals, Dr Antonio Bertolleti, study co-author and professor of emerging infectious diseases at Duke-Nus Medical School in Singapore told the paper. Dr Bertolleti added that individuals who recovered from COVID-19 possessed T-cells structural proteins more efficiently than NSPs and had also been infected with SARS which they also recovered from, thus suggesting cross-reactive cellular immunity. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The development is significant as it may give scientists more clues in building a vaccine against COVID-19, as those with immunity generate neutralising antibodies. After reviewing the paper, drug developer Derek Lowe said T-cell immunity may drive vaccine development against COVID-19, it added. Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here The study found that over 50 percent of COVID-19 negative individuals demonstrate T-cells equipped to detect SARS-CoV-2 and these cells recognised more frequently sequences of non-structural proteins found only in animal coronaviruses. Thus, a large part of the population possesses Sars-Cov2-specific T cells, likely induced by other coronaviruses. One possible implication of our findings is that many subjects might have a level of progress T-cell reactivity that might partially protect them, he added. Experts however are not surprised as an average of 20 percent common cold cases are due to coronaviruses, which means they are already widespread among humans. For reference, SARS-CoV-2 shares 80 percent sequence identity with SARS and 50 percent with other coronaviruses, Shahid Jameel, virologist and CEO of Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance noted. Notably, India was largely spared from the SARS outbreak in 2003, so how much of the population could have immunity is debatable. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that the UK government's decision to remove Huawei equipment from the country's 5G infrastructure is "a darker day for the UK because you missed the opportunity to be a leading country." The British government decided on Tuesday to ban its telecom operators from purchasing new 5G equipment from Huawei by the end of 2020, while giving them until 2027 to remove Huawei equipment already installed in Britain's 5G network. Liu Xiaoming earlier commented that it was a "disappointing and wrong decision." "It has become questionable whether the UK can provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from other countries," he tweeted. During the interview, Liu expounded his opinion further by echoing the views of Martin Jacques, a British journalist and political commentator. "History turns full circle. In 1793, Chinese Emperor Qianlong told the British King: 'We don't have the slightest need of your country's manufactures.' So marked the start of China's 150 year decline. In 2020, UK tells China that it has no need of China's latest technology," Jacques tweeted. "I don't know what will happen for the next 150 years," Liu said. Warning of 'tit-for-tat' situation Answering Marr's question about the freedom of speech in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) after the enactment of the national security law, Liu stressed that the rights will be "fully respected." Liu reiterated that safeguarding national security is the responsibility of the central government, and explained the necessity of the legislation. He said the HKSAR authorities had failed to complete the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law over the past 23 years because of the "opposition and trouble-makers." Liu then warned of a "tit-for-tat" situation in bilateral relations. "If the UK government goes as far as to impose sanctions on any individual in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it," Liu Xiaoming told Marr. "You've seen what happens in the United States they sanction Chinese officials, we sanction their senators, their officials. I do not want to see this tit-for-tat happen in China-UK relations," he added. The ambassador's warning came after British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he would update Britain's parliament to outline further measures on HKSAR and China on Monday. Liu also refuted the accusation of any human rights violations in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. "There is no such concentration camp in Xinjiang," Liu said. "It is totally against the truth." He said that there was no "massive forced sterilization" in China, and that it was not "government policy." - The ex-senator shared a post on Twitter disclosing he was headed for a church service in Sirisia but had made a stopover to support a young woman selling samosa's - Boni Khalwale said the service was also for his politician friend, Sirisia MP John Waluke, who is facing a seven-year jail term - This comes just a day after he caused a scene in Vihiga county when he fetched water in a jerrycan and poured it on a cop before fleeing the scene Politician Boni Khalwale was one of the Kenyans seeking spiritual nourishment after churches were allowed to open for a maximum of 100 congregants. This came just a day after he was caught on camera pouring water on a police officer in a fracas that occurred after a burial ceremony. READ ALSO: Tecra Muigai: New report suggests Keroche heiress had sought to end relationship with boyfriend Khalwale(with cap) after the water pouring incident protesting with his followers Source: Original READ ALSO: Machakos: Woman collapses while washing clothes, dies The ex-senator shared a post on Twitter disclosing he was headed for a church service in Sirisia but had made a stopover to support a young woman selling samosa's by the roadside. Khalwale said the service was also for his politician friend, Sirisia MP John Waluke, who is facing a seven-year jail term after he was found guilty of defrauding NCPB in the KSh 313 million maize scandal in 2009. "On my way to attend a church service in Sirisia early this morning (for our, incarcerated brother Hon Waluke) I met this young hustler woman. Touched, I stopped to empower her. May God bless and reward the hands of our hustler women in Kenya," he wrote. READ ALSO: Size 8 discloses she never wore panties before she got born again READ ALSO: Johnson Sakaja: Nairobi police boss says senator may not be charged for violating COVID-19 rules This comes just a day after Khalwale caused a scene in Vihiga county when he fetched water in a jerrican and poured it on a cop before fleeing the scene. Khalwale had accompanied a host of other local leaders to a burial function in the county when the fracas pitting him against the officers ensued. Apart from attending the burial, former lawmaker alongside sitting MPs Ben Washiali (Mumias East) and Charles Gimose (Hamisi) had also planned a private meeting at the latter's house in but police officers aborted the plan, leading to a confrontation. In a clip that went viral on social media, Khalwale could be seen carrying a bucket of water as he approached the officers claiming he wanted to help stop the fire that had engulfed their host's home. READ ASLO: Man United vs Chelsea: Preview, possible starting line up as Red Devils take on Blues READ ASLO: Kesho ipunguzwe chumvi: DP Ruto achangamkia mlo wa githeri na wafanyakazi wake When the officers blocked him, the former Ikolomani MP retreated and started running as though he had surrendered. The innocent and unsuspecting officers charged towards unaware of the politician's hidden game plan. Seconds later, just when the race was gaining momentum, Khalwale made an abrupt u-turn and splashed water on the front line officer, leaving him confused. The former honourable member then sprinted through the village as locals cheered and broke into laughter. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My neighbour ruined my daughters life | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke CORNWALL Grumbling Gryphons founder Leslie Elias, exhausted after her first day of summer theater camp, still had enough energy to do her lesson plan for the following day, cook dinner for a houseful of guests and talk about her groups 40th anniversary. The year 2020 hasnt been a normal one for anyone, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that shut down the state in March. As businesses reopen and municipal functions slowly return to modified schedules, summer camp programs have had to reevaluate their schedules, and many have been canceled. But not Grumbling Gryphons. Its our 40th year, and we were working on a program with Naugatuck Valley Community Clleges early childhood program, which was going to bring in performances by the Grumbling Gryphons. It was postponed, supposedly until the fall, but we really dont know whats going to happen, Elias said. We had programs planned in New Milford; we were going to go to Cape Cod to perform our environmental musical at the Cape Cod Playhouse. But that didnt happen. So we started brainstorming on how to keep going. Elias was the winner of Connecticut Office on The Arts 2018 Arts Hero Award and The Northwest CT Arts Council's 2018 CultureMAX Award for Arts Educator. A playwright, actress, storyteller and theater director who has been teaching drama in schools, theaters and public venues for more than 40 years, she established Grumbling Gryphons in 1980 and was recipient of the 2003 Connecticut Governors Arts Award. In 2011 she was recognized as a Teaching Artist and Solo Performer in the Directory of Connecticut Office for the Arts. As a playwright, Elias has written numerous plays based on history, poetry, environmental themes and folklore from around the world. This summer, campers are taking part in the premiere of Ananzi the Trickster Spider: A West African Folk Tale, which she wrote. Summer camp is on Two camp sessions went ahead; the first held the week of July 13, and a second scheduled for Aug. 3-8. The first week drew nine children, ages 5-13. Elias held her summer program at her own home in Cornwall. Every year, Ive held camp at the Cornwall Town Hall, Elias said. Its a beautiful stone building, perfect for our performances, and the town loves it. Kids from anywhere can come, not just Cornwall. I was all excited about it, and then I realized, We cant do it. So were having it at the house. She contacted the state for permission to hold the camp, and got the rules straight small groups, no food allowed, and sessions could last no more than three hours. Thats what I decided to do, Elias said. So were following pandemic guidelines. The kids dont have to wear masks, because I was told by the state that the kids are a pod meaning theyre not interacting with anyone but each other during each day. So were following pandemic guidelines, washing our hands, making sure were not overstepping ... and so its a hybrid of the regular camp, and its charming and adorable. Since traveling to NVCC in Waterbury or Cape Cod isnt possible this year, Elias sought other venues for her theater group to give their traditional end-of-the-week performances, which include masks by Ellen Moon, fantastic, colorful costumes and live music. She reached out to libraries around the state and was invited to the Cos Cob Library in Greenwich and the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library in Monroe, to present virtual shows. At the libraries, were doing Ananzi, Elias said. We needed better technology, so I wrote a grant to the Cornwall Foundation, and got a new computer, a Macbook Pro, thats hooked up in my studio, and it can stream the show live to the libraries. The kids at camp are learning their parts for the show, and Ananzi is premiering at these libraries. In Greenwich, well also have a pre-performance workshop so kids can connect on Zoom and participate with the kids at camp, Elias said. That way kids that are alone at home can connect with other kids and have fun. Mask-making is a standard activity at Grumbling Gryphons, led by Moon, who each year has made an array of masks for the children. Since camp was virtual for the performances this year, Elias hired a videographer to film Moons mask-making workshop, demonstrating her craft. We sent those out to the libraries so they can share them, she said. Elias calls her 2020 summer program new science using live and virtual elements, giving everyone a chance to experience Grumbling Gryphons magic. I think people need this, she said. The Zoom links are free, so anyone can watch the shows and be part of them. Camp ends each week with a limited-audience performance on my property, but most of the audience can see it live streaming. The future Elias is developing another new venture, Grumbling Gryphons Playhouse. Thats the next step, a concept of my (twin) sons, Daniel and Arieh, she said. I havent implemented it yet, but my goal is to make it a place where kids can share, create, play. ... Older kids could write a play, maybe about COVID-19. Thats my goal, to make it a playhouse, for them. Grumbling Gryphons has always held collaborative programs with area schools, combining her shows with music and art from local students. But we have a lot of work to do, to make sure all of our shows are available virtually, she said. That involves more cost. This year, Grumbling Gryphons was one of a number of nonprofit organizations to be selected for a matching grant challenge through Northwest Corner Gives, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundations effort to provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grumbling Gryphons met its $4,000 fundraising goal. Elias is also hoping to have theater camp alumni participate in a video celebrating the 40th anniversary. There are so many people who have supported us over the years, she said. Id like to do a video mix of people with a hat, saying Hats off to the Grumbling Gryphons, or something like that. I was at a gathering recently, and a man came up to me and said, I remember you. ... I was in a play with you 32 years ago, she said. That was pretty amazing. Donations are always needed. Those who want to help can mail checks made out to Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Childrens Theater to 29 Lake Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. More information on the theater group can be found on Facebook and at grumblinggryphons.org; or call 860-672-0286. The municipal council of Kharar will start a drive on Monday to remove around 25 illegal hoardings on National Highway-21 and other areas due to which it is incurring losses of around 1 crore every year in rent money. Sangeet Kumar, MC executive officer, has written a letter to Himanshu Jain, subdivisional magistrate, asking that police be deployed to carry out the drive. A team of six officials will be on the job, it has been learnt. A drive planned earlier by the MC in March was cancelled due to the intervention of director, local bodies, Punjab, following which a lockdown was imposed because of the Covid-19 outbreak. I have already instructed the civic body to remove all illegal hoardings in the ambit of the MC area and now they are holding a drive on July 20, for which we will be providing them police support, Jain said. The MC is losing lakhs of rupees in advertising revenues because of the hoardings installed illegally, with housing societies the main offenders. These include Gold Homes and Golden homes, both on the Kharar-Landran road and Yakshi Wedding Collection on the Kharar-Mohali Road. Pratap Infra alone has set up around 10 hoardings. The sites are being sold to advertisers for an estimated 60,000 per month, causing huge losses to the government exchequer. According to Sangeet Kumar the rights to remove the illegal installations were with the agency contracted for the task. We have provided them the team and police force for holding a drive on July 20, he said. MC allots tenders for 40 sites in Kharar, but this year it contracted the work for 3.25 crore for nine years. However, as many advertisers use the illegal hoardings it losing around 1 crore every year. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON We saw exactly how deadly, when Don Kleine declined to press charges on Jake Gardner, alleged by many to be racist and white supremacist. It is my hope, and that of many others, that the grand jury brings a charge in the killing. The white man with his own criminal record. The white man whose father allegedly was heard to be shouting the n word while pushing black protesters. The white man who allegedly posted his violent intentions even after city officials advised all downtown business owners to leave the area. Even with all of this to consider, Don Kleine gave what can only be considered a defense narrative on behalf of Jake Gardner, as opposed to an unbiased examination of the facts. Taken from the Nebraska Legislature website, It shall be the duty of the county attorney, when in possession of sufficient evidence to warrant the belief that a person is guilty and can be convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, to prepare, sign, verify, and file the proper complaint against such person and to appear in the several courts of the county and prosecute the appropriate criminal proceeding on behalf of the state and county. If we are to assume Don Kleine fulfilled these requirements, all evidence to the contrary, it would mean that after only 36 hours, he had no doubt of Gardners innocence. Benefit of the doubt. The Big Picture I don't know if I've forecasted such a high low temperature for our area as tonight's. Before that arrives, the record high temperature of 97 (from 1904) is over there in the corner, looking quite nervous. Humidity will pile up late--thus the warm night--and will hang out for a few days. From there, it drops, picks up again then drops before next weekend. All the while, we'll stay quite warm, but not nearly as hot as today. Today Starting off this morning very nicely, we are. Dewpoints are still under control for now and temperatures are nice and mild with a 70 and upper 50s bookending a bunch of 60s. Both air and dewpoint temperature will be on the rise today, the former, quickly. We'll have plenty of sunshine around with a few scattered clouds mixed in. Speaking of mixing in, a south/southwest wind will be blowing today, and that is what will help to push temperatures in the Hudson Valley to the mid and upper 90s. Pretty much everyone else will see 90 as well, even in the southern Adirondacks. As we get deeper into the afternoon, you'll also notice the humidity starting to pile up. The combination of the heat and humidity will bring heat index values into the upper 90s and low, even middle 100s as we get into the afternoon. That is flat dangerous heat. If you're going out in it for than a few minutes at a time, please wear light-colored clothing and crush water before and while you're out. And please remember this. If you get out, they get out. Tonight The wind stays up a bit, clouds will roll in and the humidity continues to jump up, which all equals a warm and way muggy night. The kind that doesn't allow the house to cool off unless you have an AC running. A lesser weather story for the night is a cold front that will be approaching from the northwest. Showers and thunderstorms will be weakening as they move east from western New York and Lake Ontario, but we'll still see a few showers around, especially north and west of Albany overnight. Lows will range from the upper 60s to the upper 70s. Not a misprint: I'm forecasting a low for Albany of 78 degrees. That's some tropical stuff, you dig? Tomorrow That front will continue to cross the area, and it may fire up a few showers and storms to the south and southeast of Albany if it takes its sweet time. Nothing major but something to be aware of just the same. As we get deeper into the morning, clouds will be breaking up and we'll get into some decent sunshine from north to south. The humidity will drop off a bit, but it'll still be a pretty humid day with highs in the 80s and low 90s. Tuesday and Beyond Your 5 Day Forecast is here We'll be in a hold pattern on Tuesday with dewpoints continuing to slowly drop off, settling in the low 60s by dinnertime. The day will still be a warm to hot one with highs in the middle 80s to the low 90s along with a mix of sun and clouds. Clouds start to roll in later in the night, and the humidity will start to jump up a bit, although not to today or tomorrow's levels. As a few slices of energy head our way, the first will touch off some showers and storms on Wednesday. We'll still have some sunshine around too, but the nastiness factor of the storms doesn't look too high as of now. I'll keep you posted on that of course. Looks like we'll have a better shot at more clouds, showers and storms on Thursday. It'll be a warm and pretty muggy day just the same with highs in the middle 80s. Everything gets swept out with Friday looking like a top 10 day. Sunshine, warm but lower humidity. That'll be pretty sweet. Hey, I've been getting some emails about checking out the NEOWISE comet. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Here's an article to check out, the gist is to look up to the northwest about 90 minutes after sunset, 10:00 or so. Look for the Big Dipper and the handle of it toward the horizon. The comet will be underneath, not far above the horizon and will be about as bright as the stars that make up the Big Dipper. If you can't catch it tonight, you still have time. It'll be easier to spot as we get through the week. From the article: "Good binoculars will allow you to see more of the comet and its spectacular dust tail. Lucky viewers might even catch the fainter blue ion tail, made from charged particles flying off the comets icy nucleus. NEOWISE is visible only to observers in the Northern Hemisphere and should remain bright enough to spot into mid-August." Enjoy! And stay cool today! JasonsWeather The Forecast You Want Jason Gough Jasonsweather.com We all know the rules. Practice physical distancing. Wash your hands frequently. Dont touch your face and disinfect your surroundings frequently. But what if youre staying in a shelter where space is limited, sleeping quarters are shared, and bathrooms are public? Or what if you dont even have a home or a shelter space at all? With no access to a bathroom or a sink for even the most basic hand washing, you certainly wouldnt have access to disinfectants or cleaning supplies. This is the current reality for nearly 10,000 homeless people in Toronto, experiencing a global pandemic without the basic necessities essential for stopping the virus. COVID-19 preys especially on societys most vulnerable and congregate care settings have become the perfect storm for this virus. In Toronto, there are over 500 confirmed cases linked to shelters alone. Margarets Housing and Community Support Services has served Toronto for nearly 40 years, supporting women with critical community support such as food, clothing, shelter and mental health and addictions care. Like other services, weve adapted. Weve decreased the capacity of our respites and modified our congregate settings to allow for physical distancing, we are screening staff, clients and essential service providers for symptoms and have modified to include take out meals. At the same time, we have seen an increase in the demand for services. We are providing 400 more meals per day while the demand for mental health services and harm reduction supplies has increased by more than 25 per cent. With rising job losses and closing businesses, we worry these numbers will only continue to increase. The City of Toronto has opened 30 new temporary facilities for the homeless, moving 3,000 people to achieve better physical distancing. As part of this program, we have moved clients from busy shelters and encampments to interim housing apartments and hotels. What happens when those temporary facilities are no longer available? As we begin to reopen our economy and encourage people to practice physical distancing we are leaving behind a huge and vulnerable population. As we move forward, we need to consider an equitable approach to responding to COVID-19. One that considers the socio-economic, demographic, race, gender and health condition of every person we are trying to keep safe. If we fail to do that, we will not only leave thousands of people who require social services at risk, we will leave our entire city at risk. For years, the social services sector has advocated for an aggressive housing strategy recognizing that housing is health care and a fundamental human right. If COVID-19 has taught us anything its that when our city comes together, we can accomplish a lot very quickly. Lets use this momentum to strive for long-term solutions to ensure every person in our city has access to basic care. Not just during COVID-19, but long after this debilitating pandemic is behind us. Private Legal Practitioner, Mr Maurice Ampaw has described those who lie their way into having sex with women as rapist. According to him, the act of sex should always be on a mutual agreement without deceit. If someone uses an I Phone as bait for sex and later refuses to honor the promise, such an act is described as rape because the act was based on deceit, he said on United Showbiz. Watch interview below View this post on Instagram #UnitedShowbiz #UTVGhana #DespiteMedia A post shared by UTV Ghana (@utvghana) on Jul 18, 2020 at 2:49pm PDT 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 The idea that Kerry Stokes could privatise Seven West Media's newspaper division was doing the rounds long before the arrival of former Fairfax Media boss Greg Hywood as a consultant. Now, speculation about his plans are more rampant than ever. As Seven's chief executive James Warburton pushes ahead with a restructure of the broadcast and publishing company, all eyes have turned to West Australian Newspapers. The West Australian is the main newspaper in Stokes' home town of Perth, making it an asset very close to the 79-year-old's heart. And it just happens to be receiving Hywood's advice on ways to cut costs and improve its digital strategy. The West Australian editor-in-chief Anthony De Ceglie. Credit:WAtoday Hywood's appointment was part of "broader transformation" efforts, according to Seven. However, the company has largely remained silent on what specifically it expects from his work. If Warburton's track record to date is anything to go by, a spin-off from the television-focused mothership is a definite possibility. In three weeks' time, Warburton will complete his first year leading Seven. In that time he has sold off a number of assets including its publishing division Pacific Magazines, parts of Seven Studios and its West Australian headquarters. The body of a Texas soldier who died in a vehicle accident in Afghanistan arrived home on July 17 in San Antonio, where the military provided a dignified transfer of his coffin. According to the military, Army Specialist Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, died on July 3 in Farrah, Afghanistan in a vehicle rollover crash. Nine American soldiers have died in Afghanistan during 2020, including several killed in violent attacks. Ibarria, who enlisted in the army in 2017, died on his first deployment. Credit: US Air Force via Storyful In a press conference with Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdul-Malik, who is currently on a three-day visit to Cairo, Madbouly asserted that Egypt fully supports the Yemeni government Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Sunday that Egypt is keen to provide all political and logistical support to Yemen and the Yemeni people. In a press conference with Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdul-Malik, who is currently on a three-day visit to Cairo, Madbouly asserted that Egypt fully supports the Yemeni government and President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Egypt supports Yemen, its safety and the unity of its territories because Yemens stability means stability for Egypt, he said. Egypt is honoured to be hosting more than 1 million Yemeni citizens and the Egyptian government is keen to treat them like Egyptian citizens, affording them the same rights and services, he said during the press conference, which was held following his talks with the Yemeni prime minister. Madbouly also said the Egyptian government has provided support for the Yemeni citizens in terms of healthcare and education. The Egyptian government rejects all forms of regional intervention from non-Arab countries in Yemen, as those interventions destabilise and complicate the Yemeni scene, he said, adding that Egypt appreciates the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the Arab coalition in supporting legitimacy, unity and stability in Yemen. Egypt is part of the coalition launched in 2015 to fight the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. The Egyptian prime minister revealed that he spoke with his Yemeni counterpart about bilateral economic cooperation in rebuilding Yemen, adding that Egyptian companies and technical expertise will benefit the Yemeni people in the rebuilding of their country. Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul-Malik said that Egypt and Yemen share the same views about their national security, adding that Yemen is currently in a very difficult phase because of the foreign interventions and Iranian backed-Houthi militias. The Egyptian government invited the Yemeni premier to visit Cairo last week for talks and consultations on boosting bilateral relations. Search Keywords: Short link: - Moses McCormick is the founder and CEO of FLR Method which assists people to learn foreign languages - The Ohio native can speak and converse in over 20 languages - McCormick can speak Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, German, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Twi, Arabic, and many other languages Moses McCormick has gained the attention of many across the world for his special ability to speak over 20 languages. He has become known as the man who walks up to strangers before engaging in dance as a way to practice his foreign language skills. READ ALSO: Papa Shirandula: Body of late actor leaves Nairobi for Busia ahead of burial on Monday Moses McCormick / Photo credit: Instagram.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Khalwale attends church service in Sirisia day after splashing water on police officer According to travelnoire.com, McCormick can speak Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, German, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Twi, Arabic, and many other languages. TUKO.co.ke learnt that he actually converses fluently in these languages. Speaking about his ability to fluently move around with these languages, McCormick told Quartz that its like drugs to him. He said: When I walk up to someone and speak to them, they get really excited. Theres something about that first encounter, thats really addictive, The Ohio native majored in Chinese at Ohio University where he almost tested out of all of his required Chinese classes because of his personal learning while in high school. Moses has studied, read, and spoken over 50 languages. He boldly speaks over 20. READ ALSO: Machakos: Woman collapses while washing clothes, dies See video below: READ ALSO: Size 8 discloses she never wore panties before she got born again Through his company, FLR Method, together with his love for language and special abilities, Moses assists others to learn foreign languages. The man of many talents has quite a following with over 200,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, Laoshu505000. Moses believes that learning a foreign language opens up doors and expands the social networks of people. TUKO.co.ke recently reported about eight-year-old, Mabou Loiseau, who became a global sensation grabbing attention and making headlines for her rare ability to speak eight languages. READ ALSO: Manchester United: Red Devils complete signing of teenage stars Pye, Hugill and Vitek The child prodigy can speak English, Creole, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, American Sign Language, and was learning Japanese. According to blackhistory.com, when Mabou was barely two years old her mother noticed that she was speaking some words in French, but her mom didn't even speak French. READ ALSO: Kesho ipunguzwe chumvi: DP Ruto achangamkia mlo wa githeri na wafanyakazi wake Her mom immediately began to realise that her daughter had been born with a rare talent of mastering different languages. Her parents spend $1,500 (KSh 161k ) a week on tutors and lessons - and she spends seven hours a day in some type of instruction, with Sundays off. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. My neighbour ruined my daughters life | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The hand-hooked rugs of Multicolores echo the cosmology of the Mayans. Bold colors paired with graphic designs of birds, volcanos and ancient symbolism first led these rugs to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market in 2014. Today, they also can be found at multicolores.org. These descendents of the ancient Maya live in Guatemala, where the rug-hooking technique is new. Between 2009 and 2012, Multicolores co-founder, Mary Anne Wise, an American rug-hooker and teacher, instructed the women in the art form as a new opportunity for income generation. The women traditionally worked in embroidery and back strap weaving. Its not native to the culture, Multicolores co-founder Cheryl Conway said in a telephone interview from New York. The important thing was to draw cultural connections. They derive inspiration for the rugs from their Mayan dress traje. The artists take much of their design inspiration from huipils, traditional blouses. Rich with imagery, scattered with ancient symbols and motifs, they represent Mayan cosmovision, femininity and nature. Historically, it was very village-specific, Conway said. You could tell which village she lived in. The artists also reference the Semana Santa (Easter week) rugs that have decorated the streets of Guatemala for hundreds of years. The fabric comes from 100% recycled clothing, mainly cotton T-shirts found in local second-hand stores. The artists slice the clothing into strips and, using a crochet hook with a handle, pull them through a ground cloth stretched by a frame, the loops filling in the motif. Most of the clothing arrives on palettes by the container load, donated from people in the United States. This year, the women have used more than 5,000 garments to create Multicolores products. Most of the 36 women live in rural areas where their husbands work in agriculture or building. Over time, a lot of the women bring in more than 50% of their household income from rugs, Conway said. The artists say rug-hooking changed their lives. There are two Rosmerys, said Rosmery Pacheco, 24, of Chiyax, Guatemala. The one before the rug-hooking project was timid and lived in a dark box. She cleaned houses, barely scraping by. I didnt believe I had the strength or the skills to overcome my situation. But then I learned to rug hook and it opened my mind. I discovered a talent I never knew I had, I lost the fear of expressing myself, I became more confident. Prev 1 of 5 Next When I hear you use the word artist about me, it elevates me, 31-year-old Bartola Morales Tol, of San Jorge La Laguna, said. When people look at my rug, I want them to see the happiness, the emotion, the time that I have dedicated to it. I seek inspiration in things that make me feel happy, like birds, flowers and nature. My life has changed, I discovered a talent I never knew I had. I no longer have to conform to my fathers view of me. Glendy Muj, 36, of Patanatic, cited her improved quality of life. My children are in school; the eldest wants to go to university, she said . We are able to go to the doctor more frequently and buy medicine. With income from my first rug, I bought a sink so now I can do the familys laundry at home rather than carrying heavy loads to the communal sink. We have made improvements to our home, we now have a concrete floor and windows. My children see me as a role model; they see that, without education and just a few opportunities, I have achieved much. This makes me happy because they know that with an education they will be able to reach further than I could. Online To view the body of work that Multicolores has, visit multicolores.org A. Coffee Breaks (Image: Pixabay) The Indian Coffee House in Shimla has been closed till further orders after one of its employees skipped COVID-19 testing and quarantine after returning from Delhi in an unauthorised manner on Saturday, an official said. The employee arrived here from Delhi, a COVID-19 red zone, on Saturday and reached the coffee house's kitchen, a Shimla district official said. The manager of the Indian Coffee House asked the employee to get himself quarantined and tested for the novel coronavirus before joining duty, but he allegedly refused to do so, he said. The police were informed and subsequently, the employee was institutionally quarantined and an FIR was also registered against him, the official said. His samples have been sent for COVID-19 testing, he added. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The employee reached Shimla from Delhi in an unauthorised manner by dodging police at the Parwanoo barrier, the official said. After reaching Himachal Pradesh, he boarded a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus to reach Shimla, he added. Members of the coffee house staff who came in contact with him have also been quarantined, the official said. The Indian Coffee House, located in the heart of Shimla city, has hosted several personalities and prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited it in 2017. NEW YORK, July 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Company (Wells Fargo or the Company) (NYSE: WFC) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and indexed under 20-cv-03697, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired Wells Fargo securities between April 5, 2020, and May 5, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Wells Fargo securities during the class period, you have until August 3, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company that provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions in the U.S. and internationally. On April 5, 2020, Wells Fargo announced that it had received strong interest in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), and was targeting to distribute a total of $10 billion to small business customers under the requirements of the PPP. On April 8, 2020, the Federal Reserve announced that it would allow Wells Fargo to exceed the asset cap that it had imposed on Wells Fargo in 2018 after revelations that the Company had opened millions of accounts in customers names without their permission, a change which would allow Wells Fargo to make additional small business loans as part of the PPP. That same day, Wells Fargo issued a press release stating, in relevant part, that, beginning immediately, in response to the actions by the Federal Reserve, [Wells Fargo] will expand its participation in the [PPP] and offer loans to a broader set of its small business and nonprofit customers subject to the terms of the program. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about Wells Fargos business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (i) Wells Fargo planned to, and did, improperly allocate government-backed loans under the PPP, and/or had inadequate controls in place to prevent such misallocation; (ii) the foregoing foreseeably increased the Companys litigation risk with respect to PPP allocation, as well as increased regulatory scrutiny and/or potential enforcement actions; and (iii) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On April 19, 2020, after at least one lawsuit was filed against the Company, reports emerged that Wells Fargo may have unfairly allocated government-backed loans under the PPP. For example, USA Today reported that [t]he lawsuit filed on behalf of small business owners on Sunday alleges that Wells Fargo unfairly prioritized businesses seeking large loan amounts, while the governments small business agency has said that PPP loan applications would be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. According to the lawsuit, [t]he move by Wells Fargo meant that the bank would receive millions more dollars in processing fees, and, [m]aking matters worse, Wells Fargo concealed from the public that it was reshuffling the PPP applications it received and prioritizing the applications that would make the bank the most money. Following this news, Wells Fargos stock price fell more than 5% over two trading days to close at $26.84 per share on April 21, 2020. Finally, on May 5, 2020, Wells Fargo filed a quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission, disclosing, in addition to multiple PPP-related lawsuits initiated against the Company, that Wells Fargo had received formal and informal inquiries from federal and state governmental agencies regarding its offering of PPP loans. Following this news, Wells Fargos stock price fell by more than 6% over two trading days from its closing price on May 4, 2020, closing at $25.61 per share on May 6, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com New Delhi, Jul 19 (UNI) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Sunday said that there will be no change in 2020 Joint Entrance Examination Advance syllabus for admissions to undergraduate courses in IITs. IIT Delhis clarification came in wake of some media reports that said JEE Advanced 2020 could see some changes in the examination pattern and it specifically clarified that there has been no plans to change the syllabus of the examination. IIT Delhi is convening the 2020 JEE this year and as of now, JEE Advanced 2020 is scheduled to be held on September 27 this year. IIT Delhi also clarified that there is also no plan to discuss this matter in the next Joint Admission Board meeting which is a regulatory body for IIT admissions in the country. Some relaxation has been given especially this year in admission criterion in view of partial cancellation of Class 12 examination by various Examination Boards. The Union Minister for Human Resource and Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has said that some relaxations have been given in marks criteria of 75 percent in the Board Examination for getting admission to IIT. UNI AKS SHK2136 The city of Bethlehems found a way to bring some socially-distanced fun to children in the citys parks this summer. It looked like the coronavirus might derail all of the Bethlehem Recreation Bureau plans this summer after the pandemic forced the closure of city pools and the cancellation of summer programs. With word that the Lehigh Valley would move into the green phase of reopening in mid-June, recreation director Jodi Evans sprung into action, teaming up with the city health bureau and the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem to design a safe summer program. Fun and Fitness launched Monday, July, 13 at Clearview Park with a rotation to different city parks each day, drawing kids eager to get out of their house and play. We are very excited to provide some mental and physical wellness, Evans said. Bethlehem Health Department and rec bureau workers were on hand to make sure they did it safely, wearing masks or keeping six feet of distance between children. The program adheres to all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Its not always an easy task, reminding small children to keep airplane arms distance apart, but the effort is worth it when you see the fun they have, Evans sad. The free program runs for the next five weeks, ending Aug. 20. Participants must register online ahead of time here. It is held 10 a.m. until noon starting Monday at Clearview and moving each day of the week to: L.G. Stewart, Yosko and Elmwood parks. The program is open to all ages, but children 9 and under must be accompanied by someone 14 years or older from their household. Enrollment caps at 20 children. On Thursday, Elmwood Park drew children, who in a normal summer wouldve attended a Boys & Girl Club program, to do circuit exercises, scooter races and a dance party. They were joined by officers from the Bethlehem Police Department and Boys & Girls Club Chief Executive Officer Winston Alozie, who all jumped on scooters for the races. They got a lesson on bike safety from the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation. The Bethlehem Health Department always offers summer programming, it just had to get a bit creative this year, said Sherri Penchishen, director of chronic disease programs. This was a natural partnership, she said of teaming up with the rec bureau. The two bureaus pooled resources, equipment and ideas to adapt to coronavirus times. A traditional relay cant be done with COVID-19, so they incorporated scooters, which could be swapped out and sanitized in between legs. Normally, the Boys & Girls Club receives a stipend from the city to run a Yosko Park program that draws 150 children. Its four summer programs typically serve 215 kids a summer, offering field trips and visits to city pools, Alozie said. A lot of that was thwarted this year, he said. The club is operating at 35% capacity with a small summer day camp and a drop-in program at Marvine Pembroke that routinely must turn kids away when it fills up. Alozie was thrilled when Evans called him and suggested the program. When (Jodi) called me, I said yes, yes, I didnt even let her finish her sentence, Alozie said. The majority of the kids at Elmwood Thursday wouldve been bused over to Yosko. Elmwood was strategically selected so kids could just walk from home, like they would to school, Evans said. Kids have been cooped up. We need to get kids physically active, Penchishen said. We dont want them socially isolated. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. When arguments flare over whether Australia should be setting its sights on either suppressing or eliminating COVID-19, ridding the nation of the virus is certainly the more appealing. With no community transmission, New Zealand is the envy of the world. While its borders are still shut tight to foreigners, Kiwis are free to go about their lives largely without restrictions. Particularly for those in lockdown in parts of Victoria, it's an enticing thought. The reality is another matter, and if history tells us anything, the world is going to be living with COVID-19 for many years to come, even if a vaccine is produced. Despite the best efforts of the global scientific and health community, smallpox is the only virus that has ever been eradicated completely. Even after decades-long campaigns, and effective vaccines, viruses such as polio and measles continue to appear sporadically. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth strongly backs the suppression strategy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen What makes many viruses particularly good at avoiding total eradication is their ability to inhabit and then spread via people who are showing no symptoms. COVID-19 could offer a masterclass in that respect. Combined with its ability to travel via respiratory droplets such as saliva or mucus, COVID-19's highly infectious nature makes it a particularly difficult virus to stop in its tracks. Despite this, some Australian states have managed to cut community transmission to zero for several weeks. It's a remarkable achievement. Even Victoria had several days of no new infections before the latest surge in numbers, which was driven mostly by a breach in hotel quarantine. What this shows is that with, as Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth described this week, an "aggressive suppression" strategy, elimination of the virus is a realistic outcome. Lithium-ion batteries are recognized for their high energy density in everything from mobile phones to laptop computers and electric vehicles, but as the need for grid-scale energy storage and other applications becomes more pressing, researchers have sought less expensive and more readily available alternatives to lithium. Batteries using more abundant multivalent metals could revolutionize energy storage. Researchers review the current state of multivalent metal-ion battery research and provide a roadmap for future work in Nature Energy, reporting that the top candidates -- using magnesium, calcium, zinc and aluminum -- all have great promise, but also steep challenges to meet practical demands. "In this review, we clarify the key strengths as well as common misconceptions of multivalent metal-based batteries," said Yan Yao, Cullen College of Engineering associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Houston and co-corresponding author of the paper. "Multivalent metal-ion batteries are better viewed as alternative solutions for large-scale energy storage than as a direct competitor to lithium-based batteries in the race toward ever-rising energy density targets." Researchers also examined the growth behavior of metal anodes. While magnesium is a promising material, Yao said it is important to note that it is not guaranteed to plate universally in dendrite-free morphology. "It only does so in selected electrolyte solutions where there are no side reactions, the active metal surface is free of passivation, and the coulombic efficiency of magnesium plating?stripping is close to unity," he said. Yao is also a principal investigator with the Texas Center for Superconductivity at UH (TcSUH). Yanliang "Leonard" Liang, a research assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UH and co-first author, said the paper's review of existing cathode materials also offers new insights. "We also discuss design strategies to enable genuine multivalent metal-ion-based energy storage materials with competitive performance," he said. Researchers' key points include: Concerns about the availability and cost of lithium have prompted interest in alternative battery technologies that use more abundant elements with the potential for higher energy density and enhanced safety. Prime candidates include magnesium, calcium, zinc and aluminum, all of which are known as multivalent metals, or metals with multiple valence electrons to give These multivalent metal-ion batteries share many similarities in working principles with lithium-ion batteries, suggesting they could be swiftly adopted by industry Previous assessments of the anticipated energy density of these batteries often considered only the multivalent metal anode -- merely one of the two electrodes in a battery -- which tends to reach misleading conclusions. The researchers have provided a reassessment of the energy density based on both anode and cathode, aiming to better position these batteries in the energy storage landscape Direct use of metals as anodes is an important aspect for the safety and energy density promises of these batteries, but there are uncertainties surrounding the viability of these anodes Electrolyte solutions and understanding of the associated interfacial phenomena are improving but still far from established And finding good cathode materials requires considerations that are uncommon in traditional battery studies. The ion storage mechanism of multivalent battery cathodes is much more complicated than its lithium-ion counterpart. Misinterpretation of the cathode chemistry is surprisingly widespread in the literature as a result The researchers also issued a list of recommendations to ensure future research is squarely directed at improving the batteries, including: Gaining a better understanding of the growth behavior of the metal anodes, a critical step in realizing the purported safety promises over lithium-ion batteries Practices to properly assess the compatibility of metal anodes with electrolyte solutions and the effectiveness of protection coatings Procedures and techniques to correctly interpret the ion storage mechanism at the cathode Approaches to design better cathode materials A table comparing the state-of-the-art components -- metal anode, electrolyte and cathode materials -- for batteries based on each of the multivalent metal elements that could potentially replace lithium found that although some are further along than others, none of the options are ready for commercialization. Yao's research group has focused on materials chemistry and design of magnesium and other multivalent metal batteries; he has published widely in top journals. Jaipur: Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot has appealed to the people of the country to extend support to those affected by floods in Assam and Bihar. Pilot's appeal comes amid a raging political firestorm in Rajasthan where he has declared an open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief earlier this week. "My thoughts and prayers with all those families affected by the Assam & Bihar floods. Over 68 lives lost & 3.6 million people affected in Assam alone," Pilot tweeted on Saturday. "I appeal to all Indians, to come together, join in the efforts to help support those affected in these extreme flood situations," he had said. Floods have hit over 27 lakh people in 26 of the 33 districts of Assam and destroyed houses, crops, roads and bridges at several places The tweet by Pilot was his first in four days. His last tweets were on July 14, the day he was sacked from both the posts. Soon after his removal as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and PCC chief, Pilot on Tuesday had said "truth can be rattled, not defeated". Later that evening, Pilot had tweeted, "My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all those who have come out in my support today". CHELSEA, MI Madonna Watts was scrolling through Facebook one day when something caught her eye: A unique piece of artwork of broken glass carefully placed in the shape of a flower on an antique window frame. Seeing how the light shined through the glass, the artwork spoke to Watts, a nurse who worked in a facility prevalent with COVID-19 cases, and who was even diagnosed with the virus herself. Firefighters in Siberia are battling massive wildfires and smoke, which are slowly beginning to threaten some major cities in the region of Yakutia. Russia's aerial forest protection service, the agency that specializes in forest fires, says that there are currently more than 40 fires burning and at least one district has declared a state of emergency. Siberia has been experiencing a heat wave in recent weeks with abnormally hot and dry conditions. While fires there aren't unusual, scientists say climate change has made them more frequent and more intense. 1. Simi Garewal Lauds Kangana For Speaking Up, Recalls 'Powerful Person' Tried To Ruin Her Career Twitter Applauding Kangana Ranaut for being bold and brave enough to take a stand against those who wronged her, she recalls that a "powerful person" tried to ruin her career too. She says she wasn't as brave as Kangana is. 2. Robert Downey Jr Promises 'Better Gift' Than Captain America Shield To Boy Who Saved Sister From Dog Attack Twitter Soon, Captain America star Chris Evans sent a video message to him and promised to send him a Captain America shield. "I'm going to track down your address and I'm going to send you an authentic Captain America shield because pal, you deserve it," he said. 3. Deepika Padukone Is 'Beyond Thrilled' To Team Up With Prabhas For A Sci-Fi Film Based On War Twitter To be directed by Nag Ashwin, the film is said to be a sci-fi thriller that will showcase the an imaginary story of the third world war. 4. 'Strict Action Will Be Taken', Maharashtra Minister On Rape Threats To Rhea Chakraborty Twitter According to the minister, the matter has been taken up with Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. 5. Keanu Reeves Is Writing An Action-Packed Comic Book About A Warrior Who Looks A Lot Like Him Twitter "I have loved comics since I was a young kid and they have been a significant influence on me artistically. To have the chance to create BRZRKR and collaborate with legends in the industry like writer Matt Kindt, artist Alessandro Vitti, colour artist Bill Crabtree, letterer Clem Robins, and conceptual/cover artist Rafael Grampa -- along with the great folks at Boom Studios -- is a dream come true," Reeves said. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe John Lewis at Comic-Con 2016 with collaborators Nate Powell (L) and Andrew Aydin. Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now. When civil rights pioneer and Congressman John Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80, he left behind a legacy of accomplishments that includes a National Book Award for the graphic novel trilogy, March, which tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement. Our newsroom's John Horn, host of KPCC's The Frame and the podcast, Hollywood, The Sequel, interviewed Lewis at Comic-Con 2016 in San Diego where the Congressman was introducing the third part of his trilogy. A few months later, it would become the first graphic novel to win the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. According to Lewis: These books are history but are also a guide. It's a manual to teach and also to inspire. To get young people and people-not-so-young to stand up, speak up and speak out, and find a way to get in the way. To get in, what I call, "good trouble." You see something that's not right, not fair, not just, and you have a moral obligation to do something, to say something and not be quiet. You need to make some noise. Lewis had a long and distinguished record in civil rights. He was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, better known as SNCC. As part of Mississippi Freedom Summer, Lewis helped lead the effort to register black voters, and was one of the organizers of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, where in 1965 he and many others were savagely beaten by Alabama state troopers. Lewis co-authored the March series with Andrew Aydin, who also served as Digital Director and Policy Advisor to the Congressman. The trilogy is illustrated by Nate Powell, whose images depict many of the horrifying events from the civil rights movement, and also celebrate its greatest victories, like the signing of the Voting Rights Acts. John Horn met with John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell at a San Diego hotel, just steps from Comic-Con prior to their presentation at the convention. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: You were only 17 when the 1957 comic, "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story," was published. What did reading that book do for you? Lewis: I was very inspired by this. I'd heard of Martin Luther King Jr., heard of Rosa Parks. It said to me, If Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and others can believe in and accept a way of peace, the way of love, the way of nonviolence, then I too could do something. It made me the person that I am today. The 13-page comic published in 1957 was influential to a then 17-year-old John Lewis. Lewis: I believe in this format. You are able to make it real, make it plain, make it simple for young people and people not so young to understand. It's drama-- high drama. That's what the civil rights movement was all about -- drama. Lewis: The writing ability and capacity of Andrew Aydin, the co-author, and the ability of Nate Powell, the artist, make it so real. It tells us, the reader, what happened and how it happened. You can see us sitting down at lunch counter stools and people spitting on us, pouring hot water on us, hot coffee. And we're so orderly and so peaceful and we get arrested and go to jail. It tells stories that are powerful. Just a group of young people, of college students coming together believing in the way of peace, the way of love and the way of nonviolence as a way of living. Congressman John Lewis shakes hands with a fan during Comic-Con 2016 in San Diego. (John Horn/LAist) Aydin: Comics, I think, are incredibly important right now because of the Internet. The visual literacy that the Internet requires makes comics the language of this generation. If we want to speak with them, we have to speak with them in their language. Lewis: At times, I had to lay the book aside because I had become very emotional. To re-live what happened in Selma when we tried to walk across the bridge, I kept saying to myself, How could human beings treat their fellow human beings the way we were treated? We had a constitutional right to march in an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion. To re-live the three murders of civil rights workers in Mississippi or to go to the church in Birmingham for a few hours after the church was bombed and to attend the funeral of the four little girls -- you have to relive all of that. It's almost too much. Lewis: I think the climate and the environment and what is happening in America and around the world, I think you could start writing another series. Powell: Generally speaking, one of the biggest considerations, about halfway through making the "March" trilogy, was exactly where we bring it to a close. The end of "March 3" covers what Congressman Lewis considers the end of the movement as he knew it. It does not mean that the work was done or that the movement in a broader sense was done. It expanded and changed fronts. There was enough content in the next few years after, in the late '60s, that we didn't know if that was going to be a long epilogue or a fourth book or exist outside the trilogy. For now, we decided that in a narrative sense the trilogy needs to be self-contained here as an idea, but we always want to emphasize that by no means does that mean that it's this unilateral victory or that the book itself is closed or that it's ever closed. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) A day after the anti-terrorism law formally took effect, forty-four petitioners from various sectors and groups ran to the Supreme Court to question the constitutionality of the controversial measure. The petitioners led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Movement Against Tyranny, Karapatan, and other progressive groups and noted civil libertarians on Sunday filed online the 10th plea against Republic Act No. 11479, asking the high court to strike down the entire law for being unconstitutional. The petitioners argued that the measure violates the rights to due process, free speech, bail, and travel, as well as the constitutional protection against warrantless arrest and detention without charges, among others. The group likewise asked SC to stop the convening of the Anti-Terrorism Council and the Joint Oversight Committee, as well as to halt the drafting of the laws implementing rules and regulations. In sum, petitioners submit that RA 11479 is a classic example of a purported cure being worse than the disease it seeks to remedy, the petition filed electronically read. The group of petitioners also included activists, journalists, religious leaders, academics, and other rights organizations. The petition is set to be filed physically on Thursday, as the high court will be closed until Wednesday. The controversial anti-terrorism law formally took effect on Saturday or 15 days after its publication on July 3. The Justice Department earlier said that the law can take effect even without the official rollout of the IRR since some provisions are "self-executing." The laws IRR, on the other hand, "will come in 90 days," National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. earlier told CNN Philippines, adding that the Anti-Terrorism Council has started working on it. Meanwhile, Solicitor General Jose Calida earlier urged the high court to junk the petitions against the measure, saying the judiciary must exercise utmost caution, prudence and judiciousness in the issuance of temporary restraining orders and injunctive writs. The anti-terrorism law which repealed the Human Security Act of 2007 will give more surveillance powers to government forces. Among its contentious features is a provision allowing suspected terrorists to be arrested without warrant and detained without charges for up to 24 days. Critics have previously voiced out concerns about these provisions, saying the measure may be open to abuse and lead to possible human rights violations. Government officials and lawmakers have repeatedly dismissed these claims, saying citizens have their rights and several safeguards under the Constitution. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Eighty-five infants from one South Texas county have all tested positive for coronavirus as the Lone Star State quickly morphs into one of the countrys epicenters. The babies, all under 1-year-old, are from Nueces County, which houses Corpus Christi, about 145 miles southeast from San Antonio, Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Neuces County, told CNN Health Saturday. The countys spike this month follows a trend of declining cases and led local officials like Rodriguez to urge people to wear their masks and practice social distancing to reduce the spread. These babies have not even had their first birthday yet, said Rodriguez. Please help us stop the spread of this disease. Rodriguez didnt offer additional details on the infants conditions. Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni noted the county has the fastest growth in new cases on the seven-day average of all Texas metropolitan counties. Local officials say that around 8,100 people in the city have been diagnosed with the potentially lethal virus, which has been linked to 82 deaths, the outlet reports. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Joaquin Castro, both Texas Democrats, penned a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urging him to rewind the efforts to reopen the state quickly; which came about by ignoring CDC guidelines. We need to provide local authority to local counties and cities to do what is in the best interest of their communities, the representatives said. In Cameron and Hidalgo counties, health officials are amassing refrigerated trucks for body storage because morgues wont have enough room. As of Saturday afternoon, more than 317,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 4,000 related fatalities had been reported in the state, according to Texas Health and Human Services COVID-19 case dashboard. 2020 New York Daily News Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. One of the policies of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is to give every head porter popularly known as Kayayei, permanent employment, according to the party's National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi. Apart from that, there will be an apprentice allowance. "One of the policies is that kayayei will be a thing of the past because there will be jobs for them....every apprentice in the country will be registered and given 'apprentice alawa' monthly" he said in an interaction on Me Man Nti programme on Neat FM with Maame Biamah Kwafo. Sammy Gyamfi also indicated that Former President John Mahama will soon be explaining the party's policies sector by sector in a policy dialogue series. "This will start before the manifesto is launched in August. We are pursuing an agenda which is jobs for the people; prosperity for all...under Mahama everyone will feel safe," he added. Listen to him in the video below 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 Advertisement These are the first pictures from inside the charred amphibious warship HSS Bonhomme Richard after a fire tore through the 844-foot vessel off San Diego harbor last Sunday. More than 160 people had been aboard when the blaze erupted at 8:30am local time. It had been undergoing maintenance when the fire was first reported in a lower cargo area where seafaring tanks are parked. Now new pictures taken inside the Navy ship by @Osinttechnical and confirmed as verified to The Navy Times show the 'extensive damage' caused by the blaze which burned for more than four days. It is not yet known if the ship will sail again. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has pledged a thorough investigation into the Navy's worst U.S. warship fire outside of combat in recent memory. He said: 'I was able to get a good sense of the damage and the damage is extensive.' These are the first pictures from inside the charred amphibious warship HSS Bonhomme Richard after a fire tore through it More than 160 people had been aboard when the blaze erupted at 8:30am last Sunday. It had been undergoing maintenance when the fire was first reported in a lower cargo area where seafaring tanks are parked Now new pictures taken inside the Navy ship by @Osinttechnical show the 'extensive damage' caused by the blaze which burned for more than four days off San Diego harbor. It is not yet known if the ship will sail again Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday has pledged a thorough investigation into the blaze Gilday said seeing the blackened ship for those deployed on it has been 'a gut punch,' and feels like losing a home Four days after the initial spark, the fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard was still burning Wednesday, as firefighters inched their way deeper into its compartments in a search to find every smoldering hot spot Firefighting boats spray water onto the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard as smoke rises from a fire onboard the ship at Naval Base San Diego, as seen from Coronado, California last Sunday Smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard after the explosion last Sunday For sailors who have been deployed on the Bonhomme Richard, seeing the blackened ship has been 'a gut punch,' and feels like losing their home, Gilday said. 'For every one of them, it's a personal loss,' he said. Four days after the initial spark, the fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard was still burning Wednesday, as firefighters inched their way deeper into its compartments in a search to find every smoldering hot spot. Experts say the stubborn fire illustrates how difficult ship blazes are to put out once they tear through a vessel. The fire at one point reached up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, threatening to soften its steel. The fire at one point reached up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, threatening to soften its steel Adding to the difficulty of the Bonhomme Richard fire was the fact that it had been undergoing maintenance since 2018, so there was scaffolding and other equipment and debris in the way. That also got in the way of firefighters As of early Wednesday, helicopters had dumped 1,500 buckets of water on the ship, cooling the superstructure and flight deck to enable crews to move further inside the vessel and identify hot spots The Bonhomme Richard is capable of carrying more than 1,000 sailors, in addition to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The cost of the ship has been estimated $761 million, according to the Federation of American Scientists The ship has been homeported at Naval Base San Diego since its last deployment in spring 2018 Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck said the Bonhomme Richard's design may have helped spread the blaze 'All shipboard fires are difficult to fight,' said maritime lawyer Rod Sullivan, who served in the Navy. 'It's very difficult to choke off oxygen in open deck spaces,' and then to follow the flames into all the nooks on a boat. It's not uncommon for ship fires to take days to extinguish, he added, pointing to a fire last month on a car-carrying cargo ship that burned in Jacksonville, Florida, for eight days. Adding to the difficulty of the Bonhomme Richard fire was the fact that it had been undergoing maintenance since 2018, so there was scaffolding and other equipment and debris in the way. That also got in the way of firefighters. One of the ship's fire suppression systems also was deactivated because of the maintenance project. As of early Wednesday, helicopters had dumped 1,500 buckets of water on the ship, cooling the superstructure and flight deck to enable crews to move further inside the vessel and identify hot spots. Retired Capt. Lawrence Brennan, a professor of international maritime law at Fordham University in New York, said even spraying water on a ship fire can be risky: If any aluminum on board had melted on plywood the combination could create aluminum carbide, which, in turn, can generate a flammable methane when sprayed with water. 'An uncontrollable fire like this one is among sailors' worst fears,' he said, adding that's why ships are designed to have so many compartments that can be closed off quickly with airtight doors. It could cost an estimated $4 billion to replace the ship if it is deemed un-salvageable The Bonhomme Richard had been docked since 2018 and was nearing the end of an estimated $250 million upgrade so it could start being used to deploy the Marine Corps' F-35Bs in the Pacific More than 60 sailors and civilians have been treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation Tugboats firing water cannons have kept the hull cool so it does not rupture and cause the one million gallons of fuel on board to spill in the bay Four engineering spaces did not suffer major damage as initially feared, and the external structure of the ship is safe The Bonhomme Richard is capable of carrying more than 1,000 sailors, in addition to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The cost of the ship has been estimated $761 million, according to the Federation of American Scientists. It has been homeported at Naval Base San Diego since its last deployment in spring 2018, when it returned from a six-year port switch to Sasebo, Japan. Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck said the Bonhomme Richard's design which is like a mini-aircraft carrier may have helped spread the blaze. 'For this class of ship, the open area above the vehicle storage is all open, a big hangar,' he said. 'Once the fire hit that amount of oxygen, it found other ways to go up.' He has said the full extent of the damage won't be known until the fire is completely out and crews can access all the areas once it is safe to enter. Sobeck, who is commander of the strike group that includes the Bonhomme Richard as its flagship, has said he is hopeful the ship can still be repaired but no one will know until that assessment is done. He said four engineering spaces did not suffer major damage as initially feared, and the external structure of the ship is safe. Tugboats firing water cannons have kept the hull cool so it does not rupture and cause the one million gallons of fuel on board to spill in the bay. In a photo provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard talkabout a fire aboard the ship at Naval Station San Diego last Sunday Sailors aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard don firefighting equipment to help combat the fire last Sunday Fuel was stored below the waterline and the risk of it spilling or exploding was now 'very low,' Sobeck said, although the U.S. Coast Guard was standing by in order to place a boom to prevent the spread of oil should that occur. It could cost an estimated $4 billion to replace the ship if it is deemed un-salvageable. The Bonhomme Richard had been docked since 2018 and was nearing the end of an estimated $250 million upgrade so it could start being used to deploy the Marine Corps' F-35Bs in the Pacific. More than 60 sailors and civilians have been treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Four years later, and Hillary Clinton still cant let it go. The former first lady, U.S. senator, Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate was at it again last week, bashing President Donald Trump, the person who beat her in 2016. Or did Trump really win that election? Some people have never accepted it, Clinton chief among them. It must have been the Russians, we were told for years. They did all kinds of nefarious things online in order to boost Trumps chances. Because Trump and Vladimir Putin are such pals. Or because Trump is an agent of Russia. Or because Putin has all kinds of personal dirt on Trump. Or because Trump has borrowed so much money from the Russians. Then Hillary and her supporters blamed the Electoral College, because Clinton had won the popular vote over Trump, after all. If only presidential elections were decided by popular vote in this country. But theyre not. Clinton has blamed President Barack Obama for her loss. Shes blamed Sen. Bernie Sanders, who gave Hillary all she could handle in the 2016 primaries. Shes blamed FBI Director James Comey. Shes blamed the Democratic National Committee. Shes blamed racism. She even blamed other women, saying that some white, married ladies had felt pressured by their husbands and voted for Trump. Talk about sexist. In an interview on The Daily Show last week, Clinton said that Trump would not go quietly if hes declared the loser of the 2020 election. Well, I think it is a fair point to raise as to whether or not, if he loses, hes going to go quietly or not, Clinton said. And we have to be ready for that. She also said that if Americans actually vote to re-elect Trump, OK, well accept it. Not happily. Ill believe that when I see it. Because thats not how Hillary and the Democrats and the media, for that matter have acted these last four years. Theyve never accepted Trump as the legitimate president. They scorn him even more heatedly than they did President George W. Bush, who got to the White House thanks to a final boost from the Supreme Court. Literally from the minute Trump was elected, there was talk about how he could be removed from office. Dems basically ran on an impeach Trump platform in order to regain the House of Representatives. Once in the majority, House Dems launched impeachment proceedings with blazing speed, finding pathetic, tissue-thin justification in a phone call between Trump and the president of Ukrarine. This after years of Russia collusion investigations that we now know were hollow from the beginning. Thanks to sworn testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, we know that top Dems knew that there was no smoke there, never mind any fire. Still, they tried their best to use it to leverage Trump out of office. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the entire 2020 election cycle into turmoil. The nominating conventions have been upended, and Democrats are working hard to allow as many people as possible vote by mail. This because it will supposedly be too unsafe for people to stand in line and vote in person because of the virus. Trump fears that vote-by-mail will lead to fraud. Can you imagine the look on the faces of Democrats if Trump manages to win re-election after the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests and everything else weve seen just this year alone? Nobody knows whats going to happen in November. Three months is more than a lifetime in politics. The polls look bad for Trump. Theres plenty not to like about his handling of coronavirus. Hes turned some followers off. Hes far from a lock for re-election. But one thing I do know: The Democrats will not go quietly if Trump is declared the winner. Fox News' Chris Wallace fact-checked President Trump in an interview Sunday after Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. has the lowest coronavirus mortality rate in the world. Why it matters: Trump has touted the country's mortality rate in his defense of the administration's response to the pandemic, dismissing the fact that the U.S. has the world's highest confirmed case count as simply a product of increased testing. What happened: After Wallace informed Trump that the U.S. has the seventh-highest mortality rate in the world, the president asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany to provide them with statistics. McEnany handed Trump a chart from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that left off countries that have lower rates than the U.S. The chart also showed that Brazil and South Korea have lower mortality rates than the U.S., but Trump still accused Wallace of being "fake news." The U.S. has a mortality rate of 3.8%, seventh in Johns Hopkins University's list of the 20 countries with the highest mortality rate. The big picture: Trump tripled down on his claim that the coronavirus will just "disappear" one day, claiming that he's been right about the pandemic "probably more than anybody else." Damascus, July 19 : The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have launched a "security campaign" against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Deir al-Zour province, a war monitor reported. The security campaign is ongoing in areas under its control in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, where the forces have set up checkpoints and run patrols, Xinhua news agency quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying on Saturday. The UK-based watched group said the SDF released some of the protesters it rounded up during protests in areas in northeastern Syria after "beating them". It said areas controlled by the SDF are in a state of lawlessness and chaos. Meanwhile, the North Press Agency, a media platform operating in Kurdish-controlled areas, cited the SDF as saying that 24 IS militants were rounded up on Friday as part of the large-scale operation. The SDF also said they seized large amounts of weapons as part of the operation called "Deterrence of Terrorism" against the IS sleeper cells. By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute Jul. 18, 2020 | 11:49 PM | LEXINGTON Gov. Andy Beshear's response to the numerous legal losses he's suffered regarding his coronavirus-related executive orders is to go court-shopping.After Court of Appeals Judge Glenn Acree refused to overturn rulings by circuit judges in Boone and Scott counties striking down the governor's recent restrictions on crowds at automobile racetracks and agritourism businesses and class sizes at daycare centers, Beshear indicated their decisions don't really matter."I haven't gotten to choose any of these jurisdictions we've been in, but we are going to get this thing up to the Supreme Court," he said before bypassing the full Court of Appeals and taking his case directly to the state's highest court.Will Supreme Court justices approve of the blanket marginalizing of their black-robed colleagues on multiple circuit and appeals-court benches?If so, will Chief Justice John Minton also announce a plan to get rid of all local courtrooms and bring every case of import directly to the Supreme Court?When it comes to local courts, Beshear would seemingly prefer to keep just the Franklin Circuit Court doors open.He filed a 48-page brief in that Frankfort court seeking to protect his mask order after Attorney General Daniel Cameron asked Scott Circuit Court Judge Brian Privett to review it in light of the judge's earlier ruling requiring executive orders grabbing additional power meet certain criteria, including "the location of the emergency."Beshear will have trouble meeting that requirement, however, since he's trying to force equal application of his orders to sparsely populated rural and mountain communities as well as to crowded nursing homes where it's well-documented that COVID-19 is most devastating.Legislative leaders in the General Assembly noted this sledgehammer-versus-scalpel approach in a recent letter to Beshear.The governor's actions "have unilaterally imposed arbitrary and overbroad orders that purport to address the spread of the novel coronavirus in the same way whether in Paducah or Pikeville, or whether in Louisville or Harland," wrote House Speaker David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers in a letter co-signed by Cameron.Why doesn't Beshear follow the approach taken by other governors who use data to target state-government's effort to areas where cases clearly are spiking or the situation has worsened instead of forcing everyone to abide by the same suffocating mandates even if they're in largely unaffected areas?Kentucky simply cannot go on with one politician mandating the lives, lifestyles and livelihoods of an entire state and its 4.5 million citizens while threatening business owners statewide with another shutdown if they don't obey and even enforce his orders.The legislature can and must bring to bear the statewide perspective which occurs when the people's representatives from every corner of the commonwealth reconvene in Frankfort in January.Lawmakers must engage in a vigorous debate with the goal of defining what conditions constitute a "state of emergency" and developing more rational policies which allow the governor to act, but with limitations.Legislators must reconfirm that the authority to create laws and establish permanent public policy belongs to legislators, not the chief executive.Bills already filed in the House would limit the length of executive orders without legislative approval and require governors to call lawmakers back to Frankfort to debate future mandates stretching beyond temporary timelines.Such legislation would also address the current governor's constant slogan-sloshing about being "better together" and how this is "team Kentucky" while issuing orders without so much as a whisper of collaboration with the House Speaker, Senate President or attorney general, the state's chief law enforcement officer.This way, the legislature can indeed fulfill the goal of being "better together" by requiring the governor to work with not rule aloof from the people's representatives.Views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of West Kentucky Star.com, Bristol Broadcasting or any employee thereof. Bristol Broadcasting makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information in this article and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. In recent weeks, Portland, Oregon has emerged as the flashpoint of the organized violent anarchist-communist movement that seeks to transform the United States into a lawless Third World Marxist state. Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, a mob of hundreds of protesters played another violent cat and mouse game with the citys police and federal officers on the streets of downtown Portland. The police officially declared a riot at 11 PM PDT after which the building housing the police union (PPA) headquarters was set on fire by demonstrators, according to multiple sources. I have been following reports from the streets on Twitter and elsewhere online all night that have included multiple cell phone videos. The hashtag #portlandprotest is one active thread featuring reports and videos, many if not most of them sympathetic to the violence. In fact, the vast majority of tweets on the subject have taken the side of the protesters, many of them insisting that the fire at the PPA was a false flag a modern version of the 1933 Reichstag Fire set by the Nazis in Berlin this time allegedly set by the Portland police themselves in order to provide an excuse for more repression. Other tweets have claimed the fire was a worthy tactic in the radicals campaign to do away with Portlands police force. Trending on Twitter this past week some of them serving as organizing tools for street actions and flash mobs are hashtags like #TrumpThreatensAmerica and #trumpnazi. After almost two months of violent demonstrations, rioting, and looting in multiple American cities, President Trump finally took steps this past week to address the situation. As the Daily Wire reported on July 19: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently deployed an elite unit of law enforcement operators to Portland this week under President Donald Trumps Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence. The New York Times confirmed an earlier report that identified the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, as the unit that was deployed to Portland as the city has been rocked by approximately 48 consecutive days of riots. Reuters reported that in addition to BORTAC, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are helping DHSs Federal Protective Service, which provides security for federal buildings. It was exactly two years ago that I was reporting, including here at American Thinker and at The Epoch Times, on Occupy ICE Portland, a ragtag group of professional Marxist agitators and local grifters who set up camp adjacent to Portlands ICE (federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement) building and effectively shut it down for almost a month. During that insurrection, the police were ordered to stand down by the citys left-wing Democrat mayor. Occupy ICE demanded not only an end to ICE, but, as I wrote in June 2018, to borders, police, and prisons. As absurd as those demands may have seemed at the time, they have now gone mainstream including being championed by many leading Democrats not only in Portland but nationwide in the wake of the fuse lit by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Portland Police tweets @PortlandPolice issued between 10:31 and 10:58 PM PDT Saturday July 18 Sympathizers with the violent rioters and looters, which includes Portlands daily newspaper, The Oregonian, have tried to claim the 52 nights of demonstrations have been peaceful. Typical is the headline on an Oregonian lead story published on July 18: Feds, right-wing media paint Portland as city under siege. Independent media have reported more accurately on the situation, including noting the $23 million in property damage that has been visited on the city since the demonstrations began on May 26th. A federal officer in Portland was struck in the head and shoulder with a hammer after a man tried to use to the tool to break down a door to a federal courthouse, police said. Photo by Portland Police Bureau It seems likely that the Portland protests will continue. The local elected officials, all Democrats, have been demanding that the federal government withdraw the troops sent in by the Department of Homeland Security to protect federal buildings that the police have been unable or unwilling to defend. Escalation of the situation, and its likely spread to other cities, is not out of the question especially with top Democrats egging on the violent rioters. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), for example, tweeted this incendiary comment which essentially pours more gasoline on the fire on July 17: Nancy Pelosi @SpeakerPelosi Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic. @DHSgovs actions in Portland undermine its mission. Trump & his stormtroopers must be stopped. Photo credit: Twitter Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. He also appears in the media, including recently as a guest analyst on BBC World News. Peter's website is http://peter.media. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives asked the internal watchdogs for the Justice and Homeland Security departments to launch an investigation into whether they have "abused emergency authorities" in order to justify targeting peaceful protesters last week in Portland, Oregon. In a joint letter to the inspectors general for the two departments, lawmakers said they were concerned that Attorney General William Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf were using federal agents to "suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland and other communities." Inspectors general sit inside executive branch agencies, having a unique duty to report their findings to both Congress and agency heads. Representatives for Justice and Homeland Security and their inspector general offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Democrats' letter. The letter was signed by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson and House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney. "This is a matter of utmost urgency," they wrote. "Citizens are concerned that the Administration has deployed a secret police force, not to investigate crimes, but to intimidate individuals it views as political adversaries." The crackdown in the liberal bastion of Portland drew widespread criticism and legal challenges as videos surfaced reuters.com/article/us-global-race-protests-portland/u-s-swoops-down-on-portland-protesters-after-trump-order-to-protect-monuments-idUSKCN24I2W5 of camouflage-clad officers without clear identification badges using force and unmarked vehicles to arrest protesters without explanation. Oregon's governor and Portland's mayor, both Democrats, called the move an abuse of power by the federal government and the state filed a lawsuit against the U.S. agencies involved. The U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon has also requested an investigation by the Homeland Security inspector general, and asked the Justice Department's internal watchdog to review the U.S. Marshals Service use of "less-lethal munitions." (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Peter Cooney) Washington People paid great heed to John Lewis for much of his life in the civil rights movement. But at the very beginning when he was just a kid wanting to be a minister someday his audience didn't care much for what he had to say. A son of Alabama sharecroppers, the young Lewis first preached moral righteousness to his family's chickens. His place in the vanguard of the 1960s campaign for Black equality had its roots in that hardscrabble Alabama farm and all those clucks. Lewis, who died Friday at age 80, was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and spoke shortly before the group's leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech to a vast sea of people. If that speech marked a turning point in the civil rights era or at least the most famous moment the struggle was far from over. Two more hard years passed before truncheon-wielding state troopers beat Lewis bloody and fractured his skull as he led 600 protesters over Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. Searing TV images of that brutality helped to galvanize national opposition to racial oppression and embolden leaders in Washington to pass the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act five months later. "The American public had already seen so much of this sort of thing, countless images of beatings and dogs and cursing and hoses," Lewis wrote in his memoirs. "But something about that day in Selma touched a nerve deeper than anything that had come before." That bridge became a touchstone in Lewis' life. He returned there often during his decades in Congress representing the Atlanta area, bringing lawmakers from both parties to see where "Bloody Sunday" went down. More brutality would loom in his life's last chapter. He wept watching the video of George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minnesota. "I kept saying to myself: How many more? How many young Black men will be murdered?" he said last month. Yet he declared, or at least dared to hope: "We're one people, we're one family. We all live in the same house, not just the American house but the world house." Lewis earned bipartisan respect in Washington, where some called him the "conscience of Congress." His humble manner contrasted with the puffed chests on Capitol Hill. But as a liberal on the losing side of many issues, he lacked the influence he'd summoned at the segregated lunch counters of his youth, or later, within the Democratic Party, as a steadfast voice for the poor and disenfranchised. He was a guiding voice for a young Illinois senator who became the first Black president. "I told him that I stood on his shoulders," Obama wrote in a statement marking Lewis's death. "When I was elected President of the United States, I hugged him on the inauguration stand before I was sworn in and told him I was only there because of the sacrifices he made." Lewis was a 23-year-old firebrand, a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, when he joined King and four other civil rights leaders at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the Washington demonstration. The others were Whitney Young of the National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council; James L. Farmer Jr., of the interracial Congress of Racial Equality; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP. At the National Mall months later, he had a speaking slot before King and toned down his intended remarks, bowing to pressure that incensed him. "I wanted it to have an air of militancy," Lewis said. He dropped a reference to leading a "scorched earth" campaign across the South, like Civil War Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea. ("John, that doesn't sound like you," he recalled King telling him.) He scaled back criticism of President John Kennedy's civil rights record. It was a potent speech nonetheless. He vowed: "By the forces of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in an image of God and democracy." His words were soon and for all time overshadowed by the speech of King. "He changed us forever," Lewis said of King's oratory that day. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. But the change the movement sought would take many more sacrifices. After months of training in nonviolent protest, demonstrators led by Lewis and the Rev. Hosea Williams began a march of more than 50 miles from Selma to Alabama's capital in Montgomery. They didn't get far: On March 7, 1965, a phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge. Authorities swung truncheons, fired tear gas and charged on horseback, sending many to the hospital. The nation was horrified. "This was a face-off in the most vivid terms between a dignified, composed, completely nonviolent multitude of silent protesters and the truly malevolent force of a heavily armed, hateful battalion of troopers," Lewis wrote. "The sight of them rolling over us like human tanks was something that had never been seen before. People just couldn't believe this was happening, not in America." King swiftly returned to the scene with a multitude, and the march to Montgomery was made whole before the end of the month. Lewis was born on Feb. 21, 1940, outside Troy, in Alabama's Pike County.He was a teenager when he first heard King, then a young minister from Atlanta, preach on the radio. They met after Lewis wrote him seeking support to become the first Black student at his local college. He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University instead, in Nashville, Tenn. Soon, the young man King nicknamed "the boy from Troy" was organizing sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider, enduring beatings and arrests while challenging segregation around the South. Lewis helped form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to organize this effort, led the group from 1963 to 1966 and kept pursuing civil rights work and voter registration drives for years thereafter. President Jimmy Carter appointed Lewis to lead ACTION, a federal volunteer agency, in 1977. In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council, and then won a seat in Congress in 1986. Humble and unfailingly friendly, Lewis was revered on Capitol Hill. He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act, but the Supreme Court invalidated much of the law in 2013, and it became a work in progress. Lewis initially endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, but belatedly backed Obama when it became clear he had more Black support. After Obama's swearing-in, he signed a commemorative photograph for Lewis that reflected much more than his endorsement, writing "Because of you, John. Barack Obama." Later, they marched hand in hand in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the attack. And when Obama was succeeded by a president who sought to dismantle much of his legacy, Lewis made no effort to hide his pain. Lewis refused to attend Donald Trump's inauguration. When Trump later complained about immigrants from "s---hole countries," Lewis declared, "I think he is a racist ... we have to try to stand up and speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug." Kayode Atanda and Adeyemi Ajayi were shot last Thursday, July 9, 2020, by a police patrol team at Iwo Road area of Ibadan, Oyo State, leading to Adeyemis death. Kayodes wife, Tosin, tells WALE OYEWALE about the incident and her husbands condition The police said that they were investigating the incident that led to Adeyemis death and your husbands injury. What is the state of things at the moment? I did not hear anything. On Tuesday, July 14, 2020, the elder brother to the deceased was at the University College Hospital, Ibadan with my husband where he was receiving treatment. He said the commissioner of police in the state, the deputy commissioner and some top policemen were at the home of the deceased on that morning. He said that they were begging, saying it (the shooting) was accidental. The family insisted that they wanted to see the policeman that shot Yemi Ajayi dead. He said some family members were taken to where the men on patrol were locked up. When the family members asked the men (policemen) what made them shoot at the car in broad daylight, they were crying saying that it was the devil. From your husbands account and those of eyewitnesses, how did the incident happen? My husband was shot in the upper part of his arm. From all indications, he was holding the steering at the time of the incident. It happened in traffic. There were witnesses. People called in during a radio broadcast as witnesses. People called in during a live radio programme and what they said on radio tallied with the account my husband gave me. I went to collect his mobile phone from the police. His car is still at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku. The phone got spoilt. My husband fainted at a point after being shot. Before then, he said his phone fell on the ground and he was shouting that his phone was on the ground. Before the phone was given to me they (the police) tried to put it on. They delayed me because they said they had not registered the items that were retrieved from the car. The screen was bad already so I went to repair it. When we eventually put on the phone, we discovered that the deceased called my husband at 11:27am (on July 9, 2020). Where was your husband going on that day? My husband was actually travelling that day but he said he would leave after the business of the day. He was supposed to travel to Ile-Ife. He told me that Yemi called him to ask about his whereabouts. My husband told him that he was at Iyana Church, Alakia axis. Yemis elder brother has a house that is under construction and my own elder brother is the one handling the Plaster of Paris. According to my elder brother, the deceased called to ask if he had seen the cash (N250,000) that he transferred to him for the POP. My brother called him later in the morning that he was on his way to the site and that he should meet him at the site. He promised to meet him at the site at Egbeda. It was then he called my husband from Monantan that they should meet to go to the site. When they got to Iwo Road, there was traffic. He said there were three vehicles between the Nissan Micra in which the policemen were and his car. But he said the policemen were not in uniform. He said he heard park! He saw the Micra from the rear and suddenly a gun was pointed at them and one of the men on board fired the shot. He said Yemi slumped on the dashboard. He was tending Yemi unaware that he (Kayode) had sustained a bullet wound. It was after 12:00pm and people were there. As he was asking them why they shot, he discovered that he was bleeding profusely. He was taken to the University College Hospital on a motorbike and three of his toes were bruised. How did you learn about his whereabouts? On that day, I was on the way from my brothers place and different people were calling me to ask after my husband. They had heard of the incident but I didnt suspect that something went wrong. He later called to tell me that he was at UCH. He said he was shot and that Yemi has already died. On getting to UCH, I saw a female police officer who said I should take it up from that stage. I asked her what she meant by that, but the doctor then explained that the female police officer was among those who brought him to the hospital. The deputy commissioner of police was said to have paid N15,500 to start the treatment. As I heard, a senior police officer was also in the traffic at Iwo Road area where the incident happened. I called my family and my husbands family and that is how we have been battling with the matter ever since. What kind of treatment did your husband receive at UCH? We were told by some doctors that he was going to undergo a surgery. We thought the surgery would be fast but he has since been subjected to series of tests. According to the results of the tests, he had lost so much blood. The doctors said he had lost the property that makes the blood to clot and therefore it was not advisable to take him to the theatre without being adequately prepared as he would be bleeding so much without that. They explained that they had to stabilise those cells before the session would be carried out. We got three pants of blood on Thursday. They advised us to look for donors with matching blood type. It was reported that there was a directive from the police headquarter in Abuja that the investigation should be carried out with urgency. Are you aware of that? I am hearing this for the first time. On Friday last week (July 10, 2020), I took my children to my brothers place because my house is far away and it would be difficult to cope. Journalists came for interviews. In the reaction to the news, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State said that according to what those policemen said, they heard an alarm that a thief was operating from the other end. He said the policemen said the reason why they shot was because they heard the alarm. Now, since the time the female police officer left UCH, I have not set my eyes on any police officer. There was no one that alleged that my husband and the man who was killed had stolen anything. On day of the incident while we were talking in front of the Accident and Emergency unit at UCH, the doctor on duty called to advise me to take it easy with the police so that they would not falsely accuse my husband. As I was wondering aloud, a man walked up to me and said he was a deputy commissioner of police. He said, I am not here because of this incident. I just brought my mother here now. So, he overheard us as we talked. He assured me that those policemen would not go unpunished. He gave me his number and I saved it. He said if there was anything, I should feel free to call him. Shortly after he left, someone came up to me to say that the man was lying and that he was an undercover agent. Where was Yemis body deposited? It was taken to Adeoyo Hospital. He was buried on Friday (July 10, 2020). Before being laid to rest, the procedure was that an autopsy would be carried out on his body at Adeoyo Hospital and the second autopsy would be carried out at UCH before his corpse would be laid to rest. Who owns the car that was driven on the fateful day? The car belongs to my husband and he was the one who drove it. Do you suspect that your husband might have been arguing with the police? He doesnt argue with people. People who called in on live a radio programme said what they heard was someone shouting, Park, park! And the next thing that followed was a gunshot. They (eyewitnesses) said when he (Kayode) came out of the vehicle, he asked the police why they pulled the trigger. What trade is your husband into? He is an estate valuer. What did the late Adeyemi do for a living before he was killed? Yemi sold clothes. He had a boutique at Gbagi Market. He was not married. My husband was telling me that the house in question belongs to the elder brother to the deceased. What is the relationship between your husband and the deceased? They are not blood relatives. They lived in the same neighbourhood for some years and had since been close like brothers. The deceased was a pleasant young man. It was widely reported in the media that they were cousins but they are not. *** Source: The PUNCH Trust Stamp is a vaccination based digital identity program funded by Bill Gates and implemented by Mastercard and GAVI, that will soon link your biometric digital identity to your vaccination records. The program said to evolve as you evolve is part of the Global War on Cash and has the potential dual use for the purposes of surveillance and predictive policing based on your vaccination history. Those who may not wish to be vaccinated may be locked out of the system based on their trust score. The Wellness Pass Partnership With the aim of being introduced in low-income, remote communities in West Africa and later replicated worldwide; the program is the result of a public-private partnership between the GAVI vaccine alliance backed by Bill Gates, Mastercard and Trust Stamp which is an AI-powered identity authentication company. This program was to be first launched in late 2018. Trust Stamps advanced digital identification technology will be integrated into the GAVI-Mastercard initiative Wellness Pass a digital vaccination record and identity system which is to be also linked to Mastercards click-to-play system powered by Mastercards AI and Machine Learning technology. MasterCard made a commitment that it will create a centralized record keeping of childhood immunization. It also describes itself as a leader towards a World Beyond Cash. Bill Gates Agenda In India Exposed By Robert Kennedy Jr : https://t.co/BZq5Mh4zXP J Gopikrishnan (@jgopikrishnan70) May 17, 2020 The future prospects of this GAVI and MasterCard partnership is worth exploring. This partnership with GAVI signifies a novel strategy aimed towards linking a biometric digital identity system, vaccination records, and a payment system into a single platform that is cohesive, coherent and synergistic. Digital Health Passport The program was launched two years ago and has been funded with $3.8 million in the GAVI donor funds. In addition to this it received a similar amount from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was in early June when GAVI reported that Mastercards Wellness Pass program has the potential to be adapted in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A month after this, Mastercard announced that Trust Stamps advanced biometric identity platform will also be integrated into the Wellness Pass. This was done taking into consideration the Trust Stamps capability of providing biometric identity globally; even at places lacking internet access or cellular connectivity and also it does not require knowledge of an individuals legal name or identity to function. EXCLUSIVE The UK government is preparing to rollout #COVIPASS Biometric RFID enabled Coronavirus Digital Health Passports to monitor nearly every aspect of citizens lives in the name of strengthening public health management via military grade tech.https://t.co/7mh378o4XR GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) May 27, 2020 This Wellness Program involving GAVI, Mastercard, and Trust Stamp is soon going to be tested in West Africa. Similar program was also launched in the UK. The UK government is rolling out COVI PASS Biometric RFID enabled Coronavirus Digital Health Passports to monitor nearly every aspect of citizens lives in the name of strengthening public health management through a military grade tech. India funds Vaccine Cartel GAVI The Indian government has pledged US $15 million to the global vaccine alliance GAVI over the next 5 years for the global Coronavirus vaccine project led by Britain. GAVI is largely led by the British government and Bill Gates. While the UK is GAVIs largest funder, its implementation follows what is known as the Gates approach. Known as the Vaccine Cartel or Pharma Cartel by critics, such vaccines have been accused of causing atleast 38 million premature deaths worldwide. EXCLUSIVE India has pledged $15 million to GAVI largely led by British govt & #BillGates. UK is GAVIs largest funder & its implementation follows what is known as Gates approach. The Vaccine Cartel is accused of 38 million premature deaths worldwide.https://t.co/5xGAxZ4gsY GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) June 5, 2020 While there is growing criticism against these organisations worldwide, India is again collaborating on similar initiatives on coronavirus vaccine with the same Vaccine Cartel. A consortium comprising Serum Institute, Gates Foundation, MIT, and Spy Biotech (a UK based biotech company) is trying to develop a vaccine using the new spy-tag vaccine development technology. A long-term Merck and Wellcome Trust venture on vaccine research, policy and manufacturing will be based in Delhi. (More details about this British led Indian Vaccination Program will be revealed in the next report.) Trust Stamps Evergreen Hash Trust Stamp has created a biometric identity system, using the technology called Evergreen Hash. This technology creates a 3D mask based on a single photo, palm or fingerprint of a person. With the creation of this mask the original data is eliminated and encrypted keys are created. These encrypted keys serve in place of a persons name, fingerprint, and all the other information used for identification. Digital Identification Program ID2020 The electoral commission of Ghana has been trying hard to put this idea into action before the general elections happen in December, 2020. The budget allocation of the new system has been questioned. Bright Simons, the honorary VP of the IMAMI policy think tank, claimed that unnecessarily registration of 17 million people all over again signifies that million of dollars are being blown for reasons that are unexplained. An Italian politician has demanded arrest of #BillGates in Italian Parliament. Sara Cunial, MP for Rome denounced Bill Gates as Vaccine Criminal and urged Italian President to hand him over to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanityhttps://t.co/fDuMT8v1B1 GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) May 16, 2020 The concept of using biometrics for national ID registration systems is a highly politicized issue. Earlier this plan to chip the human race through the digital identification program ID2020 was exposed in the Italian parliament by Sara Cunial, the Member of Parliament for Rome who denounced Bill Gates as a vaccine criminal and demanded Bill Gatess arrest in the Italian Parliament. With the medical research going at such a fast pace when a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available, this technology will be used in vaccination programs and implemented worldwide under the GAVI umbrella. The program said to evolve as you evolve is part of the Global War on Cash and has the potential dual use for the purposes of surveillance and predictive policing based on your vaccination history. Those who may not wish to be vaccinated may be locked out of the system based on their trust score. For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage. Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates. GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section. We need your support to carry on our independent and investigative research based journalism on the external and internal threats facing India. Your contribution however small helps us keep afloat. Kindly consider donating to GreatGameIndia. RTHK: US virus death toll passes 140,000 Even as US President Donald Trump pledged that the coronavirus was coming under control on Sunday, Florida reported over 12,000 new cases of Covid-19, the fifth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new infections. The virus has claimed over 140,000 US lives total since the pandemic started, and Florida, California, Texas and other southern and western states shatter records every day. Despite record levels of new cases nationwide, the Trump administration is pushing for school to reopen in a few weeks and resisting a federal mandate to wear masks in public. Trump defended his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in an interview broadcast on Sunday, including his statement that there were only embers of the virus popping up around the country. The United States, with 3.7 million total cases, has almost as many infections as the next three hardest-hit countries combined Brazil, India and Russia. "We have embers and we do have flames. Florida became more flame-like, but it's it's going to be under control," Trump said on "Fox News Sunday". "I'll be right eventually. "It's going to disappear and I'll be right." Experts at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have warned cases and deaths could rise this autumn and winter. Nearly all 20 forecasting models used by the CDC project rising deaths in the coming weeks. Throughout the United States, every metric to measure the outbreak is going in the wrong direction rising cases, deaths, hospitalizations and positivity rates of test results. At least 14 states have reported record coronavirus hospital admissions so far in July, including Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and Texas. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. That the break between Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel did not come about harmoniously, may now be clear. Vettel revealed in Austria that he was not even offered a contract and his 'resignation' was ended with a phone call. In the meantime it has led to some cynical jokes on the paddock. Vettel has always maintained a good relationship with both Christian Horner and Helmut Marko after his departure from Red Bull Racing. Not surprising when you consider that they owe their greatest successes to each other. Vettel, Horner and Marko are having too much fun However, in recent weeks the three have been seen together very often. At the Austrian Grand Prix even without a mouth shield, which reprimanded the teams. These 'meetings' are further oil on the fire for the rumours about a possible return of the German to the Austrian team. Whether that's true, will have to be proven, but that the three are having a good time, is clear from the last conversation. It shows that they haven't lost their humour yet. "Have they even taken your name off now?", Horner teasingly asks. "That's a bit harsch". In 1988, a group of South Fork naturalists formed a membership organization called the South Fork Natural History Society, better known as SOFO. The objective of this organization was to increase public awareness about the past, present, and future of eastern Long Islands natural history and to share their joyful experiences of exploring and learning with others in the community. SOFO used to operate out of a small building referred to as the Nature Clubhouse where children gathered to examine different species, research for school projects, and just hang out. The Clubhouse served as a prototype... Dear Editor: With an alarming recent uptick of violent crime in the city of Kingston, including a homicide and several cases of shots being fired, it is my sincere hope that the mayors office and Common Council dedicate adequate time and resources to ensuring a safe community for all. With Mayor Steve Noble commending New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mandating the Re-Envision Public Safety Task Forces, and the Kingston police accountability legislation signed on July 7, it seems that addressing this uptick in crime is less a priority then reorganizing the citys law-enforcement policies and structures. While both of these issues warrant the efforts and attention of the citys leaders, the assurance of a safe community for all should be a top priority in both discussions. Allowing violent crime to rise unchecked hurts and adversely efforts every individual and business in the community. The discussion on the future of policing in the city of Kingston should continue, but it should not take priority over maintaining a safe community. Bill Cranston Kingston, N.Y. The girl was allegedly abducted after she went out to answer nature's call on Sunday morning and was found dead hours later. Raiganj: The suspected rape and subsequent murder of a teenaged girl in North Dinajpur district on Sunday triggered protests in the area with a mob blockading National Highway 31 and setting ablaze government buses and police vehicles, demanding arrest of the culprits, police officers said. West Bengal: Locals hold protest, block road and set police vehicles & public buses on fire against an alleged gang-rape & murder of a girl in Kalagachh in Uttar Dinajpur. Heavy security deployed at the site. pic.twitter.com/Jbo2x8j2Ru ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 The girl was allegedly abducted after she went out of her house at Sonapur village near Siliguri on Sunday morning to answer nature's call. She was found dead after a few hours, and the villagers alleged that she was raped before being murdered. As police personnel were trying to lift the blockade, the mob set three North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses on fire and also set ablaze three police vans, the officers said. Police reinforcements, including Rapid Action Force, were brought in to lift the blockade and remove the protesters, the officers said. MANCHESTER, Mo. Administrators in the Parkway school district in suburban St. Louis spent the summer break crafting a flexible reopening plan, with options that include full-time classroom learning, full-time online instruction and a hybrid system. Its a good thing because the dangers of the coronavirus are so uncertain that district officials are reluctant to make predictions about the fall semester, which begins in only five weeks. Confirmed coronavirus infections in Missouris hardest-hit city waned in June, but they are now spiking, along with hospitalizations. Schools plan to resume classes Aug. 24. If you had asked me even two weeks ago, Do you think we would be able to come back? I would have said, Yeah,' Assistant Superintendent Kevin Beckner said. Today my answer is Im not sure, just because of how the situation has changed so quickly. Schools around the U.S. face the same dilemma. With the number of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths still rising, districts must grapple with whether to bring students back to classrooms, and how to keep pupils and teachers safe if they do. Pressure is mounting in many areas to reopen classrooms. President Donald Trump has urged schools to bring children back to class in the fall and has threatened to cut off federal funding if they do not. Young people have to go to school, and theres problems when you dont go to school, too, Trump said in an interview aired Sunday on Fox News. And theres going to be a funding problem because were not going to fund when they dont open their schools. The Republican president blamed Democrats for the push to keep some states and schools closed. We got hit with the virus shouldnt have happened and we had to close up. We saved millions of lives, Trump said. Now weve opened it up, got to go back to school. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nations second-largest public school system behind New York City, announced last week that all classes will be conducted virtually when they resume next month. Speaking Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, noted that many school districts in his state are going back as planned, as normal, taking the kinds of precautions that health experts and scientists recommend. In Missouris St. Louis County, the Parkway district on Monday is scheduled to announce its plans for the fall, but it will stay ready to pivot quickly if the spread worsens or the outlook improves, Beckner said. Even if we are able to bring back all of our students, it wont look the same as it was in February, Beckner said. There will be more hand-washing. There will be more restrictions on how were able to do things like lunch, like recess. Signs will encourage social distancing, and desks will be spaced farther apart. Face coverings will be required for all students, instructors and staff. Some teachers will wear masks with clear coverings so students who are deaf or heard of hearing can follow what they are saying. Times will be scheduled for hand washing and using hand sanitizer. Plexiglass will separate librarians, office staff and teachers interacting one-on-one with students. A nurse will perform contact tracing on confirmed cases. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, third-grade teacher Leigh Grady is preparing to enter both a new school and a new world after a tornado demolished most of East Brainard Elementary in April. Its going to be a hot mess express, she said. I cant even wrap my mind fully around what its going to look like. Face masks will be mandatory for staff and all but the youngest students. Seating will be assigned on buses, and lunches served in classrooms. Water fountains will be off limits, and restrooms will disinfected after each class goes as a group. If a teacher or student tests positive for the virus, schools will close for 48 to 72 hours, and the county is working with a staffing agency to line up substitutes. If a rise in confirmed cases warrant it, schools will operate under more restrictive measures, with students taking turns spending part of the week at school and part at home. All its going to take is one kid with a positive test, and that will shut everything down, she said. As of Sunday, there have been 3.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 140,000 deaths in the United States, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins. Grady said her own children will be attending 10th and 12th grade in person, and shes comfortable with that if schools stick to the safety plan. I need them to be at school, she said. I need them to be around other people. ___ Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press Writer Anita Snow in Phoenix contributed to this report. ComebackTown is published by David Sher for a more prosperous greater Birmingham & Alabama Click here to sign up for newsletter. (Opt out at any time) Todays guest columnist is Dr. Karim I. Budhwani. If youd like to be a guest columnist, please click here. Many parents, teachers, and administrators are agonizing over the safety of students and ultimately their loved ones as Alabama schools open in the next few weeks. Its clear that schools are fundamental to the personal and intellectual development of children. We are told that benefits of in-person school outweigh coronavirus risks. However, we are also told that Alabama is shattering coronavirus records. Rock and a hard place. With that in mind, heres a quick reflection on strategies for safely reopening schools in COVID times. First the basics. If viral activity increases, the pandemic worsens, leading us toward unsavory constraining options. So, reducing viral activity is a worthwhile goal. But, in order to reduce viral activity, we must understand the modes of viral transmission and factors that promote transmission. So far, at least 3 modes of transmission have been posited. Lets assume that all three modes are relevant: (a) fomites or contaminated surfaces, (b) respiratory droplets, and (c) aerosol or airborne. Lets assume that which mode of transmission is dominant varies based on environmental and various other parameters which may be within or beyond our control. Chief among factors that promote transmission are, well, people. Transmission increases as we (a) increase number of unassociated people coming in contact, (b) reduce the space that they occupy, and (c) increase the time for which they stay in contact. Now lets explore strategies that could make back-to-school safer for students, teachers, and administration. Cover Mucosae and Conjunctiva In other words, mask up. Regardless of which modes of transmission are dominant, it would make sense to cover mucosae (nose/mouth) and possibly conjunctiva (eyes). This is not a political matter. It is simply a matter of getting back to school safely, despite COVID-19. Lets assume that all symptomatic and positive tested people are self-isolating away from school. Which means that only the uninfected, the presymptomatic and the asymptomatic are at school. Setting coughs and sneezes aside for a minute, in every breath we emit thousands of tiny respiratory droplets. Now, imagine the droplets from a person who is shedding the virus with a mask and without a mask. In either scenario, virus is being shed. But its reach is blunted with masks. Masks can restrict the reach of the virus from people (direct), surfaces (fomites), and air ducts (aerosol). So, mask up. Avoid the Three Cs Despite high population density, Japan managed to keep SARS-CoV-2 transmission at bay by a simple philosophy of avoiding three Cs: Closed spaces, Crowded places, and Close contact. From a back-to-school perspective, this could translate into (a) more outdoor activity to avoid closed spaces, (b) smaller class sizes to minimize crowded places and instituting cohort bubbles to isolate cohorts from each other even over breaks, carpool, lunch, etc. and finally, (c) physical distancing guidelines of 6 or more to avoid close contact. Disinfect objects and clean subjects There is some debate regarding the magnitude of transmission risk from contaminated surfaces. Regardless, it is generally good practice to disinfect common surfaces including counters, knobs, dry erase pens, etc. Particularly items that we commonly touch with our hands. While contaminated objects may have fallen from their dubious distinction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, subject vectors continue to remain paramount. Fortunately, combating this is simply a matter of good personal hygiene. Specifically, keeping our hands and face clean with appropriate and regular hand washing. If access to soap and warm water is restricted, hand sanitizers could be the next best option. Before moving from this, well, subject, it should be noted that if aerosol transmission is dominant, recirculated air could diminish benefits from smaller class sizes, cohort bubbles, and even physical distancing indoors. Masks can help. Rotating groups outdoors can help. Using better filters in air ducts may also help. Extra Credit In addition to these, some generally applicable strategies should also be considered in the school reopening calculus. Strategies such as proactive self-monitoring of symptoms and, more importantly, the provisions to isolate without stigma or penalty. Temperature and oxygen saturation have become common self-monitoring tools, however, any change in smell and taste are also effective and cheap indicators. Another variable to modulate response is viral activity in the community. Think of this as inverse dancing slow down when the tempo (cases) increases. Be more vigilant as cases rise in your community but dont slack too much when cases decline. As these can rise sharply due to lag from incubation periods. This part is like Beethovens fifth: short-short-short-long! Which brings me to my final two points: (a) stay fit and healthy and (b) endeavor to reduce stress. The latter is very important but surprisingly takes a backseat in COVID-19 discussions. Whiplash from rapid news cycles, mixed messages, developing science and evidence, psychosocial trauma from lockdowns, economic distress from 40 million unemployed, 17-point email messages on new school policies, and on and on induce high emotional exhaustion and sharp increases in stress levels. Guess what happens under stress? Our immunity is weakened. Making us more susceptible to infection! So, our best defense against this virus and the pandemic could have been with us all along. A healthy you, a de-stressed you. But also a vigilant you, a compassionate you. An informed but not panicked you. Hope this post is helpful. Be safe. Be sane. Be sage. Dr. Karim I. Budhwani is CEO of CerFlux, Inc. and Visiting Scientist in the School of Medicine at UAB and in the Department of Physics at Coe College. CerFlux, headquartered in Birmingham, is developing personalized medicine technology to transform cancer treatment here and around the world. As a means of resolving Malis lingering political crisis the mediation team of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Nigerias former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has recommended the formation of a government of national unity with members drawn from different interest groups in the country, including the ruling coalition, the opposition parties and the civil society. It also recommended the establishment of a technical committee to be set up by ECOWAS to monitor the implementation of the proposed measures which also include the reconstitution of the dissolved constitutional court as well as the resolution of the dispute over 31 legislative seats recently set aside by the defunct constitutional court. Mr Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali, led his mediation team on a three-day mission to Mali which ended on Sunday, July 19, 2020, with a view to finding a solution to the socio-political crisis in Mali. The missions communique issued at a press conference in Bamako on Sunday stated: As a matter of urgency, there is the need to put in place a government of national unity, based on consensus and taking into account the recommendations of the Inclusive National Dialogue, the implementation of the Mali Peace and Reconciliation Agreement resulting from the Algiers process. According to the document, the proposed government will have 50 per cent of its members drawn from the ruling coalition while the opposition and civil society groups will produce 30 per cent and 20 per cent of its membership, respectively. The communique signed by Mr Jonathan stated further: A Technical Committee will be put in place by ECOWAS to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the proposed measures. This Committee will comprise representatives of the Government, Parliament, civil society, the Judiciary, Women and Youth associations, and the ECOWAS Representation in Mali. While in Bamako, the mission, which was in Mali one month after the visit of ECOWAS Ministerial Mission, held consultations with different stakeholders including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, members of the M5-RFP collation , the majority coalition in Parliament, judges, heads of international agencies, diplomats, members of Civil Society as well as women and youth groups. While many stakeholders and interest groups welcomed the proposed unity government, it is not however clear whether members of the opposition backed M5 coalition will be part of it, as they continued to insist on the resignation of President Keita among other tough demands during the many meetings they had with the Jonathan-led team. The mission urged Malians not to take laws into their hands, and reminded them of the importance of respecting their institutions, particularly the constitutional means of ascending to power, in conformity with the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. ECOWAS will not tolerate The Mediation Mission welcomes the support of the proposed measures by all the stakeholders met, with the exception of the Strategic Committee of the M5-RFP. ECOWAS will monitor the effective implementation of the proposed measures and remain seized of the matter. The Mission reiterates ECOWAS solidarity with the Government of Mali and the family of Honourable Soumaila CISSE, President of the Union for the Republic and Democracy party, Leader of the Opposition, whobhas been kidnapped since March 2020. It invites the Malian Government to intensify its efforts to obtain his release without delay. Furthermore, the Mission encourages all the stakeholders to resort to dialogue and negotiation to resolve the socio-political crisis in good faith and mutual trust with a view to sustaining peace and security in the country. The Mission which expressed its condolences to the people and the Government of Mali for the loss of lives during recent demonstrations in Bamako also condemned all forms of violence while calling on all parties to exercise restraint. It also urged the authorities to finalise all the investigations into the deaths that occurred during the demonstrations on 10th, 11th and 12th July 2020. These investigations must also extend to all forms of violence and destruction of public buildings, including the National Assembly, the Office of the Radio and Television of Mali (ORTM), and the High Council of Local Communities, as well as private property, in order to establish all responsibilities with a view to implementing the appropriate sanctions. The Commonwealth Bank is supporting specialist teams to help victims of financial abuse amid warnings that women can be left with huge debts after an abusive relationship. As support groups warn of rising domestic violence during the pandemic, CBA on Sunday said it was expanding a program for helping people who experienced financial abuse as a result of domestic and family violence. Enough is enough: Catherine Fitzpatrick, CBA; Natasha Stott Despoja, Our Watch; Sian Lewis, CBA; Prof Jan Breckenridge, UNSW; Renata Field, Domestic Violence NSW; and Matt Comyn, CBA CEO, at the bank's Sydney headquarters last Thursday. The program includes an internal team of 15 staff trained in helping people experiencing family and domestic violence, and a separate initiative delivered by advocacy group Good Shepherd to provide financial coaching for financial abuse victims. Chief executive of Good Shepherd Australia and New Zealand, Stella Avramopoulos, said financial abuse involved taking control, such as over someone's spending, stopping them from getting a job or forcing them into debt. It could happen to anyone, she said, but the vast majority of cases were perpetrated by men against women. CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson 303-810-1816 Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com Golden, Colorado July 19, 20920 The Caring Generation Lessons From Isolated Seniors Golden CO- Caregiving expert Pamela D. Wilson hosts The Caring Generation family talk radio program for caregivers and aging adults this coming Wednesday, July 22, on the Bold Brave Media Network. The program airs live at 9 p.m. EST. The Caring Generation aired initially from 2009 to 2011 on 630 KHOW-AM in Denver, Colorado. What Isolated and Lonely Caregivers Can Learn From Isolated Seniors On this talk radio program for caregivers and aging adults, Wilson talks about aspects of loneliness and social isolation experienced by caregivers and seniors. Seniors and caregivers experience differing degrees of isolation and loneliness that depend on unexpected situations, lifelong behaviors and patterns, and residence factors. While the coronavirus has increased social isolation by the need for physical separation, loneliness has also increased. Human beings crave social connections. As we age, fewer opportunities to make new social relationships exist. Socially connected individuals fare better from a health perspective and have better long term quality of life. What caregivers can learn from isolated seniors is that isolation does not equate to loneliness. Other learnings Wilson shares during this radio program for caregivers include the idea of investing in long term friendships that can transcend time and significant life transitions. Meaningful friendships, maintaining connections, and making new connections is part of having a fulfilling life that allows us to become resilient to transcend unexpected ups and downs in life and situations related to caregiving. Helpful tips and information for caregivers and aging adults are in Wilson's Caring for Aging Parents Blog. .Difficult Caregiving Conversations with Dr. Liz Barnett The guest for this program is Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Barnett, who will share examples of how to have difficult caregiving conversations about the idea of caregiving burden. Caregivers experience burden when emotional, social, financial, career, and relationship aspects of life become challenging or feel overwhelming. Dr. Barnett received her Master's of Social Work from Boston University and her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California's Department of Preventive Medicine's Institute for Prevention Research. She is an adjunct professor at California State University at Long Beach in Human Development. Her expertise is in motivational interviewing on the subjects of substance abuse, health, and social work. She has developed specialized training videos and motivational interviewing practice modules for professionals. Join Pamela on The Caring Generation to learn what seniors and caregivers can learn from each other on the subjects of social isolation and loneliness. The Caring Generation radio program airs live at 6 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Mountain, 8 p.m. Central, and 9 p.m. Eastern every Wednesday night. Replays of the weekly programs are available in podcast format with transcripts on Pamela's website and all major podcast sites. More information about onsite and online video conferencing, virtual training and development, and online education and support are available on Wilson's website. # John Lewis, the civil rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King Jr and was nearly killed in police beatings before serving for decades as a US congressman, has died aged 80. French President Emmanuel Macron was one of several admirers to call Lewis a hero. Lewis was an African-American icon who spent his life getting into what he liked to call "good trouble" the confrontations necessary to improve American democracy by ending discrimination and racial injustice. "Today, America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the 17-term congressman from Georgia. For France's President Macron, Lewis was also a hero. A life fighting for civil rights. A life being part of all the good fights, battling for a fairer world, Macron tweeted. So much progress has been made thanks to him. John Lewis was a hero. The photo of Macron and Lewis in a warm embrace was taken in Washington in 2018. In another tweet the president included footage of the two men hugging and Lewis quoted as saying Macron was "fighting for the same society as the one Martin Luther King wanted. Brush with death Lewis, who in late 2019 was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, was the son of sharecroppers. He was just 21 when he became a founding member of the Freedom Riders, who fought segregation of the US transportation system in the early 1960s, eventually becoming one of the nation's most powerful voices for justice and equality. He was the youngest leader of the 1963 March on Washington, in which King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. Two years later Lewis nearly died while leading hundreds of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on a peace march to Montgomery. State troopers, seeking to intimidate those demonstrating for voting rights for black Americans, attacked protesters. He suffered a fractured skull on the day that would become known as "Bloody Sunday". Fifty years later in 2015, he walked across the bridge arm in arm with Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, to mark the anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march. Lewis first entered Congress in 1986 and quickly became a figure of moral authority, with Pelosi labelling him "the conscience of the Congress". In recent months he had stepped away from his congressional duties as he underwent treatment for cancer. But he returned to Washington in early June, in the midst of fiery demonstrations following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, to walk in Black Lives Matter Plaza, the renamed intersection near the White House that was the site of protests against injustice. Lewis was an early critic of Donald Trump and the first prominent Democrat to question the Republican's legitimacy. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president, Lewis said in an interview on NBC just a week before Trump's inauguration in 2017. I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected and they have destroyed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. (with newswires) Premier Daniel Andrews, who removed a navy blue face mask before addressing reporters, said he hoped no $200 fines would be issued and the directive would lead to behavioural change and an acceptance that masks would be required for a long time. "Can I just indicate that if we can see high degrees of compliance, if we see people wearing masks, then that will mean it is less likely we have to move things like only having daily exercise in your own local postcode," he said. 'We are going to be wearing masks in Victoria, and potentially in other parts of the country, for a very long time.' Daniel Andrews "Or things like you can only go shopping within a certain radius or certain distance from your home. We don't want to get to those steps." He added: "We are going to be wearing masks in Victoria, and potentially in other parts of the country, for a very long time. There's no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus, and it's a simple thing but it's about changing habits." Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the directive would allow the state to achieve its goal of single-digit or zero daily case growth more quickly. He said face coverings would play a major role in stabilising what he called the daily case "numbers rollercoaster". Jurisdictions around the world that made face coverings mandatory had suppressed the virus far more effectively than those that did not. "It reduces the load that gets out between people," Professor Sutton said, emphasising the importance of masks covering a persons mouth and nose. Mask wearing reduced transmission rates by two-thirds or more, he said. Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said he did not expect major difficulties in enforcing the wearing of masks, but he noted officers were expecting Victoria Police command to clarify how much discretion they should use. Another 363 cases of coronavirus were recorded in Victoria on Sunday, and there have been a further three deaths. Of the new cases, about 30 are linked to known outbreaks and 327 are being investigated. More than 26,000 tests were conducted on Saturday. Two men and a woman, each in their 90s, have died. Mr Andrews expressed condolences and said it would be a "particularly sad time" for their families. There are 130 people in hospital with COVID-19 , an increase of 20 within 24 hours, and 28 in intensive care, three more than the day before. Loading Professor Sutton said there was "no absolutely clear sign" of infection figures trending downwards. Two people, one at the Melbourne Remand Centre and one at a youth prison, have contracted the virus. There are 54 cases at various public housing towers in Carlton and authorities are investigating if, and how, the cases are linked. There are 287 cases linked to public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington, 169 linked to Al-Taqwa College, 53 linked to Somerville Retail Services' meatworks, and 35 linked to the JBS meat processing plant in Brooklyn. Authorities have identified a number of aged care facilities linked to COVID-19 outbreaks, but over the past day have reported single cases at three facilities: Bluecross Ruckers Hill in Northcote, Villa Maria Catholic Homes in Alphington and Japara Highbury in Glen Waverley. Sign up to our Coronavirus Update newsletter Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments and the numbers you need to know. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here and The Age's here. The state government has identified casual workers with no access to leave entitlements attending work while sick, including at aged care homes, as a main driver of community transmission. Mr Andrews said about 80 per cent of transmission since mid-May had occurred in workplaces, and much of it among casual workers without access to sick leave, who worked while displaying symptoms. Family and social clusters represented one-third of all outbreaks before May 12. This has since declined to below 20 per cent, while workplace settings had accounted for two-thirds of outbreaks until May 12. WorkSafe, assisted by Victoria Police and Emergency Management Victoria, will conduct a blitz of work sites to ensure physical distancing rules are being enforced. "Many casual staff are moving into nursing home environments and bringing the virus to work with them. We know the catastrophic impact that can have on very vulnerable residents," Mr Andrews said. "It's contributing to the community transmission within the Victorian community in a significant way." When asked why the government had not better policed workplaces, given the outbreak at Cedar Meats and other high-risk places, the Premier said "best efforts" were made to contain the spread of coronavirus. Within minutes of Gov. Henry McMasters news conference calling on schools to reopen this fall for face-to-face learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, the laundry list of critics began to grow. Education groups, teachers associations and prominent state lawmakers released statements chastising the Columbia Republicans request and insisting students should return only when schools can ensure their safety. The states largest school district, Greenville County, said it was incredibly concerned by the governors stance as social media erupted. In a rare public split from the governor, Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, R-Saluda, declined an invitation to the Wednesday press conference and released a statement objecting to McMasters insistence that every school reopen for five days a week. The episode was the clearest example yet of the perilous political tightrope McMaster walks as South Carolinas worsening COVID-19 case numbers create difficult decisions about key aspects of public life, such as how to educate the states 787,000 public school students this fall. As South Carolina has become one of the country's worst coronavirus hotspots, McMaster has faced more criticism over his handling of the pandemic than any other issue since assuming office in January 2017. He has been blasted for not taking the virus seriously enough waiting too long to issue a work-or-home order, reopening too soon, and refusing to order South Carolinians to wear masks in public. On his political right, he was hammered for ordering a shutdown at all, no matter how brief. In May, Republican state Sen. Shane Martin accused the governor of illegally trampling on personal liberties, calling him King Henry during an interview on a conservative radio show. "Gov. McMaster's got a very difficult job, said state Rep. Murrell Smith, a Sumter Republican and McMaster ally. Everybody's got an opinion on what the right way to handle one issue concerning this crisis or another. Every decision made, you've got angry constituents out there on one side and people who are satisfied. But you are never going to satisfy everybody. In interviews this week with more than two dozen parents, The Post and Courier heard from some who didnt feel comfortable sending their children to school this fall and others who felt compelled to do so because online schooling hadnt worked for their kids. But many of those parents shared a common frustration that the government, and especially McMaster, had put them in a position of choosing whether to prioritize their families health or their childrens education. Abby Philpott, an Upstate parent, said she is keeping her ninth grader home this fall, which feels like a punishment for the straight-A student. "His health, fellow students' health, teachers' health and the health of our family is more important than grades right now," Philpott said. "Having to be the bad guy and make the call myself instead of the governor stepping up for us has made this 10 (times) harder." The state was announcing roughly 160 new cases a day when McMaster lifted his work-or-home order on May 4. This week, the state announced about 1,900 new cases each day. McMaster's schools request came the same week an unpublished report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force recommended South Carolina along with 17 other states deemed hot spots close bars and gyms in problem areas and reinstate restrictions on gatherings of more than 10. On Friday, the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina wrote the governor a letter siding with Spearman and urging him to reconsider. Merely returning to what is familiar is not only impossible; it poses an unacceptable risk to health and safety, the collection of bishops wrote. We must instead proceed with care and deliberation, fundamentally informed by education leaders and public health professionals. South Carolinians have been watching McMaster navigate this crisis his greatest challenge since assuming office in January 2017 for months. But this weeks clash over reopening schools drove the issue home for many voters who will decide whether McMaster keeps his job in 2022, political observers say. When your children become involved in the discussion, sometimes peoples hearts change, said GOP consultant Dave Wilson. Wilson noted that McMasters stances now could become fodder for opponents looking to pick apart his record in the 2022 GOP primary campaign and general election. Some of those decisions will play differently among primary voters than they will in a general election race. And in 2022, opponents will have the benefit of hindsight to question the governors calls. It is a very difficult balancing act because you have so many people with so many different opinions on a virus we dont fully understand, Wilson said. Jim Rex, a former Democratic S.C. superintendent of education from 2007-11, said it remains too early to tell how McMaster will be viewed by school parents on the back end of this crisis. Its going to depend on how he handles this over the next 30 to 45 days, Rex said. If he shows he is flexible and willing to accommodate some of the plans that school districts have, he can come out of it pretty unscathed. If he tries to hold a hard line. ... I think there will be some political fallout. Scientists are still searching for a vaccine against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has infected over 14 million people and killed over 600,000 globally. Nigeria has recorded over 36,000 infections and 778 deaths as of July 19. International health agencies have also expressed concerned about the growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here are some of the health stories which made headlines last week Nigeria records 653 new COVID-19 cases Nigeria recorded 653 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said. According to the health agency, six deaths were also recorded that day, bringing the fatality from the virus to 778. The total number of people who have contracted the virus in Nigeria has now risen to 36,107 out of which 14,938 people have recovered and have been discharged. Nigerian teaching hospital raises service charges by 100% Official The Management of Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto has hiked its service charges by more than 100 per cent to maintain efficient service delivery. Buhari Abubakar, the hospitals head of public affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday that the institutions charges still remained the lowest in the country. Mr Abubakar said that the increase was necessitated by the prevailing increase in prices of antigens and other medical consumables. Pandemic putting immunisation gains at risk, UN agencies warn Disruptions in the delivery of immunisation services resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to unravel global gains in reaching more children and young people with a wider range of vaccines, two UN agencies warned on Wednesday. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) are calling for immediate efforts to vaccinate all children as progress was already hampered by a decade of stalling coverage. New survey shows poverty not COVID-19 is biggest worry for Nigerians Nigerians fear worsening poverty than rising coronavirus cases, according to a survey by Crosby Textor Group which also provided insights into the perceptions and behaviour of consumers and the future of retail in Nigeria. The survey which was carried out in early July involving 1,000 respondents showed that the three important issues for Nigerians are poverty (47 per cent), economy (36 per cent), and the Covid-19 (36 per cent) ahead of National security, Terrorism and surprisingly, Jobs. The respondents (87 per cent) voted that the coronavirus has weakened the Nigerian economy and the countrys pandemic outbreak is in the early stage and rapidly accelerating. WHO concerned about growing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo The World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners are concerned about the growing Ebola outbreak in the northwestern province of Equateur, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as they face critical funding gaps amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN health agency said on Thursday. The outbreak was declared on June 1 and there have been 56 cases, 53 of which are confirmed, surpassing the total number recorded during the provinces last Ebola outbreak, two years ago. COVID-19: 8,000 health workers infected in Africa WHO The World Health Organisation (WHO) says no fewer than 8,000 health workers have been infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Africa Region. WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, disclosed this on its official Twitter account @WHOAFRO on Tuesday. This is why Infection Prevention Control (IPC) awareness is vital for all. WHO and partners have trained more than 50,000 health workers to protect themselves and patients. The organisation aims to reach over 200,000 in 2020, it said. COVID-19: Ekiti to arrest facemask defaulters from Monday The Ekiti Government says it will begin to arrest those refusing to wear facemasks in public places from Monday. The Attorney-General and Commisioner for Justice, Wale Fapounda, on Sunday told journalists in Ado Ekiti that there would henceforth be stiffer penalties for those who fail to comply. Advertisements The commissioner said Governor Kayode Fayemi was particularly worried about the deliberate lack of compliance with most COVID-19 regulations in the state. He said the governor had ordered full enforcement of all other COVID-19 regulations in the state. COVID-19: Virus presents malaria symptoms but its not, NCDC warns The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says though Coronavirus (COVID-19) presents symptoms similar to malaria such as fever, both diseases are caused by different organisms and differ in mode of transmission. The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle, while warning Nigerians against taking COVID-19 and malaria as the same infection. The health agency also identified 12 symptoms that could point to the existence of COVID-19 in the human body. According to NCDC, the symptoms includes loss of taste; loss of smell, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, catarrh, fatigue, shivering, body pain, headache and sore throat. "Law" (Kannada film streaming on Prime Video) Cast: Ragini Prajwal, Siri Prahlad, Achyuth Kumar, Avinash, Krishna Hebbale, Rajesh Nataranga Direction: Raghu Samarth Rating: * * (two stars) By Vinayak Chakravorty Decades ago, the Amitabh Bachchan-Rajinikanth courtroom drama "Andhaa Kaanoon" was themed around a basic question about law and justice. Does one necessarily have to be ethical while using the law to obtain justice? The question forms the crux of the Kannada film "Law" too, although the plot is wholly different. Much like "Andhaa Kaanon", this film could have made for an entertaining watch despite its larger-than-life illogic. "Law", however, is crushed under the weight of its overwhelmingly sloppy treatment. The sheer lack of craft about the film remind the fact that amateurish films coming from all across India currently threaten to drive the direct-to-OTT brainwave redundant. For, random recall would show how, in a short while, we have had too many half-baked efforts across languages that would perhaps have struggled to find big screen release. You can think of "Virgin Bhanupriya", "Ghoomketu" or "Chaman Bahaar" in Hindi. The Tamil release "Ponmagal Vandhal" and the Tamil/Telugu bilingual "Penguin" disappointed too, as did the Malayalam film, "Sufiyum Sujatayum". "Law", the first Kannada commercial film to bypass a theatrical opening, doesn't make great advertisement for the digital premiere strategy, either. On paper, the film is positioned as a legal thriller/courtroom drama with a twist. The effort here is also to deliver a message about crime against women, and women's empowerment. Writer-director Raghu Samarth's film, playing out a runtime of a little over two hours, makes you seriously question why it was made in the first place. As a thriller, "Law" is too insipid and laced with cliches to regale. As a commentative piece on womanhood, the film trivialises the very cause it tries championing given the unidimensional characters and execution. The story takes off with young Nandini (Ragini Prajwal), a gangrape victim, walking into a police station late one night to report the crime. The cops are in no mood give her a patient ear. Instead, they snigger at her and pass crass comments. The inspector in charge gives a 'valid' excuse for cracking cheap jokes when the girl asks him to get serious: He has a heart condition, and the doctor wants him to be happy at all times. Things get worse when the girl's father (Avinash) walks in. He just wants her to forget the whole episode, fearing shame if things become public. The intent of the scene is obviously to highlight the apathy rape victims by and large continue facing all over India, even from lawkeepers and their families. The outcome, however, is a bad start to the film, given the bad writing and acting. There is very little originality in the way the rest of the narrative flows. The three young rapists come from powerful family backgrounds. They walk, talk, dress and sneer in a way that you won't have any problem identifying them as bad boys. In fact, as Nandini, a law graduate, decides to fight her own case (bringing back flashes of Jyothika in the recent "Ponmagal Vandhal"), almost all characters -- good and bad -- live up to stereotypes. The second half of the film is almost entirely allotted to courtroom drama, as Nandini takes on the mighty advocate Shyam Prasad (Rajesh Nataranga), who is defending the three accused for -- no prices for guessing -- an obscene amount of money. Quite inexplicably, marring any scope of gripping drama, writer-director Samarth introduces lame shots at humour as the courtroom proceeding begins. Sample this -- the judge walks into the courtroom poring over his mobile, and then looks around and snarls at the room full of people: 'What is this, why is everyone busy with their mobile phones like idiots?" Oh, and if you didn't get the joke, the orderly standing by his side pulls a face and mumbles to himself: "And what was he himself doing?!" The storytelling is that unimaginative. There is an attempt to introduce a big twist in the second half, one that conceptually turns the story on its head. Without giving away spoilers, it raises questions on the notions of law and justice. The outcome, though, is too 'filmi' to leave an impact, owing to the way it is implemented. Loud treatment of music (Vasuki Vaibhav) and camera (Sugnaan) in key moments only make matters worse, and the film does not have even one well-written sequence that might draw sympathy for the rape victim or revulsion for the men who commit such a heinous crime. Weak storytelling affects the acting, too. Ragini Prajwal, despite being at the centre of a heroine-centric film, fails to come up with a performance that may resonate in your mind. Rajesh Nataranga as the defence lawyer Shyam Prasad and Krishna Hebbale as Parthasarathy Brahma, officer in charge of the case who adds to the film's only twist, are the only actors who manage to make sporadic impact amid an otherwise forgettable cast and film. "Law" feels like a B-grader from the nineties, a worn-out effort with almost nothing to recommend for itself. (Vinayak Chakravorty can be reached at vinayak.c@ians.in) -- Syndicated from IANS G rant Shapps has become the first senior politician to break ranks and declare he is taking a summer holiday abroad this year. The Transport Secretary said he and his wife Belinda had decided to take advantage of the relaxation of Foreign Office guidance on non-essential overseas travel. My wife looked at all of these new changes that were made and has now booked a break for the first time for a couple of years, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Senior politicians had previously been queuing up to signal they would be staying in the UK after the coronavirus pandemic threw international travel plans into disarray. Earlier this week Boris Johnson who spent new year in the Caribbean with his fiancee Carrie Symonds confirmed he had opted for a staycation. Grant Shapps confirmed he's jetting off abroad / 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty This country is uniquely blessed with fantastic places to holiday, whether coastal or otherwise, he told reporters on Monday. And I am certainly going to be doing that, but I wont necessarily tell you where at this stage. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have also said they will be staying put. As far back as May, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced he would be remaining in the UK, amid fears that foreign holidays would be off the cards completely this year. The UK's expected air bridge partner nations - in pictures 1 /6 The UK's expected air bridge partner nations - in pictures Spain Click through the gallery to see expected air bridge nations with the UK ... Shutterstock Italy Unsplash Greece Unsplash France Unsplash Germany Unsplash Mr Shapps had previously warned that anyone booking a holiday for August would be taking a chance, but he told the Today programme: Of course, since that time the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been able to change their travel advice. We have established air bridges or international travel corridors to a number of different countries allowing that to happen. These are personal choices but we have issued guidance now for airlines to ensure that people can travel in a Covid-safe manner as well. So there is much more structure in place now as we approach the summer. Various holiday destinations have opened up the UK following lockdown / AP The government advised against all but essential travel since March, but this advice has been lifted for destinations that ''no longer pose an unacceptably high risk'' for British travellers. Earlier this month a series of so-called air bridges opened to more than 50 countries, including popular holiday destinations France, Spain and Italy, meaning travellers are exempt from quarantine upon their return in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The 14-day self-isolation requirement remains in force for nations still hard-hit by the virus including the US, Canada and much of the Americas. Will boosted unemployment benefits continue past July? It's the question on every jobless worker's mind. Without the $600 weekly boost that's currently in play, the typical unemployment recipient will be in line for just $380 a week, and if that comes to be, millions of Americans will inevitably struggle to make ends meet. It's for this reason that some lawmakers have been pushing to extend boosted unemployment benefits beyond July 31, when they're set to expire. But other lawmakers are pushing back, stating that boosted unemployment isn't a good idea for a few reasons: The economy is opening back up. The jobless rate has fallen since April. The $600 weekly boost disincentivizes workers to return to a job. These arguments, however, hold less water now that the COVID-19 outbreak is surging again. As cases climb and more states impose added restrictions, the economy is likely to regress and the jobless rate is likely to climb. And while it's true that workers may, indeed, prefer to stay unemployed as long as they're getting an extra $600 a week, the reality is that many jobless folks don't have a role to return to. When lawmakers reconvene in July to discuss a second COVID-19 relief package, the topic of extending boosted unemployment is apt to come up. But even if that weekly $600 boost is extended, those who are currently collecting it may be in for a financial shock when they realize that extra money could be subject to delays. Lawmakers need to act quickly The CARES Act states that boosted unemployed benefits will expire on or before July 31. And most states will likely be erring on the side of "before." The reason? Unemployment benefits are typically paid on a weekly cycle that ends on a Saturday or Sunday. This means that the $600 weekly boost will generally run out on either July 25 or July 26. Extending the boost beyond that point without changing payment cycles would mean bleeding into August. If lawmakers don't come to an agreement to extend boosted benefits ahead of July 25, even if they do agree to keep that extra $600 in play, it could take weeks to reauthorize that additional aid, leaving unemployed workers with a gap for several weeks' time. As such, those depending on boosted unemployment should prepare now for the possibility that their benefits could drop temporarily. Americans need that added relief Democratic lawmakers have called to extend boosted unemployment through the end of the year. Whether that happens is yet to be determined, but it's clear that if that boost is taken away by August, the consequences will be dire. Not only will millions of Americans risk falling behind on essential expenses like rent, but they'll also have less money to pump into the economy at a time when an uptick in spending is desperately needed to break out of our current recession. If lawmakers do vote to extend boosted unemployment, let's hope they act quickly. Otherwise, many jobless Americans will suffer for no good reason. 2K Shares Share The field of medicine is always changing. In fact, half of what students learn in medical school will either be wrong or outdated five years after they graduate. As future physicians, medical students must learn to adapt to these changes. In fact, the medical school curriculum itself has evolved greatly over the years. In addition to basic science, pharmacology, and clinical medicine, curriculums now include content on biostatistics, epidemiology, and health systems. Doctors should be knowledgeable regarding all of these content areas since it informs their practice and ultimately helps patients. There is one additional topic, however, that is often neglected in medical education: the business of medicine. Some may consider it taboo to discuss finances when speaking about medicine. In reality, physicians are one of the highest-earning professions in the United States. In addition, 75 percent of medical students graduate with a median debt of about $200,000. As a result, physicians have no choice but to think about and make decisions based on finances to some extent. The problem is that most physicians are never taught how to do so during medical school. Some medical schools are beginning to recognize this problem and are taking action. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences began implementing a business of medicine course for fourth-year medical students in 2015. The course covers a wide range of topics, including loan repayment options, retirement planning, insurance, and many others. According to their surveys, by the end of the course, students felt more prepared to handle their finances. Students also felt that the business aspects of medicine should be integrated throughout the medical school curriculum. Although most schools offer some sort of personal finance resources, not many have formal coursework in the area. In the absence of formal coursework, many other schools have interest groups focused on personal finance and the business side of medicine. At my school, our Business in Medicine group has had meetings with financial advisors, a medical malpractice lawyer, and physicians discussing how to manage a private practice. These discussions have helped introduce students to important issues that physicians often encounter, but are not exposed to during their training. Another possible benefit of financial education for medical students may be improved well-being. There is no denying that physician burnout is a prevalent and important issue facing the medical community. Some studies have estimated rates of burnout to be as high as 80.5 percent. Although there are many factors contributing to the high rate of burnout among physicians, financial issues (e.g., compensation, debt) are often cited among the most common. Physicians commonly graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and many lack a solid plan to eliminate it. This financial burden can, and usually does, contribute to the extreme amount of stress among doctors. One way to address this issue is to educate medical students about personal finance, loans, and repayment options while they are still in medical school. Helping students develop a financial plan that includes efficiently paying off their loans after graduating would allow them to focus more on their training and less on the burden of their debt. In addition, mitigating the stress associated with financial uncertainty may be helpful in encouraging some students to go into primary care. Ultimately, patient care is at the center of medicine and is the main reason many physicians chose to go into the field. A good understanding of the business side of medicine and personal finance can help future physicians focus on just that. There are plenty of options when it comes to how we can begin to integrate these topics into medical education. There are clear benefits that come with learning these skills, and many students are eager to do so. We need more medical schools to integrate these subjects into their curriculums, and students who are given the opportunity to gain this knowledge can become more well-rounded physicians as a result. Martinus Megalla is a medical student. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Activist groups were jubilant. Generously funded by left-wing foundations and other donors, they had used every tactic at their disposal to destroy the project. They truly think that by obstructing the creation of natural-gas plants and pipelines, they will force North Carolina and other states to increase dramatically the share of power derived from wind, solar, and other renewable sources of energy. But thats impossible. Even if there are impressive breakthroughs in battery storage, it will remain uneconomical for the foreseeable future to replace coal-fired plants with renewables for baseload generation for the level of power needed to serve basic needs when the sun isnt shining and the wind isnt blowing. The cleanest practical alternative to coal for baseload generation would be nuclear, of course. Alas, many of the same activists who killed the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have waged political and legal war against nuclear power for decades. So, instead, natural gas has largely filled the gap. North Carolina homes and businesses now derive about 30% of our electricity from gas, up from only 7% as recently as 2010. Coal now accounts for 29%, down from 56%. Researchers have been using passive acoustic recordings of whale calls to track their movements. They have found that four of the six baleen whale species found in the western North Atlantic Ocean -- humpback, sei, fin and blue whales -- have changed their distribution patterns in the past decade. The recordings were made over 10 years by devices moored to the seafloor at nearly 300 locations from the Caribbean Sea to western Greenland. "All four whale species were present in waters from the southeast U.S. to Greenland, with humpbacks also present in the Caribbean Sea," said Genevieve Davis, a senior acoustician at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and lead author of the study. "These four species were detected throughout all the regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Humpback, sei, fin, and blue whales also showed significant changes in where they were detected between the two time periods considered in this study: before and after 2010." A large group of federal, state and academic researchers from the United States and Canada conducted the study, published in Global Change Biology. It is the first to show the occurrence of these four species across the western North Atlantic Ocean over long time spans and at a large spatial scale. The study also demonstrates how whale distributions have changed over time, and in particular since 2010. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom-mounted passive acoustic recorders totaled 35,033 days of recording. These passive acoustic recorders were deployed between the tiny island of Saba in the Caribbean Sea to the Davis Strait off western Greenland. Recorders were located on the continental shelf or along the shelf edge, with six recording units in off-shelf waters. All available passive acoustic recordings from more than 100 research projects throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean were combined to create the decade-long dataset. The time series was split between 2004 to 2010 and 2011 to 2014. That split was based on the timing of shifts in climate in the Gulf of Maine and distribution changes by numerous species in the western North Atlantic Ocean. This is also the same time period used in a similar analysis of North Atlantic right whales that was published in 2017, and used for comparison with this study. advertisement Results show that fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes after 2010 but less on the Scotian Shelf area. This matches documented shifts in prey availability in that region. "The Gulf of Maine, an important feeding ground for many baleen whale species, is warming faster than most places in the world, resulting in changes in distribution not only of marine mammals and fish but also for their prey," said Davis, who was also the lead author of the 2017 North Atlantic right whale study. "These changes in distribution for five of the six baleen whale species mirrors known shifts in distribution for other species attributed to climate and the impacts of ocean warming." Researchers have not yet studied if or how minke whale distribution has shifted. Minkes are the sixth baleen whale species found in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Researchers caution that while recorders provided widespread coverage, there were gaps. Also, these data can confirm where and when a species is present, but not how many individuals are present. There are differences in vocal behavior, seasonal changes, and vocalizations thought to be made by males only. The data provide a comprehensive overview of the minimum distribution in space and time of each species and add information to the current understanding of these species. Spending More Time in Northern Latitudes While humpback whales are found in all regions, researchers were a bit surprised at the length of time they are present in all areas. Fin, blue, and sei whales increased the time that they spent in northern latitudes after 2010, perhaps following prey. All but sei whales had a decreased acoustic presence on the Scotian Shelf after 2010. advertisement Sei whales, one of the least-studied baleen whales, were detected with the other whale species from Florida to eastern Greenland. Sei whales are found year-round in Southern New England and the New York Bight. These are also important regions for other baleen whale species, including North Atlantic right whales that target the same prey as sei whales. "This study is the first comprehensive analysis of sei whale distribution throughout the western North Atlantic Ocean, including their movements and important habitat," Davis said. "The southern limit of their range remains unknown, and their migratory movements in the western North Atlantic are still not well understood but we have filled in a number of information gaps." Fin whales were detected nearly year-round from Virginia to eastern Greenland. They are commonly found year-round in the Gulf of Maine and in Canadian waters off Nova Scotia. Acoustic records revealed their year-round presence in Massachusetts Bay and the New York Bight. New England waters provide feeding grounds, but mating and calving grounds are unknown. Their distribution year-round suggests that, like other baleen whales, not all fin whales migrate. Blue Whales Heard Further South Than Expected Blue whales are seen and heard year-round in and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where their population is well-studied. Considered a more northern whale, they have occasionally been sighted in the Gulf of Maine. Acoustic detections revealed blue whales are present as far south as North Carolina. Blue whales tend to use deeper waters, making their seasonal movements difficult to study. Satellite tag studies, however, indicate they move from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to North Carolina, including on and off the continental shelf. They also move into deeper waters around the New England Seamounts -- a chain of underwater extinct volcanoes that extends from Georges Bank southeast for about 700 miles. Researchers found the shelf break and canyons to be important habitat areas for blue whales. "A decade of acoustic observations have shown important changes over the range of baleen whales and identified new habitats that will require further protection from human-induced threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution," said Davis. Kannauj (Uttar Pradesh): Five people were killed and 18 others were injured after a private bus hit another vehicle at Agra-Lucknow Expressway on Sunday morning. Police reached the spot and the injured have been rushed to a hospital. The bus was going from Bihar's Darbhanga to Delhi when the accident occurred around 5 am today. The incident occurred under the Saurikh police station limits. No one immediately claims responsibility for car bomb that went off near the Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey. An explosion rocked a rebel-held area in northern Syria across the border from Turkey late Sunday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens, opposition activists and Turkish state media reported. The car bomb went off near the Bab al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey, the reports said. The area is controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters. The blast killed seven and wounded more than 60, including women and children, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Other opposition activists said the blast killed five and wounded dozens. Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported that at least five civilians were killed and 85 wounded in the blast. The agency said that some of the wounded who were in critical condition were taken for treatment in Turkey. It said no one claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that Kurdish fighters have carried out such attacks in the past. The bombing took place on the same day as parliamentary elections in government-held areas of Syria [Saher El Hacci/Anadolu] Anadolu reported that another blast earlier Sunday wounded 13 people, including children, in the Syrian town of Afrin, which is controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters. Sundays attacks came as parliamentary elections took place in government-held parts of the war-torn country. As in previous elections in Syria, the vote could produce a rubber-stamp body loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey and allied Syrian fighters took control of Afrin in 2018 in a military operation that expelled local United States-backed Kurdish fighters and displaced tens of thousands of Kurdish residents. Ankara considers the Kurdish fighters who were in control of Afrin to be terrorists. Since 2018, there have been a series of attacks on Turkish targets in the area. 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. COVID-19 contact tracing apps will only be effective across borders if states and countries can readily share data, and a collaboration could soon make that happen in the US. iMore reports that Apple, Google, and Microsoft are working with the Association of Public Health Laboratories to launch a national server to store keys and help exposure notifications reach people across states. It would be based around Apple and Googles exposure alert framework, while Microsoft and APHL would host the server. The move could harmonize apps across the country and help people who travel across state lines. It could also help eliminate duplication and save states the cost and time involved with setting up their own servers, the APHL said. The group didnt provide a timeline for when the server would be ready. It may also take tracing app developers time to implement the server. This could be crucial to a recovery from the virus as travel restrictions ease. However, it does raise privacy issues. The Apple/Google approach exists in part to decentralize exposure info and protect any sensitive data. It might be harder to protect data concentrated on one server. APHL said it would securely store the data, but this might prove a tempting target even if the keys dont reveal much. Elizabeth Potthast Castravet and Andrei Castravet headed to Andreis home country of Moldova on a recent episode of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After in order to host their second wedding and baptize their young daughter, Eleanor. But first, Andrei revealedonly after Elizabeth arrived in her husbands home countryhis wife would have to convert to Orthodox Christianity. In a new sneak peek of an upcoming episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After, Elizabeth seemed nervous as she prepared for her baptism and tried to adapt to the rules of Andreis religion. 90 Day Fiance fans had mixed reactions to the preview clip, with some arguing that Elizabeth shouldnt convert to another faith without knowing much about it, and others pushing back against Andreis demand that his wife be baptized. Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet with baby Eleanor | Elizabeth Potthast Castravet via Instagram Elizabeth prepared to convert to Andreis religion in a new sneak peek In a recent 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After preview clip from TLC on Instagram, Elizabeth and Andrei headed to a local church to have Elizabeth baptized before their wedding. Elizabeth looked visibly nervous, and less than thrilled, at the prospect. Im really nervous, she said, adding that she had no idea what to expect from the ceremony. The 90 Day Fiance star told TLC producers, Today we are at a church where I will be baptized, slash converted, to Andreis religion. Its called Orthodox. Christian Orthodox, Andrei corrected her. As Elizabeth was fitted with a headscarf and a traditional white gown for the ceremony, Andrei complimented her on how she looked in the garments. Thank you. Do you guys wear one too? she asked Andrei and his friend. No. Just women, Andreis friend replied, as both of them smirked. Well, thats not fair, Elizabeth quipped in response. Andrei told 90 Day Fiance producers that his wife getting baptized was important to him, especially because he wanted his family to participate in their upcoming traditional wedding in Moldova. Getting Libby baptized into my religion is very important, because without that, we cant get married, Andrei explained. So, this is one step closer to our wedding. Elizabeth, meanwhile, looked dubious and seemed to simply want to get the ceremony over with. I dont really know what its going to be like, the 90 Day Fiance star said quietly, but Im ready to do it so we can move on and finish with our wedding. Andrei asked his wife if she was excited as they walked into the church, but she said only that she was nervous instead. The 90 Day Fiance star said there were so many unknowns when it came to Andreis religion that she felt completely out of her element. There are so many rules that follow a baptism, Elizabeth explained. So, you cannot wear makeup. You have to wear a headscarf. You have to be dressed in all white. And this is all new to me. This is literally another world. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Some Fans Wonder Why Andrei Castravet Didnt Marry a Moldovan Woman RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Are Divided About Whether Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravets Storyline Is Staged RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Andrei Castravet Claps Back at a Fan Who Calls Him a Poor Excuse of a Man Some 90 Day Fiance fans thought Elizabeth shouldnt convert to another faith just for Andrei Under the preview clip, 90 Day Fiance fans flocked to the comments to share their thoughts about Elizabeths baptism. Several Instagram users argued that Elizabeth shouldnt be converting to a different faith without knowing more about itand especially not for marriage alone. How does the baptism count if she doesnt care about the faith? one critic wondered. The point is, you practice the faith because essentially thats how youd like to raise your kids. Itll make things difficult if its not from the heart or she doesnt mean it and is only doing it for him. Another 90 Day Fiance viewer agreed, writing, I never understood people like that. Who convert into a religion just for the happiness of the significant other, its so stupid. Dont care or know anything about it. Another fan had even harsher words, arguing that Elizabeths decision wasnt a moral one. To convert like that is blasphemy, they wrote. Ultimately it all has to come from your heart & soul. Others thought Andrei shouldnt have blindsided his wife with the baptism Other 90 Day Fiance fans argued that Andrei shouldnt have pushed Elizabeth into converting to his religion for himespecially without giving her more time to consider her decision first. Some claimed that it followed Andreis pattern of expecting Elizabeth to go along with his decisions without consulting her about them first. I think Andrei should have done his research before bringing this idea to his wife, an Instagram user commented regarding Andrei and Elizabeths relationship. Its not fair that he blindsided her. Actually it should have been discussed when they first decided to get heavily involved and engaged. Another critic wrote sarcastically, Everything that he finds important, is important. Still others thought Elizabeth shouldnt put in so much time and effort for Andrei when he refused to get a job and often had harsh words for his wife, especially during arguments. Andreis choice of words doesnt match with a churchgoer, one fan remarked. Another added, Shes doing too much for a man, well, boy, that wont even get off his a** for his child. Further policy action from governments as well as increased international cooperation will be required to combat the present economic crisis and ensure a resilient recovery, IMF Managing Director has said. In a statement issued yesterday at the conclusion of the virtual meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, chaired by Saudi Arabia, Kristalina Georgieva said: Due to the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy faces a deep recession this year, with partial and uneven recovery expected in 2021. While there remains great uncertainty on the outlook, the unprecedented actions taken by the G20 countries and others have helped to avert a much worse outcome. As we enter the next phase of the crisis, further policy action will be required, as well as increased international cooperation. The G20 Action Plan is key to this effort. To support countries in fighting the crisis and to prevent long-lasting scarring of the global economy particularly waves of bankruptcies, risks to financial stability, high unemployment, and increasing inequality she emphasized the following: * The public health response remains the main priority to protect people, jobs, and economic activity. Across the world, countries have implemented exceptional measures to support individuals and workers. These lifelines should be maintained as needed and, in some cases, expanded. * Supportive fiscal and monetary policies will need to continue until we can secure a safe and durable exit from the crisis. Premature withdrawal of this support could derail the recovery and incur larger costs. Third, policies need to prepare for and support transformational change, as some sectors may permanently shrink, while others -- such as digital services -- will expand. Adapting to change in an inclusive manner will reuire adequate social protection, and training and job search assistance to workers. * We need to unite to help the poorest and most vulnerable economies, especially those struggling with high debt or dependent on hard-hit sectors. The G20s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) has been commendable and I hope that consideration will be given to extending it. In addition, to make it even more effective, greater private sector participation, and greater debt transparency, should be strongly promoted. Beyond the DSSI, there is a need to fill gaps in the international debt architecture and think about more comprehensive debt relief for many countries. We stand ready to support these efforts, she said. I also emphasised that we can use the crisis as an opportunity to build a better future for all people by: maximising the potential of the digital economy; promoting green investment to combat climate change in a job-rich manner; and investing in human capital to build a more inclusive economy. The IMF has moved with unprecedented speed -- providing emergency financing to 72 countries in four months -- and we will continue to support our member countries relentlessly. We see especially pressing needs to assist low-income countries, and small and fragile states which have been hit very hardwith the support of our membership, we continue to mobilize additional concessional resources to help them. In this context, we are stepping up action to make better use of existingSpecial Drawing Rights (SDRs)," she said. - TradeArabia News Service Home Just In Nepal Foreign Affairs Minister accuses India of not understanding diplomatic initiatives Gulmi, July 19 Nepals Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, has accused India of failing to understand the seriousness of Nepals diplomatic initiatives towards solving the recent border dispute. Speaking in a function organised in Tamghas, the headquarters of his home district Gulmi, on Saturday, the minister reiterated that India did not respond to Nepals diplomatic notes about the issue twice, instead, it expedited road construction in the disputed land. Gyawali, however, said the government would continue its efforts towards reclaiming the ownership of the land taking all parties and stakeholders in confidence. In another context, the confidante of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli claimed recent disputes in the party would not affect the party in the long run. He urged the party leadership to consolidate unity. Sports 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 John Lewis is no more. He would have died a broken man for the nature of the current United States (US) administration led by Donald Trump is, in so many ways, the opposite of all that Lewis stood for. But he would also have died a hopeful man for the protests that have engulfed the US after George Floyds brutal killing by the police have brought back to centre-stage the issues of racial equality, non-discrimination, dignity, legal reforms, and political rights that Lewis fought for. Indeed, it was because men like him fought that todays protests have even become possible. Lewis was a US civil rights hero, who in the 1950s and 60s led and participated in the movement against segregation and for equality. In the US South, he was among the original freedom riders who challenged segregated inter-state travel. In Selma, he marched for equal voting rights and was brutally beaten by state authorities. In Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his historic address at the Lincoln Memorial, Lewis spoke out against racism. And in the US Congress, where he was a member for close to 25 years, he became a voice of conscience. It is men like Lewis who ensured that the US overcame one of its most shameful legacies of institutionalised racial discrimination. And in this, along with King, he was inspired by the Gandhian path of non-violent resistance. This courage of conviction to challenge the most oppressive of structures through peaceful and democratic methods is a lesson to all social justice movements across the world. This persistence he said it was important not to be afraid of making noise and getting into good trouble, necessary trouble is a lesson that speaking up against wrong and retaining an ethical core is integral to progress. For all those who want to fight for a better world, Lewis will be an inspiration. At least seven Indian pharma companies are working to develop a vaccine against coronavirus as they join global efforts to find a preventive to check the spread of the deadly virus that has already infected more than 14 million globally. Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological E are among the domestic pharma firms working on the coronavirus vaccines in India. Vaccines normally require years of testing and additional time to produce at scale, but scientists are hoping to develop a coronavirus vaccine within months because of the pandemic. Bharat Biotech has received approval to conduct phase I and II clinical trial for its vaccine candidate Covaxin, that has been developed and manufactured in the company's facility in Hyderabad. It last week started human clinical trials. Leading vaccine major Serum Institute of India has said that it is hoping to develop a COVID-19 vaccine by the year-end. "At present, we are working on the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine which is undergoing phase III clinical trials. In addition to this, we will also start human trials in India in August 2020. Based on the current situation and most recent updates on the clinical trials, we are hoping that the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine will be available towards the end of this year," Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla told PTI. The company is also developing a live attenuated vaccine with US-based biotech firm Codagenix, which is undergoing pre-clinical trials, he added. "Apart from AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine and Codagenix, we have associated with multiple institutions worldwide as manufacturing partners for vaccine candidates that are being developed. These include Austria's Themis along with two others," Poonawalla said. On the partnership with AstraZeneca, Poonawalla said: "Serum Institute of India has entered a manufacturing partnership with AstraZeneca to produce and supply 1 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford University." These vaccines will be for India and middle and low income countries across the world (GAVI countries), he added. Pharma major Zydus Cadila has said that it is looking to complete clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate ZyCoV-D in seven months. The company had last week started clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate with the first human dosing. Depending on the study outcomes and if the data is encouraging and the vaccine is found to be effective during the trials, it could take a total of seven months for the trials to be completed and for the vaccine to be launched, Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R Patel said in a statement. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech last week started human trials of its vaccine Covaxin at Rohtak's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. The phase I and II clinical trials of the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 by Bharat Biotech have been approved by the Indian drug regulator after pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety and immune response. The company has developed the vaccine in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). Panacea Biotec in June said that it was setting up a joint venture firm in Ireland with US-based Refana Inc to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The company in partnership with Refana aims to manufacture over 500 million doses of COVID-19 candidate vaccine, with over 40 million doses expected to be available for delivery early next year, Panacea Biotec had said. Indian Immunologicals, a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has inked an agreement with Australia's Griffith University to develop a vaccine for coronavirus. Others like Mynvax and Biological E are also working to develop vaccines for COVID-19. Vaccines typically provide the immune system with harmless copies of an antigen: a portion of the surface of a bacterium or virus that the immune system recognises as foreign. A vaccine may also provide a non-active version of a toxin a poison produced by a bacterium so that the body can devise a defence against it. They must follow higher safety standards than other drugs because they are given to millions of healthy people. Vaccine testing is a four-stage process -- pre-clinical testing on animals, phase I clinical testing on a small group of people to determine its safety and to learn more about the immune response it provokes, phase II trials are expanded safety trials, and phase III testing is done by administering it to thousands of people to confirm its efficacy. Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is tracking around 140 candidates vaccines, of which around two dozen are in various phases of human clinical trials. Chinese company Sinovac Biotech is moving into phase III trials in Brazil while University of Oxford/AstraZeneca is in a combine phase II/III trial in the UK and has recently gone into phase III trials in South Africa and Brazil. US-based Moderna expects to start phase III trials of its vaccine candidate this month. Among other leading players, German firm BioNTech is collaborating with pharma major Pfizer to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The companies have received fast track designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for two investigational vaccine candidates being developed to help protect against SARS-CoV-2. Less than 2% out of the 3,500 people who work at jails in Portlaoise and elsewhere around the country caught Covid-19, the Leinster Express has learned. While neither the Irish Prison Service (IPS) nor the Department of Health would confirm the figure it is understood that 50 employees contracted the virus since the pandemic hit Ireland in February. With prisons due to recommence for prison visits on Monday, the IPS was not in a position to provide the figure as it said all details on confirmed cases are provided to the health authorities for publication. However, it was in a position to confirm how many staff had to self-isolate and the up to date incidence among prisoners. Due to the contingency measures introduced by the management and staff of the Irish Prison Service we can confirm that, at present, there have been no confirmed prisoner cases of Covid-19 within Irish Prisons. We can confirm, from 06 April 2020 to date, our Contact Tracing Team has identified 249 suspect cases among prison staff which were required to self-isolate but who subsequently largely tested negative. The decision to confirm and/or release details of a positive test for Covid-19 among prison staff is a matter for the HSE, said the statement. It added that no staff have died after contracting the virus. The Department said confidentially restricts the publication of information. "It is Department of Health policy not to comment on individual cases or groups of cases as to do so would compromise a person or group of peoples right to confidentiality with regard to any interaction they may have with the health service. "In any confirmed case of COVID-19, contact tracing is undertaken as an immediate priority. This takes place, as it always has, on an all-island basis. A public health official will be in touch with any contact of a confirmed case," said the Department. Extensive measures have been taken by prison staff and prisoners with the help of the Red Cross and HSE to prevent any prisoner from getting infected. The IPS National Infection Control Team, in collaboration with the National Quality Improvement (QI) team and Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland, implemented a programme to develop and train in-prison contact tracing teams (CTTs). CTTs were run by prison staff with experience of working with detainees, prison IT systems and CCTV. Protocols for undertaking contact tracing for both detainee and staff cases of COVID-19 were established. Oxford University has published a paper on how the Irish Prison Service preventing outbreaks of Covid-19 in prisons in the Journal of Public health. It found that the partnership approach, that included prisoners, with development of prison-led CTTs can provide an effective mechanism for contact tracing of Covid-19 cases within the prison setting. The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, confirmed recently that taxpayers will have to pay an extra 5 million to fund the cost of Covid-19 at jails in Portlaoise and elsewhere. Meanwhile, visitors must wear facemasks and sit behind perspex screens under a phased recommencement of physical family visits to prisons from Monday, July 20. Following public health advice, and owing to the restriction on movements announced by the Government in an effort to curtail the spread of Covid-19, physical family visits to prison were suspended on March 27 and replaced with a new system of video visits. However, a statement said visits will recommence on a phased basis commencing on Monday, July 20 but movement through the phases will be subject to ongoing risk assessment and will take account of the latest public health advice, the range of Government restrictions in place and other factors including the prevailing transmission rate in the community. In order to safely accommodate visitors and ensure compliance with social distancing requirements, in both our waiting areas and in the visiting areas, it has been necessary to limit the capacity and the frequency of visits at this time. Prior to Covid-19 over 4,500 visitors would have entered our prisons on a weekly basis, it said. Read also: VISITORS CAN BE EJECTED IF THEY BREAK RULES Phase 1 Return of Physical Family Visits will operate as follows: -Physical visits will recommence from July 20. - All prisoners will be entitled to receive one physical family visit per fortnight, of not more than 15 minutes duration. - Prisoners may opt for two video visits if preferred. - Physical visits during this phase will be limited to one adult person (over 18 years of age). - Prisoners will also be able to avail of one video visit of not more than 15 minutes duration per fortnight. - In order to prevent the potential spread of infection all visits will be behind Perspex screens and visitors will be required to wear a face-covering at all times. - No physical contact between prisoners and family members will be permitted. Read also: HUGE RISK OF PRISON OVERDOSE WHEN VISITS RESUME Visits will be extended under phase 2 which wil commence on Monday, August 17. After European Union leaders entered the third day of negotiations on their coronavirus stimulus deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly said that it was possible that they might not reach a final deal even on July 19. All 27 member states are trying to hammer out a post-pandemic economic recovery grant that would pull their ailing economies out of recession. However, Merkel remarked that though there was a lot of goodwill, there were still many positions. Adding that she would make every effort possible, the German chancellor said that there were high possibilities of reaching no deal even today. Read: 'Tough Discussions' And Extra Day For EU Summit Read: EU Leaders Leave After Extending Summit Fugitive Northern states The recovery package deal has created a tiff between the richer northern states and southern states with the north, led by the Netherlands, demanding more cuts to the package. According to international media reports, even after two days of negotiation, the frugal group of richer northern nations have shown no willingness to back down from demand for cuts to package. Previously, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had accused the Netherlands and its allies Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Finland of "blackmail". However, Hungarian Prime minister Viktor Orban has asserted that a deal was a must. He said that there were four broad divisive themes in the talks but the gathering was determined to seal a deal on July 19. Germany and France, both powerbrokers of EU, are reportedly seeking a deal on 1.8 trillion euro package. On the other hand, Sweden has proposed to cut grants to 155 billion euros. On July 18, both Merkel and the French President Emmanuel Macron had left the meeting earlier, refusing to accept that the level of grants to be lowered to less than 400 billion euros. Read: Leaders Extend European Union Summit By One Day Read: EU Leaders Depart After First Day Of Summit (Image credit: AP) According to Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh (photo), former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, by reaching out to all Vietnamese citizens stranded abroad and ensuring their safe return home during this difficult phase, while successfully preventing any further spread of the pandemic within the country, Vietnam has achieved something that many super powers have failed to do. JOURNALIST: - Sir, when the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread globally, the Government implemented a policy to protect Vietnamese citizens in affected countries. How do you evaluate the significance of this policy? Mr. NGUYEN PHU BINH: - It can be said that this is the first time in history that Vietnamese diplomacy has played a vital role in protecting Vietnamese citizens on such a large scale. Large in both scope and number, and not just in one country but across several countries at the same time, not in the hundreds but in the thousands. When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, many countries closed their borders and grounded their airplanes. So in order to bring citizens home, the Vietnamese diplomatic agencies actively negotiated with host countries in connecting with various airlines across a wide range of routes to support the return of Vietnamese citizens. When the pandemic first appeared, we thought that so many well-off countries having good economic and social security systems in place would be able to cope with the situation effectively, and that Vietnamese citizens in those countries may be more favorably protected than in Vietnam, because of our low income economy, inadequate health infrastructure and huge population density. The worst case scenario we forecast was that the disease would spread rampantly within the country and make it unaffordable for us to tackle it. However, not long after, the situation changed to another scenario, and we now have total control of the pandemic within our countrys territory, whereas in many countries thousands of their citizens are reeling under an extremely high rate of infection and loss of lives. Vietnamese citizens living and studying in these countries are facing many difficulties and are at great risk. In such times, the Vietnamese Government advocated that it would not only care for the safety and protection of its domestic citizens, but also protect all Vietnamese citizens living abroad in countries badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. - Is this the soft power of Vietnam in the international arena? - In recent years, the dynamic development of the economy, political stability and expanded international relations have helped Vietnam's position to be much more enhanced in the international arena. In particular, when the Covid-19 pandemic occurred, Vietnam successfully prevented its spread due to taking the right measures. At first, many countries had questions and doubts, but we succeeded in preventing the outbreak by resolute will power, determination and by choosing the most effective measures within our capacity. This is something to be proud of. Compared to many countries, Vietnam is a low mid-income country, and if we let the outbreak spread, we will certainly not be able to control the disease like many countries who have the resources. For example, in terms of medical equipment, many countries are very rich and have more than enough resources to equip themselves, but they lacked preparation and will, so when this outbreak occurred they were passive in their ability to cope. From an economic perspective, effective prevention of Covid-19 is the basis to bringing our lives back to normal, to gradually restoring production, and reviving the economy. Vietnam's economy is almost the only one in the region that is maintaining a positive growth, albeit at a lower level, but still more than in many countries. Besides, we are still continuing to raise our guard against any resurgence of the pandemic. This is the premise for us to attract investment from foreign investors so when they see Vietnam as a safe destination and a reliable partner, their confidence will grow. In terms of diplomacy, Vietnam is ready to share experiences, masks, medical supplies with the whole world in order to prevent the spread of this dangerous Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, as Chairman of ASEAN, Vietnam is proving to be a responsible country within the region and the world in sharing and resolving common international issues, including the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic. This can be considered as the soft power of Vietnam. - Sir, recently, the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it will not allow international students to stay in the US if their schools switch to online learning. Vietnam has tens of thousands of international students studying in the US who may have to return home. Will this put pressure on infrastructure or costs when receiving a wave of returning international students? - This is the decision of the US Government, so we must accept and not interfere. However, in the diplomatic arena, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will do everything to protect its citizens in the US. In case international students are forced to return home, it will put much more pressure on us, though it can be handled. We are actively contacting and working with the US side so that we can propose a suitable roadmap out of this scenario, and how to bring back international students in an orderly and safe manner. In terms of quarantine infrastructure, currently we can accommodate almost 10,000 people flying in from abroad, simultaneously and immediately. However, in my opinion, the US will not implement this decision because forcing so many foreign students to return back to their countries will be difficult for all involved. Firstly, the US is still arguing and deliberating whether to reopen their schools this fall or not, and have not reached any final decision yet. Secondly, most US universities still maintain strong policies to protect all their students. - Thank you very much. Luu Thuy (Interviewer) Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia has called on all Muslims in the kingdom to sight the crescent of Dhu Al-Hijjah in the evening of July 20, the 29th day of the month of Dhu Al Qadah, 1441 AH. The administration urged in a statement that anyone who could see the new moon via the naked eye or binoculars must inform the nearest court and register a testimony. Last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu Al-Hijjah essentially marks the beginning of the Hajj pilgrimage. "The Supreme Court hopes anyone seeing the moon by the naked eye or the telescope to notify the nearest court and register a testimony or contact the nearest center to help him reach the nearest court," the statement read. "The court hopes that whoever has the sighting ability to take interest in the matter and join the committees formed for this purpose in the Saudi regions, it added. The month of Dhu Al Hijjah is expected to begin on July 21 or July 22 as per the astronomical calculations, during which, the Hajj will be observed in full capacity at Mount Arafat near Mecca on July 30. However, due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year, Saudi Arabia has announced to hold limited pilgrimage, according to state reports. While 70 percent of this years pilgrims will be expatriate residents, the Kingdom announced in a statement that up to 10,000 pilgrims with at least 30 percent Saudis will be permitted for Hajj this year. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will shortlist the names of those approved to perform the pilgrims with adherence to the health safety measures issued by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia. Last year, over 2.5 million pilgrims from across the world visited the cities of Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage, as per the reports. However, in view of the global health emergency, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj decided to start the pilgrimage on July 28 with curtailed gathering. Read: Newcastle's 300m Takeover In Jeopardy As Saudi Arabia Bans BeIN Sports Over Qatar Row Read: Saudi Arabia Makes Masks Compulsory As It Announces Health Measures For Hajj Health protocols Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a virtual news conference that the number of pilgrims won't be in tens or hundreds of thousands. Further, Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said no individual over the age of 65 or with chronic illnesses will be permitted to perform the Hajj. On arrival to the holy city of Mecca, pilgrims will be tested for COVID-19 and are required to quarantine afterward. Authorities banned the touching or kissing the Kaaba and made face masks mandatory. According to a statement by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the social distancing of 1 and a half meters is required during the Kaaba circling ritual as well as prayers. Access to holy sites at Mina, Muzdalifah, and Mount Arafat was only given to those with hajj permits from July 19 till August 2. This would be the first time that Saudi Arabia has barred foreigners to a limited capacity since the founding of the Kingdom in 1932. Read: Newcastle's 300m Takeover In Jeopardy As Saudi Arabia Bans BeIN Sports Over Qatar Row Read: Yemens Rebels: Saudi-coalition Airstrike Kills 10 Civilians (Image Credit: AP) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 13:58:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ABUJA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's police rescued 14 women a few hours after they were kidnapped by gunmen in the northern state of Katsina on Saturday, according to a spokesman. One suspect, identified as Amadu Yusuf, a leader of the gunmen, was arrested by the police, said police spokesman Gambo Isah. The gunmen, believed to be bandits, attacked Kwantawama village of the Dutsinma local government area of the state on motorcycles, Isah told reporters, adding that the police fought a gunfight with them to rescue the kidnapees. The gunmen rustled a large number of cattle and 90 of them were later recovered by the police, he said. Multiple military operations are ongoing in Nigeria's northwestern region, which has been wracked by years of violence, to rout out the gunmen there. Banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities have recently become rampant in the country's northwest region. Enditem The number of coronavirus cases in the world has crossed the 14 million-mark and more than six lakh people have died. The entire world is racing to find a vaccine to check the spread of the coronavirus disease. Many countries like the US, Russia, China and the UK, along with India, are trying to find a vaccine for Covid-19. More than 130 vaccines are under various stages of testing across the world. Here is a look at the efforts being made by different countries in a bid to find Covid-19 vaccine: Russia The researchers in Russia have claimed that they will launch the first Covid-19 vaccine in August. The Moscow State Medical University has claimed that it has successfully completed clinical trials for the vaccine. The trials started on June 18; the first batch of the volunteers were discharged on July 15 while the second one will be released by July 20. Also read: Russia is trying to beat the west to a Covid-19 vaccine China The human trials being conducted by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech have reached the third stage. This is the first vaccine to reach the third stage of human trials. The first dose was given to 15,000 registered volunteers in Abu Dhabi. They were administered the vaccine twice within 28 days and the researchers saw development of anti-bodies in them. There are four vaccines being developed in China for Covid-19. The UK The vaccine being developed by Oxford University and Imperial College are in second and third stage of human trials. In the second stage, 105 people are expected to be administered the vaccine. The stage 3 trial is expected to begin in November and will cover 6,000 people. India Covaxin and ZyCov-D, the two medicines being developed in India, are in the first and second stage of trials. While Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech, a pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, Zydus has come up with ZyCov-D. There have been no side effects on the volunteers who have been administered the vaccine. At least 100 million doses will be prepared after the successful completion of these trials, which are expected to be over by March. Also read| First phase trial of Covaxin, Indias Covid-19 vaccine, starts on 375 people: Report United States Biotechn company Moderna is preparing to conduct final stage of human trial by July 27. It will conduct these trials at 87 places, all in the US. The US government will fund the development of this vaccine. Germany, Australia While German companies have reached the second stage of vaccine development for Covid-19, Suatralian companies are still on the first stage. Actor Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan are responding well to the treatment to Covid-19, hospital sources said on Saturday. Amitabh, 77, and Abhishek, 44, are in the isolation ward of Nanavati hospital since July 11 after they were diagnosed with COVID-19, while Aishwarya, 46 and eight-year-old Aaradhya were shifted to the facility on Friday night, almost a week after they tested positive for the virus. The mother-daughter duo were self-quarantining at home till Thursday. They all (referring to Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aaradhya) are ok. They are responding well to the treatment. They are in the isolation ward. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan will be in the hospital maybe for a day or two, a hospital source told PTI. Aishwarya had cough. She is ok now. Aishwarya and Aaradhya will have to be in the hospital for a couple of days, the insider added. Since his diagnosis, Amitabh has been regularly updating his admires about his health on social media. In happy times, in times of illness, you our near and dear, our well wishers, our fans have ever given us unstinting love , affection care and prayer .. we express our bountiful gracious gratitude to you all .. in these circumstances hospital protocol, restrictive, the screen icon tweeted on Friday evening. According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),coronavirus cases on in Mumbai rose to 98,979 with 1,228 new patients being reported on Friday. Death toll due to the pandemic rose to 5,582 with 62 new fatalities being recorded. An 87-year-old Quincy woman died in a four-car crash Sunday in Pembroke. Massachusetts State Police troopers were called for a report of a four-car crash on Route 3 northbound in Pembroke around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Troopers discovered the passenger of a 2017 Volkswagen SUV, an 87-year-old female from Quincy, had suffered serious injuries in the crash. Troopers performed CPR on the woman before she was taken to an area hospital where she died. The driver of the SUV was injured, but is expected to live, state police said. Four people injured in the crash were taken to area hospitals. None of them have life-threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation. Route 3 northbound was closed for two hours. State police said a MassDOT crew had been repairing a pothole on the highway, north of the crash location, but the road work is unrelated to the crash. The flagbearer and leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has cited the government for bungling up the national response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Mr. Mahama says increasing cases of community spread of the virus is attributable to the governments response, which put other considerations ahead of science. The former president was speaking at a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in Accra on Wednesday. The meeting was to enable Mr. Mahama discuss the concerns of nurses and midwives. Whilst highlighting the contribution of the NDC towards helping stop the spread of the virus in the various constituencies, Mr. Mahama said the partys COVID19 Technical Team submitted three reports to the government to help fight the pandemic. He noted the absence of a cohesive national response plan to fight the Coronavirus, adding that this is adversely impacting health workers. Mr. Mahama said despite making significant contributions to the health sector, the next government of the NDC will continue to make the health sector a major plank of its development agenda by providing more health facilities across the country and providing health workers with sustainable jobs. Source: johnmahama.org 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 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Kuwait says says its 91-year-old ruler has undergone a successful surgery, without elaborating on what ails him. Thats according to a report on the state-run KUNA news agency on Sunday. Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabahs sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwaits ruling family. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below. Kuwaits 91-year-old ruler underwent a surgery that required the oil-rich nations crown prince to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place, according to a ministerial decree seen Sunday. Kuwait has yet to elaborate what required Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment on Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabahs sudden surgery could inspire a renewed power struggle within Kuwaits ruling family. The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh Sabahs hospitalization Saturday as medical checks, citing a statement from the countrys royal court. Several hours later, KUNA published a second report saying that 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah had assumed some of Sheikh Sabahs powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary. However, a copy of the ministerial decree posted by Kuwaits official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm, and seen by The Associated Press on Sunday said the crown prince would be empowered for the duration of a surgical procedure until the health event is over. The decree did not elaborate. Kuwaits Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sheikh Sabah, a widely beloved ruler in this OPEC-member nation, took power in 2006 just nine days into the rule of the ailing Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah. Concerns mounted during Sheikh Saads brief reign as he was seen in public only in a wheelchair and did not speak. However, Sheikh Sabahs ascension upset an informal power-sharing arrangement between branches of Kuwaits ruling family. While Kuwait has since remained politically stable with the most-empowered parliament of any Gulf Arab nation, there have been internal power struggles behind the scenes of his rule. Kuwait, a nation home to 4.1 million people thats slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, has the worlds sixth-largest known oil reserves. It has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War expelled the occupying Iraqi forces of Saddam Hussein. Today, Kuwait hosts some 13,500 American troops, many at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, which is also home to the forward command of U.S. Army Central. At 20, Harley drowned in a boating accident on Oregons Crescent Lake. Ms. Olsen was never able to look at his body. It took the authorities more than a year to recover it, and then he was cremated. As an embalmer, Ms. Olsen decided to specialize in difficult cases gunshot victims, bodies charred in fires, corpses with battered and broken faces to give families one last chance to see, maybe even to recognize, their loved ones. Harley also inadvertently introduced Ms. Olsen to white nationalism. On what would have been his 27th birthday, in 2008, she found herself wanting to know more about her brother and the things that had mattered to him. He had been an anarchist who listened to punk music, wore black combat boots and hung out with skinheads in studded leather jackets. So Ms. Olsen went online and typed in, What are skinheads? She told me that she had no idea at the time that some skinheads were neo-Nazis. Thats hard to believe, but similar explanations came up often in our conversations about her time in the hate movement. When she said that she hadnt known any better, I didnt get the impression that she hoped I would feel sorry for her. (I didnt.) Rather, she seemed to be saying that she knew shed been an idiot. She should have known better and could have, if shed cared to think more critically. Ms. Olsen had never thought too hard about being white. Like many white Americans, she never had to. She grew up in a largely white school district in Eugene, Ore., and she did not interact meaningfully with people of other races until her late 20s, when she moved to Portland for her embalming career. She had paid such little mind to race as a concept that there was a flatness to her understanding of it, a one-dimensionality susceptible to simplified reasoning. When her search for information about skinheads led straight to Stormfront, the racist bowels of the internet, Ms. Olsen wasnt fazed. Some Stormfront users said vile and violent things, but others talked about white pride and heritage. Photo: Pexels The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is looking for "everyday great humans" in the central interior. Right now the Cariboo Chilcotin branch is reaching out to the community as they are in desperate need of crisis line responders volunteers who answer the call when someone is in crisis. Tina Campbell, a counsellor with the CMHA and assistant supervisor to the crisis line, says the people they're looking for don't need any certification, they just need to be 19 years old or older, pass a criminal record check and have time to listen. "Basically were just looking for compassionate people who are non-judgemental," she tells Castanet. If volunteers meet those requirements, the CMHA will train them. The Cariboo Chilcotin branch is one of five that work together to run the Interior Crisis Line, along with Vernon, Kelowna, Trail and Cranbrook. Campbell says volunteers from her branch can be based anywhere from McLeese Lake to North Kamloops. She notes all branches are seeking volunteers, but the Cariboo Chilcotin branch, which is based in Williams Lake is in particular need after the wildfires. COIVD-19 did not help the situation. "Originally we lost people because of fires," she explains. "Then we rebuilt the team and then COVID hit." She says they went from a significant team down to just a handful of volunteers. Many of their volunteers are health professionals or parents, who've seen the virus impact their daily routines and left them with less time to volunteers. On top of that, the branch wasn't able to run their spring training session, which meant no newcomers. There have been some changes recently that now allow the branch to reach out to a broader area for volunteers. "We have the ability to train people online," Campbell explains. "And weve expanded the ability to have people in remote locations or other centres." If you're interested in volunteering with the crisis you can contact Campbell at [email protected]. If you need to reach out to the crisis line yourself, the number is 1-888-353-2273. Get a recap of the day's latest local news headlines delivered for free, directly to your inbox every afternoon! Sign up here. San Francisco, July 19 : A former employee of Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Cloud computing business of e-commerce giant Amazon, have now received the necessary clearance to work with his new employer, Google Cloud. The new job that Brian Hall, who served as Vice President of Product Marketing at AWS, came under a cloud after Amazon sued him in May, alleging that his new appointment violates the terms of his non-compete agreement with Amazon Web Services. According to GeekWire, Amazon has reached a confidential legal settlement with Hall. Indicating that he has been cleared to work as Vice President of Product and Industry Marketing at Google Cloud, Hall has changed his title on his LinkedIn profile. Earlier, he described his Google job as "waiting to work as a VP, at Google" and also as "VP in Purgatory". In a tweet that contained the link of his LinkedIn profile, Hall tanked all the people who had supported him "in the last few months". "I won't say much more...," he added, while providing the LinkedIn link. He took up a new job at Google Cloud in early April after leaving the AWS position in March. In the lawsuit that Amazon filed in May, the company alleged that Hall was entrusted with an unusual broad view into Amazon's Cloud product plans, its priorities and its competitive strategy. Hall's knowledge about Amazon plans would be "invaluable" to Google if he is allowed to take that parallel position at Google, Amazon alleged in the lawsuit. Hall "helped develop and knows the entire confidential Amazon cloud product roadmap for 2020-21," Amazon said in its lawsuit, filed on May 18. According to a report in GeekWire, lawyers for Hall filed a response to the lawsuit in June in King County Superior Court in Seattle. The response said that Amazon executives repeatedly led Hall to believe the company would not enforce the non-competition provision of its "boilerplate" confidentiality agreement, in discussions before and after he signed the contract in June 2018. New Delhi: A complaint was recently filed against two Instagram account holders at Mumbai's Santacruz police station for sending obscene messages, rape-murder threats to actress Rhea Chakraborty. Rhea had opened up about receiving threat messages on Instagram earlier this week. The actress shared a screenshot of a message she received where a user threatened to get her raped and murdered. She was also told to "commit suicide" or else she would be "killed". Along with sharing the troll's message to her, Rhea revealed she has been called a "gold-digger, a murderer" earlier and has also been "slut-shamed". She had sought help from Mumbai Police Cyber Crime to take immediate action against the abuser. "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? 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," read her Instagram post. See Rhea's post here: Rhea was late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend. There has been a massive social media outrage after his sudden death. He died by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai. A section of the internet has blamed a few people in the industry for Sushant's death as he was said to be under stress and depression. Rhea, too, has been subjected to a lot of trolling and abuse on social media. Rhea was also interrogated by the Mumbai Police as part of the investigation after Sushant's death. Meanwhile, she has written to Home Minister Amit Shah requesting a CBI probe into Sushant's death. Intercultural Ministries has made #RacialJustice resources available online at www.brethren.org/intercultural/racial-justice-resources-2020-7.pdf . Join us as we journey together through July and August as we share racial justice educational resources online. Please visit the Church of the Brethren Intercultural Ministries Facebook page for updated posts and share with others, said LaDonna Nkosi, the director of Intercultural Ministries. Stay tuned for more updates and a series of upcoming webinars and #ConversationsTogether for further online discussions and resources for this new initiative called Journey Through July and August. To receive information by email go to www.brethren.org/intouch and subscribe to Intercultural Ministries updates. Andie Garcia has resigned as system specialist for Information Technology for the Church of the Brethren, working at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill. He began in the job on July 15, 2019, and will conclude on July 21, 2020. He has accepted a position as desktop support analyst at Kane County (Ill.) Government. Susu Lassa will end her year with Brethren Volunteer Service as an associate with the Church of the Brethrens Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C., on July 17. She focused on issue areas such as immigration, worked with the Advocacy Network for Africa, and coordinated the Nigeria Working Group. She intends to attend Bethany Theological Seminary in the fall to pursue a masters degree in theology with a focus on peacebuilding. The Church of the Brethren Workcamp Ministry is announcing assistant coordinators for the 2021 season: Alton Hipps and Chad Whitzel. They will start their service on Aug. 10. Hipps, who originally is from Bridgewater (Va.) Church of the Brethren, graduated from William and Mary College in 2020 with a degree in geology and environmental science. Whitzel is from Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren and is a 2019 graduate of Bridgewater (Va.) College with a degree in accounting/finance. Brethren Disaster Ministries has announced that Evan Ulrich will serve at the new tornado rebuilding site in Dayton, Ohio, through Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) beginning July 24. Ulrich is from Homer, N.Y., and is a recent graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pa., where he earned a degree in physics and mathematics. He has attended and has served as a camp counselor at Camp Blue Diamond, a Church of the Brethren outdoor ministry center near Petersburg, Pa. Brethren Disaster Ministries has been directing grants from the Church of the Brethrens Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to COVID-19 relief work in several countries around the world. The staff recently shared a Facebook post by Ann Clemmer expressing gratitude for one of those grants to a hospital in Goma, a city of about 1.2 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One of the few designated hospitals for COVID-19 isolation and treatment is Heal Africa, which is already overwhelmed and overtaxed, she wrote. Thanks to an unexpected and generous donation from one of our partners, Church of the Brethren, Heal Africa received a much-needed allotment of protective equipment for staff and patients (gloves, masks, gowns, etc.) God continues to provide all our needs even before we ask. A food distribution in Gisenyi, Rwanda, with Etienne Nsanzimana Etienne Nsanzimana has sent photos of a recent food distribution in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Nsanzimana is a leader in the Church of the Brethren in Rwanda, which has received funding for COVID-19 related relief efforts through the Emergency Disaster Fund and Brethren Disaster Ministries. With the photos, he reported, Currently the lockdown is partial here in Rwanda, people can move beyond their districts but with social distancing and wearing face masks all the time. The churches are still closed, markets are working at 50 percent, borders with neighboring countries making many of our people in Gisenyi to be very affected because many live by cross -border businesses. They are planning to open up the airports on August 1, 2020. Thank you so much for your help. Thank you Living Peace Church-Plymouth! said a Facebook post by Brethren Disaster Ministries thanking Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Plymouth, Mich., for its support to Childrens Disaster Services (CDS). The church stepped up to create Individual Kits of Comfort for CDS to distribute to children affected by disasters during the pandemic, when CDS volunteers are unable to serve children and families in person at disaster sites. Associate director Lisa Crouch recently picked up 120 kits from the church for use during this coming disaster season. Thank you Living Peace Church-Plymouth! said a Facebook post by Brethren Disaster Ministries thanking Living Peace Church of the Brethren in Plymouth, Mich., for its support to Childrens Disaster Services (CDS). The church stepped up to create Individual Kits of Comfort for CDS to distribute to children affected by disasters during the pandemic, when CDS volunteers are unable to serve children and families in person at disaster sites. Associate director Lisa Crouch recently picked up 120 kits from the church for use during this coming disaster season. The Discipleship Ministries of the Church of the Brethren was a co-sponsor of Inhabit 2020 at Home, an online conference of the Parish Collective. Given the revelation of this moment with COVID-19 and systemic racial injusticeis it too late to reorganize the church in the neighborhood for a more equitable future? said a description of the event, which took place July 16-17. Speakers included Willie Jennings, Shane Claiborne, Majora Carter, Lisa Sharon Harper, John McKnight, and Jonathan Brooks. Ticket purchasers will have access to all live content for four weeks after the conference. Go to www.eventbrite.com/e/inhabit-2020-at-home-tickets-109059114748 . Messenger magazine has posted a racial justice page at www.brethren.org/messenger/articles/racial-justice.html . This page offers a collection of the magazines articles addressing race in recent years, plus some excerpts and images from key pieces. On Earth Peace is offering a four-part webinar series on Raising Race-Conscious Kids with topics including how parents and teachers can address race, the myth of color-blindness, the role of racial scripts, and the future of racial justice. The webinars will take place on Thursdays from July 23 through Aug. 13, at 8-9 p.m. (Eastern Time). Go to www.onearthpeace.org/webinar_series_raising_race_conscious_kids . A staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 at Pinecrest Community, a Church of the Brethren retirement community in Mount Morris, Ill. No residents with symptoms have been reported as of Monday, July 13, reported the Ogle County News. Pinecrest CEO Ferol Labash reported the case in a letter to residents and resident representatives, the newspaper said, reporting that last week, Pinecrest performed COVID-19 testing of residents and staff to establish a baseline as recommended by CMS. It received the results of 202 tests and is still waiting for the results on 60 tests. Read the article, which includes details about Pinecrests extensive COVID-19 protocols, at www.oglecountynews.com/2020/07/15/pinecrest-staff-member-tests-positive-for-covid-19/atp55ot . The online cooking class Elaboracion de Pasta Artesanal sponsored by La Fundacion Brethren y Unida (FBU) in Ecuador as a special fundraiser has had to be postponed. The chef who was to give the class has tested positive for COVID-19. FBU has announced a new date and time for the online course: Aug. 7 and 8, from 7-9 p.m. (central time). The event will be held in Spanish. Go to www.facebook.com/events/1190173101333110/ . Missouri and Arkansas District will hold its 29th district conference through Internet and telephone connections using Zoom on Sept. 11-12. The district leadership has decided that it is in the best interest of the people of our district, said an announcement. We have worked very hard to provide a conference that will be safe for everyone and accomplish the work of the district as well as providing opportunities for worship and fellowship. The schedule will be much the same with a Friday afternoon workshop open to everyone, an insight session, Bible study, worship, special music, and a Sunday message from Annual Conference moderator-elect David Sollenberger. The workshop led by Sollenberger will center around the compelling vision proposal to come before the 2021 Annual Conference, with opportunities for questions and small group discussion (ministers will receive .3 CEUs for participating). The insight session will be led by staff of the Church of the Brethren (ministers will receive .1 CEUs for participating). The Bible study will be led by staff of Bethany Theological Seminary (minister will receive .1 CEUs for participating). Following Bible Study, there will be a worship service with district moderator Paul Landes speaking. The event also will include business sessions, a time of remembrance for district members who have passed away since the last district conference, and a virtual talent show and ice cream social. Domestic Violence: An Online Opportunity for Increased Awareness, Education, and Support is offered Aug. 1 by the Virlina District Commission on Nurture Family Life Ministries Committee. The virtual event includes worship led by Patrick and Susan Starkey of Cloverdale Church of the Brethren; a workshop led by Stephanie Bryson of the Womens Resource Center of the New River Valley on the topic Barriers in Domestic Violence Situations and the Dangers of Staying and Leaving; and a workshop with Stacey Sheppard of Total Action for Progress, Domestic Violence Services, on the topic Dynamics of Domestic Violence and Special Considerations with Underserved Populations. Videos will be available on the Virlina District website at www.virlina.org starting Aug. 1. Bridgewater (Va.) College has announced a test-optional admission policy for three years, starting with undergraduate applicants for the 2021-22 academic year. A release said the colleges personalized and holistic approach to student success is now being applied to the colleges admission process. Bridgewaters admissions team recognizes that standardized test scores are not the main determining factor of student success. In addition, the college understands some students may have difficulty scheduling a test date due to complications related to the COVID 19 pandemic. The release said undergraduate students applying to Bridgewater for the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years may choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores, alongside application information such as grades, overall classroom performance, and extracurricular activities. Our admissions staff members have always examined every component of a students application, but the record of course selection, grades, GPA and the strength of the curriculum has consistently provided the most accurate predictor of a students chance for future success at BC, said vice president for Enrollment Management Michael Post. At the end of the three years, the college will determine whether to reinstate a testing requirement or extend the test optional policy. A bonus summer episode of the Dunker Punks Podcast continues Josiah Ludwicks series on Intercultural Ministries. He takes us on an international visit to learn about the Church of the Brethren in Rwanda, said an announcement. Be inspired as you hear from church leaders across the pond and reflect on your own sharing of the gospel along with host, Emmett Witkovsky Eldred. Listen now by going to bit.ly/DPP_Bonus12 or subscribe at bit.ly/DPP_iTunes . The World Council of Churches is advocating with Turkey to keep Hagia Sophia as the shared heritage of humanity, said a WCC release. In a letter to H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, WCC interim general secretary Ioan Sauca is expressing his fervent hope and prayer that Hagia Sophia will not become once again a focus of confrontation and conflict, but will be restored to the emblematic unifying role that it has served since 1934. Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO World Heritage site that, until President Erdogans recent decision to turn it back into a mosque, had been a museum since 1934 by decree of the Turkish republics founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Originally built in the sixth century as a Christian cathedral when Constantinople (now Istanbul) was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after 1453, when the Ottomans laid siege to and took Constantinople. Since it began functioning as a museum in 1934, the WCC letter said, in part, Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations and religions, and a powerful expression of the Republic of Turkeys commitment to secularism and inclusion and of its desire to leave behind the conflicts of the past. Today, however, I am obliged to convey to you the grief and dismay of the World Council of Churches. By deciding to convert the Hagia Sophia back to a mosque you have reversed that positive sign of Turkeys openness and changed it to a sign of exclusion and division. Regrettably, this decision has also been taken without prior notice or discussion with UNESCO regarding the impact of this decision on Hagia Sophias universal value recognized under the World Heritage Convention. The WCC together with its member churches has spoken out in defence and support of other religious communities, including Muslim communities, for their rights and integrity to be respected. The decision to convert such an emblematic place as Hagia Sophia from a museum back to a mosque will inevitably create uncertainties, suspicions and mistrust, undermining all our efforts to bring people of different faiths together at the table of dialogue and cooperation. Moreover, we greatly fear that it will encourage the ambitions of other groups elsewhere that seek to overturn the existing status quo and to promote renewed divisions between religious communities. Find the WCC letter at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-urges-in-open-letter-to-president-erdogan-to-keep-hagia-sophia-as-the-shared-heritage-of-humanity/ . 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. BOISE Gov. Brad Little had three words for Idahoans last week as he announced the state had again failed to exit Stage 4 of its reopening plan amid surging coronavirus cases: Wear your mask. However, Little has left decision-making on mask mandates to local entities, deferring to the states seven health districts or individual cities to enforce regulations on coronavirus, which has infected more than 11,000 Idahoans with confirmed cases to date. Several cities, including McCall, Ketchum, Boise and Moscow, have enacted such orders. On Tuesday, Boise-based Central District Health became the only health district so far to implement a mask mandate, when all but one health board member voted in favor of enacting an immediate mask order for Ada County. The districts health boards, made up of a county commissioner from each county in the district, as well as an advising physician, are in charge of voting on any mandates and some of those commissioners in recent weeks have expressed confusion or skepticism about best scientific practices related to coronavirus, while some have gone as far as suggesting on social media that the pandemic is a hoax. Left unchallenged, those attitudes could hamstring health districts abilities to make anything stronger than recommendations to their residents. Meanwhile, health care leaders in Idaho are sounding the alarm that the coronavirus situation is worsening here and could reach crisis levels if it continues unchecked. Adams County commisoners comments on virus raise concerns During a special meeting of the Southwest Districts health board on July 7, Adams County Commissioner Viki Purdy told her colleagues she felt more concern about the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic than the threats to public health. What is the big deal here with this virus? We know who it affects, Purdy said via video conference. She also suggested Idaho should encourage people who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic to return to work rather than self-isolating. Purdy cited an anecdotal case in Adams County in which, she said, an individual returned to work while infected before his test results had returned. Purdy said no one who came in contact with the man, who never showed symptoms, became infected. (The World Health Organization has repeatedly stressed that there is not enough information on transmission from asymptomatic individuals. The organization reiterated that point last Thursday.) Nobody is saying anything positive about where were going here, Purdy added, referring to discussions about increasing COVID-19 diagnoses. The mental health problems were going to be dealing with after this are going to be much worse than the virus. Purdy was one of multiple county commissioners on the seven-member health board who expressed opposition to a mask mandate, health advisory for travelers entering the district, or other measures. She doubled down on resistance to masks in public posts on social media in the days ahead of and following the special meeting. A screenshot of one of Purdys posts was shared on Twitter last weekend, where it garnered attention and criticism, including from retired physician and former St. Lukes CEO David Pate. Get ready to be nauseous! Purdy wrote in the July 2 post, which included a link to a YouTube video from the National Governors Association promoting face masks. A mask was designed to keep bacteria from wounds, it is not designed to keep the particles of a virus from reaching out to you. Most masks are dirty and germ infested. Being touched by your hands 100s of times a day. They all come from China, let that sink in. What Is the goal? The virus is here and there is no escaping. There has never been a successful vaccine against a Corona virus. NEVER Pate responded to the post on Twitter: How can you be on a public health board if you dont understand public health? Purdy did not respond to email or Facebook Messenger requests for comment from the Statesman. A phone number listed for her on the Adams County website is disconnected. How are Idahos public health boards created? Theres actually little in Idaho code requiring public health board members to understand public health. The Idaho public health districts and their health board structure was created by the state Legislature in 1970 to ensure rural communities had the same access to health expertise as more urban areas. Part of that law requires the boards to be made up largely of commissioners from their member counties, as well as a single licensed physician. All members shall be chosen with due regard to their knowledge and interest in public health and in promoting the health of the citizens of the state and the public health district, the law states. But most commissioners on Idaho health boards are not public health experts, and they receive no special health training outside of a required orientation when theyre appointed to the board, according to Christine Myron, spokeswoman for Boise-based Central District Health. Most board members attend the state annual meeting of boards of health, which provides training on various topics, Myron explained in an email. Board members also have the opportunity to attend the National Association of Local Boards of Health annual meeting, which provides additional opportunities for public health training. Potential health board members can volunteer or be appointed by another county commissioner. Those appointments are voted on by all member counties commissioners. The health district staff, including the director, do not provide input, Myron said of the process. Pate said hes puzzled over the inclusion of politicians who are now denying medical advice and wondered whether the voting commissioners were aware of the appointees views when they voted. Why would they have someone on a public board that doesnt believe in public health principles? Pate said. It does not make any sense to me. By public health principles, Pate means basic infection control measures, basic epidemiology, basic infectious disease science. These are things that most every expert in the world agrees about, he said. If I was finding a board member for the St. Lukes Health System, I probably wouldnt select somebody who has a religious or philosophical belief that you shouldnt take treatments from the medical profession, he continued. If that was your philosophy, thats probably not a good role for you ... . How much do Idaho health boards know about public health, and how much influence do they have on it? Several of Idahos health districts have an additional medical professional on the board alongside the required physician. But in every district, medical professionals lack the numbers to outvote their non-medical expert counterparts. Members of the health boards can seek advice or input from medical experts. Central District Healths board members heard from experts from St. Lukes and Saint Alphonsus during its July 7 and July 14 meetings. Both times, the medical professionals stressed the importance of face coverings and social distancing. I felt like it was really important for us to hear them, as a board, to hear their perspective, said Diana Lachiondo, Ada County commissioner and Central District Health board member, in a phone interview ahead of the July 14 vote. Lachiondo said she has an interest in public health as her husband and sister are both physicians. She said she volunteered to be on the board after taking office in 2019. Lachiondo said she frequently seeks out medical and science advice from experts to inform her actions on the health board. For me, its been so important to listen to our hospital leaders and I have to hope other districts are too, she said. Another member of the Central District Health board, Ryan Stirm of Boise County, pointed to medical advice as the best basis for his vote in favor of the Ada County mask mandate during that meeting. From someone that came out of literally nowhere into politics, Im getting an extremely crazy crash course in politics in the last 12 months, said Stirm, who joined the board last year. It is a hard decision to make and I feel like ... at the point were at right now, I have no choice outside of going with what information we have. Theres no right answer, he said. But I would like to think that the doctors of these health care systems that we trust with our lives, they dont work for us. They dont work for the government. They dont work for Central District Health. And I would like to think they have everyones general safety and concern in mind. I would like the public to know that, too. Southwest District Health was slated to hear from medical professionals during a special meeting on Thursday morning. The meeting agenda included discussion on face covering research and a discussion and vote regarding public health measures. The meeting was canceled shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday due to safety concerns as anti-mask protesters showed up. During a district meeting last week, Southwest District Health medical director Clay Roscoe attended and offered input on the rising infection rates, testing shortfalls and more. Still, commissioners balked at a mask mandate during that meeting. Tom Dale, Canyon County commissioner and former Nampa mayor, encouraged residents worried about coronavirus to continue to stay home and wear masks, though health district officials clarified during the meeting that current recommendations for face masks show the masks protect others from the wearers respiratory droplets rather than protecting the wearer. Across Idahos seven districts, each county is represented by a commissioner, and its unclear how informed each commissioner is about the pandemic or what their attitudes may be toward measures like mandatory masks. In addition to her publicly criticized post, Purdy has also shared multiple posts that have been flagged by Facebook for containing false information about COVID-19. Purdy addressed that in another post showing a screenshot of the alert she received from Facebook. I seem to be censored daily now and you can bet I would not ever go along with anything the WHO puts out, Purdy wrote in the post with the screenshot. The counties [sic] running the WHO have leaders that would kill their citizens for any reason they see fit. A healthy world population is not their goal. AMERICA FIRST! At least two other commissioners Glen Bailey, Bonner County commissioner on the Panhandle Health District board; and Rick Winkel, Clearwater County commissioner on the North Central Health District board have shared public posts on Facebook that heavily criticize the use of face coverings. Bailey recently shared a post of COVID-19 infection numbers that states: WHY ARE WE WEARING MASKS? Last year alone, in Utah, flu killed 358 people and no one wore a single mask. The post also says the coronavirus situation does not even register as an epidemic, let alone a pandemic. In another post, Bailey shared a link to an article in conservative newspaper the Washington Times which called mask-wearing virture signaling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says coronavirus has proven to be more contagious than the flu and more conducive to superspreading, meaning it can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses. Additionally, preventatives such as vaccines exist for the flu, while no such preventative or universally accepted treatment has been developed for COVID-19. The Actual effectiveness of wearing the mask is a matter of debate... Bailey wrote on the July 12 post. In recent weeks, Winkel shared a meme showing a gas mask and a surgical mask. Text under the gas mask image reads, This is the Mask needed to prevent Virus inhalation and absorption through the eyes. Text under the surgical mask reads, This is a Mind Control Device. Pate, the former St. Lukes CEO, said theres no place for those attitudes in a body meant to make critical health decisions for the public. I dont think the purpose of the public health board is to debate public health science, Pate said. I think its to bring expertise to make public health decisions. He notes that its not just Idaho where face coverings, social distancing and other facts of the pandemic have become politicized. Weve seen this play out on the national front, Pate said. We couldnt get the president and vice president to wear a mask, when were saying all the evidence says wear a mask. ... Weve got the same thing. Weve got the members of some of these public health boards that wont role-model these behaviors. Reporter Audrey Dutton contributed. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 7 An 18-year-old protester was brutally punched in the face by police, knocking out her front teeth, at a Chicago protest calling for the toppling of a Christopher Columbus statue over the weekend. On Friday at least 1,000 people gathered around a statue in Grant Park where hordes of police clashed with demonstrators deploying pepper spray and beating people with wooden batons in what witnesses described as a 'bloodiest' protest so far. Activist Miracle Boyd, 18, had just finished addressing the crowd protesting at the statue when she says she got into an argument with an officer. When she started to record their altercation the cop allegedly took a swing with his left arm and hit her in the face. 'My tooth was knocked out. I have lip abrasions in my mouth. My teeth hurt really bad,' she said to ABC7. On Friday Chicago police were caught on video punching 18-year-old black activist Miracle Boyd in the face, knocking out her front teeth at a protest calling for the toppling of a Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park Video emerged showing Boyd (in white) speaking with a cop, who swung their arm towards her face when she tried to film their altercation Boyd pictured in white and black bottoms walking away from the cop after being hit Boyd (right), a member of the youth group GoodKids MadCity, said the officers took her phone. A GoFundMe page has been started to help cover her medical bill costs. She just graduated high school last month and is headed to Depaul University in the fall She added the officer smacked her phone out of her hand and she was hit in the face. Several videos of that altercation emerged on social media showing Boyd back away from officers before she appeared to get hit in the face and rushed off covering her bloodied mouth. Boyd, a member of the youth group GoodKids MadCity, said the officers took her phone. She had graduated from high school last month, was headed to Depaul University in the fall according to a June post by Chicago Public Schools, and was offered an internship with state senator Robert Peters office just last week. A GoFundMe has been started to raise money for her medical bills. State Sen. Peters slammed the police aggression towards her tweeting: 'Im sad, angry and disgusted.' 'Shes someone who fights every day for gun violence prevention, who fights for a safe community. And what did she face? Abuse,' he said. Hordes of police targeted protesters with pepper spray and wooden batons at Friday's protest. A view of police descending upon the monument and pushing demonstrators out above Chicago police said they're investigating the incident regarding Boyd as Mayor Lori Lightfoot condemned reports of excessive police force as 'unacceptable' The protest attempted to pull down a Christopher Columbus statue with ropes A protester at the Friday rally scaled the statue and threw a rope over it in an attempt to topple it Chicago Police say theyre opening an investigation into the incident with Boyd. 'The Chicago Police Department (CPD) strives to treat all individuals our officers encounter with respect. We do not tolerate misconduct of any kind and if any wrongdoing is discovered, officers will be held accountable,' the department said in a statement to Buzzfeed News. Following the police violence with protesters Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted: 'I have spoken to the director of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, and she has assured me that @ChicagoCOPA stands ready to address these complaints.' 'There have also been several reports of excessive force by the police. These are also unacceptable,' she added. The officer who hit Boyd has not been named. A view of cops dodging debris and fireworks being thrown by protesters on Friday above Two officers watch on as protesters try to pull down the heavy Columbus monument About 1,000 people encircled the covered up statue of Christopher Columbus in the city's downtown area, demanding the symbol of colonialism be taken down Police officers pictured forcibly removing protesters and members of the media from the park on Friday Overall at least 12 people were arrested and 18 officers were injured at the protest. One video from the chaotic clashes shows protesters throwing bottles and fireworks at officers standing ground at the statue. One person scaled the statue and caught a rope that was tossed up from the crowd and started an unsuccessful attempt to pull the statue down. Other videos and photos shows masses of officers running towards protesters and pushing them to the ground to clear out the square. 'This was the bloodiest protest Ive ever been to. People had gushing head wounds and the police just kept charging in and spraying everyone. To protect a statue of a murderer. The connected brutality & logic of Columbus colonialism and modern policing were on full display,' one protester tweeted on the Friday demonstration. Lightfoot said last month she opposed the removal of Columbus statues in the city and on Saturday she said her team was planning for a 'comprehensive review of our public icons' Lightfoot tweeted Saturday that she'd assure complaints of police aggression against protesters are investigated Columbus statues have been a point of contention across the country amid the Black Lives Matter movement. Lightfoot said last month she opposed the removal of Columbus statues in the city and on Saturday she said her team was planning for a 'comprehensive review of our public icons'. Protesters gathered outside the Mayor's home on Saturday to protest her support for the statue and the police violence that unfolded Friday. 'That statue has to be taken down. When you have a statue in a public square, youre saying that is someone who should be celebrated,' Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa of the 35th District said. Late Friday a group of city and state officials released a statement condemning reports of police using pepper spray and other aggressive actions against protesters and journalists. The document, signed by Ald. Ramirez-Rosa, Rep. Delia Ramirez, state Sen. Robert Peters, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, added theyre ready to 'work to defund the Chicago Polic,e Department immediately.' Legal powers by themselves are false hopes in times of public crisis. Hon. Archie Campbell, SARS Commission, 2007. There are two kinds of emergency management legislation: those legislated after a crisis is over and those legislated in the midst of the crisis itself. The feds did the former after the 1970 October Crisis. B.C. was in the midst of updating its 1993 legislation pre-COVID and Ontario too updated its emergency laws, several times after SARS, between 2006 and 2019. We are witnessing, today, the other kind. Alberta and Manitoba passed new emergency laws in April, then Newfoundland, PEI and Quebec. Now Ontarios Bill 195 will be rammed through by its majority government MPPs without further debate. The problem with legislating during a crisis, when that legislation involves creating new government powers, is that it all ends up being like the notorious U.S. Patriot Act. In other words, its always bad news for your human rights. Governments hoover up new powers to infringe individual rights in the name of the crisis; the vulnerable always pay the greatest toll, and history records nothing but regret. Equality, free speech, due process, and liberty all take a back seat to the collective will to fend off a magnified enemy, whether human or viral. Its like changing the rules in the middle of the playoffs its never a good idea. This is for a couple reasons, but the obvious one is that governments drafting such a bill do so with woefully inadequate information, and under enormous personal and political pressure. They are literally in the eye of the storm, and that obviously affects everything about the legislation. The information turns out to be incomplete and incorrect. If Ontario had written a new law in March, for example, surgical masks would have been forbidden for all but health care workers. Toilet paper would have been rationed, by law. Today, its all different, so the government was smart not to change its laws back then. Not so with their latest Bill 195. Besides the information deficit, there is a wisdom deficit. Laws are drafted by human beings, after all, who are extremely anxious about the crisis they are trying to manage, as democratic governors. Its called the fog of war, a term coined by Robert McNamara, as a self-criticism of what he and two Presidents did in mismanaging the Vietnam War. Wisdom requires time and perspective; serenity and patience; intelligence and debate. The fog of war envelopes legislators with dread and uncertainty. Legislation, on the other hand, requires certainty. If its foggy or vague, then it is bad law, susceptible to judicial review by public interest organizations like ours, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Knowing that, governments write laws with watertight certainty, even though theyre based on foggy facts. Then the government bills go to the legislature, where they are supposed to be improved by democratic debate, dissent, and intense scrutiny. Now, what do you think happens to such debate during an emergency? Imagine youre in your kitchen, with family and friends, debating what to do about the smoky scent that is everywhere but not coming out of the oven. How healthy is that debate? That kind of thinking gets Homo sapiens away from danger. But it does not make for good law-making. As it turns out, I was an Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in 2006 when the Liberal Government followed the recommendations of Archie Campbells SARS Commission with its recommendation legislative changes. The debate was not rushed, and included amendments proposed by the NDP and Conservatives. The point being that it wasnt done during the fog of a crisis, but with the fortuitous luxury of time to think it through, debate and amend the laws as best one could. The chances of healthy democratic debate during a crisis is practically nil particularly today where legislatures have a fraction of its members sitting, in order to create a healthy physical distance among the elected officials. To dissent or, god forbid, delay passage of such a bill feels treasonous. Better for governments to govern with the powers they had at the start of a crisis, than to re-engineer emergency management laws in the fog. Otherwise, the law is driven more by fear than facts, and history proves it to be nothing less than a power grab by politicians hungry for more power to do good, when in fact legal powers are nothing but false hope, in a time of public crisis. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Cloudy. Morning high of 37F with temps falling to near 20. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low 8F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. The chairs of the House Oversight, Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on Sunday called on the inspectors general of the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to open an investigation into the Trump administration's use of federal agents against protesters in Portland, Oregon. Why it matters: The House Democrats say the agencies "appear to have increasingly abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans exercising their right to peaceful assembly," pointing to reports of unidentified federal agents arbitrarily detaining protesters in unmarked vans. President Trump and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have defended the use of federal law enforcement, claiming that violent anarchists have overtaken the city and defaced federal property. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Sunday called the reported actions of federal law enforcement "abhorrent" and "unconstitutional." The big picture: Trump faced similar criticisms over the excessive use of force when federal troops cleared peaceful protesters outside of the White House so that he could walk to the historic St. Johns Episcopal Church for a photo op. What they're saying: "This is a matter of utmost urgency. Citizens are concerned that the Administration has deployed a secret police force, not to investigate crimes but to intimidate individuals it views as political adversaries, and that the use of these tactics will proliferate throughout the country. Therefore, we ask that you commence your review of these issues immediately." "The legal basis for this use of force has never been explainedand, frankly, it is not at all clear that the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary are authorized to deploy federal law enforcement officers in this manner." "The Acting Secretary appears to be relying on an ill-conceived executive order meant to protect historic statues and monuments as justification for arresting American citizens in the dead of night." Worth noting: U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Billy Williams has also called for an investigation into the use of federal agents in Portland. Read the full request via DocumentCloud. The Ganesh festival is now a month away and Pune is readying for a Ganesh Utsav like has been never experienced in living memory. The first day of the 10-day Ganpati festival is on August 22, celebrated as Ganesh Chathurthi, and the Ganesh festival 2020 is going to be Bappa at home in Pune. The public outpouring of faith and festivity has been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of progressive positive cases in Pune having crossed 30,000 cases and currently growing at the rate of 1,500-plus cases per day. Mandaps, elaborate decor for public viewing, and the public sale of Ganpati idols are all on hold, and unlikely to happen this season. Idol makers who have had to come up with new of business strategies to ensure the citys Vignaharta makes it to every home, as is the tradition. In a bid to reach the maximum number of people and provide them Ganpati idols at their doorsteps we started a concept called Bappa Aplya Dari (Ganpati at your doorstep). People should not come out of their society or area to the market to purchase the idols this year. So we have three vans in which we have displayed the different types of Ganpati idols. In each van there are 70 to 80 varieties - at least 215 varieties on display. This includes idols with diamonds, and idols made from plaster of paris (POP), clay, red clay, and the eco-friendly idols. These idols are one-to-two feet in height and we have not increased the rates this year, said Abhijeet Suresh Abnwae, owner of Abhijeet Arts, a firm that has been in the idol-making business for the last 30 years. Initially, we contact the chairman of a residential society, and they give us a date and a time slot to take our vehicle to the society. With proper social distancing, society members see the idols, make a booking and before the Ganpati festival begins, we will do home deliveries, said Abnwae, adding, The daily rent of one van is Rs 3,500, and to make the racks inside the van to display the idols Rs 30,000 has been spent per van. Staff, including drivers and helpers, are paid salaries. We have a sales target of 10,000 idols this year, but it might increase looking at the response, added Abnwae. The Ganesh Kala Kendra, popular for its shadhu mati Ganpati idols, is also reaching out to customers. Amol Mehta, one of the co-owners of the kendra said, This year, due to corona, the entire business model has changed. Earlier, we use to install a tent, or rent a shop on Tilak toad where customers would come, select their Ganpati idols and then take it home before the festival. This year, we have gone online with a website for booking of idols. We already have customer data from the previous years and are contacting them via email for orders. We also send idol photos out on WhatsApp to our regular customers. People are ready to pay more this year to get the idols home delivered, says Mehta. Another senior Ganapti idol maker from Pune, 62-year-old Ganesh Lanjekar, owner of Lanjekar Ganpati Idols in Kasba peth said, We have hundreds of fixed customers. This year, all manufacturers are worried about the business. Our work starts from January, but due to lockdown, the work stopped. We were not able to get raw materials and paints. The number of idols we produced, which was earlier 2,500, has now come down to half this year. There are many challenges to reach out to the public safely. We are sending the photos to our regular customers on WhatsApp and then they book their choices. We are losing customers, though. Each morning at 8 as the coronavirus crisis was raging in April, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, convened a small group of aides to steer the administration through what had become a public health, economic and political disaster. They saw their immediate role as practical problem-solvers. Produce more ventilators. Find more personal protective equipment. Provide more testing. But their ultimate goal was to shift responsibility for leading the fight against the pandemic from the White House to the states. They referred to this as state authority handoff, and it was at the heart of what would become at once a catastrophic policy blunder and an attempt to escape blame for a crisis that had engulfed the country. Over a critical period beginning in mid-April, President Donald Trump and his team convinced themselves that the outbreak was fading, that they had given state governments all the resources they needed to contain its remaining embers and that it was time to ease up on the lockdown. In doing so, he was ignoring warnings that the numbers would continue to drop only if social distancing was kept in place, rushing instead to restart the economy and tend to his battered reelection hopes. For scientific affirmation, they turned to Dr. Deborah Birx, the sole public health professional in Meadows group. A highly regarded infectious diseases expert, she was a constant source of upbeat news for the president and his aides, walking the halls with charts emphasizing that outbreaks were gradually easing. On April 11, she told the coronavirus task force in the Situation Room that the nation was in good shape. A sharp pivot soon followed, with consequences that continue to plague the country today. Even as experts warned that the pandemic was far from under control, Trump went, in a matter of days, from proclaiming that he alone had the authority to decide when the economy would reopen to pushing that responsibility onto the states. The government issued detailed reopening guidelines, but almost immediately, Trump began criticizing Democratic governors who did not liberate their states. Trumps bet that the crisis would fade away proved wrong. But an examination of the shift in April and its aftermath shows that the approach he embraced was not just a misjudgment. Instead, it was a deliberate strategy that he would stick to as evidence mounted that the virus would continue to infect and kill large numbers of Americans. He and his top aides would openly disdain the scientific research into the disease and the advice of experts on how to contain it, seek to muzzle more authoritative voices like Dr. Anthony Fauci and continue to distort reality even as it became clear that Trumps hopes for a rapid rebound in the economy and his electoral prospects were not materializing. Now interviews with more than two dozen officials inside the administration and in the states, and a review of emails and documents, reveal previously unreported details about how the White House put the nation on its current course during a fateful period this spring. Birx was more central than publicly known to the judgment inside the West Wing that the virus was on a downward path. Her model-based assessment failed to account for a vital variable: how Trumps rush to urge a return to normal would help undercut the social distancing and other measures that were holding down the numbers. The president quickly came to feel trapped by his own reopening guidelines. States needed declining cases to reopen, or at least a declining rate of positive tests. But more testing meant overall cases were destined to go up, undercutting the presidents push to crank up the economy. The result was to intensify Trumps remarkable public campaign against testing, a vivid example of how he often waged war with science and his own administrations experts and stated policies. Trumps bizarre public statements, his refusal to wear a mask and his pressure on states to get their economies going again left governors and other state officials scrambling to deal with a leadership vacuum. Not until early June did White House officials even begin to recognize that their assumptions about the course of the pandemic had proved wrong. Even now there are internal divisions over how far to go in having officials publicly acknowledge the reality of the situation. Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said the president had imposed travel restrictions on China early in the pandemic, signed economic relief measures that have provided Americans with critical assistance and dealt with other issues, including supplies of personal protective equipment, testing capacity and vaccine development. At a briefing on April 10, Trump predicted that the number of deaths in the United States from the pandemic would be substantially fewer than 100,000. As of Saturday, the death toll stood at 139,186; the pace of new deaths was rising again; and the country, logging a 7-day average of 65,790 new cases a day, had more confirmed cases per capita than any other major industrial nation. Trumps Choice The president had a decision to make. It was the end of March, and his initial, 15-day effort to slow the spread of the virus by essentially shutting down the country was expiring in days. Sitting in the Oval Office were Fauci and Birx, along with other top officials. Days earlier, Trump had said he envisioned the country being opened up and raring to go by Easter, but now he was on the verge of announcing that he would keep the country shut down for another 30 days. Do you really think we need to do this? the president asked Fauci. "Yeah, we really do need to do it, Fauci replied, explaining again the federal governments role in making sure the virus did not explode across the country. Trumps willingness to go along was a concession that federal responsibility was crucial to defeating a virus that did not respect state boundaries. But even as the president was acknowledging the need for tough decisions, he and his aides would soon be looking to do the opposite: build a public case that the federal government had completed its job and unshackle the president from ownership of the response. By mid-April, Trump had grown publicly impatient with the stay-at-home recommendations he had reluctantly endorsed. Weekly unemployment claims made clear the economy was cratering, and polling was showing his campaign bleeding support. The issue was clear: How much longer do we keep this up? To answer that, they focused on two more questions: Had the virus peaked? And had the government given the states the tools they needed to manage the remaining problems? On the first question, Birx was optimistic: Mitigation was working, even as many outside experts were warning that the nation would remain at great risk if it let up on social distancing and moved prematurely to reopen. The group believed they had succeeded on the second question, too, although shortages of protective gear continued in some places (and would flare again months later). A one-time anticipated shortage of more than 100,000 ventilators had been overcome; now there was enough of a surplus that the United States could lend them to other countries. A ban on elective surgeries meant there was plenty of bed space. On testing, Trump shifted from stressing that the nation was already doing more than any other country to deriding its importance. By June the president was regularly making nonsensical statements like, If we stop testing right now, wed have very few cases, if any. On April 10, Trump declared that it would be his decision about whether to reopen the country. Days later, Birx and Fauci presented Trump with a plan for issuing guidelines to start reopening the country at the end of the month. Developed largely by Birx, the guidelines laid out broad, voluntary standards for states considering how fast to come out of the lockdown. In political terms, the documents message was that responsibility for dealing with the pandemic was shifting from Trump to the states. On April 16, he made the message to the governors explicit. Youre going to call your own shots, he said. The Consequences Birx had assembled a team of analysts who fed her a constant stream of updated data, packaged in PowerPoint slides emailed to senior officials each day. But there were warnings that the models she studied might not be accurate, especially in predicting the course of the virus against a backdrop of evolving political, economic and social factors. Among the models Birx relied on most was one produced by researchers at the University of Washington. Birx declined to be interviewed. A task force official said she had only used the University of Washingtons model in a limited way and that the White House used real data, not modeled data, to understand the pandemic in the United States. But despite the outside warnings and evidence by early May that new infections remained higher than anticipated, the White House never fundamentally reexamined the course it had set in mid-April. Instead, Birx regularly delivered what the new team was hoping for. All metros are stabilizing, she would tell them, describing the virus as having hit its peak around mid-April. The slope was heading in the right direction. She endorsed the idea that the death counts and hospitalization numbers could be inflated. The real-world consequences of Trumps abdication of responsibility rippled across the country. During a briefing on April 20, Trump mocked Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, a fellow Republican, for the states inability to find enough testing. Birx displayed maps with dozens of dots indicating labs that could help. But when Frances Phillips, the states deputy health secretary, reached out to one of those dots a National Institutes of Health facility in Maryland she was told that they were suffering from the same shortages as state labs and were not in a position to help. "It was clear that we were on our own and we need to develop our own strategy, which is very unlike the kind of federal response in the past public health emergencies, Phillips recalled. By early June, it was clear that the White House had gotten it wrong. Digging into new data from Birx, they concluded the virus was in fact spreading with invisible ferocity during the weeks in May when states were opening up with Trumps encouragement and many were all but declaring victory. With the benefit of hindsight, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, acknowledged in a conversation with the Journal of the American Medical Association that administration officials severely underestimated infections in April and May. The number of new cases has now surged far higher than the previous peak of more than 36,000 a day in mid-April. On Thursday, there were more than 75,000 confirmed new cases, a record. Trumps disdain for testing continues to affect the country. By the middle of June, lines stretched for blocks in Phoenix and in Austin, Texas. And getting results could take a week to 10 days, officials in Texas said effectively inviting the virus to spread uncontrollably. It was a devastating situation, said Mayor Steve Adler of Austin, who watched as the COVID-19 cases at intensive care units at area hospitals jumped from 3 in mid-May to 185 by early July. Adler had a simple plea for the White House. When we were trying to get people to wear masks, they would point to the president and say, Well, not something that we need to do, he said. Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, a Republican, expressed similar frustrations with Trumps dismissive approach to mask wearing. People follow leaders, he said, before rephrasing his remarks. People follow the people who are supposed to be leaders. Michael D. Shear, Noah Weiland, Eric Lipton, Maggie Haberman and David E. Sanger c.2020 The New York Times Company Princess Diana and Prince Charles remain one of the most talked-about couples of the British royal family. Even though their marriage ended in divorce not long before Dianas death in 1997, people still cant get enough of them. Ahead, check out forgotten photos of Diana and Charles during their marriage. Princess Diana and Prince Charles married in the wedding of the century Princess Diana and Prince Charles on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their 1981 royal wedding | David Levenson/Getty Images RELATED: How Princess Diana and Prince Charles Made the Balcony Kiss a Royal Wedding Tradition After announcing their engagement in early 1981, Charles and Diana married in what would quickly become referred to as the wedding of the century. One of the most expensive royal weddings ever, the couple spared no expense for their nuptials, which took place on July 29, 1981, at St. Pauls Cathedral in London. They hid marriage trouble in public, unbeatable as professional royal performers Even though Diana and Charles were both miserable in their marriage, they didnt let on in public. Patrick Jephson, Dianas former press secretary, once called them unbeatable at presenting themselves as a happily married couple. He said as much during an interview for ITVs Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals. As professional royal performers they were unbeatable, but behind the scenes, it was quite different, he said. They didnt talk to each other, there was minimal eye contact, they were short-tempered with each other. On their royal tour of Australia in 1983, things changed for Charles and Diana. They occasionally took part in public displays of affection with some hand-holding (see below), but one moment changed how Diana acted in public. Princess Diana and Prince Charles in Australia | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images RELATED: Prince Charles and Princess Diana Needed a Police Escort for a Surprising Item at Their Royal Wedding When she burst out in tears outside the Sydney Opera House and Charles, for whatever reason, didnt acknowledge her, Diana decided to laugh and smile a lot more at engagements to supposedly annoy her husband. Princess Diana and Prince Charles were (mostly) all smiles Sure, as their marriage crumbled and they approached their separation, Diana and Charles let the happy veneer slip but up to that point, theyd appeared, for the most part, in love. During a 1991 visit to Ontario, Canada, Diana and Charles looked in good spirits. Princess Diana and Prince Charles meet a beaver | Patti Gower/Toronto Star via Getty Images RELATED: The Subtle Way Prince Charles Brought Camilla on His Honeymoon with Princess Diana But that may not have been hard to do considering they were petting a beaver. At a polo match in 1982, Diana, then pregnant with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, sat on the hood of a car with her arm resting on Charles shoulder. Princess Diana and Prince Charles | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images RELATED: Princess Diana: 4 Photographs of the Princess of Wales With Her Siblings It seems like the body language of two people who at the least like each other but as the public learned later, theyd already had lots of trouble in their marriage. Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated in 1992, divorced in 1996 We all know the photos of Diana and Charles looking miserable sitting next to each other toward the end of their marriage. They served as the precursor to their separation announcement in December 1992. Even though the public knew of their unhappiness, it still came as a surprise to learn they decided to separate. Charles and Diana continued their duties as senior royals before making their split official in 1996. RELATED: The Wedding Day Disaster Princess Diana Expertly Concealed Walking Down the Aisle Voters seen at Dunearn Secondary School on 10 July. (PHOTO: Dhany Osman / Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed 257 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, taking the total to 47,912. Of the new cases, 244 are migrant workers residing in dormitories, five are imported and eight are from the community, said MOH in a news release on Sunday (19 July). Two Singaporeans are among the community cases. One is a 26-year-old man (No. 47747), whose case is unlinked, and the other is a 53-year-old woman (No. 47945) who works at Toh Guan dormitory and is linked to the cluster at the dorm. Of the cases from the community, six were picked up as a result of proactive surveillance and screening, and one had already been placed on quarantine earlier. Seven of the cases are asymptomatic, and were detected through proactive testing. Three of the community cases are linked to previous cases or clusters. Of these, one (No. 47807) had been identified as a contact of a previously confirmed case, and had been placed on quarantine earlier. She was tested during quarantine to determine her status, even though she is asymptomatic. Another case (No. 47809) was identified from testing of individuals working in frontline COVID-19 operations. The remaining case (No. 47945) was swabbed for COVID-19 under enhanced community testing to test all individuals aged 13 and above who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection at first presentation to a doctor. Five of the community cases are currently unlinked. They are all asymptomatic, and were detected from proactive screening. Of these, three of them (Nos. 47746, 47808 and 47810) were identified as a result of periodic screening of workers in essential services who are living outside the dormitories. The remaining cases (Nos. 47747 and 47899) were tested as part of efforts to screen individuals working in frontline COVID-19 operations. The number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of 16 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 10 per day in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased, from an average of eight cases per day in the week before, to an average of six per day in the past week. Story continues Imported cases Among the five imported cases, two are a five-year-old Singaporean boy (No. 47785) and a 29-year-old permanent resident (No. 47737) who returned to Singapore from India on 26 June and one-year-old Singaporean baby boy (No. 47939) who returned from Azerbaijan on 4 July. The remaining two cases are a dependants pass holder (No. 47735) and work pass holder (No. 47745) who is currently employed in Singapore. They arrived in Singapore from India and the Philippines on 7 July. All of them had been placed on 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, and had been tested while serving their SHN. Hospitalised and recovered cases With 253 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Sunday, 44,086 cases some 92 per cent of the total tally have fully recovered from the infection. Most of the 181 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. A total of 3,618 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities. Apart from 27 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease. Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count, said the MOH in previous press releases, adding that the method of assessment is consistent with international practices for classifying deaths. Places visited by COVID-19 cases The MOH also updated the list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community from 5 to 17 July including shopping malls, supermarkets, eateries, shops and a cinema hall at FilmGarde Bugis+. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: COVID-19: Election Night crowds will potentially have 'consequence', says Lawrence Wong Singaporean woman tested positive for COVID-19 after dying of 'intracerebral haemorrhage' Travellers with travel history to Australia's Victoria state, Japan, Hong Kong to serve SHN at dedicated facilities * S&P revises Kuwait's outlook to negative * Egypt declines for a fifth session in a row * Emirates NBD advances before H1 results By Maqsood Alam July 19 (Reuters) - Shares fell in Egypt on Sunday after fears of Egyptian intervention in Libya's civil war increased, and Gulf stocks were mixed, with Kuwait underperforming following a negative outlook by S&P Global Ratings. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Thursday Egypt would not stand idle in the face of any direct threat to Egyptian and Libyan security, after lawmakers allied to commander Khalifa Haftar urged Cairo to intervene militarily in Libya. Egypt's blue-chip index fell 1.5% -- the fifth successive day it has fallen. The country's largest lender, Commercial International Bank Egypt, declined 2.3%, and tobacco firm Eastern Company lost 1.7%. The Kuwaiti index retreated 1.2%, pressured mostly by financial stocks. National Bank Of Kuwait shed 1.8% and Kuwait Finance House fell 0.9%. S&P Global Ratings revised Kuwait's outlook on Friday to "negative" from "stable", saying it expected the country's main liquidity buffer, the General Reserve Fund, to be insufficient to cover the central government's deficit. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index slipped about 0.1%, weighed down by Saudi Aramco falling 0.8%. After the market closed, Aramco said bonus shares would be transferred into the portfolio accounts of eligible Saudi retail investors on July 25. It had said in its initial public offering prospectus that Saudi retail bonus investors who held offer shares without interruption until the end of trading on June 7, 2020 would be entitled to one bonus share for every 10 allocated offer shares, up to a maximum of 100 bonus shares. Dubai's main share index gained 0.4%>. The lender Emirates NBD rose 2.9% before its first-half earning release. The Abu Dhai index eased 0.4%, driven down by a 1.5% drop in First Abu Dhabi Bank and a 0.8% drop in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. In Qatar, the index gained 0.1%. Qatar Islamic Bank , which reported on Wednesday a marginal rise in first-half net profit, rose 1.9%, while Doha Bank increased 3.7%. SAUDI ARABIA edged down 0.1% to 7,423 points ABU DHABI lost 0.4% to 4,256 points DUBAI added 0.4% to 2,061 points QATAR edged up 0.1% to 9,317 points EGYPT down 1.5% to 10,281 points BAHRAIN slipped 0.9% to 1,291 points OMAN was flat at 3,451 points KUWAIT declined 1.2% to 5,437 points (Reporting by Maqsood Alam in Bengaluru, Editing by Timothy Heritage) Ram Mandir Ayodhya: The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust held the first formal meeting on Saturday. In the meeting, the trust decided to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the bhoomi pujan ceremony in August. The trust has zeroed in on two dates depending on the PM's availability. The bhoomi pujan ceremony is performed before construction work is started. "Our first priority is to hold the foundation laying ceremony and for this, we have invited Prime Minister Modi. We have suggested July 29, and August 5 as auspicious dates. We will hold the ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister. By the first week of August, the ceremony will be done," said member of the trust Govind Giri Maharaj. The trust also discussed the design of the temple and the timeline for the inauguration. Champat Rai, General Secretary of the trust said that the construction work is likely to be completed in 3-3.5 years. He also floated August 3 and August 5 as dates for the PM's visit. As for the design, the trust said that there would be now five domes, instead of three domes. The height of the temple has also been revised and would be higher than the proposed height. Former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nirpendra Mishra, additional Union Home Secretary Gyanesh Kumar and Uttar Pradesh government's Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi are members of the trust. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das as the president, is at the helm of the trust. Senior advocate K Parasaran, religious leaders Govind Dev Giri, Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, Swami Vishwaprasannteerth, Yugpurush Parmanand Giri and Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirmohi Akhara besides RSS leader Anil Mishra, VHP leader Kameshwar Chaupal and secretary Champat Rai are the other members. Earlier this month, members of the trust met architects as well as the team engaged in cleaning and carving stones at the Ram Mandir Nirman Karyashala. Also read: Ram Temple trust to hold first formal meeting today in Ayodhya By AFP SEOUL: South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who promised to be a "feminist leader" during his election campaign, was under fire Thursday for sending condolence flowers to the funeral of a convicted sex offender's mother. Moon and dozens of senior politicians -- almost all of them male, and from both sides of the aisle, but mostly from his ruling centre-left Democratic Party -- sent bouquets for this week's ceremony for Ahn Hee-jung's mother. Former provincial governor Ahn was once a rising star and came second to Moon in the race for the 2017 Democratic presidential nomination, but was convicted last year of sexual intercourse by abuse of authority after his female assistant accused him of repeatedly raping her. He is serving three and a half years in prison. The controversy over the funeral laid bare the attitudinal gender divide in a society that remains highly patriarchal -- it has the highest gender wage gap in the OECD club of developed economies. And women hold only 19 percent of seats in its newly elected parliament, which would put it 116th in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's previously published 2020 ranking. Sexual harassment victims often face pressure to stay silent for fear of public shaming, but signs of change emerged after the country's own #MeToo movement -- sparked in 2018 by a prosecutor who publicly accused a superior of groping her at a funeral, prompting many to share their stories. Ahn was by far the highest-profile individual named as a result. But after he was temporarily released from jail to attend the funeral ceremonies, he received visits from scores of political heavyweights offering their condolences -- among them Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, his predecessor Lee Nak-yon, and ruling party leader Lee Hae-chan. Ahn allowed media to cover the event and pictures showed a large white wreath in prime position, with a plaque bearing the presidential logo and Moon's name. - Furious response - Women's groups and progressive politicians reacted furiously, saying the moves demonstrated the political establishment's traditionalist mindset and sent a signal that sexual crimes could be disregarded. "Every message from a president is an act of governance, including condolences," wrote commentator Choi Moon-sun in the Hankook Ilbo newspaper. When Moon sent the flowers, she said, "there was no president for South Korean women". Jo Hye-min, a spokeswoman for the opposition Justice Party, said Ahn's victim was "still struggling in life in the face of non-stop shaming". "It is so clear that a message and action by a politician is not a personal one but has a public nature," she said. "We can't help but ask what their actions mean." The presidential office said Thursday it sent the flowers following a "comprehensive review of the situation". Ahn was due to return to prison Thursday. The Democratic chairs of three House committees are calling for the inspectors general for the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to investigate the use of force by federal law enforcement officers against anti-police brutality protesters. In a joint letter to Michael Horowitz, the DOJ inspector general, and Joseph Cuffari, inspector general for DHS, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on Sunday said the Trump administration appears "to have increasingly abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans exercising their right to peaceful assembly." The lawmakers cited recent reports of protesters being swept off the streets in Portland, Oregon, by unidentified federal agents as evidence that "this misuse of resources and personnel remains a growing threat." "Accordingly, we write to request an investigation by your offices into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland, and other communities across the United States," they wrote. More: Portland, Oregon, police declare Saturday gathering a riot after another night of protest, unrest Federal officers use tear gas and other crowd dispersal munitions on protesters outside the Multnomah County Justice Center on July 17, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. They said in some instances people could not tell the difference between the federal agents and "far-right extremists in the region who wore similar military gear." They described Customs and Border Patrol agents snatching up citizens and detaining them without identifying themselves as federal law enforcement or informing the detainees of their rights. "Not only is this irresponsible and dangerous, but it is a violation of Constitutional rights," the Democratic lawmakers said. Protests against police brutality and racial discrimination broke out across the U.S. after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Some of the protests deteriorated into violence against police and looting. Story continues President Donald Trump has often conflated the entire protest movement, which is generally peaceful, with those episodes of violence and destruction. He has called for a harsh law enforcement response, threatening to intervene with federal troops in cities where he thinks local, usually Democratic, leaders have been too soft. Last week, Portland police cracked down to prevent protesters from establishing an autonomous zone, similar to one previously established in Seattle, about which Trump repeatedly denounced local politicians for allowing it to continue. In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Trump claimed police cleared the "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" in Seattle earlier this month because federal forces were "going in that following day." On Saturday, Portland police declared the demonstrations a riot after hundreds of protesters broke into a building and set it ablaze and started dumpster fires. Trump claimed, without evidence, the use of federal law enforcement in Portland had prevented the city from being overrun by protesters. "If you look at what's gone on in Portland those are anarchists, and we've taken a very tough stand," Trump said. "If we didn't take a stand in Portland you know we've arrested many of these leaders if we didn't take that stand, right now you would have a problem like you they were going to lose Portland." We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2020 "We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action," Trump tweeted the night before. "We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!" Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced the use of federal agents in his city, saying he did not request the administration's assistance. Both of Oregon's senators have called for investigations into the use of the federal law enforcement officers in Portland. In addition to the reported detentions in Portland, Nadler, Thompson and Maloney pointed to the June 1 clearing of protesters outside the White House as an example of what they considered improper use of federal force against protesters. They said "federal authorities in riot gear used chemical agents, smoke, and rubber bullets to violently remove protestors from Lafayette Square so that the President could have a photo-op in front of the historic St. Johns Church." The Democratic leaders said the "legal basis for this use of force has never been explained" and they said "it is not at all clear" that Attorney General William Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf "are authorized to deploy federal law enforcement officers in this manner." "The Attorney General of the United States does not have unfettered authority to direct thousands of federal law enforcement personnel to arrest and detain American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights." On June 26, Trump issued an executive order to provide "personnel to assist with the protection of Federal monuments, memorials, statues, or property." Nadler, Thompson and Maloney wrote it appeared Wolf was using that order "as justification for arresting American citizens in the dead of night." "The Administrations insistence on deploying these forces over the objections of state and local authorities suggest that these tactics have little to do with public safety, but more to do with political gamesmanship." Contributing: Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portland protests: Democrats demand investigation into use of feds No Beijing, only Delhi says former Nepal PM on ties with India Nepal police opens fire on 3 Indian Nationals near border in Bihar, 1 Injured India pti-PTI Kishanganj (Bihar), July 19: An Indian national has been injured in firing by the Nepal Armed Police Force (NAPF) in the 'no man's land' on the Indo-Nepal border in Bihars Kishanganj district, a senior police officer said on Sunday. The incident occurred around 9:30 pm on Saturday near pillar number 152 when Jitendra Kumar Singh and three others had gone there to bring back their cattle that had strayed into the 'no man's land', Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said. Nepal landslides: 12 people killed, 19 missing The victim is a resident of Mafia Tola village under Fatehpur police station of the district. The family members rushed the injured man, who received a bullet injury on his left arm, to Kishanganj sadar hospital from where doctors referred him to Purnea for better treatment. The SP said police and Sashastra Seema Bal, the Indian border guarding force deployed on the Indo-Nepal border, are probing the matter. The SSBs 12th battalion Commandant Lalit Kumar said that Nepal Armed Police Force opened fire on the suspicion that they were cattle smugglers. Entering the 'no man's land' is prohibited during the lockdown, he said, adding the Nepalese force opened fire following an altercation. The Nepalese personnel fired four rounds. On June 12, an Indian national was killed while two others were injured in firing by the NAPF on Indo-Nepal border near Lalbandi Janki Nagar village in Bihars Sitamarhi district. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News The incidents have occurred in the midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries, with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of its territorial claims after Kathmandu recently released a new political map laying claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. New Delhi maintains that these are part of Uttarakhand, while Kathmandu, in its recent map, has shown them as part of Western Nepal. India had published its new map of the border region in November, after it divided Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh into two union territories. The map had incorporated these areas of Uttarakhand, the territories disputed with Nepal, within India's borders. 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. While many shoots have started slowly, actor Rahul Dev has already wrapped up a film and a web show. The actor, who has been shooting since July 25, didnt mind going to shoot as the producers money is stuck in productions. Dev says, I wrapped up the remaining portions of a Hindi film in Hoshiarpur, Punjab and a web show, in Mumbai, that were pending since the lockdown. I will also shoot for two other projects this month and will fly off abroad to shoot for Nikkhil Advanis web show next month. Talking about the lockdown, he says, It started with a lot of uncertainty and insecurity, as I was concerned about my familys well-being, and one felt insufficient, as you relied on people. But what was good is that due to the calamity, mankind has become more compassionate towards each other and animals too. I had been working till the day of the lockdown, so two seasons of my recently released web show. With a number of projects lined up this year, Dev feels he is blessed to be working successfully in the industry and having completed 20 years. He says, The late director Mukul Anand picked me up for Dus (1997) and I learnt a lot from him. Since then, I have never looked back. A career in this industry depends on luck, talent and hard work. Film-making is a business at the end of the day. The actor says while he is not in a position where someone will make a Rs500 crore film starring him, yet he got a second chance in his career after the four-year break he took due to his wifes illness. I was able to restart my career in films, without a Godfather, in an industry where its tough to get a break. Being a character artiste, I feel, working sincerely worked for me. No one does favours in Bollywood. If you are good at your work, you will get work, he concludes. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola,Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force gives a chilling account of how 24 year-old combat pilot, Tolulope Arotile died. Daramola, told newsmen on Sunday that the report was a preliminary one. Please read the full statement: 1. On 14 July 2020, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), and indeed the entire Nation, was thrown into mourning as a result of the death of one of our shining young stars in the person of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, the NAFs first female combat helicopter pilot. Her unfortunate demise has elicited an overwhelming outpouring of condolences, prayers and support to the NAF as well as the Arotile Family. This has no doubt been so, not just for Tolulopes outstanding accomplishments at the tender age of 24, but also because of her sterling personal qualities of excellence, hard work, dedication to duty, confidence and courage, which endeared her to her superiors, subordinates and peers in the Service. Unfortunately, because of the peculiar circumstances of the incident that led to her death, a rash of falsehoods, innuendos, conspiracy theories and the likes have been propagated in the public space, especially on Social Media. The NAF sincerely hopes that the findings of the just-concluded preliminary investigation into this unfortunate and painful incident will address the misinformed issues raised in the Social Media on the tragedy. 2. Moreover, while it would have been ideal for the entire investigation to be concluded before details on the incident are released, the NAF, in sensitivity to public concerns occasioned by the spread of false information, appreciates the imperative to provide more clarity at this very difficult moment. Please note that the details being revealed today have already been communicated to the Arotile Family, who ideally should be allowed to mourn their daughter and sister in peace, but for the unfortunate nature of the sad occurrence. 3. In line with the normal procedure in the Nigerian Air Force during such occurrences, an investigation was immediately instituted to formally determine the circumstances of the incident. Accordingly, the preliminary investigation has revealed the following details: a. The Late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, a Squadron Pilot at the 405 Helicopter Combat Training Group (405 HCTG) Enugu, attached to the Air Component of Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, having recently completed her Promotion Examinations, was in Kaduna awaiting deployment for her next assignment. During this period, she stayed with her sister, Mrs Damilola Adegboye, at Sabo Area in Kaduna, visiting the NAF Base whenever necessary. b. On 14 July 2020 at about 10.55am, Late Flying Officer Arotile received a phone call from her colleague, Flying Officer Perry Karimo, a fellow helicopter pilot from the 405 HCTG, who wanted to discuss arrangements for their return to Enugu, requesting that she comes to the Base so that they could work out the modalities. Subsequently, at about 10.58am, the Late Arotile placed a call through to Squadron Leader Diepiriye Batubo, the Group Operations Officer (GOO) of 405 HCTG, who was in Minna at the time, to clarify issues regarding her deployment. It must be highlighted that the call FROM Flying Officer Karimo as well as the one TO the Squadron Leader Batubo both took place before 11.00am, over 5 hours before the incident which led to her death. c. Flying Officer Arotile was later conveyed from Sabo to the NAF Base Kaduna by her sister, Mrs Adegboye, where the Deceased dropped her phone for charging at a house in the Instructor Pilots Quarters belonging to Squadron Leader Alfa Ekele. Her elder sister later dropped her off at the Base Mammy Market at about 4.00pm, where she proceeded to photocopy and laminate some documents. It was while she was returning from the Mammy Market at about 4.30pm that 3 of her former schoolmates at the Air Force Secondary School (now Air Force Comprehensive School) Kaduna; Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV, with Registration Number AZ 478 MKA. It is noteworthy that Messrs Adejoh, Folorunsho and Gbayegun are all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna, but were on their way to visit one Mrs Chioma Ugwu, wife of Squadron Leader Chukwuemeka Ugwu, who lives at Ekagbo Quarters on the Base. d. Upon recognising their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the Deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries. e. Flying Officer Arotile was subsequently rushed to the 461 NAF Hospital Kaduna for treatment, while Mr Folorunsho (one of the occupants of the vehicle) who is also an Accident & Emergency Nurse at the St Gerard Catholic Hospital Kaduna, administered First Aid. f. Flying Officer Arotile was confirmed dead by the On-Call Doctor at the 461 NAF Hospital at about 4.45pm on 14 July 2020, as a result of the head injuries. g. The trio of Messrs Nehemiah Adejoh, Igbekele Folorunsho and Festus Gbayegun were immediately detained at the Air Provost Wing, 453 Base Services Group Kaduna as investigations began. They were subjected to Toxicology Tests at the 461 NAF Hospital but no traces of alcohol or psychotropic substances were found in their systems. It was however discovered that the driver of the vehicle, Mr Nehemiah Adejo, did not have a valid drivers license. h. Traffic Officers from the Kawo Police Station and the Kaduna State Police Command as well as Road Traffic experts from the Federal Road Safety Corp were also called in to provide support during the investigation. 4. Having carefully considered the foregoing, the preliminary investigation concluded that: a. The death of Flying Officer Arotile was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and significant bleeding resulting from being struck by the vehicle. b. Being a civil case, the matter will be handed over to the Nigeria Police with a view to further investigating and charging the suspects to court in accordance with extant laws. 5. The Nigerian Air Force, being a highly professional and disciplined organization, will not join issues with any individuals or groups regarding the spurious allegations of foul play espoused in some quarters. Suffice it to say that Flying Officer Arotile was a pride of the NAF in whom the Service had invested massively in terms of resources, time and energy. Consequently, it is ludicrous for anyone to even remotely insinuate malevolent intent on the part of the Service against one of its most prized assets. 6. Furthermore, it is extremely sad and disheartening that, rather than allow the Arotile Family and the Nigerian Air Force to grieve for our dearly departed Tolulope in peace, many have chosen to politicize her death, while others are using the incident to push meritless, misguided ethnic and religious agendas. The Nigerian Air Force wishes to implore everyone to respect the sensibilities of all those who have suffered most by this loss, those who really knew Tolulope her family, her friends and her Nigerian Air Force colleagues. It is of absolute importance that the memory of this Fallen Hero and our precious child is not tainted by the propagation of misplaced sentiments and wild shenanigans. Before I end this august address, may I respectfully, on behalf of the Chief of the Air Staff, the entire personnel of the NAF as well as members of the Arotile Family, express my profound appreciation to all those who in one way or the other have shown concern, support and sympathy over this unfortunate incident. Thank you for your attention. Related Radhe Shyam looking to join Bachchan Pandey for a Holi release, Shamshera to bow out from the race? Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 13:18:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan National Police (ANP) operations team has arrested 16 suspects in Kabul and its surrounding districts, the capital police said on Sunday. "Sixteen suspects involved in different criminal cases were arrested by ANP in Kabul city Police Districts and districts on outskirts of Kabul province within the last several days," the police said in a statement. The arrestees were taken to the Kabul police headquarters for screening and possible legal process, the statement added. The ANP also seized three rounds of weapons, a knife, a stolen oil truck and a stolen sedan during the operations, that were part of preventive measures being adopted to ensure a high level of security and safety in the national capital with nearly 5 million population. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 13:24:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Two off-duty Afghan National Army soldiers were shot dead by Taliban militants in Qara Bagh, a district on northern outskirts of Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday, a local TV channel reported Sunday. "The victims were brothers and they were riding a motorcycle in a neighborhood when two Taliban chased them with a motorcycle and spread bullets on them," Tolo News TV reported. The assault was the latest in a string of targeted attacks in the country. On Wednesday, a religious scholar and his brother were shot and killed in neighboring Sayyed Khil district of Parwan province. Taliban militants, who ruled the country before being ousted in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency killing government troops as well as civilians. Enditem Halfway through the year - and halfway through the summer season when officials once hoped warmer weather might speed the coronavirus's retreat - the pandemic is only intensifying in much of the country. Major school districts are bucking federal pressure to say they won't reopen classrooms in the fall. Infections have been reaching record heights in the South, West and Midwest. More than 20 states are reporting seven-day averages in coronavirus-related deaths higher than at the end of June, underscoring the turnaround since May and June when deaths declined nationally - a development President Donald Trump had touted as a sign of progress. Here are some other significant developments: The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in an upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday. The administration is also trying to block billions that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the people said. A study from South Korea could bolster those who argue reopening classrooms in much of the United States is too risky, suggesting that, while children under 10 years old are less likely to spread the coronavirus, young people between 10 and 19 years old will spread it similarly to adults. Georgia's presentation of its coronavirus data is once again under scrutiny, with a viral tweet pointing out how the color-coding of a government map has evolved. At the beginning of the month, for instance, a county needed at least 5,959 coronavirus cases to be colored red in the state's map of the outbreak. Now, a county needs at least 9,597 - with the result that no other county has newly joined the four that have been colored red since July 1, even as the state's cases have jumped by more than 37 percent in the intervening time. Health authorities are seeking to conduct testing faster while conserving resources. The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics for a coronavirus test to be used in pool testing, which involves combining samples from several people and testing them all at once. Arizona on Saturday reported a single-day high in new deaths, another sign that the surge in fatalities health officials had warned about is underway. And North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Missouri announced record-high new cases. The country set another record Friday for daily coronavirus infections, with states reporting a combined 76,403 new confirmed cases - more than double the amount the country was reporting daily during the initial surge of cases in the spring. Globally, coronavirus-related deaths are nearing 600,000, according to tracking by Johns Hopkins University. Upward of 137,000 of those deaths were reported in the United States, where total known infections have ballooned to close to 3.7 million, based on data tracked by The Washington Post. More than 394,000 new cases and 4,300 deaths had been added in the U.S. over seven days. Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned heading into the weekend that hospitalizations could surpass a nationwide peak of nearly 60,000 in the coming days and said the country was on track to see several more weeks of continued spread. California, Montana, Puerto Rico and Texas on Saturday broke their records for covid-19 hospitalizations. "We're taking a lot of infection into the fall, and once this collides with flu season the trajectory is going to be up," Gottlieb told CNBC. The new wave of infections is once again straining resources at hospitals and leading to testing backlogs, with one lab in Arizona on Saturday reporting more than 60,000 tests pending. In South Carolina, lawmakers have requested military installations to help speed testing and reporting of the results: "This is an all-hands-on-deck time for us," state senator Tom Davis, a Republican, tweeted. The FDA has reissued emergency use authorization for a coronavirus test to be used in pool testing as part of the ongoing effort to save precious resources. Pool testing involves combining samples from several people and testing them all at once. If the batch comes out positive, then the patients would be retested individually. But if the batch is negative, everyone is cleared. It's "an important step forward," said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a statement. However, the virus has continued to disrupt nearly every aspect of daily life. With the start of classes looming, some states such as Iowa, Florida and South Carolina have told schools to reopen. But others have backed off hopes of getting children back in the classroom, even as top federal health officials frame a widespread return to school as a boon to public health. California has ordered most of its schools to conduct remote instruction in the new academic year unless counties can meet strict benchmarks for reducing community transmission. Under the mandate from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom schools must stay off the state's "watch list" for virus outbreaks for at least two weeks before they can resume classroom instruction. Texas also pushed back start dates for in-person learning, allowing school districts more flexibility in when they decide to return after facing pushback for what many educators, parents and school officials said was a risky deadline for getting back to normal. And in Chicago, the country's third-largest public school district, officials announced this week they would pursue a "hybrid" model involving a mix of at-home and in-person instruction. As fear of the virus wins out, a fast retreat from in-person learning The South Korean study suggesting young people between 10 and 19 years old spread covid-19 much like adults comes days after CDC Director Robert Redfield said that there is not "much evidence" of children driving transmission, though he allowed that the risks could become clearer as children head back to school. The Trump administration has generally pointed to foreign countries' experiences reopening their schools as evidence that the United States can move ahead safely. The pandemic also remains a persistent source of uncertainty in the sports world. The latest disruption hit summer baseball, as the Toronto Blue Jays said Saturday they are "in the process of finalizing the best home location for the remainder of the 2020 season" after the Canadian government barred the team from playing home games at their ballpark in Toronto. Officials said covid-19 was to blame. "Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians' health and safety," said Marco Mendicino, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. The announcement arrived just days before Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The Blue Jays's home opener is July 29 against the visiting Washington Nationals. Responses to the U.S.'s rise in infections have been inconsistent at the state and local level, creating a nationwide patchwork of public health measures and reopening plans. Former FDA head Gottlieb warned on CNBC on Friday that lack of policy action at the state level left it up to the "collective action of individuals" to protect themselves and their communities. In hard-hit Texas, for example, it's been Houston Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner challenging a planned in-person Republican Party of Texas convention that he argues poses too great a health risk with infections in the area spiraling out of control. A federal appeals court just blocked a lower-court ruling that would have allowed the Texas GOP to proceed with the gathering in downtown Houston. "In the middle of a pandemic, the doors remain locked," Sylvester said of the appeals court's decision. More than half of all states have instituted some form of statewide mask requirements, but governors have faced resistance. In Arkansas, some local law enforcement officials were refusing to enforce the mask mandate Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson issued this week. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has experienced similar pushback from sheriffs and county officials. Other governors have moved to strike down local mask ordinances, including Georgia's Brian Kemp, a Republican, who this week sued to stop Atlanta from enforcing the mayor's mandate for face coverings in public - even as the state's coronavirus numbers soar. Georgia on Saturday reported a record high of nearly 4,700 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total cases to nearly 140,000, while 36 new deaths were reported. Average daily deaths have risen 150 percent compared with a week ago. Georgia along with Florida, Texas, California and Arizona have led the country in new cases over the past seven days. Florida alone added more than 80,000 infections. - - - The Washington Post's Sarah Larimer contributed to this report. The Congress used Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs recent statement that he cannot guarantee to what extent the border standoff with China in Ladakh would be resolved, to launch another attack on the government. What does this statement of the countrys Defense Minister mean that there is no guarantee of a solution through talks with China? Has the Modi government accepted the Chinese occupation that they cannot solve it? Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala asked at a briefing. Rajnath Singh had made the comment in Lukung near Pangong Tso lake on Friday while addressing troops. Surjewala also said the Chinese are still inside Indian territory and that China isnt ready to return to the pre-May 2020 position. China isnt permitting Indian Armed Forces to patrol from patrolling point 10 to patrolling point 13. Third, China has occupied Indian territory up to 8 km between finger 4 to finger 8 and has 3,000 soldiers in our territory. China isnt ready to restore the status quo ante and to return to the pre-May 2020 position. China has converted Ngari Gunsa civil airstrip on our border into military airstrip causing threat to our territorial integrity and placed over 20,000 Chinese soldiers on our border, Surjewala said. India and China have been in talks to reach consensus on easing tensions between the two armies in the Finger Area near Pangong Tso and Depsang plains, as well as pulling back weapons and equipment from friction points in other sectors. On Saturday, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had attacked the government over its handling of the standoff in Ladakh saying India will pay a huge price because of the governments cowardly actions. Legislators in Afghanistan 's parliament have criticized the Ashraf Ghani government of deliberately ignoring the Afghan people's interests. The parliament said Pakistani military forces have fired more than 13,000 rounds of mortar in the eastern regions of Afghanistan for the past year, particularly on the provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. Lawmakers in Afghanistans parliament on Saturday summoned acting Minister of Interior Affairs Massoud Andarabi to report on the recent mortar shelling by the Pakistani military forces on the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nuristan and accused the Ashraf Ghani government of neglecting the rights of the Afghan people. The parliament said in a report that for over the past year, Pakistani military forces have fired over 13,000 rounds of mortar in Afghanistans eastern regions, particularly on the Nuristan and Kunar provinces. The firing has left tens of civilians dead and wounded, Tolo news reported. Denouncing the provocative shelling in the eastern Afghani provinces,Wazhma Safai, a member of parliament said, Unfortunately, the Pakistani military forces have established installations in Kunar province.So far 93 of our countrymen have been martyred, said Nematullah Karyab, a member of parliament from Kunar. However, the security officials in yesterdays session of the parliament refrained from responding to the questions raised by the lawmakers in front of the media.Another member of parliament from Zabul, Zahra Tokhi said, They (Pakistani forces) killed the old and the young people, they didnt even have mercy on the women, this is shameful for the Afghan government. At least 8 civilians were killed and eleven others wounded, following mortar attacks by Pakistani forces on the Sarkano district in Kunar, as well as on Asadabad, Kumats capital, as said by local officials in the area. Some Afghan military personnel were also killed in the attacks along with the destruction of several Afghan forces checkpoints. For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Torrox town hall said that it has intensified its annual control of beachgoers reserving space by leaving belongings such as chairs and umbrellas. Torrox's 'beach hoggers' first hit the Spanish and international headlines in 2015 when the town hall introduced fines for people who left belongings on the beach early in the morning to secure the best places with a view to returning to the spot later in the day. Higher fines may be given to those people who are not respectful to agents when their belongings are confiscated. Last weekend, despite the coronavirus crisis, Local Police and Civil Protection officers issued around 100 fines to so-called beach hoggers, mainly on Torrox's Ferrara and El Morche beaches. Only one higher fine was issued to an individual who became aggressive towards an officer. A statement released by Torrox town hall last week stated that items may be left if the owners are either taking a walk, swimming in the sea or eating or drinking at a nearby restaurant of a beach bar. It added, "We need to be responsible now more than ever," in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Velez-Malaga town hall has said similar controls are being carried out along its beaches. In this May 22, 2020, file photo the Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building is visible through heavy fog in Washington. With COVID-19 cases hitting alarming new highs and a grim rising death toll, the pandemic's devastating cycle is happening all over again, leaving Congress little choice but to engineer another costly rescue. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) It stands as the biggest economic rescue in U.S. history, the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill swiftly approved by Congress in the spring. And it's painfully clear now, as the pandemic worsens, it was only the start. With COVID-19 cases hitting alarming new highs and the death roll rising, the pandemic's devastating cycle is happening all over again, leaving Congress little choice but to engineer another costly rescue. Businesses are shutting down, schools cannot fully reopen and jobs are disappearing, all while federal emergency aid expires. Without a successful federal plan to control the outbreak, Congress heads back to work with no endgame to the crisis in sight. "It's not going to magically disappear," said a somber Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., during a visit to a hospital in his home state to thank front-line workers. Lawmakers return Monday to Washington to try to pull the country back from the looming COVID-19 cliff. While the White House prefers to outsource much of the decision-making on virus testing and prevention to the states, the absence of a federal intervention has forced the House and Senate to try to draft another assistance package. It's a massive undertaking, hardly politically popular, but the alternative is worse. Experts predict an even more dire public health outlook for winter. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease official, says the U.S. needs to sweeping $3 trillion relief bill to bolster virus testing, keep aid flowing and set new health and workplace standards for reopening schools, shops and workplaces. In this April 21, 2020, file photo Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. arrives at the U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lawmakers return Monday, July 20, to Washington to try to pull the country back from the looming COVID cliff. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) She said recently she finds herself yearning for an earlier era of Republicans in the White House, saying tha despite differences, even with President Richard Nixon, who resigned facing impeachment, "At least we had a shared commitment to the governance of our country." The political stakes are high for all sides before the November election, but even more so for the nation, which now has more coronavirus infections and a higher death count than any other country. On Friday, two former Federal Reserve Board leaders urged Congress to do more. "Time is running out," Pelosi said. There were just a few hundred coronavirus cases when Congress first started focusing on emergency spending in early March. By the end of that month, as Congress passed a $2.2 trillion bill, cases soared past 100,000 and deaths climbed past 2,000. Today, the death toll stands at more than 139,000 in the U.S., with 3.6 million-plus confirmed cases. In this April 23, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump's name is seen on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, in San Antonio. There were just a few hundred coronavirus cases when Congress first started focusing on emergency spending in early March. By the end of that month, as Congress passed the massive $2.2 trillion Cares Act, cases skyrocketed above 100,000 and deaths climbed past 2,000. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File) The virus that first tore into New York, California and America's big cities is now plaguing places large and small, urban and rural, burning through the South, West and beyond without restraint. Freezer cases that stored bodies outside New York hospitals are now on order in Arizona. The mobilization of military medical units to help overworked health care providers has shifted now to Texas. Lawmakers hardly wore facial masks when they voted in March as the Capitol was shutting down and sending them to the ranks of work-from-home Americans. Trump and his allies still rarely wear them. But at least 25 governors from states as diverse as Alabama to Oregon now have mask requirements. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this past week that if everyone wore a mask, iit could help "drive this epidemic to the ground." Just as the pandemic's ferocious cycle is starting again, the first round of aid is running out. A federal $600-a-week boost to regular unemployment benefits expires at the end of the month. So, too, does the federal ban on evictions on millions of rental units. In this July 16, 2020, file photo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Pelosi said recently she finds herself yearning for an earlier era of Republicans in the White House, saying despite differences, even with Richard Nixon, who resigned facing impeachment, "At least we had a shared commitment to the governance of our country." (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) With 17 straight weeks of unemployment claims topping 1 millionusually its about 200,000many households are facing a cash crunch and losing employer-backed health insurance coverage. Despite flickers of an economic upswing as states eased stay-home orders in May and June, the jobless rate remains at double digits, higher than it ever was in the last decade's Great Recession. Pelosi's bill, approved in May, includes $75 billion for testing and tracing to try to get a handle on the virus spread, funnels $100 billion to schools to safely reopen and sends $1 trillion to cash-strapped states that are pleading for federal dollars to pay essential workers and prevent layoffs. The measure would give cash stipends to Americans, and bolster rental and mortgage and other safety net protections. McConnell hit "pause" after passage of the last aid package as Republicans hoped the economy would rebound and stem the need for more assistance. He now acknowledges additional intervention is needed. His bill centers on a five-year liability shield to prevent what he calls an "epidemic of lawsuits" against businesses, schools and health care providers. The bill is expected to provide up to $75 billion for schools, another round of $1,200 direct payments to Americans and grants to child care providers. There is likely to be tax credits to help companies shoulder the cost of safely reopening shops, offices and other businesses. In this July 14, 2020, file photo Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, walks with Ed Heath, CEO of Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital, before a press conference at the hospital in Greenville, Ky. "It's not going to magically disappear," said McConnell, during a visit to a hospital in his Kentucky home state to thank front-line workers. (Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP, File) Unlike the other virus aid pacakges that passed almost unanimously, McConnell says this one will be more difficult to approve. In the two months since Pelosi's bill passed, the U.S. had 50,000 more deaths and 2 million more infections. "If we don't invest the money now, it will be much worse," Pelosi said. Explore further Expert tells US Congress that virus fight could last years 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Those whove been keeping up with The Challenge: Total Madness know MTV has severed ties with Dee Nguyen. Nguyen made massive missteps on her social media by making light of the Black Lives Matter movement. And shes since made public apologies and removed herself from social media. While Nguyen was rightfully fired for her posts, fans are wondering if shes OK now. Heres what theyre saying. Dee Nguyen was fired from MTV for racially-charged Twitter posts RELATED: The Challenge: Dee Nguyen Was Allegedly Jealous of Another Contestant Having a Close Relationship With Wes Bergmann Nguyen is known for her inflammatory posts, and Challenge couple Bayleigh Dayton and Chris Swaggy C Williams have both called her out for trying to gain fame and clout with her posts. Unfortunately, right around the social media movement Blackout Tuesday, Nguyen made a huge misstep. She made a tasteless Black Lives Matter joke that did not go over well with fans or MTV production. Idk why some of u think Im anti BLM. Ive been saying that since the day I lost my virginity, Nguyen tweeted. This is not how you support BLM, Dayton tweeted in response. Im disgusted and disappointed. This is not a trend. This is life or death for us. MTV then took matters into their own hands and notified the public that they cut ties with Nguyen. Theyve also edited Nguyen out of future Total Madness episodes as much as possible. Wes Bergmann noted her mental health was in decline after the firing Wes Bergmann was Nguyens closest ally on the show, and Nguyen was staying in one of his homes to take part in his Patreon web series while everyone was quarantined. He gave his fans updates on Nguyen via Twitter after the firing. And he noted that she wasnt taking it well. Dee was basically my daughter, Bergmann explained on Twitter. I made the decision to ask her to leave in less than an hour. He then went into how he was helping her with her mental state. Her mental health by this time had deteriorated to a level where being in a hotel alone would have been the most dangerous option of all, Bergmann added. He also noted that helped Nguyen talk to a doctor, a hotline, a CEO, and a lawyer. Ultimately, she ended up in a mental health lodge that could help her navigate her firing and next steps. Bergmann then added that he believes Nguyen will be heading back to her home country of Australia after all is said and done. Some fans think MTV went overboard Nguyen was getting mixed reviews from fans of The Challenge long before the Black Lives Matter scandal. Now, many are wondering if shes OK, as shes been suspiciously quiet on social media. And others think MTV isnt treating Nguyen fairly. Its wild how they still have the disclaimer before every episode calling her out, a Reddit user noted. They then called attention to a past situation where racism was a severe issue on the show. What she said was stupid, but it wasnt even that bad, especially compared to what Camilla said to Leroy a few years ago. Theyre using her as a scapegoat, another mentioned. The backlash is way overblown at this point. Dee had no ill will towards the black community based off of that tweet. She was just really ignorant to the importance of the BLM, another wrote. Banning her for life was dumb. They could have used this as a chance to allow her to learn and grow from this. Were hoping MTV reevaluates every racist remark and action from competitors going forward. And were also hopeful that Nguyen has learned from this experience and has more knowledge of the movement now. Check out Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Facebook! At least two people were rescued from a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus, which was trapped under a waterlogged bridge in the Capitals Minto Road area following heavy rains on Sunday morning. The DTC bus passing through the underpass on Minto Road in central Delhi got stuck after it was flooded due to the heavy rains. News agency ANI tweeted the video of the rescue as two men were seen climbing on top of the submerged bus and then on to a ladder kept by the personnel of the fire department. #WATCH Delhi: Fire Department personnel rescue people on-board a bus that was stuck in a waterlogged road under Minto Bridge following heavy rainfall in the national capital this morning. pic.twitter.com/wBCjSRtvqw ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 The rains led to waterlogging at several stretches of roads across the national capital on Sunday morning. Delhi Traffic Police said the affected roads include the Azadpur Underpass, South Avenue Road, Pul Prahladpur Underpass, Paharganj side of the New Delhi railway station, Moolchand Underpass and near Batra Hospital, among others. The traffic police also issued an advisory asking bus and auto-rickshaw drivers to avoid wading through submerged roads as manholes could have been swept away or ditches could have flared up. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over parts of northwest India. It had said the entire monsoon trough is most likely to shift northwards, closer to the foothills of the Himalayas during July 19-20. Private forecaster Skymet Weather has also that the monsoon will move towards north and will remain stable for the next three to four days. More rainfall is expected in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab till Tuesday. 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The same folks who said the virus would just go away now say not to worry because fewer people are dying. A lower mortality rate helps, but its still too high. The sheer number of sick people is straining hospital capacity some places. Viruses dont care what anyone thinks; they just spread until something stops them. The economy cant recover if people fear infection everywhere they go. We need to balance public health and economic necessity. Fortunately, scientists are learning how to reduce risk with fewer economic side effects. The funny part: This knowledge isnt all coming out of laboratories. Its the result of unplanned, large-scale experiments on people who didnt even know they were test subjects. But whatever the source, wed better pay attention. It offers a way out of this mess. Outdoor Conditions Following the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, large protests erupted around the country, featuring exactly the kind of crowds experts had called dangerous even with masks. More virus cases seemed likely. We know the COVID-19 virus incubates for up to 14 days after exposure. So if the protests caused significant virus spread, it should be evident by now in Minnesota, where the initial protests occurred. Heres the data. Chart:Worldometers.com Minnesotas average daily case count, which had been declining, turned slightly upward in mid-June, about three weeks after the protests began. These could be infections acquired at those events. However, Minnesotas case growth was still minor compared to Florida and Texas over the same period. Other places with large protests, like New York and Washington, DC, saw flat or declining infections. That suggests the virus doesnt spread easily outdoors if people take simple precautions, like wearing masks. Many protestors did and it seemed to help. But the virus clearly is spreading. If the protests didnt cause it, what did? Hazardous Bar Tabs The governors who let businesses begin reopening in May probably didnt think of it as research. Nor did their citizens want to be guinea pigs. But thats what happened. State reopening guidelines tried to address what we know: Crowds are hazardous. Masks and distance are the best solutions. But thats hard in places like restaurants and bars. You cant eat or drink through a mask. So states required those businesses to operate at reduced capacity and maintain separation between parties. This was supposed to get them back in operation while minimizing infection risk. That was weeks ago. Millions of people have now eaten in sit-down restaurants, and the data doesnt look good. Photo: Twitter JPMorgan Chase, a large credit card issuer as well as an investment bank, analyzed spending data for its millions of customers. It shows the businesses where people used their cards. It also shows whether the card was physically present or the transaction occurred online. They found a high correlation between card-present restaurant spending and higher COVID-19 cases in the same state three weeks later. More telling, the data showed fewer cases in places with higher grocery store spending (and, presumably, more meals at home). As we always say, correlation isnt causation. But this suggests a connection, at least. Governors like Greg Abbott (R-TX) appear to see it. He recently ordered bars closed and kept restaurants at 50% capacity. We will know in a few weeks if it helps. Theres also evidence air conditioning could be a factor, in part because it encourages people in hot climates to stay indoors where the virus thrives. That seems to fit the timing, too. Cases declined in the southern US during moderate spring weather, but are now rising as summer heats up. It also raises a question for fall, when many schools and colleges plan to resume in-person, indoor classes. That may not be a good idea. Winter Is Coming Lets review what these accidental experiments revealed. Outdoor gatherings, even large ones, dont necessarily spark virus outbreaks. Close, extended indoor gatherings without masks look like a problem. No one thinks this virus will just go away. Life will be different until we get better treatments and/or a vaccine. But if these two points are correct, they offer some partial solutions. For one, we might be able to resume some outdoor activities (concerts, sporting events) with a few modifications. Parks and beaches could be manageable risks if everyone will cooperate (which is hard, I know). This would help restore economic activity. More broadly, spending our time outdoors this summer and fall might reduce the spread enough to make indoor life safer when winter arrives. It could have other benefits, too, as I described back in 2018 (see No Shoes, No Shirt, More Money). On the downside, this is a serious blow to businesses that depend on indoor crowdsnot just bars and restaurants but also airlines, casinos, and many retailers. Plus their employees and suppliers. Some may be able to adapt, but not most. They will probably need additional government support to survive. That will be more feasible if we can stop throwing money in all directions and be more precise about who needs it. The pandemic is still serious. That shouldnt stop us from doing what we can to cushion the blow. The Great Reset: The Collapse of the Biggest Bubble in History New York Times best-seller and renowned financial expert John Mauldin predicts an unprecedented financial crisis that could trigger in the next five years. Most investors seem completely unaware of the relentless pressure thats building right now. Learn more here. By Patrick_Watson 2020 Copyright Patrick_Watson - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Today Show host Karl Stefanovic has reportedly hired a new publicist, months after he inked a deal with Chris Hemsworth's Sydney-based agent, Mark Morissey. According to The Daily Telegraph, the presenter's new agent has enlisted the help of publicist Adriana Glass. The Sydney fashion publicist is also a co-owner and co-director at Electric Collective, which handles the PR for Karl's wife Jasmine Yarbrough's shoe label, Mara & Mine. New team: Today show host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) has hired his wife Jasmine Yarbrough's publicist months after 'signing with Chris Hemsworth's manager' Adriana has also previously worked with several big fashion brands, including Alice McCall and Manning Cartel. In March this year, reports claimed that Karl had dropped his long-standing manager Sharon Finnigan of SF Celebrity Management to sign a deal with Chris Hemsworth's Sydney-based agent, Mark Morissey. The Daily Telegraph also claimed Karl and his shoe-designer wife Jasmine, could soon relocate overseas after his contract with the Today show ends this year. Joining the team: Karl's new Sydney-based agent, Mark Morissey has reportedly enlisted Sydney-based PR Adriana Glass (pictured) 'It's a different play for me being asked to do something with international focus,' Karl told the publication in March, before adding: 'It's early days.' It's believed the journalist intends to 'collaborate' with Mark on TV projects, as well as international productions. An insider previously told the publication: 'Karl has long seen himself spending more time in the US, so this is the first real steps towards that plan. He is very focused.' Business:Adriana also handles the PR for Karl's wife Jasmine Yarbrough's (pictured) shoe brand Mara & Mine At the time, his Sydney talent agent Sharon denied rumours she and Karl had ceased their arrangement after 17 years. The talent manager told The Sunday Telegraph at the time that Karl was still managed by her. Meanwhile, Karl made a comeback to the Today show alongside new co-host Allison Langdon in January this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 19, 2020 07:31 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066777d85 1 National correctional-facility,Law-and-Human-Rights-Ministry,Nusakambangan-prison,Central-Java,drug-dealer,narcotics,narcotics-in-prison Free The Law and Human Rights Ministry has transferred 228 convicted drug dealers from Jakarta, Yogyakarta and West Java to the countrys maximum-security prison at Nusakambangan Island in Central Java. The ministrys corrections director general, Reynhard Silitonga, said the transfer was conducted in four waves, with the latest wave involving 90 inmates from West Java. The transfer started on July 5. Out of the 228 convicts, 75 were from Jakarta, 22 from Yogyakarta and 90 from West Java. The convicts will be assigned to individual cells in the maximum-security penitentiary. This is part of our commitment to eradicating narcotics from Indonesia. Hopefully, the prisoner transfer will help reduce drug circulation in the country, Reynhard said as quoted in a statement on Saturday. The move is part of efforts to solve the problem of prisons operating beyond their capacity, as well as to address the recent discovery of drug rings controlled behind bars by imprisoned drug dealers. Read also: BNN busts drug ring allegedly controlled by Salemba inmate Reynhard previously said that any wardens found to be involved in drug deals would be convicted and transferred to the infamous prison island. First built by the Dutch colonial administration in 1908 to hold political prisoners, the Nusakambangan prison island now includes seven correctional facilities with a total capacity of 1,606 inmates. The island can only be reached by a 1-kilometer ferry crossing from the Wijaya Pura Port in Cilacap, Central Java, making it suitable to house high-risk prisoners. In May last year, human rights activists slammed the correctional officers of Nusakambangan prison island in Central Java after a video of them mistreating inmates went viral on social media. The footage showed correctional officers dragging bound and handcuffed inmates across the dirt, some of whom could be seen with injuries on their back. Responding to the video, the corrections directorate general dismissed the Nusakambangan narcotics prison warden. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 16:37:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A staff member sprays disinfectant on the hands of a voter during the parliamentary elections in Damascus, capital of Syria, on July 19, 2020. The parliamentary elections in Syria kicked off on Sunday, the third elections during the more than nine-year-long war, amid the participation of President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua) DAMASCUS, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The parliamentary elections in Syria kicked off on Sunday, the third elections during the more than nine-year-long war, amid the participation of President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma. A total of 7,277 polling stations opened across the government-controlled areas on Sunday as voters are having the chance to vote for 1,656 candidates for the 250-seat parliament. Both the president and his wife were seen wearing masks and casting their ballots at a polling center in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. The Syrian government now controls around 70 percent of the Syrian territory while ultra-radical rebels control the Idlib Province in northwestern Syria and the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control areas in northeastern Syria. A Durga Puja organisers' forum in Kolkata has recommended certain safety measures to be taken during the festivities. The Forum for Dugotsab, an association of 350 Durga Puja committees in the city, said it will submit its list of recommendations to the office of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an office-bearer of the body said on Sunday. The forum has recommended measures like thermal screening of visitors, making the wearing of masks mandatory for everyone, allowing only 25 people inside a marquee at a time and regular sanitisation of the structures, he said. It has also called for keeping the marquees open from the front so that visitors can see the idols without having to enter the structures, the forum's office-bearer said. "After Mamata Banerjee said in state secretariat Nabanna that everyone should be careful about their health so that they can celebrate Durga Puja in a grand way, we are hopeful of celebrating the festival this year with all safety measures in place. "We have distributed a list of guidelines among members of the forum. We will submit the same to the Chief Minister's Office," he told PTI. Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata are hopeful they will be able to celebrate the festival this year, albeit in a scaled-down manner and by taking safety measures. "We will celebrate Durga Puja by following the guidelines as the livelihood of thousands are attached to it. But maybe, we will not be able to celebrate the festival the way we had initially planned," Somen Dutta of Kasi Bose Puja Committee in north Kolkata said. Partha Ghosh of Shiv Mandir Puja Committee in south Kolkata said the festival will be a low-key affair for them this year and safety measures will be taken. "The celebration will be scaled down this year while retaining our artistic hallmark. We will have a grand theme-based celebration next year," he said. Debashis Kumar, former mayor-in-council of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and one of the key persons of the Tridhara Sammilani Puja Committee in Ballygunge, said they are waiting for safety guidelines from the administration. "We haven't started our preparations yet for this year's Durga Puja. We haven't even booked any idol. Unlike some Durga Puja organisers, we don't believe in using thermal devices to screen revellers. Unless we get clear guidelines from the administration on how to go about with the celebrations, we will not take any decision," he said. Subhendu Ghosh of Kasba Talbagan Puja Committee said they will scale down the celebrations. "Our decorator has tested positive for COVID-19. We will decide accordingly," he said. The JobKeeper subsidy will be extended until at least Christmas, but the government will not continue to fork out $1,500 a fortnight for millions of workers. Instead, the standard payment will likely be dropped to $1,000 a fortnight for full-time workers from the end of September, and casual and part-time employees will be allocated a smaller sum rather than the fixed rate they currently receive. The requirements to qualify for JobKeeper will also be adjusted to reflect the needs of the community. Victoria will likely need to the most support given the state has entered a second lockdown in an attempt to stem the spread of a second COVID-19 outbreak. The JobKeeper subsidy will continue on until at least Christmas time, but the government will not continue to fork out $1,500 a fortnight for millions of workers. Pictured: Queues to enter Centrelink before JobKeeper was introduced Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is expected to outline the new JobKeeper 2.0 on Thursday Businesses have been forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic and are still struggling to bounce back The JobKeeper payment of $1,500 a fortnight was made available to eligible businesses to enable them to pay their staff even if they were not open during the pandemic. A new income test will also be conducted come September 27, when the current scheme ends, to ensure businesses which have already bounced back are removed from the payment scheme, news.com.au reported. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is expected to outline 'JobKeeper 2.0' on Thursday. The Morrison Government is also predicted to crack down on eligibility for sole traders. The decision comes after months of campaigning to prevent the government from simply cutting off the service without offering struggling businesses an alternative. A worker disinfects high-touch areas for the reopening of a cinema following the easing of the coronavirus before Melbourne was thrust into a second lockdown An employee wipes over a table at a bar in Melbourne. Businesses will have to continue to prove eligibility for new JobKeeper Victoria will likely need to the most support given the state has entered a second lockdown in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19 Mr Frydenberg told the publication this would be 'another phase of income support'. 'It will stick to the principles that have guided us well. It will be targeted, it will be proportionate, it will be scalable, and it will be using existing systems,' he said. 'The JobKeeper payment is an economic lifeline to millions of Australians and hundreds of thousands of businesses. 'Barring the spread of the virus in significant numbers beyond Victoria, we expect to see the other state and territory economies continue their recovery towards a COVIDSafe economy.' Another new element of the second wave of JobKeeper will potentially be ongoing eligibility testing. To qualify for JobKeeper initially, a business needed to prove that it had lost at least 30 per cent of income. Showing those figures for one month gave a company access to JobKeeper for the entire program until the end of September. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann agreed with altering the eligibility and means testing criteria In addition to the changes to JobKeeper, Mr Morrison (pictured) is expected to announce an extension to the current Jobseeker payments Businesses have been forced to close amid the coronavirus pandemic and are still struggling to bounce back But new means testing could see businesses having to hand over their figures and turnover results to the Australian Taxation Office each month to prove hardship. This would make it easier for the government to cut funding for businesses which appear to have bounced back from the pandemic. It is not yet clear if all industries will qualify for the extended handouts. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann agreed with altering the eligibility and means testing criteria. 'In the first six months, irrespective of what happened to your turnover after you initially qualified, you were in but as we go into this next period, there is a need to reassess whether that support, you still need it for specific businesses,' he said. In addition to the changes to JobKeeper, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce an extension to the current Jobseeker payments. That number will also likely be reduced from the current $550-per-week payments. Cases have spiralled in Victoria recently, sending the state into a second lockdown Kishanganj : , July 19 (IANS) An Indian national was injured after Nepal Police opened fire at the Indo-Nepal border at Fatehpur in Tehragachh in Bihar's Kishanganj district, the police said on Sunday. Kishanganj Deputy Superintendent of Police Anwar Javed told IANS that the incident happened when a young man, Jitendra Kumar Singh, along with two of his friends Ankit Kumar Singh and Gulshan Kumar Singh, went to the border area at around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, looking for his cattle. He said Nepal Police, deployed on the border, fired at these youths, in which Jitendra Kumar Singh received injuries in his hand. The injured Singh was immediately rushed to the primary health centre at Tehragachh for treatment, from where he was referred to Purnia. Javed said the police is investigating the case, the situation is being monitored and talks are also being held with the Nepalese authorities. There is anger among the local people after this incident. Last month also an Indian national was killed and two others received injuries after Nepal Police opened fire at them. The following editorial appeared in Sunday's Japan News-Yomiuri: - - - How do we overcome the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic and what kind of future can be envisioned for the country? It is not obvious if the government has the resolve. The government has approved four key policies including the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, or honebuto policy, and an action plan to implement the growth strategy. The honebuto policy aims to promote the digitization of public administration and society in order to achieve a balance between infection control and economic activity. However, many statements about the future outlook were conspicuously absent from the plan. Missing from the plan is a goal to increase the nominal gross domestic product to 600 trillion, as is a target for achieving a surplus in the primary balance of the central and local governments in fiscal 2025. Finance Minister Taro Aso has just said that he does not believe there is an immediate need to revise the target. The Finance Ministry is set to approve the request from ministries and agencies for uncapped budget estimates due at the end of September for the next fiscal year. Fiscal measures that prioritize combatting the coronavirus are unavoidable, but could accelerate the expansion of the budget. There is insufficient focus on how to efficiently get the economy back on track. With people increasingly concerned about the future, the importance of mid- and long-term prospects must not be forgotten. What is worrisome is that the honebuto policy has been losing substance. It began in 2001 when the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy was established, and has led to the formulation of major policies in the past, such as the so-called trinity reforms on tax and fiscal reform of the central and local governments, pension reform and privatization of the postal services. Since the inauguration of the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, each ministry has sought to have their own projects included in the honebuto policy, which has become a hodgepodge of projects as it has been used as a means to obtain budgets. Last year, the number of pages swelled to more than two times that of 2001, making policy priorities harder to make out. The volume of the plan has been slimmed down this year. However, the government should not only reduce its page count, but boldly focus on specific policies at the core of the plan. Measures to strengthen national resilience in the wake of the torrential rains in the Kyushu region and other areas are an urgent issue. However, the honebuto policy was criticized at the drafting stage because it contained the same language about the budget for disaster prevention and mitigation as the previous year's plan. It is only natural for the government's stance on the issue to be called into question. It has been suggested that the damage may have been magnified by the cancellation of a dam's construction during past moves to reduce public works projects. The budget compiling process should include a thorough discussion of what will be needed for flood control measures. The government will reportedly expand the Council on Investment for the Future, which has played a leading role in the growth strategy, to create a forum for discussions on a post-coronavirus society. Wouldn't this just result in many meetings? There is much overlap in the four plans, and the division of roles is also unclear. The government should come up with ways to present important policies to the public in a way that is easy to understand. Ghislaine Maxwell helped supply Jeffrey Epstein three girls a day for his 'sexual pleasure', an alleged victim has claimed. Annie Farmer, now 41, says at age 16 she was ordered to strip naked by Maxwell, 58, at Epstein's American ranch. Ms Farmer alleges that the pair 'lavished her with gifts' and said they would advance her studies as part of a plot to snare her in their 'organised sex-trafficking ring', The Sunday Times reports. She is said to be one of three victims who US federal prosecutors will rely on in their case against Maxwell, who was this week denied bail by a judge in New York ahead of her child sex-trafficking and perjury trial, which is set for July 2021. All three alleged victims were minors at the time of the alleged offences. One girl was only 14. Maxwell pleaded not guilty to all charges and has 'vigorously' denied wrongdoing. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, right, and Annie Farmer, center, both Jeffrey Epstein accusers, following a hearing in the Jeffrey Epstein case on Tuesday, August 27, 2019 in New York Ms Farmer, who is identified as 'minor victim 2' who was allegedly abused in New Mexico in 1996 in a six-count indictment, waived her right to anonymity last week as she called for Maxwell to stay locked up. Ms Farmer told the judge Maxwell was 'a sexual predator who abused me and countless other children and young women.' Details of Ms Farmer's alleged abuse were revealed following a civil lawsuit filed last December which allege battery and false imprisonment. The claim against Maxwell accuses her of spending 'years overseeing and managing Epstein's sex-trafficking network,' adding: 'Epstein's preference was to have three different girls a day for his sexual pleasure and Maxwell was in charge of recruiting the girls'. The lawsuit claims that Ms Farmer's older sister Maria, an art graduate who worked for Epstein's New York Household in 1995, noticed that Epstein's then girlfriend Maxwell 'would leave the mansion claiming she had to ''go get girls for Jeffrey''.' Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (both pictured) are alleged to have paid for Ms Farmer to fly to the Zorro ranch in spring 1996 but she found there were no other students when she arrived Disgraced financier Epstein reportedly persuaded Maria to bring her younger sister Annie to New York from their family home in Arizona. He then sat between the two sisters at a cinema and groped her, Ms Farmer alleges. It is also claimed that Epstein later invited her to his 10,000-acre New Mexico ranch and told Ms Farmer's mother that he was putting together an educational gathering for high school pupils. 'He explained that Maxwell would be a host or chaperone for Annie at the event,' according to court papers. Annie Farmer outside New York court on July 15, 2019 The couple are alleged to have paid for Ms Farmer to fly to the Zorro ranch in spring 1996 but she found there were no other students when she arrived. Documents claim that Maxwell had appeared 'charming and friendly' to Ms Farmer, and she was then showered with gifts and took her to see a film. While they were waiting in the queue, Maxwell pulled down Epstein's jogging bottoms and exposed part of his buttocks, and the couple would 'repeatedly fondle' each other around Ms Farmer in an attempt to 'normalise sexual behaviour' to her, the lawsuit alleges. When they returned to the ranch, Maxwell told Ms Farmer to take off her clothes and lie down on a massage table before touching 'intimate parts' of her body against her will 'for the sexual benefit of Maxwell and Epstein', it is alleged. 'Maxwell exposed Annie's breasts and groped her,' it is claimed. 'Annie was extremely distressed and afraid. She was a child in a massive ranch, away from her family, and isolated from any source of help.' The next morning Epstein went into Ms Farmer's room, entered her bed demanding a 'cuddle' and sexually assaulted her, it is claimed. Ms Farmer's lawyers allege that she only made the decision to make her allegations public following Epstein's suicide because she had feared that he and his 'co-conspirators, including Maxwell,' would harm her or her family or 'ruin her life'. Maxwell has pleaded with a judge to dismiss Ms Farmer's damages claim, which was filed to the same New York court handling her criminal case. Maxwell is accused of grooming girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 1997, a period when she was his girlfriend. She faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty of the charges Maria, who says she feels guilty for unwittingly bringing her then teenage sister into the orbit of Maxwell and Epstein, was the first person to report the pair's alleged sexual abuse of underage girls in 1996. But her attempts to get the police and FBI to investigate the attack on Annie, then 16, were ignored. Ghislaine Maxwell's denied charges One count of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts One count of enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts One count of conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity One count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity Two counts of perjury Advertisement Annie's testimony was a key factor in the judge's decision to deny Maxwell bail and keep her in a New York jail cell before her trial next year. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan earlier this week denied Maxwell's proposal of a $5 million bond co-signed by two of her sisters and backed up by more than $3.75 million in property in the UK. Maxwell's legal team had argued she would be confined to a 'luxury hotel' in the New York area, surrender all her travel documents and be subject to GPS monitoring. But Judge Nathan ruled the British socialite was a significant flight risk, citing her 'substantial international' ties and 'extraordinary financial resources', setting an anticipated trial date for July 12, 2021. Maxwell is accused of grooming girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 1997, a period when she was his girlfriend. She faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty of the charges, as prosecutors successfully argued that along with her three passports, connections to some of the world's most powerful people and her own fortune of more than $10 million - Maxwell had every incentive to try and flee. Maxwell will now return to the fortress-like Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where she has been given paper clothes to ensure she doesn't kill herself. A victim of the media and the gardai is how murder accused Aaron Brady described himself from the witness box in Court 19 of the Criminal Courts of Justice last week. Over five days, the 29-year-old repeatedly denied any involvement in the fatal shooting of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and robbery at Lordship credit union on January 25, 2013. Lies were told, he admitted, in the aftermath of the killing as he accounted for his movements to gardai the following day and again 10 days later when giving a voluntary statement to detectives. He initially claimed he arrived in the yard at 155 Concession Road, south Armagh, at 8pm that night but failed to start a forklift and left 15 minutes later to go to a friend's house. He now says this was not correct and that he was at the yard for around 90 minutes half-loading a trailer of laundered diesel cubes. The "untruths" he told gardai in the days after the murder were simply to hide the fact he was involved in illegal diesel laundering activity, he said. "Not for one second did I think gardai would be serious about me being involved in the murder of Adrian Donohoe," Aaron Brady told the jury about his interactions with them in early 2013. Brady, who denies capital murder, told his defence counsel Michael O'Higgins SC that he was in a "state of depression" after articles started appearing in newspapers linking him to the fatal shooting. Aaron Brady recalled one night out in Dublin when his mother rang him, "roaring crying" that his pixelated image was on the front of a Sunday newspaper and said that the media attention caused a fallout within the local community. He said this caused him to travel to the US in April 2013. Last Tuesday morning, prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC began his examination of the accused, putting to him: "You're the victim in all of this, is that right?" Brady said he would suggest he is; that the gardai had ganged up on him and that he had been the victim of the media. In a later exchange, Brendan Grehan put it to Brady that, not only was he an admitted liar, but a compulsive liar who lied about big things and small things. This was denied by the accused. Counsel took Aaron Brady through the week leading up to the robbery and murder at Lordship credit union. He denied testing garda response times five nights earlier and also said that, while he could not remember where he was three nights before the murder, he was certain he did not take part in the theft of a car in Clogherhead that was later used in the crime. Recalling the day of the robbery, he said he spent the afternoon with Suspect A and Suspect B, two men the prosecution say were also involved but cannot be named for legal reasons. They went to buy food in a service station in Monaghan at lunchtime and Suspect A's car was later seen passing by Lordship credit union at 1.47pm, at which time Aaron Brady said it was likely he was in the car. It is the prosecution's case that this was a drive-by, in advance of the events going to happen later that night, by three of the people involved- Aaron Brady, Suspect A and Suspect B. Brady said that, if he was there, he is "absolutely certain it was not a drive-by" or a scoping exercise. Later that night, between 8.30pm and 10.30pm, phones linked to all three men were inactive while the device of a fourth suspect in the case was also not in use at that time. The murder of Adrian Donohoe happened at 9.25pm. Aaron Brady gave evidence that he could not control what the other suspects did with their phones and said he was not in their company. He was, he said, at the yard on his own, moving laundered diesel cubes. Last Thursday CCTV footage of the moment the robbery took place was played in court, with Brady asked if he would agree it was a "very slick" raid carried out in under a minute. He said he wouldn't agree but did say that from looking at the footage, it happened very fast. He could not say if four men seen jumping over the credit union wall and running towards the vehicles in the car park moved like young men. An enhanced audio recording, taken from the dashcam of credit union worker Pat Bellew's car, was also played to the court. A man can be heard shouting: "Give me the f**king bag, give me the f**king money." The accused said he could not say if the man's voice was a border or local accent as he could not make it out. Phone records show that Aaron Brady and Suspect B spoke twice a short time after their phones became active again that night. The calls lasted around one minute each, but the accused could not recall what they spoke about. Last Friday, Brendan Grehan SC said he was moving across the Atlantic to the evidence given via-video link by two witnesses living in the US who said they heard the accused admit to shooting a guard in Ireland. Molly Staunton testified that Brady was intoxicated and ranting when he confessed to shooting a cop while they were in the New York apartment he shared with Staunton's then-boyfriend in the summer of 2016. Brady accepted that she was a truthful witness doing her best and agreed with aspects of her account, but said she was mistaken about him saying he had shot a cop and denied making any admissions. He also said the word 'cop' was not in his vocabulary and that he would use either 'guard' or 'police'. "The fact is I didn't shoot Adrian Donohoe, I didn't shoot anybody," he said. He told the jury he recalled the incident in the New York apartment, saying he was angry because two gardai had called to a house in Kerry where the parents of his wife Danielle Healy lived, and "blackened" him. Counsel also asked Brady if he told Molly Staunton he was "the most feared man in Ireland". Brady laughed when this was put to him, saying: "I definitely didn't say that, that's ridiculous." He described Molly Staunton as a "nice girl" but that she was "mistaken on a lot of things". Separately Daniel Cahill, a Dublin man living in New York, gave evidence that on three occasions he heard Aaron Brady making admissions. Brady accepted he was involved in a fight at the Bronx bar where Cahill worked but denied saying he threatened to shoot the man who assaulted him, and that he had shot a member of An Garda Siochana in Ireland. He has also accused Daniel Cahill and three other men of breaking into his apartment on March 17, 2015, and assaulting him before threatening to cut off his toes. The allegation was vehemently denied by Cahill. This dispute, the court heard, was allegedly over a threesome involving the accused, his friend, and the girlfriend of an associate of Cahill. Aaron Brady said this never happened. He repeatedly denied the conversations with Cahill ever took place and described him as "a liar" and a "psychopath". Counsel put it that a psychopath is someone with "no morality, no empathy, that blames others, manipulates others and lies to get out of any situation, playing the victim" and suggested Brady "look closer to home" at the description. The accused said this was not the case for him. The trial continues. Azerbaijan MFA statement distorts events of Armenian massacres in Baku 32 years ago Karabakh ombudsmans office: Azerbaijans anti-Armenian, genocidal policy has clear chronology US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map Armenia ex-defense minister, army General Staff chief, some others criminal case court hearing kicks off FM: Most important direction continues to be international recognition of Artsakh US selects Los Angeles to host Summit of the Americas in summer 2022 Karabakh Foreign Minister: Return of refugees can only be like mirror Iranian president arrives on official visit to Moscow All CSTO peacekeepers leaves Kazakhstan Artsakh Foreign Minister: Unacceptable to bracket NKAO and NKR together Karabakh FM: Format of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' visits needs to be restored Media: Air communication between Turkey and Armenia will start on February 2 Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan attack on Karabakh will mean attack on Russia Gold prices hardly change American professor angers Erdogan's son-in-law 15 years pass since Hrant Dink assassination 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 The are three reasons why the worlds oldest and most powerful civilisations generally ended epidemics, natural disasters, or foreign invasions. An example is the Indus Valley civilisation; it had magnificent cities, architecture, maritime, and overland trade; it was thriving well before the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet, it came to a sudden end. Scholars attribute this variously to a natural disaster or an external attack. India is grappling with both at the moment the Covid-19 pandemic and Chinese aggression on the border. Let us look at natural disasters first. The havoc caused by the coronavirus continues unabated, though the pressures of the lockdown have begun to ease up. Even in these moments of despair, there are some rays of hope. Immediately after the coronavirus outbreak began, people were fearful about its repercussions thanks to mixed signals from the political establishment. While there is official determination to combat the virus, we are hobbled by our limited health facilities. In such a situation, political leaders should refrain from any blame game, and many have risen to the occasion. Let us look at the three leaders who are the most strident critics of the central government. Delhis chief minister Arvind Kejriwal won his last two elections amid the Modi wave, which was sweeping the country. When the pandemic began to spread in Delhi, disputes between the Centre and the state government peaked. But as the situation deteriorated, Kejriwal and the Centre started cooperating. Home minister Amit Shah took command, and on several occasions, Kejriwal tweeted his apprecation and gratitude to the Centre for its support. Similarly, West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, was initially very vocal on the lockdown, operation of trains, and central subsidies. But now, we hardly hear criticism from her. Maharashtra chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, broke away from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only recently. There was bitterness on both sides. Thousands of migrant labourers gathered at Bandra station after the first lockdown ended on April 14. In many parts of Mumbai, especially in the slums of Dharavi, Covid-19 began to spread rapidly. Here too, Amit Shah took the initiative and both the governments were on the same page. Uddhavs son and cabinet member Aditya Thackeray tweeted: The Centre has taken immediate cognisance of the issue and is assisting the state actively. Im thankful to PM & HM for understanding the situation while trying to ensure the safety of home states of migrants. The kind of positivity political parties have shown after the initial setbacks has strengthened the Constitutions federal nature. Is that enough? Beyond this crisis, India has to start thinking big in terms of its future security. The jury is still out on whether the virus is natural or man-made. Even if it is natural, there is no doubt that a totalitarian government or terrorist group can use it as a weapon in the future. India has to prepare itself for the eventuality of a bio-terror attack even though that prospect seems distant at the moment. We have to strengthen our health services and make them easily accessible. The good news is that the Finance Commission, headed by NK Singh, has started preparing a proposal to increase health expenditure to 2.1% of the Gross Domestic Product in the next five years. Now it is the turn of the state governments. On the external front, the recent incursions on our borders by the Chinese army tell us two things. The first is that our defence system is not as effective as it should be. Second, Indians easily forget our defeats. The generation which grew up in the 1960s was apprehensive about China in the early stages. The defeat of 1962 strengthened this sentiment. What happened in Galwan Valley this time has shown that even though India is far more powerful today than it was in 1962, it still falls short of the mark. To change this, it is necessary to strengthen the economy. Most strategic successes in the world have been buttressed by economic successes. An aggressive China is more proud of its economy than it is of its army. Beijings ruling class seems to feel that the time has come to overpower, not just its immediate neighbours, but even take on the United States (US). India needs to reduce its economic dependence on China. Just as the wounds of the 1962 war eventually healed, so will the scars of Galwan. We have to look inward at our traditional industries to strengthen our economy. After the coronavirus crisis, immigration laws will be made more stringent across the world. It may result in the flight of talent to greener pastures. This means that India needs to provide avenues for talent to flourish internally. It was in order to dominate the erstwhile Soviet Union in the 1980s that the US,and other western countries made China the worlds manufacturing hub. Today China and Russia together have become a threat to many countries in the West. This provides an opportunity for India to position itself as an attractive destination for business and services. Chinas paramount leader Deng Xiaoping did this in the 1980s. If China is the worlds factory, then we can become the worlds office, in this era of work-from-home. If we are able to do so, we, the descendants of the Indus civilisation, will create a new history. We will have turned natural disasters and invasions into opportunities. Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan The views expressed are personal A 56-year-old man died allegedly due to drowning after his mini-truck was submerged in water under the Minto Bridge and a house near a slum area collapsed near ITO, following a heavy downpour in the city on Sunday, police said. The man, identified as Kundan Kumar, was a resident of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. He was driving a Tata Ace from the New Delhi Railway Station to Connaught Place when he got stuck in the waterlogged area, they said. A house collapsed in the slum area of Anna Nagar near ITO. Reports stated that no one was present in the house at the time of the incident. Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) and fire engines were present at the spot. The national capital received its first spell of heavy rains, which led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and brought traffic to a standstill at key stretches in the city. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that the AAP government's preparations have been exposed by the first spell of monsoon rains. In a tweet in Hindi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "This year, all agencies, be it Delhi government or MCD (civic body), were busy in prevention of COVID-19. They faced many difficulties due to corona. This is not the time to blame each other. All have to fulfil their responsibilities together. Wherever there is waterlogging, we will try to pump out water immediately." Later, in another tweet, the chief minister said water had been drained from the Minto Bridge. Kejriwal said he had been in touch with the agencies and monitoring the process of removing water from there. In Himachal Pradesh, locals of the Badseri Village were rescued from Kharoghla Nalla in Kinnaur after flash floods were triggered by heavy rainfall in the region. Heavy rains continued its havoc in Uttrakhand as water from Gori river washed away four houses, and large tracts of cultivable land at Chori Bagar village in Bangapani sub division of the district, an official said on Sunday. A portion of a bridge also collapsed at Madkhot on Pithoragarh Munsyari road, following incessant rainfall on Sunday. #WATCH Uttarakhand: A portion of a bridge collapses at Madkhot on Pithoragarh Munsyari road, following incessant rainfall. pic.twitter.com/x2KDrkGiHn ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 However, there was no casualty as occupants of the houses had been evacuated to safety in advance, the official said. All the main motor roads that link the district headquarters to the sub divisions of Bangapani, Munsiyari and Dharchula in the border district are closed following heavy rains on Saturday night. The affected families have been provided 20 kgs of ration and other essentials besides a sum of Rs 1.19 lakh as compensation, SDM in charge of Bangapani, AK Shukla said. The Badrinath Highway was blocked due to rainfall-induced landslide in Bhanerpani and Pipalkoti area. Chamoli district administration and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were reported to be clearing the highway and distributed water bottles and biscuits to the stranded passengers. Uttarakhand: Teams of Chamoli district administration and NDRF are clearing the Badrinath Highway which was blocked at Bhanerpani, Pipalkoti due to landslide. The district administration distributed water bottles & biscuits to the stranded passengers. pic.twitter.com/nzE7ojVwnD ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 In Southern India, water overflowed and entered into residential areas of Chellanam, a coastal village in Kochi due to the monsoon rains. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured all support to Assam in dealing with the flood havoc, which has claimed 81 lives so far this year. An official at the Chief Minister's Office said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal informed Modi about all the measures the state has taken so far in dealing with the problems faced by the people. The total number of people killed in this year's flood and landslide has gone up to 107 across the state, of whom 81 were killed in flood-related incidents and 26 died due to landslides, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in its morning bulletin. Floods have hit over 27 lakh people in 26 of the 33 districts of Assam and destroyed houses, crops, roads and bridges at several places. We are taking all steps for damage mitigation of the flood affected people along with adequate heathcare facilities. I have urged district admin to provide necessary relief measures on a war-footing and ensure social distancing in the area.#AssamFloods Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) July 19, 2020 "We are taking all steps for damage mitigation of the flood affected people along with adequate healthcare facilities. I have urged district admin to provide necessary relief measures on a war-footing and ensure social distancing in the area," Sonowal said in a tweet. The country has received six per cent more rainfall than normal so far in this monsoon season, but precipitation in parts of north India remains deficient, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday. The IMD has four meteorological divisions and rainfall has been more than normal in the south peninsula, central India, and east and northeast India divisions. But the northwest India division, which covers Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan, has recorded a 19 per cent deficiency, according to the IMD. (With inputs from ANI and PTI) Two Florida public service pension funds have asked a US court to certify as a class action their claims that drugs company Perrigo harmed investors by allegedly failing to disclose its liability on a 1.6bn tax assessment from Revenue. Plaintiffs for the funds - the Boca Raton General Employees' Pension Plan and the Palm Bay Police and Firefighters' Pension Fund - said the dispute meets the requirements to certify it as a class action. This would combine several potential lawsuits with similar claims and damages into a single proceeding led by one firm. The conflict stems from Revenue's audit of Elan's sale of a 50pc stake in Tysabri to Biogen. The deal happened eight months before Perrigo's acquisition of Elan in 2013. Through the deal, Elan received $3.25bn (2.9bn) and an ongoing royalty stream. Revenue claims it should have been taxed as capital gains at 33pc instead of trading income at 12.5pc. Court documents said Revenue told the company of the charge in an October 2018 audit letter. Perrigo appealed against the decision by Revenue last February. A hearing into the matter concluded last month, with the Irish courts still to announce their judgment. The plaintiffs claim Perrigo failed to share the tax liability in the October 2018 letter from Revenue to its investors when filing a quarterly report in November 2018 to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The group of investors allege Perrigo didn't reveal the extent of its liability until an SEC filing in December 2018, causing Perrigo's share price to fall by 30pc in a day. They are looking for class action certification of all entities damaged by buying the stock between November 8, 2018, through December 20, 2018. The motion was filed on July 10 to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Legal news website Law360 said Perrigo had looked to have the case dismissed, but a US Judge ruled in January that the plaintiffs could pursue their claim. Perrigo declined to comment. A mum-of-two who was lucky to escape a horrific car crash last week has pleaded with death drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel. Shauneen McMullan (49) narrowly avoided being seriously hurt or killed when she was involved in a smash on the Colin Glen Road, west Belfast, last Sunday. The human resources worker was on her way to collect her son, passing the popular Farmers Inn pub, when she was involved in a collision with another car. Shauneen, who had to be cut out of her vehicle as joyriders fled the scene, had a message for those responsible and others like them. She said: "I would like to say to people who decide to make a choice to get into a car and do that; look around at the people you love, look at your friends and family. "How would you feel if all that was taken away from you all of a sudden, if somebody you loved and cared about was taken away from you, because somebody chose to drive a car like that? Joy ride? It's more like a death ride." Expand Close The carnage left / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The carnage left In the aftermath of the crash the occupants of the other vehicle scarpered while Shauneen was left trapped in her car fearing the worst as firefighters desperately battled to free her from the wreckage. She recalled: "It's a winding road and I didn't know if he was trying to overtake until I saw him go full throttle, full speed, and nearly into a hedge. "I tried to move over as much as I could and just heard the noise of the impact, all I remember is that noise and then I came to. "When I woke up I was in that much pain, I was trying to scream and nothing was coming out because I was in shock. All I could see at first was the air bag. "My first actual thought was 'I am hurt' as I could feel pain but I didn't where it was coming from, I know that sounds strange but I couldn't. Expand Close The culprits fleeing / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The culprits fleeing "I couldn't see if I was bleeding or had broken any bones, one of the people who had come out of their house to help came over and held my hand. "I asked him twice if I was hurt and he just said he couldn't see any bleeding and was getting me to wiggle my toes. "At that stage a couple of people had come out of their houses nearby and I could see them running about but I didn't know why. "I found out later they were chasing the ones in the car, there was four of them in the car I think, I believe one was injured and the other three ran off towards Mount Eagles direction." Following the incident there were a number of appeals on social media for information to help trace the occupants of the other vehicle. Shauneen, who is recovering at home, was full of praise for the bystanders and frontline workers who rushed to her aid, adding: "The people who came out of their houses were just amazing, they called the ambulance, fire service and the police and were looking after me until they arrived. They were absolutely brilliant. Expand Close Pictured: Shauneens shoulder and neck area showing where the seat belt cut into skin. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pictured: Shauneens shoulder and neck area showing where the seat belt cut into skin. "The fire brigade had to cut the door off because the impact had rendered it useless. I can't thank them enough either, they were so good throughout the whole thing. One firefighter got into the back seat of the car and was talking me through the whole process step by step and calming me down. "It was a very, very, very terrifying experience, but with all those people there holding my hand I felt reassured." The west Belfast woman has been left so traumatised that she doesn't know if she will ever feel safe in a car again. "It's insane, you go out to pick up your son and end up in that mess. I think cars should be classed as deadly weapons because they are. For somebody to choose to get behind the wheel and behave like that and misuse that dangerous weapon, it's happening far too much and the consequences aren't severe enough when it comes to the law. "The bruises have started to come up but it's the emotional trauma. I am terrified of getting into a car now, I'm not sure if I will feel safe and protected in one ever again," she explained. Artists paint on a boarded-up building amid coronavirus closures and protests in the East Village on June 19, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Street artists found new canvases across New York City during the coronavirus lockdown. When restaurants, stores, and museums boarded up their windows, people filled the plywood with words, pictures, and scribbles. Some pieces reflect emotionally charged moments during the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. These photos show what it's like to walk through the streets of New York City right now, full of murals and messages. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Artists in NYC have found an unconventional canvas around the city during the coronavirus pandemic boarded-up storefronts. In July, The New York Times reported on colorful mural popping up across the city on the plywood covering stores. Street art is on display on the boarded-up windows of Sunspel in SoHo on June 20, 2020 in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: The New York Times Many businesses boarded up their windows when they closed for the lockdown, Ben Yakas wrote for the Gothamist. Street artists are seen working on boarded-up buildings amid coronavirus closures and anti-racism protests in SoHo on June 16, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: Gothamist Some looting broke out in May and June amid Black Lives Matter protests in response to the killing of George Floyd in police custody. To protect their stores, more businesses boarded up their windows. It's unclear if there is any connection between the vandalism and the protests. Artists paint on the boarded-up windows of a building in SoHo on June 20, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: Reuters, Business Insider Defined by the NYPD as marking up property with "intent to damage," graffiti is illegal. Street art featuring the character Bart Simpson is on display in SoHo on June 21, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: NYPD, The New York Times A street artist named EASY who painted in the 1980s told The Times that today, it feels safer. Back then, people thought graffiti writers in certain neighborhoods were painting secret messages about endangering others, he said. Street art is displayed on a boarded up 7-Eleven store in the East Village on June 19, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: The New York Times Wearing a mask is normal during the pandemic. This makes it easier for street artists to hide their identity around any potential surveillance cameras, NYT reporter David Gonzalez wrote. Street art on boarded-up buildings in the East Village on June 16, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: The New York Times Story continues The NYPD told CNBC that fewer people are complaining about graffiti this year than they were in 2019. Graffiti complaints in 2020 were down 11% as of May 10. An artist paints on the boarded-up windows of the Whitney Museum of American Art on June 21, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: CNBC Some artists in the Bowery neighborhood told Reuters that they asked businesses for permission to paint on their boards. Artists paint a mural on a boarded-up storefront as part of a neighborhood project in the Bowery neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City on June 17, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Source: Reuters A former graffiti artist, Eric Felisbret, told CNBC the art reminds him of the murals that followed September 11, 2001 intending to spread "harmony instead of discord." An artist paints on a boarded-up building in SoHo on June 20, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: CNBC Felisbret said that New York's mostly empty streets were an ideal environment for street artists because they can paint without being seen by many. Artists paint on the boarded-up windows of Alo Yoga in SoHo on June 20, 2020, in New York City. Gotham/Getty Images Source: CNBC Read the original article on Business Insider Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Mohammed Khalil, of Clementon, talks about his brother, Jabed Ikbal, 24, missing off the bay in Ocean City near the Longport Bridge. Read more Firefighters recovered an unidentified body found floating Saturday in the Great Egg Harbor Inlet between Ocean City and Longport, and authorities were investigating whether it was that of a 24-year-old man who was missing and presumed drowned last Sunday after swimming in rough waters. A fisherman found the body about 6 a.m. and called 911, according to a statement from Doug Berman, a spokesperson for Ocean City. The Longport Fire Department launched a boat and recovered the body, the statement said. The family of the missing swimmer was informed, officials said. Jabed Ikbal, 24, went missing after he was caught in rough waters near the Ocean City-Longport Bridge. His family said he split time between Clementon, N.J., and Brooklyn. He was a very good man, his brother, Mohammed Khalil, said Monday in an interview with The Inquirer. He always has family that loves him. My mother and father, they love him. Thats all I can say. Authorities said Ikbal had helped two family members to safety before he was pulled under by rough surf kicked up by Tropical Storm Fay. The New Jersey Southern Regional Medical Examiners Office was working to identify the body Saturday. Kaduva and SG 250, the upcoming Prithviraj Sukumaran project, and Suresh Gopi's 250th outing in Malayalam cinema, have been making headlines recently, with the legal battle between the makers. Now, Tomichan Mulakupadam, the producer of SG 250, has lashed out against the makers Kaduva, in a recent interview given to a popular Malayalam daily. In the interview, the producer stated that the Kaduva team has created unnecessary controversy by alleging plagiarism and filing a lawsuit against SG 250. According to Tomichan Mulakupadam, the legal battle was totally unnecessary, if the character Kaduvakunnel Kuruvachan and his story were originally developed by the senior writer Renji Panicker. The producer alleged that Kaduva team has even misled the honorable judiciary, by claiming that the character and story are developed by the writer of the project, Jinu Abraham. Tomichan Mulakupadam even accused that the makers of the Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer decided to move legally, only after the teaser of SG 250 earned immense popularity and took social media by storm. In the interview, Tomichan Mulakupadam also revealed that the script of SG 250 is penned by Shibin Francis from the USA, not by the director Mathew Thomas as Jinu Abraham stated in his lawsuit. A few portions of the movie was filmed in December 2019, and those visuals are used in the first teaser that was released on Suresh Gopi's birthday. Coming to Kaduva, lead actor-co-producer Prithviraj Sukumaran has not reacted to the controversies surrounding the two projects yet. However, Shaji Kailas, the director of the movie had recently revealed that Prithviraj is playing a fictional character in the movie. The senior filmmaker has also confirmed that Kaduva is not based on real-life incidents. Also Read: Fahadh Faasil: 'Malayalam Cinema Of The 80s Influenced Me A Lot' Nivin Pauly's Gangster Of Mundanmala: Here's Everything You Need To Know! Mastercard (NYSE:MA) has certainly delivered strong returns for its investors. As the U.S. and the rest of the world has gradually become more cashless, it's been a huge catalyst for payment processing businesses like Mastercard. Over the past decade alone, Mastercard's share price has risen by more than 1,400% and the company now has a market cap of more than $300 billion. And it may surprise you to learn that there are now more than 2.6 billion Mastercard-branded credit and debit cards in existence. However, the growth might still have a long way to go. Mastercard's market cap would need to more than triple to reach the exclusive $1 trillion club, but if it keeps growing its business and the cashless trends continue around the world, it could certainly get there. Mastercard's growth has been impressive Over the past decade, e-commerce has grown from just 4% of all retail sales to about 11.5%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And this trend is progressing even faster in several key international markets. What's more, in-person cashless payments have accelerated in recent years. Companies like Square (NYSE:SQ) and other fintechs have made it far more convenient to pay with cards and other cashless methods, and meanwhile cash has become less convenient. The COVID-19 pandemic could provide an additional tailwind -- cash isn't exactly the cleanest method of payment. All of this has combined to produce some pretty impressive growth: Metric 2019 Year-Over-Year growth 2018 Year-Over-Year Growth 2017 Year-Over-Year Growth Revenue 13% 20% 16% EPS (adjusted) 20% 42% 21% The bulk of the growth could be yet to come Despite the surge in e-commerce and cashless payments in recent years, there could be much more potential ahead for Mastercard. This is especially true in international markets. While we generally think of credit cards as universally accepted forms of payment in the United States, that's simply not the case in many highly populated areas around the world. In fact, Mastercard's management has estimated that about 80% of payment transactions around the world still take place in cash. By 2023, total card payment volume worldwide is expected to reach $45 trillion annually and considering the current annualized payment volume among the four major payment networks is about $17 trillion (Mastercard's share of this is about $6 trillion), it's fair to say that there's lots of room to grow. And that's not including non-payment types of money transfers, such as cross-border and person-to-person transfers, which are another big potential growth avenue. Mastercard's main rival, Visa (NYSE:V) has estimated the total worldwide payments market to be a staggering $185 trillion in size. And while Visa is the market leader, Mastercard isn't too far behind, and both companies could conceivably multiply their payment volume several times over in the coming years. Will Mastercard join the $1 trillion market cap club? While I don't necessarily think Mastercard will get to $1 trillion in the next year or so, I think there's a strong chance of it happening in the next decade or so. In order for Mastercard to increase in value from $300 billion to $1 trillion in 10 years, it would need to generate 12.7% annualized growth, which actually sounds quite conservative given the company's recent history and the favorable trends. Most schools in California will begin the school year next month remotely under new state rules announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. Schools may only physically open for in-person teaching if the county they are located in has been off the states monitoring list for 14 consecutive days, Newsom said. As of Friday, 33 counties including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Francisco, San Diego and Santa Barbara are still on the state watchlist. For in-person classes, all staff and students in third grade and above will be required to wear face masks, Newsom said, while those in K-2 will be encouraged to wear them. Students who refuse to or are unable to wear masks will be asked to attend classes remotely. Also Read: Glendale Has Most COVID-19 Deaths, East LA the Most Cases, City Controller's Tracker Finds Staff must also remain 6 ft. apart from one another and from their students. If there is a single case in a classroom, that class students and teacher will be asked to stay home to self-quarantine. But if there is an outbreak at an individual school, where about 5% of that school has tested positive, that school may close entirely, depending on guidance from public health officials. And if 25% of schools in a district have closed due to COVID-19, that entire district must shut down. Meanwhile, for schools beginning the academic year with online learning, districts must provide students with devices and access to internet connectivity so they can participate remotely, Newsom said. Students must also receive daily live interaction with their teachers and classmates, and adapted lessons for English learners and those with special education needs must be provided. Our students, our teachers, staff, and certainly parents, we all prefer in-classroom instructions for all the obvious reasons, Newsom said. But only only if it can be done safely. Read original story Most California Schools Will Begin School Year Remotely Under New State Rules At TheWrap Ferrari was still supreme at this time of year last season, especially in qualifying. Their engine positions during an ultimate lap were unrivalled. Mattia Binotto admitted this week that the clarification of the rules for this did indeed hurt them. At Toto Wolff that led to a fierce reaction this weekend. "That's complete nonsense again," Wolff told Motorsport.com and others this weekend. "The rules for the power source were clear to anyone who obeyed the rules. The irony is that they took us to an absolute new level. It almost brought us to a burn-out last year." Angry Wolff Wolff points to the enormous lead of his team in Hungary how much they benefit from that now. But it is clear that the matter of the Ferrari engine is still bothering him, especially after the secret agreement between the Italians and the FIA. That's why he's also aiming at Ferrari's comments about the negotiations on the new Concorde Agreement. "They make a fool of themselves with those comments", says Wolff about the fact that Ferrari and McLaren have indicated that they are ready to sign, but that some other teams are still undecided. This refers to Mercedes, which is not yet completely satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. GARDAI in Tipperary Town are investigating a fatal road traffic collision that occurred on Saturday at approximately 5pm on the N74 at Moatequarter, Kilfeacle, Tipperary. The collision involved two motorcycles and a tractor with a trailer. Gardai and ambulance services attended the scene. One male motorcyclist, aged 25, was fatally injured. His body was removed from the scene and taken to University Hospital Waterford where a post-mortem will take place. The second male motorcyclist, aged 33, was seriously injured and taken to University Hospital Limerick. The male tractor driver, aged 21, was uninjured. Garda Forensic Investigators carried out an examination of the scene and the road has now reopened. Gardai in Tipperary Town are appealing for anyone with information in relation to this collision to come forward. Gardai are also appealing for any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) who were travelling on the N74 between Tipperary Town and Cashel to make this footage available to Gardai. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tipperary Town Garda Station on 062 - 80670, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 19, 2020 15:34 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406679211e 1 National COVID-19,Education,distance-learning,#COVID19,#education,e-learning Free For the past four months, more than 60 million students across the nation have been forced to study from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But online learning presents new obstacles, particularly with uneven access to technology and inadequate online teaching methods, and concern is now growing that remote learning could worsen inequalities in education. A survey launched on Thursday by the SMERU Research Institute showed that while teachers in major cities in Java had proper facilities to teach their students online, teachers in villages, especially outside Java, have needed to visit their students homes to give and collect homework because of a lack of access to the internet and digital devices. Students [without access to technology] are mostly state school students in villages, especially outside Java. They are prone to experiencing losses in education, Florischa Ayu Tresnatri, a researcher at SMERU, said in a public discussion Thursday. Among other recommendations, the report urges the Education Ministry and Culture Ministry and local education agencies to make interventions to support teachers and to prevent inequalities in education from widening. A similar survey by the education ministry found that most schools in Indonesia, or 97.6 percent of schools surveyed, have moved to remote learning during the pandemic. The survey, however, also found that distance learning has reduced teacher-student interactions significantly. During the pandemic, interaction between teachers and students has decreased. Students are only engaged in learning activities around two to four days a week, and for less than two hours a day, Iwan Syahri, the ministrys director general for teachers and educational staff, said. Iwan said the COVID-19 outbreak had challenged every teacher in Indonesia to adapt and find new ways to teach their students. The ministry, he said, had launched a website called Guru Berbagi to provide a space for teachers to share teaching methods and learning materials they have used during pandemic either for online classes or in combination with online and offline classes. There are many ways to improve the learning process [...] because we cannot wait until we reach the ideal internet connectivity rate [nationwide], he said. A 2018 Indonesian Internet Providers Association (APJII) survey showed that although 64.8 percent of the Indonesian population was connected to the internet, these numbers were centralized in Java. Read also: Teachers go extra mile to teach students as schools remain closed Iwan said the ministry would soon launch an adaptive curriculum, which will be tailored to the needs of teaching and learning activities during pandemic. We have to adjust our expectations [toward education]. This [health] emergency is not only about how we shift to using new tools for learning, he said. Several community groups across the country, meanwhile, have taken the initiative to help students from economically disadvantaged families access online classes. One such group is Wartawan Lintas Media (Journalists Across Media), which was established by journalists from various media outlets in Jakarta. The groups latest project encourages people to donate old but still functioning smartphones to help students with no access to technology during the pandemic. The group is also collecting donations for mobile data plans. Group member Agnes Theodora Wolkh Wagunu said the idea came when the group members were distributing aid, mostly food supplies, to low-income families in Jakarta in the early days of the pandemic. They often found that children from these families could not access online classes because their parents did not have devices for their children to use. The group is also raising funds on crowdfunding platform Kitabisa. Agnes said some people from other provinces had also reached out to the group for input on how to start similar campaigns in their regions. It will take a long time if we rely on the government because of its bureaucracy. Not to mention that [intervention] also requires political will; and the government probably already has too much on its plate as well. So, now we are doing what we can to help others, Agnes said. Read also: Teacher recruitment needs better quality, equality: IGI In Yogyakarta, an initiative called BisaBelajar has been collecting donations for mobile data plans for students from low-income families. The group found that the parents of many students who struggled to participate in online classes were low-skilled subcontract workers or tourism workers, a sector that has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Hasnaa Naila, the initiator of the movement, said it started collecting its first batch of donations in April to help elementary and secondary school students in Yogyakarta who required internet access to prepare for the semesters final exams. In the first round of fundraising from May to June, BisaBelajar collected around Rp 5.2 million ($354), which it used to pay for mobile data plans for 160 students in Yogyakarta. The group will continue raising funds until students return to school. We understand that internet connectivity is not the only problem []. We continue looking for what else we can do to help," said Naila, who graduated from a university in Yogyakarta in February. "At the end of the day, we are doing the best we can to help." Editor's note: Updated to correct details of fundraising efforts As the summer rolls along with far too many of us than is necessary or wise under lockdown and travel restrictions, we deal with the failings of our infectious disease bureaucracy, the likelihood of another Supreme Court battle, and what Conrad Black correctly calls The Nightmare Campaign of Outright Idiocy. Hang tough. Reason will prevail. 1.) The Incompetence of the Federal Disease Control Bureaucracy The White House has finally had it with the incompetence and partisanship of the CDC, and it couldnt come fast enough for me. It has ordered all data on COVID-19 to be sent directly to the Department of Health and Human Services bypassing the CDC completely. The latest blunder, and possibly the final straw is the discovery that CDC has been lumping positive tests for Wuhan virus and antibodies into one number: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several state health departments have been reporting COVID-19 diagnostic tests and antibody tests as one grand tally, rather than keeping their results separate, The Atlantic reported. Reporting these numbers as a lump sum, rather than two distinct data points, presents several major issues. Namely, combining the numbers could make Americas diagnostic testing capabilities and testing rates appear higher than they actually are, according to The Atlantic. And as the tests serve profoundly different purposes, positive results from either test cannot be interpreted in the same way. Reporting all the positive results together, as one number, could skew our understanding of how many new COVID-19 cases emerge over time -- a crucial metric to help control outbreaks as states begin reopening. When told how the CDC chose to lump the results of both tests together, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute Ashish Jha told The Atlantic, Youve got to be kidding me How could the CDC make that mistake? This is a mess. Exactly so. But if you were trying to create a narrative of an out-of-control pandemic, one that was possibly deadly, what better way do that than include the results of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who have had Wuhan and likely didnt even know theyd ever been infected into the current count of active cases? Alternatively, you could just be a f***ing idiot. Maybe it wasnt just incompetence. Red State quotes Tracy Beanz: A senior administration official who spoke to UncoverDC expressed serious concern about politicization at the CDC, saying We have scientists who are working against the release of diagnostics that will help heal the American people, and we in the administration are concerned they will do the same thing with a vaccine. CDC has been doing studies and presenting analysis that is designed to hurt the President. They are laying out junk science, that is designed to discredit the President, and they are putting out reports that are designed to frighten the American people. They are leaking, they are talking to the media, and removing data from the website and doing whatever it takes to interrupt the Presidents coronavirus response. When the pandemic began, the CDC was using an antiquated system to track infectious disease. The official we spoke to told this reporter that the CDC was hesitant to upgrade their systems, and when the Trump Administration made the decision to move data collection from the CDC to HHS, the CDC removed all hospitalization data from their website indiscriminately, and not at the direction of HHS or anyone else, as has been insinuated elsewhere. The official told us CDC had all of the data and didnt put it up, because they were mad. CDC has been ordered to continue providing the data; as an operating division of HHS, they must comply. Now, everyone is operating from the same database, in real time and complete. Addressing the issues with the data collection process from the start, UncoverDC was told Before COVID struck, there was an outdated system that was monitoring infectious disease. This outdated system was still operating via fax in many cases. When COVID hit, the CDC resisted modernizing their database to provide COVID information that was necessary to save lives. When asked to improve their database they would give timelines in the weeks not in days. In the end, they were just unable to keep up with the pandemic. The official added, They were just too slow, and too unconcerned with improving. They were the anchor dragging behind. When asked whether the serious issues encountered at the CDC are purposeful, the official stated, In many cases this is purposeful. There are people who hate Donald Trump more than they are committed to their duties as doctors and scientists. 2. Another Possible Supreme Court Hearing, Certain to be Contentious The latest storm of vitriol and partisanship is likely to center on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who had known since some time in May that her liver cancer has returned, and had been undergoing a course of chemotherapy (gemcitabine) since May 19. This week she announced, quite tardily it seemed to me, this significant medical information, bringing us up to date on the latest: My most recent scan on July 7 indicated significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease. I am tolerating chemotherapy well and am encouraged by the success of my current treatment. I will continue bi-weekly chemotherapy to keep my cancer at bay, and am able to maintain an active daily routine, Throughout, I have kept up with opinion writing and all other Court work. Whatever you think of her, I think it unlikely that she will survive much longer, even as resilient as she is. Shes 87. In 1999 she was treated for colon cancer; in 2009 for pancreatic cancer; in 2018 for lung cancer; in 2019 for a tumor on her pancreas. And now, liver cancer. She has reiterated that she will remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that, but I think that is a very optimistic assessment, given her history and age. If her assessment does prove overly optimistic and a replacement is needed, we can expect the Democrats will dial up the cant and lies we saw in the Gorsuch and Kavanaugh hearings a couple hundred notches. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have his work cut out for him. It cannot have escaped Trumps opponents that due to McConnells deft hand, the President has significantly altered the federal judiciary, getting Senate confirmation of 200 federal court judges. (Two Supreme Court justices, 53 Courts of Appeals judges and 143 U.S. District Court Judges.) Thanks, too, should go to former President Obama who left all these vacancies, doubtless in the belief that Hillary Clinton would be his successor and he could count on her to fill these slots with the same kind of activist leftwing judges he would have appointed. To no small extent, the judiciary and the Supreme Court in particular, have outsize, unwarranted power here these days and this is why such confirmation hearings increasingly look like pitched battles, but here we are and thats the fact. 3. Urban Crime, Mudslinging Media, Stalled Action on Russiagate Criminal Prosecutions Conrad Black convincingly argues that Americans will banish the arsonists engaged in violent crimes in our major urban centers, who have the endorsement of people like Mitt Romney and Joe Biden, and that with its anti-Trump cast on everything, the media has immolated itself. With less than four months before the election, this is the campaign: a constant media carpet-bombing of defamatory lies about the president on behalf of a comatose candidate, propagation of unfounded hysteria over a fading pandemic, self-induced and redundant economic depression, open borders to admit and give free medical care to the unskilled peasantry of the world, and national self-abasement before militant African Americans demanding minority rule and the renunciation and degradation of those who founded the United States and led it to a pinnacle of influence in the world unequaled in all history. And this ludicrous, almost unimaginable, mockery of a quest for the worlds highest office is, in the perversity of these times, apparently leading in the polls. To expand upon Blacks comments on the Black Lives Matter movement, no one does it better than Glenn C. Loury, a black economist who is a professor at Brown University, in an interview I urge you read in its entirety. Here are some brief excerpts: On claims that you cannot understand blacks' positions because you are not black: I think its extremely dangerous that people accept without criticism this argumentative-authority move when its played. Its ad hominem. Were supposed to impute authority to people because of their racial identity? I want you to think about that for a minute. Were you to flip the script on that, you might see the problem. What experiences are black people unable to appreciate by virtue of their blackness? If they have so much insight, maybe they also have blind spots. Maybe a black person could never understand something because theyre so full of rage about being black. Think about how awful it would be to make that move in an argument. Suppose someone, a white guy, is arguing about affirmative action with you. Suppose he thinks that affirmative action is undignified because he thinks that positions should be earned, not given, but he allows that he doesnt expect someone like you to understand that argument because youre black. That would be terribly unreasonable -- even racist. Yet Im hard-pressed to see the difference. On the subject of systemic racism: People cry, structural racism. Is that why the homicide rate is an order of magnitude higher among young black men? They say structural racism. Is that why the SAT test-score gap is as big as it is? They say structural racism. Is that why two in three black American kids are born to women without a husband? Is it all about structural racism? Is everything structural racism? It has become a tautology explaining everything. All racial disparities are due to structural racism, evidently. Covid-19 comes along and theres a disparity in the health incidence. Its due to structural racism. Theyre naming partners at a New York City law firm and there are few black faces. Structural racism. Theyre admitting people to specialized exam schools in New York City and the Asians do better. This has to be structural racism, with a twist -- the twist being that this time, the structural racism somehow comes out favoring the Asians. This is not social science. This is propaganda. Its religion. People are trying to win arguments by using words as if they were weapons. They point to history. But the history is complicated. Yes, there was slavery. Yes, there was segregation. Yes, there was redlining. There were other things, too. A lot has happened in American history. Is the relatively marginal position of African-Americans taken within American political economy a causal result of Jim Crow segregation? Nobody knows the answer to that question. Im not saying that you wont find many patterns or practices of racial mistreatment in history, but Im saying that the link between them and the contemporary circumstances of African-American communities, especially at the bottom end, is woefully inadequate to explain what we see. Toughen up, buttercups; your fellow citizens are not going to back a party that endorses looting and violence. Americans will not accept the Democrats propaganda that we are racists if we take the view that civilization demands respect for person and property. Americans will not vote for a party led into the battle by a demented weak old man, a puppet for Marxists which have taken over the Democratic party, who is running a campaign of outright idiocy, but its not going to be easy listening to all their lies for the next few months. But if covering domestic violence, which takes place mainly behind closed doors, is difficult in normal times, telling the story of its rise during a time of lockdowns and quarantines poses an even bigger challenge. That is why Christopher Lee, a photographer, opted to focus on the hotline workers. He began photographing them in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas in May. According to Dr. Noel Busch-Armendariz, director of the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the University of Texas at Austin, 38 percent of adult women in Texas in 2011 reported having been in an abusive relationship. The stay-at-home orders have had a severe effect on the most vulnerable women, and domestic violence centers are bracing themselves for the worst. In Texas, which reported record numbers of daily cases of Covid-19 four times last week, the governor signaled on Friday the possibility of a new economic lockdown if the state cannot curtail its outbreak. (Natural News) A day after he warned that a statewide shutdown could be in the cards if people didnt start wearing masks, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has now stated that there are no plans for such a shutdown. I get this question, it seems like, a thousand times a day, Abbott said in an interview with Houstons KPRC-TV. People are panicking thinking Im about to shut down Texas again. The answer is no. Abbotts proclamation that a new shutdown isnt happening comes after Texas set a new high with almost 10,800 new coronavirus cases, alongside a record 110 deaths. Abbot backtracks on earlier warnings Abbot saying that a new shutdown isnt necessary for Texas is an about-face of his position a week before. On July 10, in the face of rising coronavirus numbers in the state as well as the increasing number of people flouting his statewide mask mandate Abbott stated that the next step for the state could be another economic shutdown. Things will get worse, and let me explain why, he said in an interview with KLBK TV last week. The deaths that were seeing announced today and yesterday which are now over 100 those are people who likely contracted COVID-19 in late May. The worst is yet to come as we work our way through that massive increase in people testing positive, he added. Abbott continued to push that message in various television interviews last week; however, he has since backtracked and is now cautioning people against panicking over a shutdown that he now says isnt coming. In his recent interview with KPRC-TV, Abbott seemed to imply that a shutdown would only delay the spread of the virus and that people should instead follow his mask mandate. If we were to shut down for two weeks, as some people are asking, once we open back up you would then see things begin to spread again, Abbott said. Abbott followed this up by saying that until medicines that could slow down COVID-19 had been found, the only thing that people could do to stem the pandemic would be to wear a face mask whenever they went out. Masks, not shutdown, key to fighting the coronavirus Abbot has repeatedly stressed this week that he would be able to avoid shutting down the state if people wore masks. As of Thursday, July 16, there were 10,457 people in Texas hospitals with COVID-19. This was down slightly from a peak of 10,649 on July 14, but still an 8 percent increase from the previous week and four times the number from June. Abbott said that the slight dip in the hospitalization numbers offered the state a glimmer of hope. However, he still doubled down on his mask rhetoric, saying that they needed to get everyone in the state wearing face masks. Not everyone was happy with Abbott pushing his mask order. Early Thursday, the governor faced criticism from fellow Texas Republicans during an online Texas GOP convention. While Abbott acknowledged the criticism, he remained adamant that the mask order was necessary to avoid a shutdown. The last thing that any of us want is to lock Texas back down again, he said during the virtual convention. Democrats, on the other hand, have continued to push for Abbott to take more action to stop the spread of the pandemic. Governor Abbott should start listening to public health officials and members of his own coronavirus taskforce before he makes blanket claims, said Abhi Rahman, a state Democratic party spokesperson, to the Texas Tribune. After experiencing record deaths today and over 10,000 new cases, its shocking that Abbott continues to double down on his failed policies and positions. Follow Pandemic.news to learn more about how U.S. states are battling the coronavirus. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Click2Houston.com EverythingLubbock.com Scranton, PA (18503) Today A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 41F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Cloudy. Snow showers developing late. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. By PTI NEW DELHI: The ICMR will conduct a multi-centric study to assess whether the BCG vaccine, used against tuberculosis, can prevent the occurrence of coronavirus infection and reduce the severity of the disease and mortality among elderly individuals residing in hotspot areas. The study will be carried out in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi in approximately 1,500 healthy volunteers above 60-years of age, an ICMR scientist said. Sanction has already been accorded to the trial by the ICMR's National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) in Chennai by the Tamil Nadu government on July 15 to study the efficacy of BCG vaccine in the elderly. The BCG-COVID trial, under the auspices of ICMR would be held in five other centres -- National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health in Bhopal, GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai, National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases in Jodhpur and AIIMS, New Delhi. "As a part of this multi-centric study which will be carried out at six sites, elderly people not affected by coronavirus infection, will be given the Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine. The same BCG vaccine that is administered to newborn babies as a part of National Immunization programme for more than 50 years in the country will be used in this study," the ICMR scientist said. "The objective is to see if the shots can prevent the occurrence of the coronavirus infection and reduce the severity of the disease and mortality rate among the elderly individuals residing in hotspot areas," the scientist said. There are pre-set criteria in the study that will decide on eligibility of a volunteer to participate in this study. The volunteers would be followed up closely for a period of six months post vaccination. Those vaccinated would be followed up and if some of them get infected with COVID-19 later on, it would be assessed if the BCG vaccination stood them in good stead when compared with others of the same age group who were not vaccinated. TikTok Considers London and Other Locations for Headquarters TikTok has been in discussions with the UK government over the past few months to locate its headquarters in London, a source familiar with the matter said, as part of a strategy to distance itself from its Chinese ownership. London is among one of several locations the company is considering, but no decisions have been made, the source told Reuters. It was not immediately clear what other locations are under consideration. But it has hired aggressively in California this year, including poaching Kevin Mayer, a former Walt Disney Co executive, to be TikToks chief executive. He is based in the United States. TikTok is facing heavy scrutiny in Washington over suspicions China could force the company to turn over user data. TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance. The source said the company is largely focused on its issues in the United States over the last few weeks, but has not ruled out London as a potential location for its new headquarters. TikTok is expected to significantly increase the size of its workforce in London and other key locations outside of China over the next several years, the source said. The Sunday Times reported Tiktok has broken off talks with the UK government to open a global headquarters in Britain. But a source told Reuters Tiktok was still in discussions with Britains government. TikTok declined to comment. A former Chinese internet censor recently told The Epoch Times he was interviewed for the role of monitoring and policing videos posted by TikTok users. He described TikToks parent company ByteDance as the largest and most terrifying censorship machine he had ever seen. By Echo Wang Epoch Times reporters Cathy He and Eva Fu contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 21:01:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Three Katyusha rockets landed Sunday near the U.S. embassy at the heavily fortified Green Zone in central the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said. The attack took place in the afternoon when the three rockets landed near the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone, which houses some of the main Iraqi government offices and some foreign embassies, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. There were no immediate reports on casualties, the source said. The Green Zone has been frequently targeted by insurgents' mortar and rocket attacks. The roughly 10-square-km zone is located on the west bank of the Tigris River, which bisects the Iraqi capital. The U.S. embassy and other Iraqi military bases, where U.S. troops stationed, have been frequently targeted by insurgent mortar and rocket attacks. The attack came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders. The Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The U.S. airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on Jan. 5 to pass a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces. Enditem Underworld figure Mick Gatto has been brought in to settle a dispute between one of the controversial Corkman developers and union leader John Setka after two CFMMEU organisers were allegedly assaulted. Building industry sources said the meeting was held earlier this month at the CFMMEUs offices in Elizabeth Street just days after the attack on two of the unions staff. Underworld figure Mick Gatto. Credit:Pat Scala The organisers were "attacked and jumped" by up to seven people, the CFMMEU has alleged, after the union staff arrived at the Toorak Road site in Hawthorn East. One of the organisers was taken to The Alfred hospital unconscious with non-life-threatening injuries, while the other man did not require hospital treatment. Kieran Tierney has apologised on social media after he was snapped giving a cheeky middle finger as Arsenal celebrated their win over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final. The Gunners left-back - who has not lost a domestic cup game he has started since 2016 - gave the crucial assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second goal. The Gabon striker struck twice to put the club through to their first final since last year's Europa League defeat against Chelsea in Baku. Kieran Tierney has apologised on social media after he was snapped giving a middle finger Tierney starred in Arsenal's win against Man City and assisted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang A picture of Arsenal players celebrating in the dressing room was later posted to Twitter with the Scotland international showing the middle finger. But after the picture of Arsenal's dressing room celebration was shared on social media, Tierney explained his action and tweeted: 'Didn't realise this was getting posted. 'Was a joke with the kitman. I'm so sorry if it caused anyone offence - wasn't meant in any way.' The 23-year-old then won over anyone who might have been offended with a heartwarming gesture to a cancer patient who had been watching from hospital. Aubameyang scored a goal in either half to put Mikel Arteta's men through to the final Firstly, the fan replied to Tierney's apology by suggesting the middle finger could have been for his cancer. Fan Andreas Eikaasen tweeted: 'Let's just say it was meant for my cancer, mate! Brilliant game today, made my night at the hospital', along with two laughing emojis. Tierney then replied back, saying, 'That's exactly what it stood for my man! U legend... get in touch I will send u my shirt from tonight. Keep fighting' with a heart emoji. In a post-match interview with beIN Sports, Tierney was also in a good mood and praised Arsenal captain Aubameyang after his double secured a 21st FA Cup final for the north London side. 'It is brilliant, he has done it for so long now in his career, and for me to play with him is an honour.,' he said. 'That ball [for the second goal] for me is not a goalscoring ball, but he makes that a goal so he is brilliant to play with.' Aubameyang however responded with a tweet, and claimed the Scot was being too modest, writing: ' Come on that's a f****** assist bro and thank u for that.' Tierney then responded again and added: 'If ur giving me the assist then I'm happy.' Arsenal will discover their opponents in the FA Cup final on Sunday when Frank Lampard's Chelsea take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United side. Pink has already won her battle with coronavirus, thanks to the support of essential workers and her own family. And the three-time Grammy winner has since been enjoying some quality time with her brood during quarantine. She posted a sweet tribute Saturday for husband Carey Hart, as she wished him a happy 45th birthday on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white beach selfie with him. Birthday boy: Pink posted a sweet tribute Saturday for husband Carey Hart, as she wished him a happy 45th birthday on Instagram The 40-year-old wrote: 'Happy birthday @hartluck I still remember your 27th birthday. Youre so much cooler now. 'I hope this year is your happiest. #youdeservethebest your kids worship you and I am grateful for you every single day almost.' She met the former motocross pro back in 2001, and they tied the knot in January of 2006, during a Costa Rican ceremony. Pink opened up last month on IGTV about their marriage with couple's therapist Vanessa Inn, who's helped them since their brief separation in 2008. Happy couple: She met the former motocross pro back in 2001, and they tied the knot in January of 2006, during a Costa Rican ceremony (pictured in January, 2018) Therapy works: Pink opened up last month on IGTV about their marriage with couple's therapist Vanessa Inn, who's helped them since their brief separation in 2008 (pictured in November, 2012) Different languages: She said: 'It's the only reason that we're still together because you know, I think partners, after a long time, we just speak...two different languages' (pictured in August, 2006) Proud parents: The Glitter In the Air artist and Carey share daughter Willow Sage, nine, and son Jameson Moon, three, with whom she recently survived COVID-19 (pictured in November, 2019) She said: 'I got a lot of s*** for telling people that Carey and I have been in couples counseling with Vanessa. So, I talk to Vanessa on my own and I also talk to Vanessa with Carey and for Carey and I. 'It's the only reason that we're still together because you know, I think partners, after a long time, we just speak I can't say it's a man and woman thing, I think it's a partner thing, a spouse thing that you just speak two different languages.' The Glitter In the Air artist and Carey share daughter Willow Sage, nine, and son Jameson Moon, three, with whom she recently survived COVID-19. She's been using her platform to spread awareness and resources during the global pandemic, recently calling out 'anti-mask' people on her Instagram. Pink wrote: 'I have asthma and Im wearing TWO masks! Im breathing fine and Im not a selfish idiot! WEAR A MASK ITS NOT THAT HARD.' In the 1970s, W. Glenn Campbell had a brilliant idea for reviving the backwater California think tank he ran: He would hire pre-eminent scholars who were being let go from their universities because they had reached the age of mandatory retirement. So in the 1970s, Campbell lured philosopher Sidney Hook, physicist Edward Teller, and Nobel Laureate economist Milton Friedman to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. That was the key, the breakthrough, says Melvyn Krauss, a Hoover senior fellow emeritus. Prior to their arrival, Krauss says, Hoover couldnt attract well-known scholars in their prime. But with these big names at Hoover, other luminaries, and lots of donor money, followed. Advertisement Mandatory retirement was an idea that took hold of the workplace in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, about half of American workers had a non-negotiable deadline for leaving, usually at age 65. For some, the departure may have been welcome; for others, it felt like being prematurely put out to pasture. (Friedman was active at Hoover for nearly 30 years, until his death at age 94.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, as civil rights law expanded beyond race to encompass age, disability, and gender 25 years ago, mandatory retirement was struck down by Congress. In 1986, as part of a series of congressional actions to address age discrimination, it became illegal in almost all cases to force people out of jobs at any age. Joseph Quinn, a professor of economics at Boston College, wrote in a research paper that this move sent an important message to society that the appropriate age to retire was not necessarily 65. Advertisement Advertisement The elimination of mandatory retirement became a turning point in the way Americans retire. It helped reverse a 100-year trend of people departing from the workforce in ever greater numbers and at an ever-earlier age. Because of increasing longevity, establishment of generous pension plans, and mandatory removal from the workplace, retirement had become something unprecedented: a third stage of life, potentially as long as childhood and ones working years. Then, in the 1980s, the foundation of this third stage began to crumble. Until the end of the 19th century, retirement planning was pretty simple for most Americans: You worked until you died. Sometimes, people became too old or incapacitated to continue on the farm or in the factory, and the lucky ones were cared for by family. In the 1880s, about 75 percent of men 65 and older were still in the labor force, writes Dora L. Costa, professor of economics at UCLA, in The Evolution of Retirement. But from that point on, until the 1980s, older mens participation in the workforce began steadily falling. By 1900, it had dropped to 65 percent. (Historical figures only reflect mens employment because of womens far lower participation in the labor force.) Advertisement Advertisement There were several causes for this decline. One was the appearance of pensions for Union Civil War veterans. In Working Longer, Alicia H. Munnell and Steven A. Sass of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College write that many veterans left the workforce when they received a guaranteed stream of pension income. Pensions also became a more regular fixture as Americans shifted from self-employment, largely in agriculture, to working for companies. Advertisement Advertisement In 1900, the Pennsylvania Railroad came up with an innovation: mandatory retirement. The company offered pensions to all its workers, but to collect they would have to retire at age 70. In a World Bank paper, economist Samuel H. Williamson writes that imposing a universal age of departure relieved companies of the unpleasantness of having to evaluate the fitness of their older workers individually and solved the growing problem of a glut of elderly, incapacitated employees. Advertisement Advertisement The arrival of Social Securitythe first retirement checks for workers who had reached age 65 were delivered in 1940helped make leaving the workplace an even more reasonable proposition. In 1948, a Bureau of Labor Statistics study finds, just under 50 percent of men 65 and older were still in the workforce. By 1968, it was just under 30 percent, and by 1988 just under 20 percent. A chart from Quinns paper shows that had this linear trend continued, only about 10 percent of men ages 65 to 69 would still have been working by the end of the 20th century. But in the 1980s, that all stopped. A century-old trend has come to a halt, and reversed, writes Quinn. The era of earlier and earlier retirement is over and is not coming back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year, the employment rate of men 65 and older had ticked back up to 22 percent. The employment of older women, although their absolute numbers are far smaller, has also shown a dramatic rise. From 1977 to 2007 the number of women age 65 and older in the workforce increased almost 150 percent. Thats not all. In the same period, the percentage of people of both sexes age 75 and up who are still working has increased more than 170 percent. Theres a whole new world out there, says economist Quinn. The incentives are different, and people are behaving differently. For one thing, people are no longer given a gold watch and pushed out the door. For another, reforms in Social Security have created a financial incentive to work longer. For a third, the world of defined benefit pensions is being replaced by defined contribution pensions. In the former, workers are guaranteed a monthly check for as long as they live. In the latter, workers accumulate a pot of money, as in an IRA, and whatevers in the pot better be enough to last. Advertisement Advertisement Given these financial changes, the elimination of mandatory retirement has allowed people to work as long as they need to for as long as they feel able. The argument of Working Longer is that many Americans should shift their planned retirement from their early to late 60s, which will dramatically increase the financial security of their nonworking years. And Quinn writes that given the demographic bulge of older Americans, keeping them in the workforce will ease the burden on entitlement programs. Advertisement But social scientists love to find perverse incentives and unintended consequences, and in this case, some say protecting older workers ability to stay on the job has also made employers more reluctant to hire them. Basically, its a mess, says Sass of the world of retirement today. He says employers liked mandatory retirement because it allowed for an orderly and predictable departure from the payroll. But that certainty is gone at a time that, more than ever, older workers need to find new jobs. In the 1980s, Sass says, about 75 percent of 50-year old workers would be at the same company 10 years later. Today, only half of 60 year-olds are working at the same place that employed them at age 50. In Working Longer, he and Munnell float what he calls the somewhat scandalous suggestion that the prohibition on mandatory retirement be repealedallowing companies to impose it, he suggests, at the politically feasible age of 70. Unless employers have an assurance they have a way to get rid of older employees, they wont hire older workers, he says. Advertisement Being stuck with people who just wont accept its time to go is particularly acute in academia. A 2006 article in the Boston Globe found that more than 9 percent of tenured professors on Harvards faculty of arts and sciences were 70 or older, compared with none in 1992. (The abolition of mandatory retirement laws started applying to colleges and universities only in 1994.) The article notes that Columbia University offered generous financial incentives to get older faculty to leave, yet it had a higher percentage of tenured faculty over age 70 than Harvard. Former Harvard President Lawrence Summers said, The aging of the faculty, caused in large part by the absence of mandatory retirement, is one of the profound problems facing the American research university. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States was one of the first countries to abolish mandatory retirement, this British government report finds, and it was eventually followed by Australia and New Zealand. This year, the United Kingdom will eliminate mandatory retirement. Other countries with aging populations and decreasing numbers of workers are grappling with their mandatory retirement laws. In Japan, the mandatory retirement age has gradually increased; it started at 55 in 1994 and will become 65 in 2013. In France, the mandatory retirement age private employers can impose increased to 65 from 60 in 2003. Joanna Lahey, an assistant professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University, says that in Europeand elsewheretheres a widespread, but mistaken, belief that if an old person keeps working a young person will be prevented from finding a job. Its not true, she says. More people working means greater productivity, which expands the economy. When women entered the labor force, they didnt actually take mens jobs away. There isnt a fixed number of jobs. (Lahey says even at universities its more complicated than an old professor blocking a young one. For instance, she says, increasingly when one professor retires that slot is filled by two, or more, nontenured adjuncts.) Advertisement Advertisement In the United States, there remain a few exemptions to the anti-mandatory retirement laws. Public safety is the biggest one: Pilots are stripped of their epaulets at age 65, and air-traffic controllers stop telling them when to land at age 56 (although there are some exemptions for them). In addition, the law lets companies remove highly paid, high-responsibility employees at age 65. Lahey says this is a rarely used mechanism that allows firms to gracefully retire over-the-hill executives in danger of destroying the place. Ironically, this was used against the Hoover Institutions Campbell, who in time went from being a young director to an old director. Over the years, he had an increasingly combative relationship with the administrators of Stanford University. The university had had enough and told him he was retiring when he turned 65. Campbell threatened an age discrimination suit, but the Board of Trustees cited the exemption. The man who made his reputation by hiring forcibly retired scholars was himself forcibly retired. Like Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. My local supermarket isn't very big, but it already has half an aisle dedicated to school stationery. I stumbled into it the other evening and for a moment I wondered why it was there. It was the Pritt Stick that prompted the penny to drop. Oh yeah, back to school. The supplies. It's that time of year. Or is it? I stood and surveyed the selection. Transparent plastic folders, pens, pencils, the metal box of geometry tools that hasn't changed since I was a kid. All so familiar and all so strange. I didn't buy anything. Perhaps I should have. If schools are going back at the end of August, that's a mere six weeks away. If that's the plan, we'd all better start getting our heads around it. Given we've just put down four months of no school without really feeling the time slip away from us, six weeks will pass swiftly. This is real, people, we need to be prepared. Then again, does any of it feel real? Much as we long for the kids to get back their lives and for working from home to become something done with undivided attention, until someone gives us even the bones of a plan, it's not going to feel real. I'm not buying any stationery until someone gives me a date, not even if that means I miss the special offers. Last Thursday, addressing the Dail on revised department estimates, Education Minister Norma Foley said that there was "an absolutely clear agenda to reopen schools" at the end of August or early September. She emphasised there is no confusion or uncertainty about this. It's happening. This resolute reassurance should have come as music to parents' ears, but we have a weary wariness - born of months being joined at the hip to our children - that won't allow hopes to rise for fear of them being dashed. Also, Foley's reassurance came on the same day that it was announced the Leaving Cert results won't come in August as usual, as planned, but instead on September 7, potentially too late for first year students to start university at the same time as other students. As one disappointed Leaving Cert student pointed out on last Friday's lunchtime show on Newstalk, the exams were cancelled on May 7 and the results now won't arrive until a full four months later. What could be taking so long? Of course, even with the best will in the world to expedite things, we are in uncharted territory here with cancelled exams and calculated grades. Things take longer in such situations and, no doubt, everyone is doing their best. The Leaving Cert delay, however, is only part of the recent, poor track record in delivering on time - and keeping everyone informed of - the plan. The Summer Provision programme for children with special needs is a case in point. As far back as May 3, on The Late Late Show, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said supports for children and families with special needs would be in train within weeks. As it unfolded, the summer provision plan - a welcome, expanded version of the annual July provision - was characterised by confusion over whether it would be school- or home-based and who did or didn't qualify. We were offered reassurance repeatedly, much in the manner of Norma Foley's reassurance last week, that everything was in train and going to be fine - but it dragged on and on, with parental faith disappearing in the process. In the end, summer provision was not ironed out until schools, teachers and SNAs were finishing up for the year, resulting in huge difficulty for people in securing anyone to work with their children. And there is, of course, an anxiety around the fact that all the officials are saying calm down, it'll be grand, while offering no real evidence. Last Thursday, as Norma Foley was emphasising the "clear agenda", Opposition TDs were questioning why, when there's a roadmap for opening pubs, gyms and restaurants, there's none for education. We all understand, at this point, that criteria and calculations can change - just look at the pubs - but we'd just like an idea of what's going on. How can we, as parents, be expected to plan and purchase and prepare our children psychologically for going back to school when really we don't have a clue about how it's going to happen? Add to this the call to abandon school uniforms for the coming term and you have only more confusion. Last week, Alan Mongey, president of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, suggested that the difficulty and expense of washing uniforms daily to keep them Covid-free would be stressful and untenable, and so they should be temporarily abandoned. So, what's a parent to do with the child who is starting a new school or who has shot up since March? Buy and be prepared for something that we're promised will happen but have no clue how or when, or wait, in what is now an all-too-familiar holding pattern? Neither feels quite right. No one is asking for certainty. We get that these are the most uncertain of times and the return of schools depends on more than just our desire for something, anything, to get back to a semblance of normal. If it is not safe for the children to go back, from a Covid point of view, we get that it can't happen. There is, however, at this point, a mental-health toll in simply not having a clue what's going on. There is a real sense of bubbling-under panic among parents as to whether schools will open fully, or open partially, or open at all. They doubt their ability to mobilise once more for the distance learning; they can't be sure how long they can manage the strain of working and managing kids from home; they would like to have some idea if and when school will happen. Then, and only then, will the rush for Pritt Stick begin. The tax tribunal has asked a woman to pay tax and penalties on undisclosed income of Rs 196 crore in a Swiss bank account. The Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT)'s Mumbai bench confirmed the additional amount in the Swiss account of Renu Tharani, an elderly taxpayer, a report by The Times of India said. The HSBC Geneva account is under the name of Cayman-Islands based GWU Investments, which transferred funds to the Tharani Family Trust. Renu Tharani is the only discretionary-beneficiary of the account, which was opened in 2004. Beneficiaries of overseas trusts usually deny foreign bank accounts, officials told the publication. They also often change their status to "non-resident", to avoid paying tax on overseas income. The I-T departments investigation wing found that Tharani had not disclosed the Swiss bank account in her I-T returns for 2005-06, the report said. In an affidavit, Tharani claimed that she is a non-resident. She denied having a bank account in HSBC Geneva, and being a shareholder or director at GWU Investments. In 2005-06, Tharani had given a Bengaluru address in her I-T returns and declared an income of Rs 1.7 lakh. The ITAT bench bench said even after Tharani updated her status to "non-resident", it is unlikely that she would have accumulated Rs 196 crore in the short duration of one year. ITAT added that based on her previously declared income, it would take her 11,500 years to earn Rs 196 crore. Speaking about the anti-Pakistan protests by Baloch activists in Germany, BNM Germany Zone President Hammal Baloch said that the purpose of the demonstration was to make aware the world about Harnai tragedy and human rights violations in Balochistan by the Pakistan army. Baloch activists living in Germany held a protest against the ever-increasing human rights violations in Balochistan and against the Harnai incident where Pakistan army killed the family of Qaisar Chalgarri including, his 9 years old daughter Naz Bibi. The protest was organised on Saturday by Baloch National Movement (Germany Zone), who also ran an online campaign using the hashtag #JusticForNazBibi. Along with the members of Baloch National Movement, the sympathisers of the party, Baloch Republican Party (BRP Germany Chapter), members of Pashtoon Tahfuz Moment (PTM) and people from the local community also took part in the demonstration. Hammal Baloch, The president of BNM Germany Zone addressed to the participants and said, The purpose of todays demonstration is to make aware the world about Harnai tragedy and human rights violations in Balochistan by the Army of Pakistan. A few days back Pakistan Army attacked a House in Harnai killing the elderly man Qaisar Chalgarri and his 9 years old daughter Naz Bibi and abducted two boys. Also Read: Bankrupt Pak spends 30L on propaganda, invites UK MP denied entry by India to PoK Also Read: Intolerant Pak exposed, 4 held for Buddha statue vandalism Hammal added, Pakistan is punishing Baloch nation for raising their voices for freedom while following its policy of collective punishment. The tragedy of Harnai is the continuation of the same policy. We want to send a message to the people of Germany and the civilized world that the people of Balochistan are being persecuted on a daily basis by the state of Pakistan. He added that there is compete media ban in Balochistan. The lives political activists, social activist, student, and teachers are not secure in Balochistan. Those who speak against the state atrocities of Pakistan in Balochistan, he or she either will be abducted and tortured or get killed by the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan. Asghar Ali the General Secretary of BNM Germany Zone addressed to the audience and said, Balochistan is a colony of Pakistan. The relation of the Baloch nation with Pakistan is the colonizer and the colonized. From the first day of the occupation our land, Balochistan, Pakistan has been trying to maintain its rule by the barrel of the gun. He further added, The abduction of Baloch women by lawless Pakistan Army of Pakistan is not a new phenomenon. Baloch women are being abducted from the decade of seventy. But the Pakistan army became more brutal in the recent past. The killing of Baloch women and children a clarion call for the people of Balochistan that Pakistan determined to continue the Baloch genocide more ruthlessly. Shah Fawaz, The member of Baloch Republican Party said, Our women and children are safe nowhere, neither they are safe in colleges and universities nor in at home. Even our children are being targeted and killed by the Pakistan Army. The incident of Harnai where Pakistan Army killed Naz Bibi shows the dirty intentions of Pakistan in Balochistan. A large number of political activists, intellectuals, women and children in Pakistans Balochistan province are victims of enforced disappearances by the security agencies. Many of them are languishing in detention centres whereas mutilated bodies of some of these abducted Baloch are found in isolated places. A large number of Baloch, who have taken asylum in Europe and other parts of the world, continue to hold protests to raise the support of the international community and pressurize Pakistan and its security agencies to stop human rights violations in Balochistan. Also Read: Kanye West to hold first presidential campaign rally on Sunday For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Iranians can break outbreak chain by observing health guidelines Iran Press TV Saturday, 18 July 2020 9:58 AM President Hassan Rouhani says has called on all Iranians to join hands and break the chain of the outbreak by observing health guidelines. Rouhani further emphasized, "Victory over the disease is possible, but it may be a little difficult and time consuming. We will definitely win and we must stand firm and know that victory is certain." The president added that about 25 million Iranians infected with the coronavirus have overcome the disease, but another 30-35 million people are at risk of contracting it. Citing a report provided by the Health Ministry, Rouhani announced the figures during a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus in Tehran on Saturday. "Our estimate is that as of now 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus and overcome it and about 14,000 have lost their dear lives," he said. "There is the possibility that between 30 and 35 million other people will be at risk" in the coming months. Rouhani's deputy head of communications, Alireza Moezi, said on Twitter hours later that the 25 million in fact refers to "those who have encountered the virus and achieved complete immunity". More than 200,000 people were hospitalized over the past 150 days, Rouhani added, predicting that the figure would almost double in the future. The president called for preparations to deal with the situation as hospitalization cases are increasing. Based on the Heath Ministry's report, he said, out of 1,000 people infected with the coronavirus, 500 have no symptoms and may not even realize they have contracted the disease. About 350 people have mild symptoms while 150 may need to be hospitalized. Iran has been among the countries hit hard by the coronavirus that first showed up in China in late December 2019 before spreading across the globe. Illegal US sanctions have hampered the virus fight in Iran, which reported its first COVID-19 infection cases in late February. Rouhani said that some reports show that the disease probably began to spread in Iran from the provinces of Qom and Gilan where passengers had arrived from the Chinese city of Wuhan. Authorities on Saturday reimposed one-week restrictions in the capital Tehran including banning religious and cultural functions, closing boarding schools, cafes, indoor pools, amusement parks and zoos. The Health Ministry reported 188 deaths in the past 24 hours to take Iran's total to 13,979. Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 2,166 new cases were detected over the period, taking the overall number 271,606. At least 223,300 patients have recovered so far or have been discharged from hospitals across Iran, she added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address There has never been a time since the end of World War II when it has been more important to scrutinise government and hold politicians to account. There are monumental issues for the federal Parliament to debate. The future of JobKeeper, suppression v elimination strategies for COVID-19, and the billions of dollars that are flying out of Treasury at the moment. Parliament is the only way for these debates to be had and decisions to be adequately scrutinised. The hot seats of democracy ... Parliament is where the people are represented. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Our elected politicians have been asking businesses and schools to change what they are doing to become "COVID-safe" workplaces. Anything a politician asks a business owner to do, MPs should do also. At the beginning of the pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: "Everyone who has a job in this economy is an essential worker. Every single job that is being done in our economy with these severe restrictions that are taking place is essential." Tensions are mounting by the day between the United States and China, leading to talk of a new Cold War. Experts see important historical differences -- but believe the two powers are entering dangerous territory. US President Donald Trump's administration has increasingly gone global against China, pushing other nations to reject its strings-attached aid and telecom titan Huawei, and siding unreservedly with Beijing's rivals in the dispute-rife South China Sea. Trump has made China a major campaign issue as he heads into the November election, but the relationship looks unlikely to change in more than tone if he loses to Joe Biden, who has accused the president of not being tough enough. Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard University, said the world's two largest economic powers were engaged in a long-term competition over "incompatible strategic visions," including China's desire to dominate Asia. China sees Trump as a "weak and error-prone leader" and likely believes the "disastrous" US response to the coronavirus pandemic presented opportunities to press its advantage, he said. "It resembles the US-Soviet 'Cold War' in certain respects, but it is not yet as dangerous as that earlier rivalry," Walt said. "One key difference is that the two states are still closely connected economically, although that relationship is now under considerable strain." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is taking stern warnings about Beijing around the world, did not reject the Cold War comparison in a recent radio interview. He also noted that the United States was never as economically intertwined with the Soviet Union --and said the West therefore needed to separate from China, especially its technology, which Washington fears will be used for espionage. - Chance of 'hot war' - Oriana Skylar Mastro, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said it was dangerous to speak of a Cold War with China. "The situation with China is nothing like the Cold War," she said. "On the positive side, we have extensive engagement. On the negative, there is a real possibility of a hot war between the two sides to a degree that never existed with the Soviet Union." She said that using a Cold War lens leads to ineffective responses, including Washington incorrectly seeing Beijing as an ideological threat. Mastro said that China had plenty of options to alleviate US concerns, such as pulling back weapons systems in the South China Sea. "But Beijing won't do this because it fundamentally misunderstands the drivers of US policy. It thinks the US is responding to its own decline in power -- that no matter how Beijing acts, the US will lash out," she said. "So there is no impetus to try to moderate its ambitions and how it attempts to achieve them. This is a mistake. And China's failure to do so, to try to assure the US, could lead us into a war." - Sharp hardening - In a shift from a few years ago, US businesses, stung by what they see as rampant theft of intellectual property, are rarely asking for de-escalation. David Stilwell, the top State Department official for East Asia, said he learned as US defense attache in Beijing that China responded to "demonstrable and tangible action." "Personally I was of that school that you could work with these folks. But my epiphany came 10 years ago when I went to Beijing," he told a recent think tank event. The United States has also pressed China over its clampdown in Hong Kong and mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims, each time triggering retaliatory measures by Beijing. Trump has still voiced hope of preserving a trade deal with China, which promised before the coronavirus pandemic to ramp up purchases of US goods. Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said both sides knew China would no longer be able to carry out the agreement in full. Shi said he expects relations will keep deteriorating. "The old Cold War was a very fierce confrontation and competition between two great powers, driven by ideology and strategy," Shi said. In the case of the United States and China, the two powers are selectively but rapidly "decoupling" from each other, he said. "Using this definition, it can be said that China and the United States have begun to enter a new Cold War." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ellen Wulfhorst (Reuters) New York, United States Sun, July 19, 2020 09:03 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406677cabe 2 People Melinda-Gates,Women,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Efforts to help the world economy recover from the coronavirus crisis must give a lead role to women, even as the pandemic deals an especially sharp blow to their jobs and finances, philanthropist Melinda Gates said. Recovery policies and strategies that focus on women - and do not minimize or overlook them - will prove the most successful, the co-chair of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said in an interview this week. "They are going to be the engines of recovery, and we will build back faster and better," Gates told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Otherwise it's going to be a very, very long and slow recovery in country after country around the world." Gates spoke following the publication this week of an opinion piece she wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine, in which she outlined policy proposals focused on women. She said it was vital for policymakers to ensure emergency cash aid schemes reach women who do not have a tax number or formal identity documents. Stimulus programs must be designed to include the smallest businesses, which are often run by women, she wrote. "You've got to get the money in the hands of the women... because of the sensible decisions they make," said Gates, who co-chairs the foundation with her husband, billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Read also: Why women make better crisis leaders In the United States, women have lost more jobs than men in the pandemic, accounting for more than half the jobs lost since February, according to a labor data analysis by the National Women's Law Center, a U.S. women's rights non-profit. Some 60% of job gains in June went to women, who neverthessless showed an unemployment rate of 11.2% compared with 10.2% among men, it said. Women have also been putting in more time on unpaid labor at home with extra housework, child care, home schooling and caring for elderly family members. Recent research by the Boston Consulting Group found women with children now spend an average of 65 hours a week on unpaid chores, nearly a third more than fathers. "Woman are shouldering the burden of COVID-19 more than anyone else, and they are the ones who can help us get out of this situation as we build back," Gates said. "It's the women who will help us with the recovery economically, if we do the right things." She noted that countries such as Germany and New Zealand that have fared well in the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus have women leaders. "They just have a different lens, an aperture of society," she said. "Women have had to wear so many hats for so long and juggle so much that they know what everyone's up against in society." The Gates Foundation has recently been involved in efforts to ensure the fair allocation of potential COVID-19 vaccine availability to developing countries in the face of unprecedented demand. It also has been working on addressing inequity in global health care and treatment of infectious diseases. President Donald Trump speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on July 16, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Confederate Flag Proudly Displayed by Southerners: Trump President Donald Trump said some people view the Confederate flag with pride after he was asked if the banner is an offensive symbol in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Trump said it depends on who youre talking about when considering whether the flag is offensive. When people proudly have their Confederate flags, theyre not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the South, they like the South. People right now like the South. Id say its freedom of many things, but its freedom of speech, Trump said. Asked if he was offended by the Confederate flag, the president added: Well, Im not offended either by Black Lives Matter. Thats freedom of speech. You know, the whole thing with cancel culture, we cant cancel our whole history. We cant forget that the north and the south fought. We have to remember that, otherwise well end up fighting again, he asserted. Eleven southern states banded together in a Confederacy in the 1800s, seceding from the United States. A civil war that consumed the young country for four years began in 1861. The Union, or the northern states, won in the end and the southern states later rejoined the United States. Some people have continued to fly the Confederate flag at their homes or other places. A campaign sign for President Donald Trump sits between two Confederate flags, one bearing the words I aint coming down, in the backyard of a home in Sandston, Va., on July 4, 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) A number of organizations and agencies in recent weeks announced their banning of the flag. NASCAR banned it last month while the U.S. military prohibited it being flown on its bases last week. Trump criticized NASCAR for the move and has opposed the taking down of Confederate statues. He won many southern states in the 2016 election. In 2017, after clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, over a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Trump correctly predicted that the push to take down monuments wouldnt stop with Confederates. This week its Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop? Trump told reporters at the time. Statues of Washington and other Founding Fathers have been toppled by vandals in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump, in the interview broadcast Sunday, also said he might veto the defense spending bill Congress is currently working on if it ultimately includes a provision requiring the renaming of bases named after Confederates. I might, the president said, adding: Yeah, I might. An entrance to Fort Bragg in a file photograph. (Chris Seward/AP Photo) He turned his attention to Fort Bragg, one of the 10 bases in question, which sits in North Carolina. Fort Bragg is a big deal. We won two World Wars, nobody even knows General Bragg. We won two World Wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is, in a great state, I love that state, go to the community, say how do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then what are we going to name it? Trump wondered. Were going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton? he added. The president was speaking to Chris Wallace of Fox News. Trump in June threatened to veto the defense spending bill if the amendment, which was introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and approved by the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee, isnt removed. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) responded by saying the Senate would probably override the veto if one came. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 21:55:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- It has been noted the world over that there is a need to fully engage young people in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic if responses are to yield desired results. This is because young people play a critical role in the further spread of the pandemic in that they can be engaged as peer educators that can appeal to their communities to take action. To this end, entities working to advance the welfare of young people have incorporated young people's innovative ideas in their COVID-19 responses in an effort to ensure inclusiveness and for interventions to be impactful. Youth Action Zambia, a community-based youth organization that works in low and middle-income communities of Zambia's capital Lusaka has been mobilizing youths to take part interactive peer-to-peer education and awareness-raising initiatives and community outreach activities that are targeted at increasing youth participation in COVID-19 interventions. This is against the realization that youth have the potential to transform their communities and spaces if they are given the right tools and platforms. "The idea is to equip the youth with knowledge and skills so they can take an active role in this global fight against the pandemic and influence their various communities in coming up with practical solutions to this challenge," said Youth Action Zambia executive director Sebastian Mwila. Mwila further said that as a result of the various outreach programs targeting young people that his organization was involved in, a substantial number of young people across Lusaka have demonstrated interest in taking action to ensure that the COVID-19 disease is contained in their communities. According to him, the youth remains a valuable resource that can be mobilized with minimal resources and engaged as agents of positive change more so now that the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic. He revealed that his organization is overwhelmed with the very big response that it has received from many youths wanting to participate in COVID-19 intervention programs adding, that this is an indication that young people are willing to be part of development processes. "It is encouraging to see more young people interested in getting involved in COVID-19 programs. This is also an opportunity for communities to invest in the youth because they are custodians of the future," Mwila said. He adds that Youth Action Zambia has also developed and disseminated advertisements and short documentaries that highlight the importance of adhering to COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Mwila also appealed to business houses and individuals alike to partner with charities and reach out to populations in need of humanitarian assistance stating that messages of prevention should also be complemented by measures that respond to immediate needs of communities. He revealed that for its part, Youth Action Zambia in partnership with Action Aid recently donated tap buckets for handwashing to selected schools and health facilities in Lusaka. The organization also donated hygiene kits comprising sanitary wear and tablets of soap to girls and young women from underprivileged communities. "We observed that this is also the most challenging time for girls and young women from vulnerable communities because of disruptions to livelihoods," he added. Enditem BEIJING (AP) The number of confirmed cases in a new coronavirus outbreak in Chinas far west has risen to 17. The National Health Commission said Saturday that 16 more cases were identified in the previous 24 hours in the Xinjiang region, on top of a first case. The outbreak in the city of Urumqi is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March. The largest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people. Authorities in Urumqi have reduced subways, buses and taxis and closed off some residential communities, according to Chinese media reports. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city, including a suspension of subway service to the airport. China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community. The region has long been blanketed with extreme security, which China says is necessary to prevent terrorist activity. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: Bangladesh has surpassed 200,000 cases. Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the Health Directorate, said Saturday that 2,709 people had tested positive over the last 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 202,066, including 2,581 deaths. Bangladesh lacks adequate laboratories for testing, and experts say the actual figures are much higher. Most people in rural Bangladesh have stopped wearing masks and are thronging to shopping centers ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, scheduled for later this month. Australias Victoria state saw a marked drop in new COVID-19 infections from Fridays record high of 428 to 217. The Health Department said Saturday that two more people in the state, a man and a woman both aged in their 80s, had died, raising the states death toll to 34 and Australias national total to 118. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison requested that the next two-week sitting of Parliament be canceled because of increasing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in parts of the country. Parliament was due to sit from Aug. 4 to 13 and would not meet again until the next planned two-week sitting starting on Aug. 24. Morrison said he had written to the parliamentary speaker to ask for a cancellation. The request is considered a formality. Story continues South Korea has reported 39 newly confirmed infections of COVID-19, most of them cases imported from abroad. The figures brought the national caseload to 13,711, including 294 deaths. Authorities said least 28 cases were tied to overseas arrivals. Eighteen others came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which had been at the center of a virus resurgence that began in late May as restrictions eased. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, July 20 2020 Lovers of Indonesian literature are mourning the passing of Sapardi Djoko Damono, one of the countrys most celebrated poets. The 80-year-old passed away on Sunday morning at Eka Hospital in Tangerang, Banten, where he had reportedly been treated since July 9 for declining organ function. He was buried at Giri Tama Cemetery in Bogor, West Java, on Sunday afternoon. Born in Surakarta, Central Java, Sapardi spent his childhood surrounded by literature. He wrote actively since middle school and regularly sent his work to magazines. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Federal regulators have circulated a draft report critical of lapses in financial management at Valley Metro last year. The finance department at Valley Metro paid operating costs with a capital assistance grant in 2019, running afoul of a host of protocols, according to documentation prepared for the Federal Transit Administration. In the course of these events, Valley Metro withdrew $2.5 million from the grant between January and May 2019 without proper documentation and approvals. The report further found that Valley Metro failed to promptly report the matter to the FTA. The Financial Management Oversight Review, which criticized Valley Metro for having an inadequate control environment, reached Valley Metro General Manger Kevin Price in recent days. Price said Friday it warrants a review of procedures with an eye toward fixing any deficiencies that are found. Donghee Tony Cho, a regional FTA executive based in Philadelphia, asked Price in a letter July 2 to submit a corrective action plan within 30 days. Bus system officials have previously acknowledged that events occurred last year outside normal operating procedures. They attributed the problems to the departure of an accounting supervisor and a resulting workload increase for remaining finance employees. Among the stumbles, the staff failed to request operating money in a timely manner, resulting in a situation in which bills came due and only capital funds were available to pay them. Price was unaware of the missteps as they happened, but later found out and took action, according to Sherman Stovall, assistant city manager and assistant vice president for operations at Valley Metro. Stovall and Price said there was no fraud, theft or personal gain, and there is no mention of any such concerns in the federal report. However, some payments were delayed to vendors of capital goods, including a bus vendor that wasnt paid for seven months, the report said. The board of directors of the Greater Roanoke Transit Co., a city council-appointed panel that runs Valley Metro, is scheduled to receive a briefing on the matter Monday. Valley Metro administrators have already taken remedial action that included repaying a portion of the funds. The bus service has continued to operate with safety precautions during the pandemic and continues to receive federal money. But the governments review is ongoing and comes at a time when Valley Metro is seeking authority to build a new bus terminal paid for in part with federal funds. Valley Metro did not make public that it was in financial disarray during the first half of 2019. The matter first came to public light in Roanoke in November in a management bulletin to the GRTC board. The next month, three private consultants dispatched by the FTA spent two weeks going over records at Valley Metros offices. The Roanoke Times repeatedly asked the FTAs media spokesman for the results of the site visit emailing him monthly but received little information. The FTA recently said it would delay the release of the draft report, which is dated March 18, until it was final. Stovall released the draft report and Chos cover letter on Wednesday at the request of The Roanoke Times. Another document provided by the city was an external audit that explained the effect of staff turnover on the finance department. When remaining employees covered for the departed supervisor, it led to a breakdown in the required separation of duties designed to prevent a single employee from having access to all phases of a transaction, wrote Brown, Edwards & Co., Valley Metros external auditor. In this case, the finance director assumed incompatible duties such as the preparation of bank reconciliations and journal entries and the initiation of electronic payments, the audit said. The draft report prepared for the FTA drilled down into the financial transactions, including the largest: an electronic request to FTA for $469,648 on May 7, 2019. In the hindsight review made public this week, the FTAs consultant found that this drawdown lacked the required signatures and documentation. Finance department personnel at GRTC indicated the drawdown was requested to cover cash requirements, the report said. The draft conclusion? GRTC does not have adequate procedures related to drawdowns that address timing, required supporting documentation, accounting responsibilities, approvals and reporting, the report said. The report added: Inaccurate representations were made to the FTA. In June, Valley Metro returned the $469,648 to the FTA in what the auditor called a significant refund. The FTA a short time later earmarked those dollars for Valley Metro, and Valley Metro has since drawn down the money again, but properly this time. There will not be the loss of any funding, Stovall said by email. Theres been no mention in public reports or interviews of any other money being returned or needing to be returned. City officials routinely refuse to discuss personnel matters, leaving it unknown whether any finance personnel were disciplined. There has been no public evidence of any fallout for Price or the transit management company that employs him, First Transit Inc. A few days before Valley Metro sent the money back in June, First Transits contract with Roanoke came up for renewal. At its regular board meeting June 15, the GRTC board rehired First Transit in a competitive bidding process to which no other company applied. First Transit was rehired for five years. The same day as the rehiring vote, a federal judge issued a pre-trial ruling favorable to a former female Valley Metro employee who is suing First Transit. The lawsuit contains allegations of sexual harassment against Prices predecessor, Carl Palmer. The case has been scheduled for a two-day trial starting in June 2021. First Transit denies the allegations. Drew Harmon, the citys independent auditor who also keeps an eye on Valley Metro, said Friday that Valley Metro has hired a new director of finance since the events of last year. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Trump administration reportedly wants to zero out newly proposed funding for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and health agencies tens of billions of dollars Republican senators suggested as part of the next aid package in response to the pandemic. The federal government has already spent more than $3 trillion in efforts to revive the economy after the outbreak shuttered businesses and prompted unprecedented layoffs across the nation. Sen. Mitch McConnell is expected to unveil another aid package this week, with Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration looking to spend about $1 trillion compared to another $3 trillion in a Democratic proposal approved by the House of Representatives in May. For more on the next stimulus package, read here. Republicans in draft legislation called for $25 billion in grants to assist states ramp up testing and contact tracing efforts, $15 billion for the National Institutes of Health and $10 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times. The lawmakers entered negotiations with the Trump administration also pushing for $20 billion to the Pentagon and $5.5 billion for the State Department to help blunt the outbreak in the U.S. and abroad, and to help eventually distribute a vaccine, the newspapers reported. But the administration called for eliminating the funds for testing, the health agencies and the State Department, and reducing the Pentagon funding to $5 billion, the Times reported. The stance, which comes after several months of lawmakers pushing President Donald Trump to advance a national testing strategy, frustrated Republican leaders, who will continue negotiations this week with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. A senior administration official told The Times that talks had only just begun, noting the administration would ensure the aid package included funding at appropriate levels across all agencies to address this crisis. The president has called testing a double-edged sword, and pinned testing as the core reason for the recent increase in cases. Last month he quipped during a rally that hed told administration officials to slow down the testing, please. White House officials said he was joking, but Trump himself later told a reporter he wasnt kidding. About 3.7 million Americans have been infected and more than 140,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The Trump administration has noted that while many states are seeing surges, death totals are far below the viruss peak earlier this year, showing that therapeutics are having a positive effect. The U.S. saw new coronavirus cases drop in April after the federal government and most states implemented strict social distancing guidelines. But several states, especially in the South and West, have seen new cases spike at unprecedented levels. The country has broken records of day-over-day positive case increases for several days already in July. Related Content: Rajesh Kumar Thakur By PATNA: Eight of Indias 20 most vulnerable districts to coronavirus are in Bihar, with Darbhnaga topping the chart. Darbhnaga also reports maximum number of migration of labourers and is also one of the 15 most flood-prone districts of Bihar. Bihar is witnessing an exponential growth of coronavirus cases, with the state capital emerging as the hotspot of more than 3,245 positive cases and reporting 28 deaths so far. According to a latest study carried out in The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, published on July 16, Bihar has been found to be the second most vulnerable state to the infection of the Covid-19 after Madhya Pradesh and Telengana. The study was conducted by Rajiv Acharya, associated with New Delhi based Population Council, and Akash Porwal, titled A vulnerability index for the management of and response to the Covid-19 epidemic in India: an ecological study. It claims to have assessed the indices of vulnerability on 15 indicators in socio-economic, demographic, housing and hygiene, epidemiological and health systems together. The study shows Madhya Pradesh leading the overall vulnerability chart, while Sikkim has almost zero vulnerability. Arunachal and Himachal Pradesh come on the lower strata of assessed vulnerability to the effects of coronavirus. In Bihar, as per the study, Darbhnaga was found carrying the overall score of 1.000 vulnerability after UPs Sitapur district with overall 0.998 score of vulnerability. On March 9, 1998, John Lewis returned to the site of his bloodiest, most brutal confrontation in the fight for civil rights. Lewis had shown up in Selma, Alabama, that day to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march, first with a dedication for the old church where the march started, and then to receive a key to the city. Waiting there for Lewis was an old, now-bowed adversary: Selma Mayor Joseph Joe Smitherman. Smitherman had only recently been sworn in as mayor when Lewis and 600 others were beaten by police while trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Smitherman was a segregationist who ordered city police to join the sheriffs deputies and state troopers armed with tear gas, nightsticks, and electric cattle prods. Though the City Council prevented Selmas officers from wading into the clash, Smitherman had already made his feelings clear. Lewis was famously bloodied during the march; the state troopers were so violent that they fractured his skull. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But on this day 33 years later in Selma, the times and social mores had changed. Lewis came to town as a living hero, the moral conscience of the countrys greatest deliberative body. Smitherman was thus cast as a different sort of relic of the Jim Crow South, still clinging to power in a small town that represented the worst abuses of the civil rights era. Back then, I called him an outside rabble-rouser, Smitherman said during the ceremony. Today, I call him one of the most courageous people I ever met. Smitherman survived politically for years by winning almost all of the towns white vote and picking off a few Black voters. In his final election in 2000, two years after he said those nice words about Lewis, he again blamed outside Black agitators for stirring up old trouble. He claimed his Black opponent, James Perkins, brought people from California, the NAACP, Al Sharpton, all this crowd into Selma to try to affect the outcome of a city race. Smitherman ultimately lost that race, ending his 35-year reign in Selma. Advertisement Advertisement I thought of Smitherman, whose role in maintaining white supremacy made Lewis work necessary in the first place, as an avalanche of tributes to Lewis came in late Friday night and Saturday morning following his death at 80. Who would be the Smitherman, I wonderedthe disingenuous antagonist who kept Lewis fighting until his dying breath? Who would attempt to redraw the battle lines to feign allyship with an American hero? Who would shamelessly celebrate the life of Lewis only to work assiduously to thwart his lifes work? Advertisement House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy lauded Lewis as a patriot in the truest sense and posted a picture of himself trailing Lewis on a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2015. One of the greatest honors of my life was to join him for multiple trips to Selma to march across the bridge, he said. But McCarthy has never done anything to show that those tripsmeant to commemorate the bloody fight to protect and expand the right to votewere anything other than timely photo opportunities. When Lewis was co-sponsor of a bill to renew portions of the Voting Rights Act in December, McCarthy and all but one of his Republican members voted against it. As recently as April, McCarthy blasted voting by mail as dangerous for the country and said the system involves a lot of fraud while offering no evidence for the claim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Cato Institute also sought to align itself with Lewis, calling him a Libertarian Hero in a tweet on Saturday morning, linking to a January tribute. But only seven years ago, the think tank filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act. The courts ruling in that case, Shelby v. Holder, allowed nine states, most of them in the South, to change their election laws without advance federal approval. It is long past time to declare victory over Jim Crow and move on to a healthier stage of race relations, the institute wrote. Its worth remembering that last month, on the seventh anniversary of the Shelby v. Holder decision, Lewis was still urging the court to reconsider. It is a shame and a disgrace. I urge you to correct course and take action. Time is of the essence to preserve the integrity and promises of our democracy, Lewis wrote, by then publicly ailing with the pancreatic cancer that would kill him. Cato was no more an ally to Lewis than Smitherman and the troopers had been. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From the state where Lewis settled, raised a family, and launched a political career, Gov. Brian Kemp made his attempt at a testimonial. Lewis was a Civil Rights hero, freedom fighter, devoted public servant, and beloved Georgian who changed our world in a profound way, Kemp tweeted Saturday. But it is Kemp who is perhaps the best example of the resistance Lewis faced in trying to change the world. As Georgias secretary of state, Kemp was at the forefront of a national GOP-led movement to make voting more difficult, from championing photo ID laws to prosecuting residents on specious claims of voter fraud. Kemp directed the removal of 1.5 million voters from the state rolls from 2012 to 2016, according to an analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice. Advertisement Advertisement While running for governor in 2018 but still serving as secretary of state, Kemp purged the states voter rolls in a move that mostly affected Black voters. Lewis found the conflict of interest so egregious that he called on Kemp to resign. Brian Kemp is actively abusing the power of his office to make it more difficult for Georgians to vote, Lewis said then. His actions make it impossible for voters to trust that this election will be administered in a fair and impartial way. Kemp eventually prevailed over Stacey Abrams, his Democratic opponent, in the election. He gets to call Lewis a hero from the governors mansion. Advertisement But most notable among those paying respects Saturday morning was Sen. Mitch McConnell. He endured hatred and violence, McConnell said of Lewis in a press release. But he kept working, because he was convinced that our nation had to be better. Advertisement McConnell was in law school in August 1965 when he was invited to a ceremony to witness then-President Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Voting Rights Act. For McConnell, the legislative accomplishment was most impressive not for guaranteeing the franchise for Black Americans but for its bipartisan support. On issues of great national significance, one party should never simply force its will on everybody else, he wrote in the Wall Street Journal in 2015. Over the years, McConnell managed to fashion himself as a friend to civil rights activists. A New York Times profile in July 2015 referred to his longstanding commitment to civil rights legislation. McConnell pointed out that he was raised in Kentucky by parents who opposed segregation and that hed even attended the March on Washington in 1963, where Lewis was the youngest featured speaker. Advertisement But by 2007, McConnell did not appear very committed to the fight that continued to fuel Lewis and his work. That year McConnell proposed an amendment to a Senate immigration bill that would have changed the Voting Rights Act to require that all voters show photo identification. From then on, McConnell was stubbornly against any measures to restore any pieces of the legislation that hed witnessed signed into law a half-century before. Its been a big success. Its worked, he insisted of the now-kneecapped Voting Rights Act. Its important to understand how different the South is now. America has come a long way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lewis, of course, knew better. He was in the Supreme Court chamber during the challenge to the Voting Rights Act, later telling Ari Berman of Mother Jones that he almost cried when Justice Antonin Scalia compared the VRA to a racial entitlement. Advertisement In many ways, McConnells betrayal was what kept Lewis working in his final years. In December 2019, Lewis presided over the House as it passed legislation to restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act, requiring states with a long history of voting discrimination to once again get federal approval for any changes to voting procedures, Berman writes. In a primary season marred by voting problems, like six-hour lines in Lewis home state of Georgia, its been sitting on Mitch McConnells desk for 225 days. Lewis would often bring members of Congress to Selma to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge, trying to draw a connection between the conditions that called for his civil rights activism back then and todays inequality and, sometimes, unrest. Lewis returned to Selma this March for the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, clearly weakened by cancer. Everyone seemed to understand it would be his final time crossing that bridge. A lot had changed since the first march from Selma to Montgomery. Smitherman was long gone; he died in 2005. There were no helmeted state troopers waiting for Lewis and the marchers on the other side. But the fight that defined John Lewis life, and the people and institutions that stood in his way, blocking progress, undermining rights, were still there, and he knew it. Im not going to give up. Im not going to give in, Lewis said that day. We must use the vote as a nonviolent instrument or tool to redeem the soul of America. Advertisement Advertisement Lewis continued his march for equality long after he survived the beating in Selma. It is an obvious tragedy that so much of his lifes work remained undone, something he alluded to last summer. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a yearit is the struggle of a lifetime, he posted on Twitter. But its important to remember, as the tributes roll in, that the struggle continues because of people like Brian Kemp and Mitch McConnell. They are not the well-meaning allies who happen to sit on the other side of the aisle. They are not the good men who had reasonable disagreements with a civil rights icon. If John Lewis is a hero, they are the villains. Correction, July 20, 2020: Due to a photo provider error, the caption originally misidentified the Voting Rights Advancement Act as the Voting Rights Enhancement Act. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. North Dinajpur: The Chopra area in the North Dinajpur of West Bengal witnessed violent protests after a dead body of a 15-year old girl was found on Sunday (July 19, 2020). Although the Police officials said that there were no signs of any sexual or physical assault, the villagers in the Chopra area allege that the girl was raped. The West Bengal Police said, "Today morning Islampur PD received reliable information about the death of a young girl of Chopra PS area. Family members or any other associated persons didnt inform Police. Police contacted the family and sent the body for Post Mortem." They added, "Inquest by a magistrate and videography of the Post Mortem was done. As per the PM report cause of death is effect of poison. No injury marks anywhere in the body has been found. There is no sign of sexual or physical assault." They stated, "Though L&O problem has been created over the issue, yet no complaint has been lodged with the police." Today morning Islampur PD received a reliable information about the death of an young girl of Chopra PS area. Family members or any other associated persons didnt inform Police. Police contacted the family and sent the body for Post Mortem... (1/3) West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) July 19, 2020 Though L&O problem has been created over the issue, yet no complaint has been lodged with police.(3/3) West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) July 19, 2020 The protests turned violent when the villagers started vandalising properties and public buses. The Police personnel had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse the mob. According to few media reports, three North Bengal State Transport Corporation buses were set on fire along with three police vans. Police reinforcements, including Rapid Action Force, were reportedly brought in to lift the blockade and disperse the protesters. The setback sunk modest hopes that the three countries could resolve their differences and ink an agreement before Ethiopia begins to fill its $4.6 billion hydroelectric dam. Ethiopia had previously pledged to start filling the reservoir, even without a deal over its operation, at the start of the wet season in July, when rains flood the Blue Nile. A declared window of two to three weeks to resolve the dispute is closing fast. A Missouri man who was pictured along with his wife as they brandishing guns outside their home while Black Lives Matter protesters marched past has said he could face charges in the case. Mark McCloskey, 63, made headlines on June 28 when he was pictured alongside his wife Patricia outside their Renaissance palazzo-style home in St. Louis . They were caught on video pointing their weapons at demonstrators who were on their way to protest outside Mayor Lyda Krewson's house. McCloskey, a personal injury attorney, owns the firearms legally. Kimberly Gardner, circuit attorney in St. Louis, announced shortly after the June incident that her office and the St. Louis Police Department would be conducting an investigation into the McCloskeys' display of firearms. On July 10 the McCloskeys' home was searched, and Mr McCloskey's AR-15 assault rifle was seized. Arrangements were also made to turn over the handgun wielded by Mrs McCloskey. Mark McCloskey appeared on Fox News on Saturday to discuss the July 10 raid on his home McCloskey and his wife Patricia went viral after a June 28 run in with BLM protesters McCloskey on Saturday told Fox News that he believed he would face charges, although he was unclear what they would be. 'I don't know the details of the criminal aspect of this, although I think there is no criminal aspect of this,' he said. 'But I think under the technicalities of Missouri law, in order to trump up whatever the attorneys are going to have against us, we have to test-fire the weapon or make sure that it's the gun and credibly capable of being lethal.' The Fox News host, Jesse Watters, shook his head in dismay. 'And now you think you might get indicted by this radical DA,' said Watters. 'You could probably slap the city of St Louis with a law suit.' Watters asked if McCloskey was considering that, 'I'm just trying to get on with my life,' he replied. 'I'm trying not to say too much, because at any moment we could be slapped with a summons and arrested.' McCloskey told Fox News he could face charges, but he did not know what McCloskey said his wife was struggling with the attention, but praised her defense of their property, saying he did not expect her to also display her weapon, a handgun, during the event. 'I was always surprised to see her out there facing off [the] welfare crowd,' he said. 'I grabbed my rifle and I was standing up on the porch - and all of a sudden I see her in the front yard with our pistol in her hand. What a woman.' The protesters were en route to Mayor Lyda Krewson's home to demand her resignation after she released the names and addresses of residents who had suggested defunding the police department. They had broken their way into the gated community where the McCloskeys live. Attorney Gardner, who is St. Louis' top prosecutor, issued a statement after the June 28 incident in which she said she was 'alarmed' by the McCloskeys actions. Gardner added that 'any attempt to chill (the right to peacefully protest) through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated.' The couple's attorney Joel Schwartz said that under Missouri law, people who are in reasonable apprehension or fear have the right to take necessary steps to defend themselves. 'In this particular situation, people not only broke the law and trespassed on private property, but they committed property damage,' Schwartz said, adding that a St. Louis business was burned down and a retired police captain was killed in the week leading up to the confrontation. Photos of the couple standing outside their palatial property armed with an AR-15 and a handgun were beamed around the world at the end of June Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has reported that public records and interviews show the McCloskeys are almost always in conflict with others, typically over control of private property. They filed a lawsuit in 1988 to obtain their house, a castle built for Adolphus Buschs daughter and her husband in the early 20th century. At the McCloskeys property in Franklin County, they have sued neighbors for making changes to a gravel road and twice evicted tenants from a modular home on their property. Mark McCloskey sued a former employer for wrongful termination and his sister, father and his fathers caretaker for defamation. The triangle of land bordering the McCloskey home has been the source of a long dispute The McCloskeys and the trustees of Portland Place, the private street in a St. Louis historic district where they live, have been involved in a three-year legal dispute over a small piece of land in the neighborhood. The couple claim they own it, but the trustees say it belongs to the neighborhood. Mark McCloskey said in an affidavit that he has defended the patch previously by pointing a gun at a neighbor who tried to cut through it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 12:08:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The signing of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" into law by the United States seriously violates international law and the basic norms governing international relations, a move detrimental to global peace and stability, experts worldwide have said. The U.S. move "will naturally be deplored by any sovereign government," said B.R. Deepak, chairperson at the Center of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University. "The U.S.-China relationship is one of the most important relationships of the 21st century and both must handle it with care. There are bound to be differences amongst nations. However, there is also room for cooperation," he said. In the interests of global and regional peace and development, he urged the two countries to avoid conflict, and cautioned that "strategic competition" may not pave the way for strategic cooperation. " Both may decide what is workable for them and what is not," he added. Alexei Fenenko, leading research fellow at the Institute for International Security Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, described the U.S. legislation on Hong Kong as "illegitimate" and "gross interference in China's internal affairs." "The United States is seeking by all means to restrain China," said Fenenko, emphasizing this is just another step in the implementation of the U.S. containing strategy, which will provoke new tensions. The U.S. politicians' statements about Tibet and Xinjiang are aimed at the same goal, Fenenko added. In the view of Abdul-Raziq Ziyada, a Sudanese political analyst, the U.S. signing of the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Act" into law is "a grave violation of international law" and a flagrant interference in China's internal affairs. "The United States has got used to unilateral actions that constitute a grave violation of international law," Ziyada said, adding "the U.S. move also represents interference in China's internal affairs as Hong Kong is an integral part of China." Jose Luis Robaina, a senior researcher at Havana's Center for the Study of International Politics, said the signing of the Hong Kong-related act into law by the U.S. side represents a gross interference in China's internal affairs. "The purpose of the U.S. move is not to protect Hong Kong's 'democracy' and 'freedom', but to contain China's development," said Robaina. For Vladimir Antwi-Danso, director of academic at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs and no country has the right to interfere. The U.S. move is "an unfortunate development" as the world has witnessed unnecessary trade disputes targeted at countries like China in recent years. Enditem Top commanders of the Indian Air Force will carry out an in-depth review of the countrys air defence system at a three-day conference beginning Wednesday in view of the bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh as well as evolving regional security scenario, military sources said. The commanders are also expected to specifically deliberate on deployment of first batch of around six Rafale fighter jets which are expected to join the IAFs fighter fleet later this month, they said. The main focus of the commanders conference will be to deliberate on the overall situation in eastern Ladakh and on ways to enhance the IAFs combat prowess and surveillance over the countrys air space in all sensitive sectors including in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, the sources said. The commanders will also review the evolving security architecture in the region and ways to boost IAFs combat capability, said a source. The conference will be chaired by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also expected to address the IAF commanders. The IAF has been carrying out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh region in the last few weeks, in an apparent message to China that it was ready to deal with any eventualities in the mountainous region. A number of IAF platforms participated in a military drill in Stakna in eastern Ladakh on Friday during the defence ministers visit to the region. The exercise showcased integrated combat prowess of the Army and the Indian Air Force in dealing with complex security scenarios in the high altitude terrain. The IAF has deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in key frontier air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China notwithstanding disengagement of troops by Chinese military from a number of friction points. The IAF has also deployed Apache attack choppers as well as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations. The IAF has pressed into service a fleet of C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft as well as C-130J Super Hercules in transporting heavy military equipment and weaponry to several forward bases in the region. The sources said the commanders will also deliberate on preparations to received the first batch of the Rafale jets from France. The jets are expected to reach India by end of this month. The first squadron of the aircraft will be stationed at Ambala air force station, considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDAs Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. The disengagement process between Indian and Chinese militaries began on July 6 after a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi the previous day. Doval and Wang are Special Representatives for the boundary talks. How substantial? Sharpless pointed to an NCI model examining colon and breast cancer that forecasts an additional 10,000 deaths in the United States from those two cancers alone over the next 10 years because of the pandemic. Sharpless emphasized that this is a conservative number; it doesnt take into account other cancer types, the impact of upstaging (being staged later due to delays in being seen, probably with more extensive disease), and assumes only a moderate disruption in care that will be completely resolved after six months (which is to say it is not taking into account a second wave of the pandemic that would probably result in even more deaths than in the forecast). Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 19, 2020 15:57 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066792d76 4 News Idul-Adha,west-sumatra,travel,tourism Free With Idul Adha approaching, the West Sumatra administration is prepping to welcome travelers seeking to celebrate the Islamic Day of Sacrifice on July 31 in the region. As reported by kompas.com, the province has opened all its tourist destinations following the implementation of the "new normal" policy in early June and is especially eager to lure visitors during the upcoming Idul Adha holiday. "We are open to tourists [while implementing the necessary] health protocols in a bid to revive the local economy," said West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno in a statement on Saturday. The plan to encourage travelers to celebrate Idul Adha in the region is part of the administration's sales mission program that aims to boost tourism, a sector devastated by the pandemic. According to Irwan, the province is also set to hold the National Quran Recital Competition (MTQ) in November and has announced a new policy requiring all visitors to undergo a swab test. "The swab tests will be available for free [for all travelers] arriving at Minangkabau International Airport," said Irwan. The administration has also conducted swab tests for all tourist bus drivers in collaboration with the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) to ensure the safety of visitors. "We're definitely following strict health protocols, as the threat of coronavirus still exists," said Irwan. Separately, West Sumatra Tourism Agency head Novrial said the sales mission program had been well-received by tourists. Novrial said that four local travel agencies participating in the program had sold more than 101 Idul Adha tourism packages. According to the latest data on covid19.go.id, West Sumatra has recorded 817 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 696 recoveries and 32 deaths. Nationally, Indonesia has surpassed China in its total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, after recording 1,752 new infections on Saturday. The number of confirmed cases across the archipelago stood at 84,882 as of Saturday afternoon, while China reported 22 new cases to bring its official total to 83,644, according to data from the country's National Health Commission. (kes) Fire destroys organ, shatters stained glass at Nantes cathedral in France Reuters A local bank wants your coins, and it will pay you above face value for them Journal-Sentinel Private Equity Titans Turn to Europe for Mega-Deals Bloomberg. No U.S. targets featured in the top five for the first time since 2003. The locusts move on. Tomorrow to fresh woods, and pastures new. Companies Made Millions Building Unemployment Websites That Didnt Work The Markup. If by work we mean deliver benefits on time, yes. Weird Monopolies and Roll-Ups: Horse Shows, School Spirit, Settlers of Catan, and Jigsaw Puzzles Matt Stoller, BIG #COVID-19 Saline Shortage Feared With Hurricane Season Threatening Production Bloomberg School Reopening Snares Empty Forests in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Southeast Asia Globe. Hence, zoonotic disease. China? UK/EU Trump Transition 2020 The World Has Changed Too Much for Biden to Erase the Trump Effect Bloomberg Failed State Can the United States be United Again? Eugene Robinson v. Ian Bremmer, Pairagraph, A hub of discourse between pairs of notable individuals, in this case running the gamut from Bremmer to Robinson. Vehicle Ramming: The Evolution of a Terrorist Tactic Inside the US Just Security Police State Watch Health Care Our Famously Free Press These McClatchy financials are a window into how much damage Covid-19 has done to the newspaper business Nieman Labs Imperial Collapse Watch Class Warfare Owen Benjamin Vs Patreon: Dissident Comedian Set To Deal Massive Blow To Big Tech Censors Aletho News (LS). Antidote du jour (Richard Smith, via): And upping my dog game: *pets him very carefully* pic.twitter.com/ftCLeWcNVf Father Drinks McGee (@drinksmcgee) July 12, 2020 See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. It's easy to think about the fundamental moments in history that shaped society into what it is now. One small change, one tiny alteration- and history, and by extension the world we know today- could be profoundly different. With that in mind, what are some of the events that did alter us? And what would they look like, if they happened today? We'd like to know, too. We took a look at some well known, and not-so-well-known historical moments in history, and endeavoured to theorize how those events would change us if they rocked our world in the present day. 1. The Discovery Of King Tuts Tomb Howard Carter opens the innermost shrine of King Tutankhamun's tomb near Luxor, Egypt The discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 shocked the world. While it had long been understood that the powerful and elite were buried with riches, until this discovery much of the excavated tombs had been previously looted. The tomb of this 18th dynasty leader, however, still included much of the breathtaking splendours of gold, alabaster and lush riches that set the imagination of the world on fire. The west exploded with a new-found love of all things Egyptian, with fashion and cinema reflecting the craze. The discovery of such a major historical figure today, complete with all the trappings of their station, would no doubt ensnare the world with the culture surrounding that of the discovery. Beyond cultural sensationalism, the historical revelations we would undercover based on our current scientific advancements would no doubt advance our understanding of the ancient world. 2. A Major Political Assassination Half-length portrait of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria-Este (1863-1914) in uniform. The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is often cited as one of the major factors the kicked off World War One. This devastating world event altered the trends and forces of modern power and generated four bloody years of war and slaughter. Only days after the assassination, Germany, in support of Austria's outrage, declared war on Russia (Serbia's Ally) in retribution for the assassin, a Serbian nationalist.The war saw the rise of nationalism, a European arms race, and intense cultural and social divides among entire populations. Today, our politics and power are still largely a delicate dance of diplomacy, and there is no doubt that the open assassination of a powerful political figure, no matter the validity of the reason, would shock and horrify the world. 3.The Black Death Pieter Bruegel's The Triumph of Death reflects the social upheaval and terror that followed plague, which devastated medieval Europe. The Black Death devastated the world in the 1300s. It is considered a major event in European history, but it affected much of the world. The population knew far less about hygiene and healthcare than we do today, causing the bacteria known as Yersinia Pestis to spread quickly. From flagellants who beat themselves to repent for their sins, to the mass labour and wool shortages due to high death tolls, the effects were widespread and reaching. Today, we are experiencing our own pandemic, the COIVD-19. We can take comfort in our superior medical advancements and contact tracing. While vigilance and strict adherence to expert medical opinions are constantly required, we can hope the damage caused by a pandemic today won't be as devastating as the Black Death. 4. An Agricultural Revolution Ploughing with a yoke of horned cattle in Ancient Egypt. Painting from the burial chamber of Sennedjem, c. 1200 BC. To the best of our knowledge, our first agricultural revolution occurred around 12,000 years ago, when humans began settling down to cultivate crops, instead of foraging. With this change came a massive population boom and technological advancements. It is difficult to imagine what a revolution of that magnitude would look like in today's' scale- perhaps the development of agricultural colonies on other planets. If this were to happen successfully, population growth and technological expansion would likely follow in a way that would revolutionize the way our civilization looks today. 5. A New Type Of Standardized Currency Silver coin of Damastion. Image credit: John Ward/Public domain Multiple cultures throughout history developed a standardized system of value and currency for trade. Greeks, Egyptians, Persians and (slightly later) the Phoenicians all developed coins in the 5th and 6th centuries. In China, the standardized gold currency was developed during the Quin Dynasty (221-207 BCE). If a new type of currency were to become standardized and globally accepted, it would vastly change the landscape of the economy. With the delicate balance of international debt and the effect of the value of independent national currencies, the financial exchanges of the entire world would shift drastically. 6. A Large Scale Empire A statue of Genghis Khan. Image credit: Needpix.com Few things in our modern world can really grasp the scope of the Mongol Empire's reach. Genghis Khan first united the Mongol and Turkic tribes in the early 1100s. Through the next hundred years, he and his descendants would span their empire across East, Central and West Asia. The advancement of the Mongol Empire created wide-spread cultural and technological trade, but also caused the death of millions. Genghis Khan was a brilliant military leader and strategist, but known for his ruthlessness- and also his lineage. It is estimated that one in every 200 men are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. If an empire expanded to that extent today, the effects would be felt globally for generations. 7. A Working-Class Revolt The Death of Wat Tyler at the hands of Walworth, Mayor of London, with the young Richard II looking on. Image source: Wikimedia.org The Wat Tyler Rebellion of 1381 is one of the most often cited working-class revolts in history. With labour shortages and increased taxes resulting in part from the devastation of the Black Death, demands began to rise from the working class. The King met with the people to discuss changes to their system. Much of the items discussed were later renigged by the king, but the peasants succeeded in reversing the poll tax, the inciting incident for the event. If a major revolt of the people were to take place today, where people en-masse stopped working to enact social change, the impacts could stand to be far more dramatic than a simple tax change. 8. A Religious Reformation Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre, painting by Francois Dubois The protestant reformation of the 16th century was largely led by John Calvin and Martin Luther. The division within the church created political, economic and social changes, and vastly altered public opinion of the Chruch and its structures of power. The major changes to the church during this time would establish three main offshoots of Christianity, including Protestantism. If a large scale religious reformation were to take place today, it may not have as many wide-sweeping effects, but for countries and cultures where religion is a major factor in daily lives and policymaking, these changes could drastically impact society. 9. An Educational Revolution For the majority of human history, education was basic and taught in the home, revolving around the required tasks to continue daily life. Science, philosophies, music, art, multiple languages and other formal education topics were reserved for the wealthy, the royal, the elite and religious professionals. As societies advanced and specialized, a desire for the opportunities afforded by advanced knowledge led to diverse offshoots of education, including tutoring, religious schools, trade schools, apprenticeships and the establishment of schools both private and public. Today, an educational revolution may take the shape of free and publicly accessible education for all people, up through and including post-graduate education. In many cultures today, finances impact an individual's ability to continue schooling. With the barrier of entry removed, the advancement to human culture and technology could expand greatly. 10. Pax Romana Image credit: LittlePerfectStock/Shutterstock.com Pax Romana translates to "Roman Peace." During this 200 year span, the Roman empire was essentially more peaceful than before. With peace, came stability, economic and social growth, infrastructure and industry development. It led to innovations we still have in some form today, like the basis of many legal systems and an early postage system. If a modern-day "Pax Romana" was to bring peace to areas of long-standing conflict in the world, the advancements we might see in the coming generations, as resources move from war to society, could usher in a new age of prosperity. Shoppers pass in front of an Apple Inc. store at The Mall at Short Hills shopping center on Black Friday in Short Hills, New Jersey, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images Gabby Jones | Bloomberg via Getty Images This earnings season, investors have to balance spiking coronavirus levels against encouraging vaccine progress as well as rising trade tensions with China. In this unprecedented time, it makes sense to follow the stock picks of analysts with a proven track record of success. We used TipRanks analyst forecasting service to pinpoint Wall Street's best-performing analysts. These are the analysts with the highest success rate and average return measured on a one-year basis- and factoring in the number of ratings made by each analyst. Here are the best-performing analysts' six favorite stocks: Apple On July 16, five-star Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley reiterated his Apple buy rating, while significantly ramping up the price target from $310 to $444. Despite Apple rising 33% year-to-date, his new stock price forecast still indicates 14% upside from current levels. Walkley cites the 5G upgrade cycle as a likely catalyst in 2021 as well as a continued business mix shift towards high-margin services as behind his increasingly bullish take on the stock. Apple's ecosystem approach, including an installed base of more than 1.5 billion devices, should continue to generate strong services revenue, says Walkley. He sees the higher-margin services revenue growth ultimately outpacing total company growth while delivering strong attach rates for multiple hardware purchases. That's alongside a market share leading position in wearables with Watch and AirPods, and $83 billion in net cash to invest in long-term growth. "Ahead of the Covid-19 shock to global economies, we were encouraged by the strong demand for the iPhone 11 lineup and believe Apple will maintain its market share leadership of premium-tier smartphones that should expand with its iPhone 12 lineup supporting 5G along with other strong features," the analyst told investors. One of TipRanks' Top 100 analysts, Walkley scores a stellar 17.1% average return per recommendation. Akebia Therapeutics Shares in Akebia have almost doubled year-to-date, and with good reason, says HC Wainwright analyst Ed Arce. He reiterated a buy rating on the biopharma on July 15, citing a new study evaluating vadadustat for coronavirus-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. The investigator-sponsored, placebo-controlled study is conducted under an investigational new drug application filed with the Food and Drug Administration for up to 300 adult patients with coronavirus related hypoxemia. Hypoxemia is a below-normal level of oxygen in the blood, that can signal breathing or circulation-related difficulties. Arce believes Akebia's lead product candidate vadadustat could be efficacious in preventing lung injury in patients who experience acute respiratory distress syndrome, and protecting other organs, according to a report on July 15. However, his valuation on the company is primarily based on vadadustat's potential US approval for anemia due to chronic kidney disease. This means that the upcoming top-line data readout in mid-2020 from the second Phase 3 pivotal program of vadadustat in non-dialysis-dependent kidney disease is the next major milestone for the stock, says the analyst. He calculates for an early 2022 launch for vadadustat with a $2.8 billion peak U.S. sales in 2030. He has a $17 stock price forecast, a 38% upside potential. Arce is ranked 265 out of over 6,750 analysts, thanks to a 17.7% average return per rating. UnitedHealth Diversified healthcare giant UnitedHealth has just reported a large second-quarter earnings beat, while maintaining its conservative guidance. Oppenheimer's Michael Wiederhorn reiterated his UnitedHealth buy rating with a $353 price target, up from $343 previously. UnitedHealth produced strong second-quarter results as medical costs declined precipitously due to the pandemic, the analyst explained. For instance, UnitedHealth reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $7.12, easily beating consensus of $5.28. Looking forward, UnitedHealth stuck with its fiscal-year 2020 adjusted earnings-per-share guidance of $16.25 to $16.55. "Since management is factoring in elevated medical costs in its 2H:20 outlook and 2021 pricing, we believe there should be upside to numbers should costs remain depressed due to the environment," Wiederhorn wrote on July 15. As a result, the analyst told investors "we would continue to be long-term buyers." In general, Wiederhorn believes UnitedHealth is well-positioned by virtue of its diversification, strong track record, elite management team, and exposure to certain higher growth businesses. Meanwhile the company's Optum business is a nice complement to its core managed care operations and continues to account for a large share of earnings. Ranked by TipRanks as one of the Top 100 analysts, Wiederhorn boasts a 70% success rate and 16.3% return on his recommendations. Disney Top Goldman Sachs analyst Brett Feldman has just initiated coverage on Disney, starting the House of Mouse off with a buy rating and $137 stock price forecast, a 13% upside potential. Disney is rapidly emerging as a global streaming leader, says Feldman, and ranks well ahead of peers on its direct-to-consumer video offering, Disney+. According to the Goldman analyst, the market is undervaluing Disney's direct-to-consumer segment by a more than 50%. He sees Disney+ reaching a "conservative" 150 million subscribers by 2025 out of a total market of 721 million, and achieving profitability by 2021, versus a consensus of 2023. As Disney approaches Netflix-like scale, it will approach Netflix-like economics, says Feldman. He estimates that the market is now valuing Disney's direct-to-consumer segment at a 50% to 60% discount to Neflix. "We believe such a material discount is unwarranted and expect this valuation gap to close as Disney+ ramps its customer base and achieves profitability," the analyst argued. Moreover, Feldman expects that Disney's Parks and Studios segments will fully recover post-coronavirus, adding that synergies between these two segments are also underappreciated. Feldman scores a 77% success rate and 17.1% average return on a one-year basis. ServiceNow Ahead of ServiceNow's second-quarter earnings report, five-star RBC Capital analyst Alex Zukin singled out the company as a top stock to watch. He called the cloud company one of his "favorite names" and boosted his stock price forecast from $372 to $500 on July 14. "Our discussions with partners lead us to believe the 2Q report will be strong as NOW potentially becomes both a near and longer-term Remote Work beneficiary" the analyst commented. Specifically, Zukin is modeling for above-guidance second-quarter subscriber revenue of $999.7 million, or 28% year over year, but adds that the company could score a beat close to historical levels of 1.3%, implying $1.013 billion in revenue. In particular, he sees the IT product portfolio driving demand improvement in the quarter, with businesses seeking to optimize remote working and ensure operational resiliency. Feedback was solidly more positive than last quarter, says Zukin, and partner tone was notably more confident. "Our research suggests ServiceNow has leveraged its strong IT incumbency, flexible product portfolio, and best-in-class sales leadership to capitalize on shifting immediate customer priorities and level-up its position as a strategic vendor to its customers" the Top 20 analyst concluded. Zscaler Nearly half a year since the toxic wind of the COVID-19 epidemic swept across the region, many governments in Asia have implemented bailout packages to rescue theirhardest hit industries, such as tourism, food and beverage, retail... In Japan, a subsidy campaign has been prepared to support the shrinking tourism industry. Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has recently announced that Japan will deploy a subsidy campaign from July 22 to promote tourism activities in Japan amidst concerns about the risk of a furtheroutbreak. Accordingly, the Government of Japan will provide up to US$190 per person per night for accommodation and US$95 per day, including travel expenses for tourists. The Thai government also recently launched policies to rescue the tourism industry. The Government has approved stimulus packages worth US$716.8 million to promote domestic tourism, with the goal of stimulating about 2 million domestic tours in the third quarter of 2020. This domestic stimulus package includes allowances for accommodation, transportation, meals, and entrance fees at attractions. Meanwhile, in India, in addition to economic stimulus policies, the government has been paying special attention to supporting rural job creation. After India imposed a nationwide lockdown in March this year to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, about 100 million migrant workers fell into unemployment, temporarily returning to their home towns to make a living. In this context, creating jobs for rural workers is a must-do task right now, so Prime Minister N. Modi has launched the Poor Welfare Employment Campaign valued at about US$6.7 billion. The campaign will focus on building roads, houses, setting up a system of supply of electricity and gas, etc. These projects will give priority to ensuringemployment for migrant workers. In another Asian country, Singapore, the government has quickly turned challenges into opportunities inaccelerating the process of digital transformation, in the context of people having to implement social distance. The E-Commerce Booster Package has been launched to provide consulting services, human resource support and costs for small and medium-sized businesses with little or no e-commerce experience, to help them adapt their businesses to online sales. It is believed that such creative solutions launched by some countries in Asia could help people, businesses and economies to stand up and rise strongly after the severe crisis. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close WASHINGTON - Ask Joe Biden what he's looking for in a vice president and he fondly describes his tenure as second-in-command to President Barack Obama. Their eight-year relationship was one of trust, candor and respect, he says, a bond forged as fellow senators and presidential-campaign-rivals-turned-friends. As Biden told supporters recently, he wants someone who is "simpatico with me, both in terms of personality as well as substance." It is in many ways a conventional standard recited by generations of presidential candidates before him, with a premium usually placed on deep Washington experience, particularly membership in the Senate or leadership in the House, or executive experience at the state level. But as Biden enters the final stretch of a decidedly unconventional search process - he has promised to pick a woman, and is vetting several African American contenders who would make history amid a growing racial justice movement - the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is facing growing pressure to break from an old playbook that has resulted in white men being tapped all but two times in the country's history. Few black women have had the opportunity to serve in the nation's highest state and federal elected jobs stymied by a history of systemic racism and sexism in U.S. politics. Two black women have been elected to the Senate, and no black woman has ever won a governorship. "Hopefully the political class will have evolved sufficiently to understand that some of the rules that they set out are no longer applicable," said Carol Moseley Braun, who in 1992 became the first black woman elected to the Senate. "The fact of the matter is we've never had black women in a lot of these positions so how can you go to say experience in it is the prerequisite? Otherwise, what you get is that old circular firing squad and you wind up never getting anybody." Putting aside the old standards could prove especially challenging for Biden, 77, whose long Washington career means many of his deepest political alliances are with people of similar backgrounds, mainly white men. "He has to recognize that even his set of relationships, I'm quite sure, are geared toward his world," said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, which educates and mobilizes black people to participate in the political process. "This isn't about just who he aligns with." "Maybe 20 years [ago], having somebody like he said, 'simpatico,' that might have been enough," Brown said. "That's not enough in the moment that we're in right now. In the moment that we're in where every single system is on the brink of crumbling . . . he does not have the luxury of his white male political relationships to move him forward." The death of George Floyd, a black man who pleaded for his life as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has forced the nation to confront institutional racism and discrimination in a way that it didn't even during the tenure of the first black president. Some activists have said that by choosing a black woman, Biden would make a statement about moving the country toward greater equity for marginalized groups. Practically, it would also acknowledge the contribution of black women as the Democratic Party's most loyal group of voters. Only one black woman on Biden's reported list - Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. - has won statewide elections. Harris, who ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination, is the only black woman besides Moseley Braun elected to the Senate. Other black women said to be in the running include Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., who was one the managers of the House's impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump; Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and former speaker of the California state assembly; Susan Rice, a former national security adviser; and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who is of Thai and Chinese descent, has emerged as a strong contender. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Latina Democrat, also is being considered. Georgia's Stacey Abrams, the first black woman to win a major party nomination for governor, is said to have fallen off the list, with many citing the fact that the highest office she held was a Democratic leader of her state legislature. When asked about her readiness to be vice president, Abrams has asserted that she does believe she has the experience to do the job. Since Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y., became the first black woman elected to Congress in 1968, 47 black women have served in Congress. Black women have chaired subcommittees and held deputy posts in the House Democratic caucus; two have chaired standing committees, and none have served as caucus chair or whip. In Biden's home state of Delaware, it wasn't until 2016 that voters sent the first African American and first woman to Congress. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., is a national co-chair of Biden's campaign and one of four co-chairs of his vice presidential selection committee. Blunt Rochester declined to be interviewed for this report. She also declined last month during a Facebook Live town hall with black women leaders to say whether she thinks Biden should choose a black woman. She said that she was "humbled, I'm honored, I am going to be blunt and I recognize the times that we are living in." "I can tell you my own heart and what goes into for me. We all know we have a lot of qualified black women that are being considered . . . and that needs to be stated up front," she said during the event hosted by All In Together, a group aimed at increasing civic participation among women. "Ultimately, it's going to be his decision, but I will carry with me Fannie Lou Hamer, I will carry with me Harriet Tubman, I will carry with me my grandmother, Lucille, who was a union leader, and my grandmother Helen Blunt, who raised four kids in the projects of Philly, who was a nurse. I will carry all these people with me, including my 31-year-old daughter." Ruby Woolridge, a candidate for an at-large seat on the Arlington, Texas, City Council, says that for black women the institutional, financial and social barriers are much harder than glass. She describes their combination as a concrete ceiling. "You've got to overcome the culture gap. You got to overcome the experience gap. You've got to overcome the 'You don't look the part' gap," Woolridge said during a recent interview. "It's not something you can shatter, because it has been cemented and it has set over generations." Mosely Braun said political culture is harder on black women. "It's terrible," she said, adding that even in political reporting "black women's candidacies always get relegated to second place. Nobody thinks we're capable of doing this stuff and the political class resists seeing you coming." She said she hopes that "all these kids out here marching in the streets are going to help change it." Nadia Brown, an associate professor of political science at Purdue University, said black women in politics are "invisible and hyper-visible at the same time." "We don't pay attention to their policy issues, we don't take them seriously when they say things on the campaign trail or even on the legislative floor," Brown said. Yet, she adds, "anytime black women are present people feel uncomfortable, intimidated" in ways that they don't feel toward white women. Black women run up against both racism and sexism in politics, which continues to be dominated by white men, especially in higher office. Women, who make up more than half of the nation's population, hold 23.7% of the 535 seats in Congress, including 26% in the Senate and 23.2% in the House, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics. Among the nation's 50 governors, nine are women. Former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, D-N.Y., became the first woman to be chosen as a vice-presidential nominee when Walter Mondale tapped her for the Democratic ticket in 1984. The second was former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who ran with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2008. The only other time a woman appeared on a major party ticket was 2016, when Hillary Rodham Clinton a former senator and secretary of state, won the Democratic presidential nomination. Her running mate was Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. Karine Jean-Pierre, a senior advisory to Biden's campaign, said that by ruling out a man as his running mate Biden had already shown he was willing to abandon convention. "This whole process, the vice presidential process for 2020 for the Democratic nominee has been untraditional. Months ago he said, 'I am going to pick a woman to be vice president,' " Jean-Pierre said in an interview. "I don't think we've ever seen that before, that is untraditional. He did that on his own, he said that before anybody else did. That he made that commitment tells you a lot about his thinking. He understands his ticket needs to representative of the country." Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist who helped coordinate an open letter signed by several hundred black women urging Biden to choose a black female running mate, said their statement purposely declared that all of the women under consideration were qualified. "We were feeling like the way the word was being thrown around, 'qualifications,' was becoming the new 'likability,' " Finney said, referring to another measure by which the political class tends to judge women. "Voters tend to assume a man is qualified when they enter a race but women, and particularly women of color, constantly have to credential themselves and remind people of their qualifications." People with knowledge of the vice presidential process say that the fact that women like Rice, who has never held elected office, and Bottoms, who has no Washington experience, are being vetted indicates that the campaign is not following the old rule book about what makes a suitable vice president. Both women have ties to Biden, however, with Rice and Biden having worked closely on foreign policy in the Obama administration and Bottoms stepping out as an early endorser of his campaign. Finney said Washington credentials might not be as important for Biden, who spent 44 years in the nation's capital as a senator and second-in-command to Obama. The current administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has severely strained relationships between the federal and local governments. If Biden were elected, a vice president with local or state experience and relationships might prove more helpful to deal with the federal government's ongoing response to the pandemic, including overseeing the production and distribution of a possible vaccine. Similarly, ongoing concerns about policing and criminal justice might make someone with experience in those areas more valuable to Biden, who has already drawn criticism and skepticism from some activists who are dismayed that he does not support calls to defund police departments. "We need to reframe what qualifications - quote, unquote - mean and what he might be looking for," Finney said. Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, which seeks to raise the visibility of women of color in politics, said the black women on the list would excite voters of color, and not just because of their race and gender. The contenders mentioned are "deeply experienced in translating community needs into policy" in areas such as housing, education and public safety. "These are the things that we care about. We have a wealth of experience among the black women being considered as a co-governing partner with Biden," she said. People close to Biden said personal dynamics are a critical component of his decision-making. "They don't have to agree with me on everything, but they have to have the same basic approach to how we handle the economy and how we handle everything," Biden said at a fundraiser in May. As a senator and former California attorney general, Harris more closely fits the traditional political profile of a potential running mate than some others under consideration. Although Biden had left the Senate by the time Harris arrived in 2017, he had a friendly, if not deep, relationship with her through his son Beau, a former attorney general of Delaware. Harris, a former attorney general of California, worked with Beau Biden to negotiate restitution with banks during the 2008 mortgage crisis. Beau Biden died in 2015. As much as Biden boasts about his relationship with Obama, some note that the two did not start out as tight buddies. Indeed, Biden's identity as a more experienced white man with blue collar credentials was a factor in his selection to run with a younger black man who had been in Washington less than three years. Allison and others argue that similarly, Biden needs a running mate who will "help expand the appeal of the ticket and help to strengthen a multiracial coalition of voters that we need to vote in November. You cannot say a white candidate does that." Voters are not as adamant about Biden choosing a black female for vice president. A recent Washington Post-Ipsos poll of black Americans found them to be evenly divided on the matter. The found that 50% said it was very or fairly important for Biden to choose a black woman, while 49% said it was not. A black female running mate was more important to black women under the age of 40 than those 40 and older. Woolridge, the Arlington, Texas, City Council candidate, said she is excited about the possibility of Biden choosing a black female running mate. She said it would be an acknowledgment by the party that black women are its most loyal constituency. Black women consistently support Democratic candidates, posting higher turnout rates than any other group during the presidential contests of 2009 and 2012. Although their percentage of the vote dropped in 2016, they still supported Clinton at a higher rate than any other group, with 94% casting their ballots for the first female presidential nominee of a major party. "Courage," Woolridge said, is what it will take for a black woman to be chosen. "The women are prepared to serve, they have the background and the experience. They need to be given the opportunity," she added. "There has to be courage on the part of the leadership to not be afraid to make the right decision." Anuraag Singh By Express News Service BHOPAL: Dalit rights activist and Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani has declared a war against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led BJP government over the recent torture of a landless Dalit couple and their kin by the police in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. Mevani visited Guna district on Saturday and met the victim couple at the hospital and their kin. Later, Mevani announced a waging war against the BJP government, if the culprit cops werent booked under provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities against SC/ST Act and arrested within 24 hours. "The cops crossed all limits by beating the landless couple who had consumed pesticide as their crops were getting crushed by the government team. The cops didnt even spare the kids of the couple and threw them away, while also tearing the blouse of a woman related to the couple. We demand that all the culprit cops not only be suspended in the matter but booked under provisions of SC/ST Atrocities Act and arrested in the next 24 hours, said Mevani. "If the action demanded by us isn't initiated in the next 24 hours, we'll call upon all farmers and Dalits to proceed towards MP for teaching lesson to the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government," threatened Mevani. "Till date, the MP CM hasnt visited the victim family, we're giving him 24 hours to come and meet the family and initiate the action demanded by us against the culprit cops. If it doesn't happen, it would prove very costly to the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Meanwhile, based on The New Indian Express story published online on July 15, Akash Baglekar, a fourth-year law student at the University College of Law, Osmania University, Hyderabad has written to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take cognizance of the entire shocking episode and requested for an enquiry and compensation to the Dalit family. Till date six cops, including a sub-inspector have been suspended over July 14 shocking incident and a magisterial probe headed by SDM SL Yadav has been ordered. Also, the collector and SP of Guna district and IG-Gwalior have been removed from their posts by the MP government. On July 14, the Dalit couple Ramkumar and Savitri Bai had consumed pesticide after failing to prevent a government team from crushing their crops with a JCB machine which the local administration claims is public land encroached by a powerful land mafia Gabbu Pardi and then rented to the Dalit family for farming on payment of Rs 3 lakh. The couple after consuming poison was ruthlessly beaten by cops on the same land in Jagatpur Chak area of Guna district, while they resisted being taken in an ambulance to the hospital. When Ramkumars brother and mother tried to save the couple, they too were beaten by the cops, who also abused and pushed away helpless kids of the couple. The concerned land has been allocated for opening a model College of Excellence. The Guna district police lodged a case u/s 353, 141, 309 of IPC against seven people, including the couple at the Guna Cantt police station. Man beaten by mob over suspicion of pesticide theft in Guna, video goes viral Meanwhile, the Guna district police are probing the brutal beating of a man by the mob over suspicion of pesticide theft at the Galla Mandi in Guna district on July 16. The incident had come to light after a video went viral over social media on Saturday evening. The viral video shows the man becoming unconscious due to the beating by the attackers, after being dragged by attackers through a cloth around his neck and being dragged to the ground. The police have lodged a case of theft against the man who was beaten brutally beaten. ". He is accused in at least seven criminal cases in adjoining Ashok Nagar district, including cases of bootlegging and NPDS Act. A standing arrest warrant also is pending against him in Ashok Nagar district. He had stolen pesticide from a farmer and sold it in the Galla Mandi, enraged over which those present at the market assaulted him. His medical examination has been done and the process is underway to identify the attackers and book and arrest them for the criminal assault, SP of Guna district Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Sunday. An Indian national has been injured in firing by the Nepal Armed Police Force (NAPF) in the 'no man's land' on the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar's Kishanganj district, a senior police officer said on Sunday. The incident occurred around 9:30 pm on Saturday near pillar number 152 when Jitendra Kumar Singh and three others had gone there to bring back their cattle that had strayed into the 'no man's land', Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish said. The victim is a resident of Mafia Tola village under Fatehpur police station of the district. The family members rushed the injured man, who received a bullet injury on his left arm, to Kishanganj sadar hospital from where doctors referred him to Purnea for better treatment. The SP said police and Sashastra Seema Bal, the Indian border guarding force deployed on the Indo-Nepal border, are probing the matter. The SSBs 12th battalion Commandant Lalit Kumar said that Nepal Armed Police Force opened fire on the suspicion that they were cattle smugglers. Entering the 'no man's land' is prohibited during the lockdown, he said, adding the Nepalese force opened fire following an altercation. The Nepalese personnel fired four rounds. On June 12, an Indian national was killed while two others were injured in firing by the NAPF on Indo-Nepal border near Lalbandi Janki Nagar village in Bihars Sitamarhi district. The incidents have occurred in the midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries, with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any "artificial enlargement" of its territorial claims after Kathmandu recently released a new political map laying claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. New Delhi maintains that these are part of Uttarakhand, while Kathmandu, in its recent map, has shown them as part of Western Nepal. India had published its new map of the border region in November, after it divided Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh into two union territories. The map had incorporated these areas of Uttarakhand, the territories disputed with Nepal, within India's borders. Terry Currier, owner of Music Millennium, reopened his storied Portland record shop June 1 after offering only curbside pickup and delivery for two and a half months. It didnt take long for his customers to return. For decades in Huntsville, the name Charlie Grainger was equally ubiquitous and behind-the-scenes. While Wernher von Braun at NASA and the Army Missile Command were creating the smoke and fire that made Redstone Arsenal famous, Grainger was walking the back halls of Capitol Hill, lobbying for the money to make it all happen. As an executive at Teledyne Brown Engineering, Grainger fought the backroom fights in favor of Huntsvilles space program and for a national missile defense system, now one of Redstone Arsenals bread and butter programs. We won the fight for missile defense, Grainger said. That was my primary interest over the years. The backstory of those backroom negotiations are part of Graingers new book, My Journey Through a Changing South. Grainger, now 83 and living in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with Mary, his wife of 52 years, looks back in his memoir on his rise from a barefooted country boy to newspaperman to state legislator to Capitol Hill lobbyist. He was born in rural Lawrence County, then spent his later childhood and teens as a plucky newspaper carrier and savings bond salesman in Sheffield. At 13, he met President Harry Truman when he was invited to the White House to be honored for his bond sales. Graingers life has been full of such brushes with history, as well as brushes with death. He nearly died twice during infancy, nearly drowned as a teenager, then escaped death as a young man while flying on a small plane, says the summary of his book on Amazon.com. He began his working career as a journalist, starting as a reporter for The Birmingham News and later editor of The Valley Voice in Tuscumbia. While reporting for The Birmingham News in 1961, he witnessed an angry mob that beat up Black Freedom Riders at the Montgomery Bus Depot and was nearly beaten himself, he said. As editor of The Valley Voice, he got to meet President John F. Kennedy not long before his assassination in 1963. Grainger and other Alabama editors were invited to the White House for a luncheon to discuss solving racial problems in the South. Four days later the presidents office asked him to help coordinate a visit by President Kennedy to Muscle Shoals to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Tennessee Valley Authority. President Kennedy had the most charisma of any man I had ever met, Grainger recalled. Grainger would later work with business leaders in Huntsville to establish equal employment policies that the federal government required if NASA was going to do its historic work here. He sees echoes of that turbulent time in the 1960s in todays ongoing movement for social justice. Im for working together, down the line, said Grainger. Thats always been my thing, practice the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Though much of his career was spent working behind the scenes with politicians to get things done, he stepped into the public arena briefly when he served in the State Legislature from 1968-1970. Before retiring in 2017, Grainger would serve many years as the director of Cummings Research Park, then as a private economic development consultant. He was among the generation that stoked the fire that would see Huntsville grow from a small cotton and watercress town, to The Rocket City, and now diversifying into a burgeoning automobile manufacturing center. Hes looking forward to watching that fire continue to burn hot. Well be a leader if we go to Mars, and I think we will, he said. Book signing Grainger will sign books Saturday, Aug. 8 at Below The Radar, 220 Holmes Ave. NE, from 6-8 p.m. Shelly Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud Another flexible ticket option will permit travel on any 12 days of the month Great Western Railway is proposing a flexible 'three days in seven' season ticket A train firm have introduced flexible three-day-week season tickets for commuters travelling into London, as thousands continue working from home after the coronavirus lockdown. Great Western Railway is proposing a 'three days in seven' season ticket to encourage commuters to return to work at their London offices. Another flexible ticket option will permit travel on any 12 days of the month, the Sunday Times reported. Great Western Railway is proposing a 'three days in seven' season ticket to encourage commuters to return to work at their London offices following lockdown (file photo) The company runs services into London from popular commuter towns and cities, such as Bath, Reading and Oxford. Currently, the only flexible season tickets are in trial schemes, as peak-time tickets remain popular with commuters travelling into cities every day. But standard season tickets are proving unsuitable for workers who are gradually returning to the office after months of working from home during lockdown. Great Western Railway said: 'Our research suggests commuters will travel, on average, into work three days a week, rather than the current five.' A standard GWR annual ticket from Swindon to London Paddington currently costs 9,272, excluding any costs of London underground travel. Thameslink, Northern and Great Northern train companies offer flexibility across some fares, such as providing a discount on a book of 10 single tickets. The only flexible season tickets currently available are in trial schemes. But standard season tickets are unsuitable for those gradually returning to work for a limited days a week after lockdown (file photo) A monthly season ticket travelling from Reading to London Paddington costs 454.70, compared with the annual ticket option, which is priced at 4,736. But commuters have to pay more for an annual ticket that allows them to travel between zones 1-6 in London. This increases the price of a monthly season pass from Reading to 539.60, and a yearly ticket to 5,620. Workers not working a conventional five-day week currently have to buy expensive day-return tickets, which cost significantly more than a season ticket's average journey price. A peak-time day return from Woking, Surrey, to London Waterloo costs 22.90, whereas the daily rate is nearly half that for the cheapest monthly season ticket, if used every working day. Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: 'A get-back-to-work message has got to be matched by the getback-to-work rail products to underpin it.' Rail firms are submitting proposals to the Department for Transport, offering cut-price fares to appease commuters who will have to pay thousands for a season ticket (file photo) This comes after Boris Johnson expressed his concern about the impact empty offices are having on city centre economies last week. He and Chancellor Rishi Sunak were said to be aghast at how empty offices are influencing town centre shops and restaurants - and worried that widespread homeworking is wrecking Britain's productivity. The Prime Minister also suggested people should return to the office if it is 'safe', during an online Q&A session with members of the public. But official guidance remains the same, that those who can work from home should continue to do so. There are also concerns that many staff will be unable to return to work even if they want to, as both offices and public transport will not be able to run at full capacity and adhere to social distancing. Commuters annual season tickets do not apply for London underground travel, as they have to pay more for an pass that allows them to travel between zones 1-6. Pictured, commuters wearing face masks travel on TfL Victoria Line A Government spokesman said of the return to work: 'As we reopen our society and economy, it's right that we give employers more discretion while continuing to ensure employees are kept safe.' Only 4 per cent of professionals want to go back to spending four or five days a week in the office, according to research by recruitment agency Stanton House. Rail firms are submitting proposals to the Department for Transport this week, offering cut-price fares to appease commuters who will have to pay thousands of pounds for a season ticket. The proposals, which could still take months, is set to include carnets and flexi-season tickets, which will cover three return journeys a week. The DfT said it asked the train industry to explore more options for flexible commuting to make things 'as useful and convenient as possible'. Protesters in Tel Aviv sprayed pepper spray at police, leading to multiple arrests Israeli police fired water cannons to disperse anti-government protests attended by thousands on Saturday, as public anger mounts over the handling of the coronavirus crisis. Demonstrators gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem and at a park in Tel Aviv, voicing frustration over the government's response to a growing epidemic that has taken a devastating economic toll. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said officers had allowed demonstrations to take place but took action against unauthorised "disturbances," including road blockages. Rosenfeld said protesters in Tel Aviv sprayed pepper spray at police, leading to multiple arrests. With Israel recording more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections a day in recent weeks, the government on Friday announced a broad range of new restrictions. Shops, markets and other public venues have closed on weekends, while restaurants have been restricted to take away and delivery. Netanyahu has admitted he reopened the economy too soon through late April and early May, when Israel, a country of about 9 million people, had reduced its daily caseload to a trickle. In an apparent bid to quell public anger, Netanyahu this week announced plans to send cash to all Israelis -- a measure criticised by some experts who said the economy needed targeted assistance, not a nationwide payout. While some protesters voiced frustration over the reimposed restrictions, others have blasted the government for failing to improve testing capacity ahead of the second transmission wave. According to a July 12 poll by the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, only 29.5 percent of the public supported Netanyahu's coronavirus management. That figure was 57.5 percent at the beginning of April. Beyond the pandemic, some protesters demanded Netanyahu's resignation over corruption charges filed against the veteran right-wing premier. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, but has been indicted for accepting improper gifts and seeking to trade favours with media moguls in exchange for positive coverage. The trial continues in Jerusalem on Sunday, although Netanyahu is not expected to appear in court. LOS ANGELES For a history buff like Gary Cole, mixed-ish is a great way to revisit the past. Its like music, he says. When you hear music, you immediately go to a time and place. Its the same with historical events. I remember them when they happened. I just didnt have the grasp of what they meant. In the ABC sitcom, he plays the gruff father of Mark-Paul Gosselaar, a free spirit married to Tika Sumpter. Sumpters character works for him and, frequently, the two butt heads. The reason: Coles Harrison Jackson III represents a lot of the ists that were prevalent during the 1980s, the shows time period. In addition to being a chauvinist, hes also an egotist and, at times, a racist. Mixed-ish, a spinoff of black-ish, details what life was like for Rainbow Johnson as the child of a Black mother and a white father. Frequently, Cole says, the series will light on seminal moments during the 1980s. Its a real museum piece, he says. Youre kind of flashing back to a lot of things. When the cast got on the set, Ethan William Childress, who plays his grandson, saw a landline telephone and asked, Whats that bar on the wall? He had no idea, Cole says. It shows just how much you dont even think of. Key political moments the Reagan years, for example have a different meaning for the Illinois native when he looks back. I was living in Chicago at the time, just getting started, he says. I was probably confused about a lot of things and I didnt plan much beyond the next months rent. Cole joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985 and got his first brush with fame in the miniseries, Fatal Vision. That led to a string of television appearances and, in 1999, a role as the insufferable office supervisor Bill Lumbergh in Office Space. Even today, he says, 70 percent of the people who come up to me because of that movie. Weve all had a boss like that but, strangely, I never worked in an office before. I didnt understand the impact of making a movie about that culture, that world. (Director) Mike Judge nailed it. Every character in that movie is entertaining, so it works on a lot of different levels. It certainly hit a nerve for people who answer to management or, even worse, middle management. Countless other film and television television roles (as all sorts of executives, cops and bad guys) followed until he landed in Veep as Kent Davison, the presidents no-nonsense numbers cruncher. When Julia (Louis-Dreyfus, the shows star) announced that she had health issues and that led to us stopping production for a year, we knew that (the next season) was going to be the last year, Cole says. We had a whole year getting used to being without this so when it returned, it made it all the more joyous. It was emotional, for sure, but the ride to get to the end was a lot of fun. And for everybody involved, that was show was all about the ride. Unlike other TV shows Cole was on, Veep spent a good deal of time in rehearsal, pulling scenes apart and putting them back togethereven on the day of shooting. They never settled for anything. Instead of doing 10 shows the last year, they decided to strip it down to seven and make it as exceptional as we could. Now thrilled with the possibilities of mixed-ish, Cole says the comedy has the ability to reach a wide range of age groups. My father gets a real kick out of it. My daughter loves it and shes 26. Were getting all these perspectives. Certainly the power of network television still exists. In the future, Cole says, who knows how generations will look back on 2020. Will we even have shows that exist like this? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Staying in? We've got you covered Get the recommendations on what's streaming now, games you'll love, TV news and more with our weekly Home Entertainment newsletter! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed national security with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the capital Amman on Sunday, including establishing a Palestinian state through "political process." Shoukry said in a news briefing the two leaders agreed that the possible annexation of the Palestinian lands and current situations in Syria, Libya and Iraq "poses a serious threat to Egyptian national security and Arab national security". Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said efforts are being made to stop annexation and "progress towards a real peaceful process that brings the parties to the table of dialogue on the basis of international law and in accordance with the two-state solution." Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states who signed a peace treaty with Israel. The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed our lives. For most people, it's been more devastating than ever, but we all are hopeful for a better future. Right now, the only thing we're awaiting is a vaccine to put an end to all this. So, how are we doing with vaccines? Is there any hope to get out of this pandemic anytime soon? Well, if the reports and studies are something to go by, then a COVID-19 vaccine will be available sooner rather than later. Here's a list of the vaccines that have entered trials and have shown some promising results - 1. Russia Says It's Ready Reuters Yes, you read that right. The Russian defence ministry today said it had developed a "safe" coronavirus vaccine. The ministry said 18 people had participated in the research and were discharged without "serious adverse events, health complaints, complications or side effects". We don't know much about this vaccine, but we're hopeful that it'll reach more places if everything goes well. 2. India's Covaxin COVAXIN is Indias top contender in the Covid-19 vaccine race. It's competing with around 100 other vaccine candidates around the world. That being said, it looks like there's still a lot more to be done before we get this vaccine. It's in the beginning phase of human trials. 3. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) live-attenuated vaccine Reuters This one's currently the top contender among other vaccines. This particular vaccine has been sponsored by a bunch of Universities and Hospitals and is currently at phase 2/3 of trails. Let's hope for the best. 4. AZD1222 'AZD1222' by the University of Oxford is also at phase 2/3 of human trials. Both the University of Oxford and the Jenner Institute are working on the vaccine and it's being partly funded by the UK Ministry of Health. Well, there are hundreds of other vaccines that are currently in development. But as mentioned earlier, only these are the ones that are expected to show some promising results soon and put an end to this pandemic. Source: RAPS DISCHINGER, Hugh Charles Sr., of Gloucester Court House, died unexpectedly July 11, 2020, at the age of 96. He was born March 4, 1924, in Chicago, to Irvin E. and Evelyn Bender Dischinger. His family moved to the Court House in 1928. His parents and three brothers lived in the Botetourt Hotel and the Southside Building, before buying the family home on Lewis Avenue in 1934. He attended Christchurch School and Virginia Military Institute. He was a Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII, with overseas duty in the Pacific Theater. He observed the bomber headed for the destruction of Nagasaki, as it refueled and took off from the airfield on Iwo Jima. His was the first Army Air Corps unit in the Pacific to fly jets, the P-80 and he was the third in the unit to be checked out. After the war, he returned to VMI to complete his education in Civil Engineering and was elected valedictorian of his graduating class. While visiting home in Gloucester, he met the only woman for him, Thelma Ann Brown, of Ware Neck. They were married in 1950 and were devoted to each other until her death in 2004. Hugh continued to live in the Lewis Avenue home until he moved into Commonwealth Senior Living in Gloucester in 2018. Hugh was a lifetime member of Ware Episcopal Church, and he served as Sunday School Superintendent, Vestryman, Senior Warden and Honorary Vestryman. He also was active in the Boy Scouts of America and was winner of the Silver Beaver Award from the Middle Peninsula Council. Professionally, he was a practicing Civil Engineer and Surveyor, owning a consulting engineering firm in Hampton and later Yorktown. He served as president of the local chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers. He was appointed by the Governor of Virginia in 1966 to the Virginia Marine Resources Study Commission. He was a docent for the Rosewell Foundation in Gloucester. Hugh is survived by his four children, Hugh Charles Dischinger Jr. (Portia), Martha Dischinger Wellons (Clarence William), Joseph Brown Dischinger (Sally) and Amy Dischinger Colaizzi (Vittorio); and five grandchildren, Hugh Joshua Dischinger (Monica), Matthew Charles Dischinger (Marybeth), William Todd Wellons, Kathryn Craft Wellons and Hannah Rose Dischinger. The family would like to thank the entire staff at Commonwealth Senior Living in Gloucester for their loving and welcoming care. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes to honor Hugh's memory with gifts to Ware Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 616, Gloucester, Va. 23061 or the Rosewell Foundation at foundation@rosewell.org. Andrews Funeral Home & Crematory, Gloucester, Va., is in charge of arrangements. The movie Hanh phuc cua Me (The Happiness of a Mother), which won the Vietnam Cinematic Associations Golden Kite Award 2019, was chosen to be screened on the opening day. Nine films from nine ASEAN member countries will be introduced to audiences for free in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City during the week from July 18-26. The event will contribute to enhancing cultural connection among ASEAN countries, towards building a community of peace, stability, cohesion and prosperity. Through the film week, Vietnam expects to implement its political goals and improve its position as well as promote the image of its land, people and cultural traditions of the country to international friends. Orlando Bloom is praying for the return of his dog, Mighty. On Sunday, the Carnival Row actor, 43, shared a heartbreaking post about his canine companion, who went missing last week in Montecito, California. "I don't recall a time in my life where Ive been so broken wide open," Bloom wrote alongside a series of photos of him and Mighty on Instagram. "The rawness I have felt over these past few days and sleepless nights at the idea of my little man being lost and scared, with me unable to do anything to protect him, is a waking nightmare." "I feel powerless," the star added. "Maybe like so many others who are losing loved ones or unable to see our loved ones because of the times." Bloom also told his fans and followers to "cherish the moments we share with the ones we love because nothing is promised." RELATED: Puppy Love! Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom's Identical-Looking Dogs Are Bath Buddies "Trust it and dont be afraid of love or the fear of losing love," he said. "Love is eternal. The bond between Mighty and I shows devotion in ways I have not truly understood until now. I am a devoted father & partner, still, there is a reason why they call them mans best friend. I miss him." Story continues "Send out a prayer for my little strong and Mighty boy to find his way back to his family. ," Bloom concluded his post. Orlando Bloom/Instagram Orlando Bloom and his dog Mighty RELATED: Katy Perry Calls Assistant 'Hero' for Saving Her Dog Nugget's Life by Using CPR Bloom revealed on Wednesday that Mighty went missing and was last seen in Montecito. The father-to-be said the pup "is chipped and his collar has a number to call if you take him to your local vet or shelter or police station he can be traced back to me for a reward." He also added a note urging fans to "please only send REAL INFO," explaining, "my heart is already broken so please dont add insult to injury." Bloom welcomed Mighty into his home in 2017 when he was separated from now-fiancee Katy Perry, who is expecting her first child with him. (Bloom is also dad to 9-year-old son Flynn, whom he shares with ex-wife Miranda Kerr.) The Mumbai police registered a first information report (FIR) against two unknown Instagram account holders for sending obscene messages and threatening Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty. On July 16, Chakraborty shared a screenshot of the message that she received on Instagram. According to her, the user threatened to get her raped and killed. Rhea was being blamed for actor Sushant Singh Rajpurs death and many social media users accused her of using Sushant. She posted, 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? 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, she commented through her Instagram post. After the virtual altercation, on Saturday evening Rhea visited Santacruz police station with one of her friends and gave a written complaint against the accused. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister shares a glimpse into his personal life, says a pain so precious, so close. Watch Abhishek Trimukhe Deputy commissioner of police (zone-IX) said,On complaint of Rhea Chakravarty, an offence is registered at Santacruz police station against two Instagram account holders for sending obscene messages and threatening her. Police registered a case under sections 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication), 509 (Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object) of Indian penal code and section 67 (Punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of information technology act. Sources from Santacruz police station revealed,We have written a letter to Instagram and sought details of the Instagram user who sent her the obscene messages and threat. Follow @htshowbiz for more Following a stretch of less tropical activity, a new tropical disturbance has drawn some attention to the Atlantic Ocean Basin. Dry air and strong winds over the basin for last several weeks have prevented any organized tropical activity. The last tropical system to form was Tropical Storm Fay, which made landfall earlier this month in New Jersey, on July 10. On Sunday afternoon, a tropical wave drew attention over Hispaniola, the southeastern Bahamas and the waters of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. "A tropical wave is merely a disturbance or ripple in the atmosphere that moves westward from Africa and contains showers and thunderstorms along with a shift in the wind direction," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. This image, captured on Monday, July 20, 2020, shows a tropical wave with showers and thunderstorms centered near western Cuba. Another weak disturbance was located near the upper Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico. (NOAA/GOES-East) "There can be as many as half a dozen or so tropical waves that emerge from the west coast of Africa every week to 10 days," he added. Currently, the disturbance is creating disorganized showers, but as it draws into the Gulf conditions will become more conducive to tropical development. According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty, the tropical wave will move part of the northern Caribbean and waters around Cuba through Tuesday. The wave is then expected to reach the central Gulf on Wednesday and the northwestern Gulf by Thursday. The wave is forecast to track very close to the mountainous terrain of Cuba, and as such is not expected to gain wind strength during that time. Instead, the impact may be felt in terms of rainfall. The presence of the tropical wave will enhance the rainfall in the region, bringing more widespread rain and thunderstorms with some downpours. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Once the wave moves into the Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday or Wednesday, the environment will have more favorable conditions for tropical development. Two of the important ingredients for tropical development are warm, open waters and minimal wind shear, both of which will be present in the Gulf this week. Story continues "Due to the brisk, westward movement of this feature through the warm waters of the Gulf, it will have a limited amount of time to develop," Douty explained. At this time, AccuWeather meteorologists believe the system will not have time to ramp up to a hurricane and the chance of a tropical storm developing from it is 10-20% and for a tropical depression to evolve from it is between 20-30%. The best chance for development is generally from near the Florida Straits to the upper Gulf of Mexico coast later this week. "Even if it doesn't become a depression, the increase in tropical moisture it will bring into the Gulf and eventually the western Gulf Coast will result in an increase in downpours regardless at the end of the week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said. As the feature continues to move along, it will result in an uptick in showers and thunderstorms over the northwestern part of the Gulf coast late this week. Some of the rain could be rather heavy and potentially may lead urban flooding problems. There does not have to be an organized tropical system to cause rough surf and raise the risk of waterspouts and a couple of isolated tornadoes in coastal Texas and Louisiana in this case. The Gulf of Mexico is not the only body of water that could produce an organized tropical feature this week. There is another tropical wave over the middle of the Atlantic this is moving westward and has a low chance of development this week. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, two tropical depressions formed on Monday morning, the second of which became a tropical storm on Monday evening, and may become a hurricane. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios. Imperial Valley News Center Vice President Pence on the Dangers of Socialism Ripon, Wisconsin - Remarks by Vice President Pence on the Dangers of Socialism: THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello, Wisconsin! (Applause.) Thank you for that warm welcome. To Congressman Glenn Grothman, Congressman Bryan Steil, to state senators, members of the state legislature, honored guests, my fellow Americans: It is good to be here in Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party. (Applause.) And it is great to be back in the Badger State with so many great Americans. (Applause.) I thank you all for being here today. But allow me to begin by bringing greetings from another great fan of the Badger State. Hes a man who loves the state of Wisconsin, hes been fighting to keep the promises that he made to the people of this state every day for the last three and a half years, and he was in this state just not too long ago. So allow me to bring greetings from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.) You know, in our first three years, President Trump did keep every promise that he made to the people of Wisconsin and people all across this country, and the results were extraordinary. I mean, we rebuilt our military. We cut taxes across the board. We rolled back regulations at a record pace, unleashed American energy, fought for free and fair trade. And in our first three years alone, businesses large and small created more than 7 million new jobs all across this country. (Applause.) Wages rose at their fastest pace in more than 10 years, 2 million Americans were lifted out of poverty, and 7 million Americans were lifted out of out of food stamps. And beyond all of that, we reached the highest median income in the history of the United States. (Applause.) It was an extraordinary three years of progress and renewal: rebuilding our military, reviving our economy. And then the coronavirus pandemic struck our nation. But President Trump took unprecedented action. He put the health and safety of America first from the very earliest days. Before the month of January was over, the President suspended all travel from China, stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force. In fact, since the days that follows, we weve not only developed a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-America approach. Weve marshaled the full resources of America to save lives, protect the vulnerable, and to support the extraordinary work of doctors and nurses across this country. And Ill make you a promise: As we continue to respond to this coronavirus pandemic, were going to work 24 hours a day to ensure that all of our states impacted, all of our hospitals, and all of those great healthcare workers have the supplies and the resources they need to give every American the same level of care that we would want a member of our family to have. (Applause.) Were meeting this moment with American compassion and American resolve. And were also opening up America again. Its extraordinary to think: At the height of this pandemic, our economy had lost 22 million jobs. But because of that strong foundation that President Trump laid of less taxes, less regulation, in two short months, May and June saw record-breaking job creation. Weve already added 7 million jobs back to the American economy, and were just getting started. (Applause.) But we all know, my fellow Americans, that we are passing through a time of testing for the American people. But soon, we will come to a time for choosing, which is what brings me here today. In 110 days, the American people have a choice to make. And the choice has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher. I came here to the city of Ripon, Wisconsin, where the Republican Party was born, to describe that choice. You know, when that first convention met here in 1854, they wrote that their decision to found a new political party had been, and I quote, forced upon us by the slave power, and in the defense of freedom they said they would cooperate and be known as Republicans. And so they have ever been. (Applause.) Six years later, they elected the first Republican President, who ushered in the abolition of slavery and the advancement of our highest ideals. And four months from now, I know our party will reelect another Republican President, when we reelect President Donald Trump for four more years in the White House. (Applause.) But its why Im here today: to talk about whats at stake and to talk about the choice our nation faces. Our economic recovery is on the ballot, but also are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country. You know, its not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or Democrat, more red or blue. Its whether America remains America. Its whether we will leave to our children and our grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty or whether we will leave to our children and grandchildren a country that is fundamentally transformed into something else. Like those first Republicans, we stand at a crossroads of freedom. Before us are two paths: one based on the dignity of every individual, and the other on the growing control of the state. Our road leads to greater freedom and opportunity. Their road leads to socialism and decline. President Trump set our nation on a path to freedom and opportunity from the very first day of this administration. (Applause.) But Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline. America is a blessed and exceptional country, unique among the nations. Weve been an asylum of hope for millions around the world yearning to breathe free, as the words on the Statue of Liberty declare. Many of our greatest citizens have come from the corners of the world ruled by socialist regimes. If you ever doubt whether this country is special and unique, just talk to one of them. Before this pandemic, President Trump set our nation on that path of freedom and opportunity for every American regardless of race or creed or color. Americas families enjoyed record-low crime rates, record-high prosperity, the safety and security of a government devoted to law-abiding citizens in this country. But now, all of that is under threat. Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate. But many were asking across this country: A transition to what? And now we have the answer. Recently, Joe Biden combined forces with the socialist Bernie Sanders and the radical-left wing of the Democratic Party. And we dont need to guess where theyre planning to take America. Biden and Sanders recently released a document from their Unity Task Force outlining their agenda for the country. And reading that document you know, I thought Joe Biden won the Democrat primaries, but looking at their unity agenda, it looks to me like Bernie won. When you look at their agenda, the only thing it ended up unifying was Joe Biden to the radical left. Contrary to their radical agenda, President Trump is rebuilding this economy based on freedom and free markets and the rule of law. And the American people know President Donald Trump did it once before and President Donald Trump will do it again. (Applause.) At the root of the Biden-Sanders agenda is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration that millions of Americans harbor ill-will toward their neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as themselves. The radical left believes the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children and, in the process, deprive our people of freedom, prosperity, and security. Their agenda is based on government control; our agenda is based on freedom. (Applause.) I mean, just look at the contrast between our record and the Biden agenda. President Trump cut taxes by $5.5 trillion the largest tax cut and reform in American history. (Applause.) Joe Biden plans to increase taxes by nearly $4 trillion over the next decade alone, twice as much as Hillary Clinton ever proposed. President Trump not only cut taxes, but weve weve rolled back federal red tape at a historic pace. This President has actually repealed more federal regulations than any President in American history, enabling our economy to add nearly 8 million jobs in the last 2 months alone. Joe Biden Joe Biden would impose an avalanche of regulations on our economy, stifling our recovery, and costing American jobs. And when it comes to protecting American jobs, it was President Donald Trump who said the era of economic surrender is over, and he stood up to China. (Applause.) We fought for free and fair trade. And just the other day, the President also signed an executive order holding China accountable for its treatment of Hong Kong. And we will continue to stand strong. Joe Biden well, Joe Biden pretends to be tough on China, but the reality is that Joe Biden has helped China all along the way: obtaining most-favored-nation status in the World Trade Organization. And the Obama administration did nothing, when Joe Biden was Vice President, to prevent the outsourcing of millions of jobs and manufacturing to that communist nation. And President Donald Trump has stood for our highest ideals at home and abroad. It was President Donald Trump who withdrew America from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord and saved thousands of American jobs. (Applause.) Joe Biden wants to join the Paris Climate Accord again, placing a crushing weight on the American businesses and the American economy. I mean, under President Trump, the United States has actually achieved energy independence, no longer relying on the Middle East for oil. And now America is a net exporter of energy for the first time in 75 years. (Applause.) Joe Biden would destroy our fossil fuel industry, return to the war on coal, prevent the development of Americas immense energy reserves, and impose a regime of climate change regulations on literally every new building in the United States every home, every business that would drastically increase the cost of living for families and the cost of business, at the cost of jobs. And where President Trump has increased choices and competition in healthcare and achieved a historic decline in the cost of prescription drugs, Joe Biden supports a government takeover of healthcare that would set us on an inexorable path to socialized medicine. And President Trump believes in a strong border for the United States of America. (Applause.) As our President said many times: If you dont have borders, you dont have a nation. And as we stand here today, Im proud to report, weve already built more than 200 miles of that border wall on the southern border of the United States. (Applause.) And weve stood without apology for the courageous men and women of Customs and Borders Protection and ICE every day. (Applause.) Joe Biden is for open borders. Their agenda calls for an end to deportations; support for sanctuary cities; and free lawyers and free healthcare for illegal immigrants, all paid for by American taxpayers. Its extraordinary. And closer to home, this President has been a champion for allowing every parent to choose where their children goes to school regardless of their income or area code. President Donald Trump stands for school choice. (Applause.) And here in Wisconsin, the birthplace of the school choice movement in America, you deserve to know (applause) Joe Biden would take away the right of parents to choose where their children go to school public, private, or parochial. So you need to tell your neighbors and friends: Joe Biden wants to end school choice. Those are the facts. But its not just been about our economy and about defending American jobs and health and educational opportunities. I couldnt be more proud to be Vice President to a President who has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life. (Applause.) By contrast, Joe Biden supports taxpayer funding of abortion, repealing the Hyde Amendment, ending a Mexico City policy that prevents federal funding from supporting abortions around the world. And Joe Biden even supports late-term abortion allowing innocent, unborn children to be aborted right up to the moment of birth. So its about our economy, its about our wellbeing, its about our values, but its also about the security of our nation at home. And let me say, and dont ever doubt: President Donald Trump and this administration stand with the men and women of law enforcement. (Applause.) The President and I know the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement every day are the best of us. They risk their lives every day. They consider our lives more important than their own. And they have our support. We know that its a false choice to think that we have to choose between supporting law enforcement and supporting our African American neighbors and friends. Under President Donald Trump, we will support law enforcement, improve public safety, and stand with African American families and all our minorities to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns. (Applause.) By contrast, Joe Biden believes America is, in his words, systemically racist. And despite historically low crime rates prior to this pandemic, Joe Biden believes that law enforcement in America has a, quote, implicit bias against minorities. Just recently, when asked whether hed support defunding the police, Joe Biden capitulated to the radical left-wing mob. He was asked if hed support cutting funding to law enforcement, and he replied, and I quote, Yes, absolutely. Joe Biden would weaken the Thin Blue Line that separates order from chaos. Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line, and we will never defend defund the police. We will defend the police every day. This President and this administration will back the blue. (Applause.) The hard truth is: You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. The radical lefts experiment in defunding the police is failing families and cities across this country already. Recently, amid defunding efforts around America, cities are struggling with rising crime rates. Atlanta saw a 19 percent rise in shootings, a 9 percent increase in murders. In Chicago, a 42 percent rise in shootings and a 39 percent increase in murders. And in Philadelphia, a 54 percent rise in shootings and nearly 20 percent increase in murders. As a result of Mayor de Blasios disbanding of the Anti-Crime Unit in New York City which is a decision many African American leaders are begging him to reverse that city has already seen an increase of a staggering 277 percent, and the number of victims have skyrocketed by 253 percent. These are shocking numbers, but not surprising. Right here in Wisconsin, the city of Milwaukee has already seen a 50 percent increase in nonfatal shootings and 100 percent increase in murders from the same time last year. Its on pace to break the record of homicide rate that was set 30 years ago. This is a frightening preview of Joe Bidens agenda in action. After years of plummeting crime rates under President Donald Trump, Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to unsafe streets and violence in Americas cities. When you hear Joe Biden call for defunding the police, remember whats at stake: law and order, safety, and the peace of mind that you, your family, and your children have every right to enjoy as citizens of this country. When you consider Joe Bidens agenda and his embrace of the radical left, its clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than an autopen president, a Trojan horse for a radical agenda so radical, so all-encompassing that it would transform this country into something utterly unrecognizable. Its no wonder that socialist Bernie Sanders said that if Joe Biden was elected, he would, in his words, transform the country and be, and I quote, the most progressive President in nearly a century. The Biden-Sanders agenda would set America on the path of socialism and decline. And as our nation endures this time of testing, wed do well to tell our neighbors and friends that its also the time for choosing. We need to tell our fellow Americans that we can choose to stay on a path that starts from the belief in the goodness of the American people, that starts from the premise that America is exceptional, is founded on freedom, and always striving for a more perfect union. Just last week, President Trump spoke at a roundtable with a Cuban immigrant by the name of Maximo Alvarez. Maximo escaped communist Cuba when he was 13. He was one of the last kids to flee with a group of nuns whose convent had been taken over by the communist dictator that Bernie Sanders praised in the past. Maximo had a stark warning for our country at that forum. He said, and I quote, Whats happening in our backyard today, I experienced as an 11-year-old. Maximo went on to say, I remember vividly all the promises that Castro gave. I remember the promises that we hear today about free education, free healthcare, free land. And then he recalled what his father told him about the glory of being an American. Maximo said that his father told him, Dont lose that place, because if you lose that place, youll have no place to go. America is a beacon of hope and freedom for all the world. (Applause.) Maximos admonition reminds us of the words of another Republican President who famously reminded us that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same or, President Reagan added, one day, we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children what it was once like to live in the United States when men were free. We have to fight for our freedom again. President Ronald Reagan was right in his time. And I promise you: That fighter in the White House will never stop fighting for freedom. President Donald Trump will continue to fight for the freedom of every American, and so we must fight with him. (Applause.) My fellow Americans, thats the choice we face. We have two paths before us: one of freedom and opportunity, the other of socialism and decline. We can either be true to ourselves and whats made this nation a beacon of hope for all the world, or we can become like the very places that many of our ancestors fled and that many still flee to come here. In pondering the decision that lies before us, I cant help but think of the words of the great American poet Robert Frost my wifes favorite poet. He wrote, and I quote, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. The truth is, through the long and storied history of this country, Americans have always chosen the road less traveled by: the road of freedom, individual responsibility. And I know we will do so again. I know this because, like our President, and those who founded the Republican Party so many years ago here in Ripon, I believe in freedom, and I know this is a freedom-loving nation. (Applause.) I know the love of freedom beats in the heart of every American. And I know we will choose well, again, in this November, because I have faith faith that every time the American people have given the choice between more freedom and less freedom, they stand for freedom, they fight for freedom, and they choose freedom every single time. (Applause.) This is a freedom-loving nation, and its also a nation of faith. And its on that hope I stand as well. The Bible says, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And so millions of Americans believe, as I do, that when we stand up for the God-given freedoms of life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the freedoms won and defended throughout our nations history, we make his work on this Earth our own, and that means freedom always wins. (Applause.) So thats the choice we face, my fellow Americans: between freedom and opportunity or socialism and decline. And I have no doubt, as all of us do all that we can, even in these challenging times between now and November 3rd, well see our way through. Well be there for our neighbors and friends, we will heal our land, and then we will win a great victory for freedom and our very way of life. And with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, well make America great again, again. Thank you all very much. (Applause.) God bless you. God bless Wisconsin. And God bless America. The Legislature returns to Lincoln and a strange new world on Monday, not the one that senators left in March when they packed up their bags and got the heck out of Dodge. And as they reconvene, the legislative dynamics have changed. Nebraska's legislative body is uniquely built around personal communication, unlike other state legislatures where marching orders or directives come flowing down from on high, from party leaders and whips and committee chairpersons. Members of Nebraska's nonpartisan Legislature are uniquely independent and they often reach decisions through individual communication with one another. That path to legislative governing in the unicameral is going to be hampered by the distancing and relative isolation of senators imposed by the coronavirus, that uninvited stranger in their midst. And senators also will be isolated from a valuable information source in the Rotunda. Lobbyists play an important role in the legislative process, and it's a lot more positive than the image generally attached to them. At least, that's true in Lincoln. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The problems in our day-to-day lives created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic often require unconventional solutions. For instance, my living room now doubles as a dance studio. For my Zoom dance classes, I move my coffee table to make some room and prop my laptop up on a few boxes on my couch. This will just have to do for now as dance studios havent been able to reopen in New York City. VIRTUAL DANCE CLASSES My dance studio, Brandys Dance Unique in Dongan Hills, has been doing Zoom classes throughout June and July. They are a fun way to keep competitive dancers, like myself, active throughout the summer since we missed our whole dance season, including regional, national and world competitions. And its also a good way for us to see our friends and teachers almost as if we were in class. We have 45 minute classes in different styles of dance -- lyrical, ballet, jazz, hip hop and contemporary -- to keep us dancing this summer. Dancers have to keep up with stretching and technique even when we arent in the studio. On our Zoom classes, we stretch and then learn a short routine, which keeps us stretching and helps keep us active. Dancing requires a lot of stamina, and the Zoom classes can help us keep up the stamina when we arent in the studio. We have been keeping our dancers engaged online since all of this started with Instagram Live streams of stretches and dance combos, Zoom classes geared toward our younger dancers using favorite stuffed animals, and music from popular and current childrens movies. We even had a dance challenge for our dancers and their friends and families to get involved with and learn to the song, Were All in This Together from High School Musical, said Cherisse Wilk, dance teacher and assistant director of Brandys Dance Unique. At the very least, we hope these Zoom classes will help our competitive dancers stay in shape, keep their skills fine-tuned, and be inspired to continue to dance whenever and wherever they can, she added. Many dancers say the virtual classes help them stay connected to a sport they love. I was very upset and disappointed when I realized all competitions would be cancelled this year because we worked very hard this year and had amazing dances, Sophia Dowd, 15, a Richmond resident and dancer at Brandys Dance Unique. However, I am happy that the studio has stayed connected through virtual classes, and I love that we still get to learn fun, intense [dance] combos on a weekly basis. Said Samantha Lorenzo, 15, a Dongan Hills resident and dancer at Brandys Dance Unique: After hearing competitions were cancelled this year, I felt very sad. ... Each week I take virtual dance classes from my studio. What I like about this is I continue to get to do what I love although I cannot be at the studio. OUTDOOR RECITALS Some studios decided to have outdoor recitals so dancers could still showcase the dances they worked on all year long. Gianna Armenia, 15, a New Dorp resident who is a dancer at Triple Essence Dance Studio in Brooklyn, participated in her outdoor recital in June in the parking lot of her dance studio. I did Zoom classes weekly for each of my dances until the recital. We attempted to stay 6-feet apart as much as possible, but wore masks. ...We had two days, one for recreational classes and one for competition classes, said Armenia. She said all the dancers wore masks except when they were dancing. Each dancer was only permitted to bring one family member with them to watch. The dancers families socially distanced and also wore masks. Ashley Maloy, 16, is a competitive dancer, who has been dancing at Brandys Dance Unique. See more competitive dance stories by competitive dancer Ashley Maloy: (Corrects headline to reflect 13 cases in Xinjiang, not Beijing) BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - Mainland China reported 16 new COVID-19 cases as of the end of July 18, up from 22 reported a day earlier, the Chinese national health authority said on Sunday. Of the new infection, 13 were found in Urumqi, the capital of China's far western region of Xinjiang. The other three were imported infection involving travellers from overseas, according to the National Health Commission (NHC) and Xinjiang local health commission. The NHC reported one new imported asymptomatic case in Shanghai, and Xinjiang's local health authority reported 18 new asymptomatic patients in Urumqi. The far west city went into "wartime mode" on Saturday, launching an emergency response plan after the city reported 16 new coronavirus cases in the previous day. As of Saturday, mainland China had 83,660 confirmed coronavirus cases, the national health authority said. The death toll remained at 4,634. (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Tom Daly; Editing by William Mallard) Mumbai, July 19 : Veteran actress Simi Garewal says a "powerful" person had viciously tried to destroy her career, but she stayed silent. She got encouragement to open up about her own experience after actress Kangana Ranaut made sensational statements following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. "I applaud #KanganaRanaut who is braver & bolder than I am. Only I know how a 'powerful' person has viciously tried to destroy my career. I stayed silent. Because I am not so brave... @KanganaOffical," Simi, popular for starring in films like "Mera Naam Joker" and "Karz", tweeted. "I don't know what all of you felt after watching #KanganaSpeaksToArnab ..but it has left me quite depressed..I'm distraught at what #SushantSingRajput endured .. and also what many 'outsiders' go through in Bollywood.. it must change!" Simi feels that Sushant's death maybe the "harbinger of an awakening in Bollywood". "When George Floyd was killed in America it set forth an awakening. In the same way #SushantSingRajput 's death maybe the harbinger of an awakening in Bollywood," she wrote. Meanwhile, Kangana had said in a recent interview: "Eighteen brands dropped me within 2 months. Maybe I didn't have the thought of killing myself but definitely shaving my head off and disappearing." "My relatives didn't let their children meet me because you turned me into a nymphomaniac. Called me so many things in public. As a girl, having a marriage and a child is no more an option for me. They turned Sushant also into a rapist. How will he go back to Bihar' Small cities don't value money, they value respect," she said, reports republicworld.com. Sushant was found hanging at his residence on June 14. The postmortem report stated that the actor committed suicide. The case is still being investigated by Mumbai Police. A new junior health Minister has said the reports on the future of Portlaoise hospital 'points to the need for reconfiguration' but no decision has been made and a plan completed in 2017 is still at 'draft stage'. In reply to Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley, Minister Frank Feehan also claimed that the HSE is still working on a draft plan for the hospital despite the fact the final reconfiguration plan was presented to former Minister for Health Simon Harris in 2017. The Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise has been the focus of a number of reviews, investigations and reports," said Minister of State Feehan who has responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy. "The reports points to the need for a reconfiguration of some services to ensure patients are treated in the most appropriate setting by specialist staff who can safely meet their needs. "The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has been working for some time on a draft plan for a new model of clinical service delivery at Portlaoise hospital which takes into account the need to develop services at the hospital in the context of developing the model of service provision for the entire hospital group. "No decision has been made on the draft action plan for Portlaoise hospital," said the Fine Gael TD. The so-called 'Action Plan for the New Model of Clinical Services Delivery in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group' was submitted to the Department of Health in December 2016, with a final version submitted in September 2017. The plan, which was developed by an advisory group, led by the DMHG and included all the relevant HSE National Clinical Leads, was completed following a recommendation in HIQA report from May 2015 to develop a long-term strategic vision for the hospital. The Department never published the report but it was leaked. It recommended downgrade of Portlaoise with A&E, ICU, maternity, paediatrics and most surgery moving elsewhere. The then Minister Simon Harris promised public consultation would start in 2018 with local people under an independent chairperson. No consultation has taken place nor was a chairperson appointed. Poll-topping Laois Offaly Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley said Portlaoise Hospital Services need to be secured by FF/FG/Green Government. The programme for Government states additional capacity is required throughout the health system to deal with the growing population and, of course, Covid-19. Nowhere is this more true than the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise because it is dealing with the expanding population of Co Laois, the fastest growing county outside of the Dublin region. There was a plan to remove the emergency department (ED) and other key services from the hospital, but a campaign was mounted which stopped it in its tracks. The then Minister Harris, promised a quick public consultation, but three years later that has not happened. I said at the time that I thought it may be a stalling mechanism to get the then Government over a general election and, unfortunately, my fears were confirmed," he said. Dep Stanley said Micheal Martin knows the situation with Portlaoise. When the new Taoiseach was in opposition, he met the Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee and promised to deal with this issue and the lack of certainty about the hospital. Fianna Fail made great play of it and great noise about it at the time. We still do not have it. Successive Governments have kicked the can down the road on Portlaoise hospital. The one thing the staff, management, patients and the community of Laois need is certainty. We need the Government to commit to putting in place a plan for the future of the hospital. This must include the retention of the ED. Prior to Covid-19, on average 40,000 people used the ED in Portlaoise hospital. If the Government does nothing else with regard to Laois and Portlaoise, will the Minister of State, along with Minister Donnelly, commit to putting a plan in place that gives certainty regarding the emergency department and the other key services in the hospital? "The missing piece of the jigsaw is to nail down once and for all the Emergency Department because if we take the emergency department out, we will lose other key services such as paediatrics, maternity and the ICU, he said. The Government has been accused of confusing the public after it emerged people will still be advised not to travel abroad - even though a 'Green List' of countries is to be published tomorrow. The Government now says the intention of the list is that anyone travelling to Ireland from one of these countries will not be asked to restrict their movements for 14 days - but it is no longer the case that people will be advised they can travel to or holiday in these Green List countries. This would appear to contradict comments last week by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar when he said the list would include countries where you will be "no more likely" to get Covid-19 than if you spent a weekend in Dublin and Killarney. Read More Last Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the Green List would mean people travelling from those countries would not be asked to restrict their movements. "Really that's the only change we're talking about here," he said. A senior government source told the Sunday Independent yesterday: "Publishing the Green List should not be seen as an open invitation for people to go and book holidays. It represents a list of countries that have a similar infection rate. The overarching advice will remain the same and that is do not undertake any unnecessary foreign travel." This has sparked confusion in government circles, with one senior figure pointing out that it is "inconsistent" with the original and widely stated intention that the Green List would be countries which Irish people could travel to and from without having to restrict their movements. This raised the possibility among the public that they would be able to take foreign holidays in coming months. As leading medics advised against all unnecessary travel, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Sunday Independent that the messaging on foreign travel is "confusing and contradictory". Spokespersons for Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney referred all queries to the Taoiseach's office. Micheal Martin's spokeswoman said: "The Government will decide on countries included on the Green List based on the status of the disease in other countries. The list will then be reviewed once a fortnight. The intention is that anyone travelling to Ireland from a Green List country will not be asked to restrict movement for 14 days." The Green List is likely to include fewer than 20 countries which have rates of new cases similar or lower than Ireland. Countries such as Norway, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus, Italy and Latvia may be included, but Britain, the US, Spain, France, Portugal and Germany are unlikely to make the cut. Ms McDonald said efforts to beat the virus should not be undermined by a "poorly thought-out" approach to foreign travel. "The Government has no coherent plan and we see a contradictory and confusing message to the public. The suggestion that a Green List will be published tomorrow but advice against all non-essential foreign travel will remain in place makes little sense," she said. "We believe there should be a graduated reopening of foreign travel at an appropriate time - subject to public health advice. In addition to a Green List, we believe there should be a 'red list' published." She said those arriving from high-risk 'red list' areas should be required to pay for their Covid-19 testing and accommodation at designated isolation facilities. Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said from a "public health perspective" people should avoid non-essential foreign travel this year. Dr Catherine Motherway, an intensive care specialist at University Hospital Limerick, told the Sunday Independent: "My advice is don't travel unless you have to, and if you do, that's an individual decision. I think that it's too difficult to predict what will happen, anywhere in the world. This is not the time." Dr Jack Lambert, an infectious diseases consultant at the Mater, said the authorities ought to be focusing on the indigenous community spread of the virus rather than overseas travel. "This is not Americans coming in from Texas with Covid-19 - the problem is Covid-19 is circulating in the community," he added. "The big problem is still Ireland, and the young adults that are spreading the virus. How do we tackle that? The police won't work, so we have to think about how we can address that. That is the issue we need to focus on." Dublin GP Maitiu O Tuathail, who said he treated two overseas visitors at a Covid-19 test hub last week who were positive, said: "I personally think the fact people are allowed to enter the country without restriction is madness." However, Professor Sam McConkey said there is a fine balance between maintaining open borders which are the essential for the economy and necessary travel, and protecting public health. "But we can control inward migration more carefully by closer monitoring and offering testing to incoming visitors," he added. A police officer was injured Saturday while trying to stop the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Trump Tower in New York City from being vandalized, CBS New York reports. It's the third time this week the mural has been vandalized. A woman was seen on video pouring black paint on the mural and calling for the city to "re-fund" the police. "But you want to defund the police for Black people," she said. The scene turned chaotic as police officers tried to arrest the woman, but she apparently resisted, causing one officer to fall hard to the concrete on Fifth Avenue, injuring his shoulder and writhing in pain. The woman was eventually taken into custody. A second person was also arrested in connection with the incident. On Friday, two women were captured on video splattering blue paint on the new mural, which was also targeted earlier this week. One of the women, 39-year-old Juliet Germanotta, was wearing a rainbow flag, a "Keep America Great" face mask, and an "All Lives Matter" shirt, CBS New York reports. "It should be all lives. All includes Black lives, brown lives, white lives," Germanotta said. "If cops wanted to put Blue Lives Matter, Dumbo will say 'no.' De Blasio is Dumbo," another woman said. The incident happened around 4 p.m. Friday, sparking screams of outrage from some witnesses. Germanotta had announced her plans to vandalize the mural on Facebook. "So this Friday, 4 o'clock at Trump Tower, operation paint drop," she said in a video, showing cans of paint. Police said four people were involved in the vandalism, according to CBS New York. Germanotta and two others, 25-year-old D'Anna Morgan and 44-year-old Luis Martinez, were arrested and charged with criminal mischief in connection to the vandalism. A 64-year-old woman was issued a summons for illegal posting of flyers.The incident marked the second time the mural has been vandalized. Police recently put out more surveillance video of the suspect they're looking for in the first incident a man who splattered red paint on the mural on Monday. Story continues A portion of a The city's Department of Transportation workers quickly repainted the mural after that incident, and they did again within hours after the second incident on Friday. Workers clean paint thrown by protesters on the Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., July 17, 2020. / Credit: ANDREW KELLY/REUTERS Mayor Bill de Blasio helped paint the mural earlier this month, and said the new mural will send a message that "Black lives, in fact, do matter." "When we say 'Black Lives Matter,' there is no more American statement, there is no more patriotic statement because there is no America without Black America," de Blasio said, The Associated Press reported. "We are acknowledging the truth of ourselves as Americans by saying 'Black Lives Matter.' We are righting a wrong." President Trump said in tweets before the mural was painted that de Blasio "is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue," and he predicted that doing so would "further antagonize" the New York Police Department, which, he said, "vividly" remembers the "horrible BLM chant, 'Pigs in A Blanket, Fry 'Em Like Bacon.'" Remembering civil rights icons C.T. Vivian and John Lewis Airlines warn employees of possible furloughs in the thousands Navy launches investigation into fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard Naveen Kumar Tallam By Express News Service KARIMNAGAR: A 37-year-old pediatrician who won the battle against Covid-19 resumed his duties at the Childrens Ward at the Government Hospital in Karimnagar. After Dr Kotha Satish Kumar tested positive, he was advised home isolation for 28 days. Sharing his ordeal with Express, he said that the first three days were distressing and emotionally challenging for him. Thankfully my wife tested negative. No one was able to find the source from which I got infected. I used to sanitise myself before and after testing patients in the hospial, and always wore an N-95 mask. Despite all this, I still got infected. From the fourth day, the doctor decided to fight the viral disease. He made sure the house was well ventilated and disinfected the floors every day. He also drank warm water, did breathing exercises and steam therapy regularly. Satish Kumar said that anyone could contract the virus, so one should not be scared if one tested positive. Be bold and fight the virus barely, he added. Society should fight against Covid-19 and not against patients who recover. Trying to ostracise patients who recover from the viral disease is wrong, he said. The doctor also said that he was ready to donate plasma to Covid patients to save their lives. Dont ostracise patients Dr Kotha Satish Kumar stated that one should not get scared if tested positive for the virus. Society should fight against Covid-19 and not against patients who recover. Trying to ostracise patients who recover from the viral disease is wrong, he said Wallace later explained to Trump that the number of tests has increased by 37 percent but the number of cases has shot up by 194 percent. Trump replied, Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day. They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test. Many of them dont forget, I guess its like 99.7 percent, people are going to get better and [in] many cases, theyre going to get better very quickly. Held in an immigration centre in Broadmeadows for nearly six years, Tamil refugee Nirma Murugamoorthy kept going with the help of cooking and sharing meals. When he was released from detention in 2015, Mr Murugamoorthy turned his passion for cooking into a job one that allowed him to share food and stories about his past and the home he was forced to flee. Tamil Feasts chefs Nirma Murugamoorthy (left) and Niro Vithyasekar at CERES. Credit:Justin McManus Now, Tamil Feasts, the Brunswick restaurant operation inspired by his and other asylum seekers passion for cooking Sri Lankan food in detention, has become a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Tamil Feasts was run by a team of refugees and volunteers, and offered a unique communal dining experience each table was adorned with positive quotes written on chalkboards. A 46-year-old man has approached the Bhopal police with a complaint that a tailor has stitched his underpants "too short". The police, however, asked the man- Krishna Kumar Dubey- to move the court to get the issue resolved. Dubey, who was earlier employed as a security guard and used to earn Rs 9,000 per month, lost his job due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown two months ago. "I am from Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh and I came to Bhopal for a job in October. Recently, I borrowed Rs 1,000 from a friend and bought different things, including a two metre-long cloth to get two underpants stitched," Dubey, who lives in Bhim Nagar here, said. He paid Rs 190 to the tailor for the job. However, according to him, when he wore the underpants, he found them too short. "I complained to the tailor, who told me that the cloth was inadequate. I went back to the shop owner, who told me that he had given two metres of cloth," he added. The man then approached the police a couple of days back, who asked him to take up the matter to court. "We asked him to approach the court," Habibganj police station inspector Rakesh Shrivastava on Saturday said. However, the tailor finally told Dubey that he was ready to return his money. Hyderabad, July 19 : Maoists appear to have stepped up their efforts to regroup in Telangana, their former stronghold, if the two incidents of exchange of fire between police and ultras in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts last week are any indication. As many as 18 cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), including a leader escaped after the encounters in the forests bordering neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Hundreds of security personnel, including the personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds were on a hunt for the Maoists. That the police force has also taken a serious note of the attempts by the banned outfit is evident from the fact that the police chief M. Mahender Reddy himself flew in a helicopter to the region to review the situation. During his two-day visit the police chief discussed with senior officials the operational strategies to contain the renewed attempts by Maoists to gain a foothold in the tribal areas. The police higher-ups see the recent incident as a proof of the serious bid by the Left-wing extremists cadre to revive the activity since Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh as a new state in 2014. The Maoists made a determined bid to revive the activity during COVID-19 when the police force was busy enforcing the lockdown. Some cadres crossed over from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and reached the interior villages to take up the issues of tribals. During the exchange of fire in Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district on July 14, five Maoist including a senior member, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh, managed to escape. The team was led by Mailarapu Adellu alias Bhaskar, Telangana State Committee member of the CPI (Maoist). Believed to be armed with AK-47, Bhaskar and his team entered from neighbouring Maharashtra during the lockdown period, by pretending to be migrant workers. The DGP said during his visit that 500 personnel, including Greyhound commandos were on the hunt for the Maoists. He appealed to people not to provide shelter to the outlaws. His appeal came after police arrested one villager on charges of providing shelter and food to the extremists. Police officials of Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mahabubabad and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts released photos of 18 Maoists and announced rewards of Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh to anyone providing information about them. The police chief said that at a time when the government has taken up a lot of development and welfare programmes, Maoists are seeking to create terror and tension among tribals and sow seeds of suspicion. The DGP also warned that if Maoists were allowed to re-enter, development and welfare programmes undertaken by the state government, particularly for the benefit of the tribals, would be hampered. The DGP vowed to "foil the sinister designs of Maoists to make a re-entry into the state from Chhattisgarh to carry out disruptive activities and hamper its development". He said the CPI (Maoist) State committee leaders based in Chhattisgarh were making desperate attempts to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. He alleged that Maoist leaders like Haribhushan, Damodar and others were leading a luxurious life in the neighbouring state while exploiting innocent tribals. The police chief said the Maoists were instigating innocent tribals to indulge in violence to further their nefarious designs. "They are conspiring to extort money from contractors, businessmen, doctors, engineers and other professionals by sending threatening letters. Their evil designs and disruptive moves will be thwarted with steely resolve," the DGP said. He said the Maoists ran away from the state to protect their lives following the outrage from the people of Telangana a decade ago. "Now they are making attempts to come back. They would face the wrath of the people and the police will also inflict a major blow on them if they kill people branding them as police informers. The CPI-Maoist has also issued a statement saying while it was observing self-restraint by not indulging in attacks in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, the central and state governments were trying to eliminate its members. It appealed to people to condemn the arrests of people and attacks by Greyhounds on Maoists. It alleged that in the recent past police have killed 20 revolutionaries in fake encounters in Dandakaranya. If attacks on people and 'dalams' are not stopped, leaders of TRS and BJP would not escape punishment in the hands of people, the statement said. The police had estimated last year that a total of 126 underground cadres of CPI (Maoist) hailed from Telangana. Out of 17 Central Committee members of the Maoist outfit, 10 come from Telangana. All were operating from outside Telangana. Telangana police remain confident that the Maoists will not succeed in reviving the activity as the situation had undergone a sea change during the last 10 years. "They will not get fresh recruits now as people are fed up with their ideology," a police officer said. Telangana, especially north Telangana, was a major stronghold of Maoists but the movement was almost eliminated after the police launched a crackdown in 2005 in the then undivided Andhra Pradesh following failure of a dialogue between the extremist leadership and the state government. It was during the talks in September 2004 that then CPI-ML People's War Group (PWG) had merged with the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) to form CPI (Maoist) as the biggest and most powerful Maoist outfit in the country. However, CPI (Maoist) lost many top leaders in the police crackdown led by Greyhounds, the elite anti-Maoist force. The remaining leaders escaped to neighbouring states. There have been apprehensions in some quarters that statehood to Telangana would give Maoists an opportunity to stage a comeback. However, the fears proved unfounded as the police force kept the pressure to foil any attempt by the banned outfit to revive its activities. The police maintained tight vigil on the borders with Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to stop the Maoist cadres from crossing over. Experts believe that it will not be easy for the Maoists to stage a comeback as they were not able to draw new recruits or get new arms over the last decade. They attribute this to people losing faith in the ideology of violence and benefits of the government schemes reaching the masses. Family doctors employed at NHS surgeries that have suspended routine face-to-face appointments are working for private practices where they are happy to see patients in person for cash. Since the lockdown began in March, NHS patients have struggled to secure so-called in-person appointments with their GP as services have been provided online or by telephone to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. But an investigation by The Mail on Sunday has found some GPs who work for such NHS practices are willing to see people face- to-face as long as those people are prepared to pay for the privilege. A Mail on Sunday investigation has found GPs who usually work at NHS surgeries are carrying out face-to-face appointments at private clinics while their practises are shut (stock image) For 49, patients can obtain a 15-minute, in-person appointment with GPs in private London clinics run by DocTap. A 30-minute face-to-face slot costs 89. Advertising its service, DocTap states: We firmly believe that GP appointments are better off carried out face-to-face with a doctor wherever possible. Among those offering private in-person consultations are two doctors who usually work at Tollgate Medical Centre, an NHS practice in Beckton, East London. Since February, Tollgate has asked patients to fill in an online consultation form before waiting up to 48 hours for a response via phone or text. Another DocTap GP works at Ampthill Practice near Camden Town, North London. According to its website, the surgery is currently dealing with patients by telephone only and adds: Our doors are closed to the public we are sorry for the inconvenience caused. STEAMED UP, MICHAEL? HERES THE ALL-CLEAR By Holly Bancroft Gove with fogged up glasses last week Michael Gove fell victim to the dreaded fogged-up glasses last week while wearing a mask leaving many wondering how to avoid getting steamy in them. Some took to social media to complain that they have to pick between breathing or seeing when warm breath exits the top of the mask and hits the cooler surface of the lens, creating condensation. But now eyewear designer Tom Davies has a solution. The bespoke optician, who designed glasses for actor Henry Cavill to play Superman, recommends rubbing a bar of soap on the inside of lenses, then using a cloth to clear the lens. He says the glycerine in the soap will act as a barrier against fogging. Mr Davies also suggests resting the top of the mask higher up the nose and placing your glasses frames on top in their usual position. He says this helps to stop air escaping up into your eyes. Television doctor Hilary Jones advises dipping spectacles in soapy water and letting them dry. But Mr Davies prefers to avoid water as it may damage some lens coatings and horn-rimmed frames. Advertisement A fourth family doctor works at London Fields Medical Centre in Hackney, whose patients have been told: During the coronavirus pandemic we are currently not booking face-to-face appointments. Each of the surgeries said they will provide face-to-face appointments if clinically necessary. Dan Faber, the founder of DocTap, defended the conduct of the doctors working for his firm. These GPs are salaried NHS doctors, not practice partners, he said. They work under the conditions directed by their employer either DocTap or their NHS surgery depending on the day. 'Whether they work predominantly on the phone or face-to-face is not a decision they make, but is determined by their employer. He said DocTap, one of many private providers now advertising face-to-face GP appointments, was able to offer them safely by strictly limiting the number of patients in its clinics at any one time. There is no suggestion that any of the doctors are breaking the terms of their NHS contracts which allow them to divide their work between NHS and private work or otherwise acting improperly. However, the situation highlights how NHS patients face having to go private for what, until very recently, was standard NHS GP care. It comes amid concerns that doctors lobby groups are manoeuvring to use the pandemic to reduce the number of face-to-face appointments. The Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association want to embed new ways of working into the system, which could include patients routinely filling in pre-consultation forms online and being telephoned by a GP before then being assessed for an in-person appointment. Last week, the RCGP leapt on an official NHS survey of GP patients as evidence such ways of working were popular. Ipsos Mori, which conducted the research, found 82.5 per cent of those surveyed from March 23 to April 3 rated their GP experience as good compared to 80.5 per cent in the same period the previous year. However, just one per cent of responses to the GP Patient Survey 2020, conducted from January 2 to April 3, were submitted after lockdown started. Ruth Rankine, of the NHS Confederation, said: As lockdown eases, it will be important for people to be able to access care in a way that meets their individual needs and recognises that for some, remote consultations will not be suitable. Bay of Plenty We are looking for scaffolding labourers for our client in Mount Maunganui. You will need you EWP ticket. Your duties will... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 22:37:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A worshipper washes hands with hand sanitizer at a church in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, July 19, 2020. Some churches in Rwanda reopened doors on Sunday to religious prayers after being closed for over four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Rwandan cabinet on Wednesday said places of worship could resume service upon approval by local authorities. Only those meet the conditions on preventing the spread of COVID-19 are allowed to reopen. (Photo by Cyril Ndegeya/Xinhua) KIGALI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Some churches in Rwanda reopened doors on Sunday to religious prayers after being closed for over four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Rwandan cabinet on Wednesday said places of worship could resume service upon approval by local authorities. Only those meet the conditions on preventing the spread of COVID-19 are allowed to reopen. Residents in the capital city Kigali thronged into churches in the early morning, wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing norms, washing hands with clean water, soap and hand sanitizers. "Before entering the church, worshippers' temperatures are measured before they are told to clean their hands and as well mantain social distance during praying. We are very strict on COVID-19 prevention measures," Nathan Rusengo Amooti, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kigali, told reporters shortly after the first church service at St Etienne Cathedral. Worshippers were registered at the church before starting prayers, said Amooti, adding that the church has limited the number of worshippers to enter in order to maintain social distancing. Before and after prayers, the church will be cleaned thoroughly by using appropriate disinfectants or cleaning detergents, according to him. "We thank the government of Rwanda for permitting us to resume public worship. We are very strict on COVID-19 prevention measures and our followers have been told to adhere to the new guidelines," Innocent Consolateur, head priest at Kigali's St Michael Cathedral, told reporters. The Catholic church has installed washing facilities where worshippers will be cleaning their hands using water and alcohol-based sanitizers before entering the church. Churchgoers who are willing to make offertories have to use digital payments, according to him. "We thank the government of Rwanda to permit us to gather and worship at our church. Conducting prayers from home has been very challenging because of many interruptions," Esperance Mukamurenzi, one of churchgoers at St Michael Cathedral told Xinhua at the church. The number of the COVID-19 cases in Rwanda has reached 1,539, including 819 recoveries and five deaths, Rwandan health ministry reported on Saturday evening. N early 500 people have applied for just two jobs at a London pub, as research showed job listings plummeting in July compared to last year. Mick Dore, who manages the Alexandra in Wimbledon, south-west London, said that 484 people sent in CVs for two 9-an-hour jobs at the pub, which reopens on Monday. He wrote on Twitter: "'I don't want to alarm anyone about the economy or anything, but I advertised two bar jobs at 4.30 on Thursday. We've had well over 400 applicants. Gulp." Mr Dore added he would usually have expected around 12 replies from people who might not have been that experienced. Super Saturday - in pictures 1 /66 Super Saturday - in pictures A police officer watches on from an elevated position as revellers drink in the street outside the bars in Soho, London AFP via Getty Images Soho REUTERS Borough Market, London PA Soho REUTERS Soho PA Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho PA REUTERS Newcastle REUTERS Soho REUTERS Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho AFP via Getty Images Soho PA Soho PA A street cleaner sweeps a street in Soho PA Soho PA Soho PA Borough Market REUTERS Soho PA Newcastle REUTERS London AP Central London REUTERS London AP Manchester AP Customers give a toast with their drinks at the Shakespeare's Head pub in Holborn, London PA Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon shortly after midnight and reopening in Canterbury Getty Images Louise Wilson and Jennifer Arnold were married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Michael Robinson, 61, has the first drink at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey, north London PA Clare Streeter wears a face mask as she has her hair cut as the first customer back at the strike of midnight in Canterbury Getty Images A member of the public has her temperature checked at the entrance to Alton Towers Getty Images One of the first drinkers at the reopening of the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London, PA Andrew Slawinaki, 51, reading his paper while having a pint of Guinness at the reopening The Toll Gate PA Robert observes social distancing queuing for a pint at The Mossy Well in Muswell Hill in London Getty Images A customer sanitises their hands at The Mossy Well Getty Images PA Customers drink beer at The Holland Tringham Wetherspoons pub in London REUTERS Customers walking into the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London PA A member of bar staff pulls a pint at the Shakespeares Head pub in Holborn, London PA Customers queue to order a drink at The Holland Tringham REUTERS A worker carries a beer at The Holland Tringham REUTERS Bar staff waits for customers at the Rochester Castle pub in Stoke Newington, north London PA Miya Towse has her hair cut at The Chair salon Getty Images Owner Carole Rickaby cuts customer Sandra Jacobs' hair at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden just after midnight Getty Images A customer has her hair washed at Tusk Hair stylists in Camden Getty Images Customers have their hair washed and cut in Canterbury Getty Images Jonathan Callister has his hair cut shortly after midnight in Canterbury Getty Images The Chair salon owner, Katie Hancock, wears a protective face shield as she washes and cuts the hair of Clare Streeter Getty Images Jennifer and Louise Arnold-Wilson married at Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Runcorn Town Hall Registry Office, where Jennifer and Louise were married at one minute past midnight Halton Borough Council/PA Wire Members of the public queue to enter Alton Towers Getty Images But this time there were applications from ex-air stewards and restaurant managers who had found themselves out of work due to the coronavirus crisis. It comes as Office for National Statistics figures showed 74,000 more people left employment in June, with 649,000 fewer people in work since lockdown began in March. Meanwhile the Fitzrovia Belle Pub and Hotel in central London recently saw 400 people applying for a handful of jobs. Manager Rob Fisher told the Sunday Times: "The quality of people looking for work right now is as good as it ever has been. Unfortunately it's because of the situation people have found themselves in." Pubs reopen in Scotland after coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /18 Pubs reopen in Scotland after coronavirus lockdown - In pictures Barman Dejah Hajdukovic serves a whisky at The Piper's Rest pub in Edinburgh as pubs, bars and restaurants reopen PA Some of the first customers enjoy a drink at The Piper's Rest pub in Edinburgh PA Crieff Hydro Hotel CEO, Stephen Leckie and his sons, Richard and Charlie play the bagpipes alongside daughter Louisa on the snare drum and highland dancer Ella Rose as they give a special welcome back to guests as they open for the first time since March. Getty Images A member of staff places a safety sign on the door of The Scotsman's Lounge pub PA George McDonald, from Clemiston, is the first customer to be served at The Scotsman's Lounge pub PA George McDonald, from Clemiston, is the first customer to be served at The Scotsman's Lounge pub PA George McDonald, from Clemiston, is the first customer to be served at The Scotsman's Lounge pub PA Crieff Hydro Hotel CEO, Stephen Leckie and his sons, Richard and Charlie play the bagpipes alongside daughter Louisa on the snare drum and highland dancer Ella Rose as they give a special welcome back to guests as they open for the first time since March. Getty Images People wait for opening outside The Scotsman's Lounge pub in Edinburgh as pubs, bars and restaurants across Scotland reopen PA Ivor Birnie (left) and John Lynch, some of the first customers to be served at The Scotsman's Lounge pub PA Crieff Hydro Hotel CEO, Stephen Leckie and his sons, Richard and Charlie play the bagpipes alongside daughter Louisa on the snare drum and highland dancer Ella Rose as they give a special welcome back to guests as they open for the first time since March. Getty Images John Lynch, one of the first customers to be served at The Scotsman's Lounge pub in Edinburgh PA Bill Day, aged 70, one of the first customers to be served at The Piper's Rest pub in Edinburgh PA Barman Matthew Williams serves drinks at Scotts in South Queensferry PA Internet searches for supermarket roles have gone up by 589 per cent compared with this time last year according to job website Indeed. Maintenance job searches increased by 440 per cent, with searches for forklift operator jobs also up 239 per cent. Bartending, digital marketing and research jobs were the most popular job searches for people in their late teens and early 20s. But unfortunately for people looking for work, job postings were down 59 per cent as of July 10, compared with 2019. Pawel Adrjan, who heads research for Indeed, said the virus had made it much harder to find jobs in some parts of the UK than others. He told the Sunday Times: Growing regional disparities are exacerbating the north-south divide. The Annual Aughnasheelin 5km/10km May Walk in aid of Cancer Research / North West Hospice took a virtual turn this year. Due to Covid19 restrictions it was not possible to gather and walk so it was decided to take to social media to raise the funds. This proved very successful and raised 13,000 for the two charities. Members of the Sammon Family in San Francisco, Sydney, Boston, London, Dublin, Wexford, Kildare and Aughnasheelin, linked through Zoom, walked / ran / cycled 5/10K on Sunday, May 31 on behalf of all who contributed so generously. The presentation of cheques took place in Aughnasheelin on Wednesday, July 8. Ena Barrett, Cancer Research Community Fundraiser Ulster Connaught North accepted the cheque on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society. Ena paid a sincere word of thanks to the Sammon family for hosting the May walk this year online. Aside from Covid 19 this has been a personally difficult time with the sad passing of their lovely father Michael. We truly appreciate your amazing support. Well done to all the grandchildren who utilised social media to raise a phenomenal amount of money. Thank you to all involved and to the Aughnasheelin Community for your continuous support. Mary Martin Curran, Board Director NWH and Bernadette McGarvey, head of fundraising North West Hospice accepted the cheque on behalf of the North West Hospice. Mary sincerely thanked the organisers and all involved for the generous contribution which goes towards providing home care for those living with cancer. The North West Hospice are totally dependent on funding raised by events like this. Brendan Sammon on behalf of the Organising Committee in Aughnasheelin accepted a Certificate of Appreciation from The North West Hospice for the funds raised for their charity over the past 9 years. Speaking at the presentation Seamus Prior on behalf of the organising committee thanked all who contributed so generously to the fund in what was a difficult year for everyone. Seamus complimented the Sammon Family for initiating the Facebook social media event this year especially following the death of their dad in February. Michael was a driving force behind the event each year since its inception in 2012 following the death of May in 2011. A big thank you to all who came out to the presentation and to Willie Donnellan who took the pictures at a social distance. CAPTIONS: Members of the Sammon family, Aughnasheelin and committee members pictured at the presentation of a cheque for 6,500 to the Irish Cancer Society, half of the proceeds raised at the 9th annual May Walk, Roll and Run which took pace in Aughnasheelin. Pictured, l-r, Mary Sammon-Quinn, Sharon Flynn, Ena Barrett, community fundraiser for Connacht Ulster, Irish Cancer Society, Michael McGovern, Manager, Donohoe's SuperValu, Ballinamore, sponsors, Mary Mulvey, Cait Sammon-Cullen, Philip Roddy and Seamus Prior Picture: Willie Donnellan Pictured at the presentation of a cheque for 6,500 to the North West Hospice from the ninth annual May Walk Roll Run which took place in Aughnasheelin on Sunday, May 31. (From left) sponsor Michael McGovern of Donohue's Super Valu, Ballinamore, sponsors Detta McNiffe of McNiffe's Boxty, Bernadette McGarvey, Head of fundraising, North West Hospice, Maura Mulvey, Mary Sammon Quinn, Kerry Meehan, Mary Curran, Board member, North West Hospice who presented a certificate of appreciation to the Sammon Family and Brendan Sammon Picture: Willie Donnellan Before the outbreak of COVID-19 and the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, an oil boom of monumental proportions was underway in Brazil, Latin Americas largest economy. Economists and industry analysts as far back as 2018 were speculating that it would be the largest in Latin Americas history. There were even signs that Brazils burgeoning oil production could challenge OPECs waning supremacy. A unique combination of Brazils vast petroleum reserves totaling almost 13 billion barrels, comprised of sought-after light sweet crude, and impressively low breakeven costs made it inevitable. In 2019, for the first time ever, Latin Americas largest oil producer pumped just over one billion barrels of oil. That, coupled with the latest oil discoveries in Brazils vast pre-salt offshore fields, spurred hopes of a renewed oil led economic boom. Many Brazilians hoped this would restart a stalled economy which up until 2011 had been registering impressive growth rates. By 2015, however, the economy had descended into its deepest slump since the 1980s with GDP contracting by 3.5%. That worrying development was a direct result of the expansive carwash corruption scandal, which ultimately destroyed President Dilma Rousseffs presidency. Brazils petroleum industry is crucial to its economy and a broad economic recovery. Oil and natural gas production is responsible for around a seventh of gross domestic product and just over a tenth of Brazils exports by value. The latest oil price crash, which began in March of this year, forced energy companies to rein in spending, cut costs and shutter uneconomic operations. It is upstream oil exploration and production which has been hardest hit and couldnt come at a worse time. Even before the March 2020 oil price crash, big oil appeared to have lost interest in the Latin American countrys vast oil potential. Global oil majors snubbed two of Brazils energy auctions held toward the end of 2019 with most blocks not receiving bids. This is despite their earlier enthusiasm in 2018 when they were eagerly snapping up blocks in the Campos Basin and other pre-salt fields. That earlier exuberance is because of the low breakeven prices of $35 to $45 Brent for pre-salt projects. The declining appeal of investing in Brazils oil industry can be ascribed to state-controlled Petrobras first-right mandate for pre-salt projects and issues with production-sharing contracts and bonus pricing. That waning appeal, particularly regarding the prolific pre-salt reservoirs, is accelerating because of COVID-19 and the latest oil price crash. Related: Is Commercial Hydrogen Possible Without Fossil Fuels? Around the globe oil companies are slashing spending, notably for exploration and non-essential development activities, and shuttering uneconomic operations because of sharply weaker oil prices. This will cause investment in Brazils economically crucial oil industry to decline, impacting production volumes, exploration and ultimately crucial reserves growth. According to the United Nations, softer demand for commodities, notably oil, and reduced global growth will cause 2020 foreign investment in Latin America to halve to around $80 billion. It is Peru, Colombia and Brazil, which are highly dependent on substantial foreign investment in their all-important extractive industries to drive economic growth, that will be among the most severely impacted. Investment in Brazils oil industry has been declining since late 2019 despite booming oil production and exports. That deterioration will accelerate because of the latest oil price crash and ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This is being amplified by the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Brazil. Last Friday, Brazils oil industry regulator the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP Portuguese acronym) confirmed in a Reuters news release that there were 1,427 coronavirus cases among offshore oil workers. While it is difficult to identify a single number, investment in Brazils economically crucial petroleum industry will fall. State-controlled Petrobras, which is responsible for around 94% of Brazils petroleum production, slashed budgeted 2020 capital expenditure by $3.5 billion and mothballed 62 shallow-water oil platforms. Earlier this year, Petrobras announced it was planning to curtail its planned 2020 oil production by 200,000 barrels daily, but later reversed that decision on strong demand from China. Related: Norways Oil Industry Is Beginning To Recover Falling investment, primarily from foreign oil majors in Brazils petroleum industry will impact oil exploration and production. Brazils hydrocarbon output fell sharply during May 2020. Petroleum production of almost 2.8 million barrels was 6.5% lower than April, but surprisingly 1.3% greater than a year earlier. That was also only marginally lower than forecast 2020 daily average oil production of 2.88 million barrels. This coupled with Petrobras, which is responsible for roughly 75% of Brazils oil production, exporting a record 1 million barrels of crude daily in April 2020, indicates the impact on Brazils oil industry may not be as severe as initially believed. That will help to blunt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Brazils fragile economy. President Jair Bolsonaros chaotic management of the pandemic, which analysts argue is responsible for Brazil becoming the second-worst affected country globally, saw the IMF predict that Latin Americas largest economy will suffer its worst economic downturn of modern times. The IMF believes Brazils 2020 GDP will shrink by 9.1%, which if Venezuela is excluded, is the fourth largest forecast decline in Latin America. If it werent for the resilience of Brazils crucial hydrocarbon sector, that estimate would be far worse. COVID-19 is a disaster for Brazil, but the impact on the petroleum industry of Latin Americas most populous country has not been as severe as anticipated. That, coupled with an unexpected spike in demand for Brazilian oil from China, will blunt the economic fallout from the pandemic. The resilience of Brazils oil industry to such a challenging operating environment is a warning to OPEC that the cartel can no longer control global oil supply and hence prices. While the latest developments will slow the growth of Brazils oil industry, they wont prevent the long-awaited historic boom from occurring. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Another weekend of sweltering weather, another weekend of overcrowding and parking woes at Sunset Beach in St. Catharines. By 11 a.m. Saturday, the streets around the popular spot were jammed with cars as security workers were limiting the number of vehicles allowed into the park. Irene Blokhuis has a view of the problem from her Lombardy Avenue home, which looks out onto the park. Ive lived here for 20 years, and its been getting busier the past few years, thats no secret, said Blokhuis. She acknowledged that many of the visitors, especially on the weekends, are coming from out of town. Blokhuis said word has spread over the past few years but recently an online article in Narcity compared it to a Hawaiian beach. No need to book a plane ticket in order to get a taste of Hawaii. This gorgeous beach in Ontario will transport you to the tropics this summer, stated the article. She said Canada Day was insane and Saturday looked to be building up to be the same. Residents and local beachgoers seem to be split on the proposed Niagarans-only motion that went before city council recently. I love the beach, but I hate how its being overrun by people who arent from Niagara, said Theresa Kiraly, who was at the beach with her Jet-Ski. You can tell, you can see cars with Brampton Toyota stickers. I was hopeful for them to start checking IDs; it would make it easier for people from the region to get here. Its jam-packed, trying to park or pull out at the end of the night with people walking and cars parked everywhere so hard to get out. And theres zero social distancing, said Kiraly. Over on Beachaven Drive, Dana Coxworthy was being a little enterprising, selling parking spots on his and neighbours driveways. Twenty bucks you wanna park here, he yelled out at passing cars. Ive been living here for 40 years, and now people have found the beach. Ever since Port Dalhousie lost part of their beach, people have discovered this, he said. Coxworthy doesnt favour a Niagarans-only beach bylaw. Its a public beach, and were all Ontarians. But like most, he agreed, about the parking problem. Why isnt the city saying lets open up a parking lot, or get a city bus to come down. These streets are not as wide as in some subdivisions. Weve got kids and people that want to walk their dogs. People have a hard time to get in and out. Hes a bit dismayed by the numbers on the beach as well. People are not thinking about the logic of it. Its COVID, they want to get out in the fresh air, but were supposed to social distance. They have to start giving out the tickets for not social distancing, said Coxworthy. Once one person gets a ticket word spreads pretty fast. Said Blokhuis, I think everyone needs to focus on the fact were in a pandemic, and were still in Stage 2 (of reopening). The message federally and provincially is, stay home. Regardless, she said, theres no guidebook, and the city needs to do whats best for the residents at this time. They should limit it, for now, its safer. They can revisit it if the pandemic ends. Russias ambassador to Britain has rejected allegations that his countrys intelligence services sought to steal information about a coronavirus vaccine. Andrei Kelin said in a BBC interview broadcast Sunday that there was no sense in the allegations made last week by the United States, Britain and Canada. I dont believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it, he said when asked about the allegations. I learned about their (the hackers) existence from British media. In this world, to attribute any kind of computer hackers to any country, it is impossible." Intelligence agencies in the US, Britain and Canada on Thursday accused the hacking group APT29 also known as Cozy Bear and believed to be part of Russian intelligence of using malicious software to attack academic and pharmaceutical research institutions involved in COVID-19 vaccine development. It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also said that Russian actors had tried to interfere in last years general election by amplifying stolen government papers online. Kelin said in the interview that his country had no interest in interfering in British domestic politics. I do not see any point in using this subject as a matter of interference, he said. We do not interfere at all. We do not see any point in interference because for us, whether it will be (the) Conservative Party or Labours party at the head of this country, we will try to settle relations and to establish better relations than now. Raab said Sunday that Britain will work with its allies to call Russia out on its reprehensible behavior and make sure research organizations know so that they can better defend against it. The allegations came days before the British parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee prepares to release a long-awaited report on Russian interference in British politics. President Donald Trump walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One earlier this month. Read more WASHINGTON The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday. The administration is also trying to block billions of dollars that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and billions more for the Pentagon and State Department to address the pandemic at home and abroad, the people said. The administration's posture has angered some GOP senators, the officials said, and some lawmakers are trying to push back and ensure that the money stays in the bill. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal confidential deliberations, cautioned that the talks were fluid and the numbers were in flux. The negotiations center around a bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is preparing to unveil this coming week as part of negotiations with Democrats on what will likely be the last major coronavirus relief bill before the November election. Negotiations are expected to kick off with increased urgency because of the rapid growth of cases and steady uptick in deaths in the United States. The number of cases began falling in April but accelerated sharply after Memorial Day, shattering records in the past two weeks. In late May, there were fewer than 20,000 new cases of coronavirus reported each day. On Friday, there were more than 76,000 new cases reported of the extremely contagious virus. READ MORE: U.S. bungles coronavirus testing again, this time with delayed results due to hotspots, lack of federal coordination The two political parties are far apart on a number of contentious issues, such as unemployment insurance, but the conflict between Trump administration officials and Senate Republicans on money for testing and other priorities is creating a major complication even before bipartisan negotiations get under way. Some lawmakers are trying to reach a deal quickly, as enhanced unemployment benefits for millions of Americans are set to expire in less than two weeks. One person involved in the talks said Senate Republicans were seeking to allocate $25 billion for states to conduct testing and contact tracing, but that certain administration officials want to zero out the testing and tracing money entirely. Some White House officials believe they have already approved billions of dollars in assistance for testing and that some of that money remains unspent. Roughly 3.7 million Americans have already tested positive for coronavirus in the United States, according to a Washington Post analysis. Wait times for test results can vary by state, but in some places people have to wait more than a week to find out if they have tested positive. READ MORE: How many have really been infected with coronavirus? I pricked my finger to help find out. Trump and other White House officials have been pushing for states to own more of the responsibility for testing and have objected to creating national standards, at times seeking to minimize the federal governments role. The last major coronavirus spending bill Congress approved, in April, included $25 billion to increase testing and also required the Health and Human Services Department to release a strategic testing plan. The agency did so in May, but the plan mainly reasserted the administrations insistence that states not the federal government should take the lead on testing. Several Senate Republicans including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are exploring pushing a testing and tracing provision in the next stimulus package but are expected to meet resistance from the White House. Cases and deaths are now both rising again, including in many red states, said Sam Hammond, a policy expert at the right-leaning think tank the Niskanen Center, which has been working with Senate Republicans on testing legislation. Senate Republicans have asked for funding to help states purchase test kits in bulk. As it currently stands, the main bottleneck to a big ramp-up in testing is less technical than the White Houses own intransigence. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of conducting widespread coronavirus testing, arguing that if there were fewer tests conducted, the numbers of infections would be lower. Coronavirus infections and deaths are on the rise in many states. The administration is also seeking to zero out $10 billion in new funding for the CDC in the upcoming bill, while slashing spending for the Pentagon and State Department related to foreign aid, the person said. Trump has been skeptical of State Department spending and foreign aid generally, but it was unclear why the Trump administration would seek to block money for the Pentagon for a variety of COVID-related expenses such as reimbursing contractors for providing paid leave to employees. A White House spokesman declined to comment. Congress has already approved roughly $3 trillion in new spending and tax cuts as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Some White House officials had hoped to keep the next bill at less than $1 trillion, but they also want to include numerous elements that could prove costly. For example, Trump has demanded a payroll tax cut as part of the legislation. And he also wants to include another round of stimulus checks, though lawmakers are split on how to design new payments. White House officials have been sharply critical of the CDC's performance during the pandemic, complaining that its initial testing efforts were faulty and that it didn't know more about the virus earlier this year. At the same time they push cuts in testing and CDC funds, administration officials are trying to use the spending package to fund priorities that appear not directly related to the coronavirus including a new FBI building, which has been a longtime priority for Trump, according to people involved. Click here to read the full article. MILAN Its a David and Goliath story. Entrepreneur Luciano Donatelli is aware that giant groups are interested in taking control of Brooks Brothers, but he is undeterred. Donatelli has quickly put together a group of investors under the Club Deal 8 moniker, including online retailer Giglio Group, the Biella-based Gruppo Verzoletto, and a silk group from Como that has requested anonymity for the time being. Partnering with Giglio Group is telling, since developing a bigger online business for Brooks Brothers is a key focus for the investors. Another is to make sure the storied American company is not butchered into smaller companies by funds that could speculate on this deal. We are talking about a unique brand, underscored Donatelli, who has involved in the project entrepreneur and environmentalist Brando Crespi, founder of Pro-Natura, which supports and funds sustainable projects; legal manager Lorenza Morello, and adviser Fabrizio Capponi, a partner at New York-based legal firm Dentons. We have had requests from 32 international investors that are keen to be part of Club Deal 8, but we will eventually select seven or eight of them, said Donatelli, adding that the investors are already in Brooks Brothers data room. As reported, Brooks Brothers earlier this month struck an upbeat note at its first-day bankruptcy hearing in Delaware, submitting a new $80 million debtor-in-possession facility by a joint entity of licensing company Authentic Brands Group and mall operator Simon Property Group, showing how the retailer may be gearing up for a possible going-concern sale. When the retailer began its proceedings in Delaware, its owner and chief executive officer Claudio Del Vecchio told WWD that although the company had entered the proceedings without a stalking-horse bidder despite exploring a sale of the business for years, it hopes for a relatively quick trip through bankruptcy court that would culminate in a sale. Story continues The mission is to relaunch a brand that does not belong to us historically but that has always been in the heart of Italians, bought by an Italian family that I deeply respect, said Donatelli of owner and ceo Claudio Del Vecchio and his father Leonardo, who founded Luxottica Group. We are trying to protect this Italian image and at the same time integrate Brooks Brothers international supply chain as well as the American production. Donatelli said the online business was a strong trend even before the COVID-19 emergency and one that can fit with the centuries-old classic mens wear retailer, supporting a slimmer distribution model, stores no bigger than 2,160 square feet, with few fixed costs, fewer employees and general expenses. I think that structures such as that of Giglio Group can grow Brooks Brothers at an incredible pace and it will help the brand develop its accessories, shoes, knits, shirts and leather goods business, as well as the womens and childrens divisions, continued Donatelli. Donatelli, a fashion consultant and a former Ermenegildo Zegna group manager, over the years initiated prestigious licenses with brands such as Gucci and Valentino and was president of industry associations Confindustria Biella and vice president of Confindustria Piemonte. His experience in the Biella textile region can serve him well, as Brooks Brothers has for years sourced fabrics from that area, as well as from Italys Veneto, Tuscany and Apulia regions. The goal, said Donatelli, if Club Deal 8 succeeds in taking control of Brooks Brothers, is to reach sales of $3 billion in five years and grow production sixfold. Donatelli sees sales of about $1.2 billion to be derived from the Americas; $1.2 billion from the Far East and $600,000 from Europe and Russia. I am thinking of the Jeep example, which bridges Italian craft with the American myth, he mused. This can be a new renaissance for Brooks Brothers, he mused. He aims to keep the brands American spirit, but to also produce more glocal collections, adapting the label to different regional areas, highlighting a couture division in the U.S. to be produced in the Boston and North Carolina plants. He cited Halston and Ralph Lauren as two models for the brand. My dream is to work with Murray Scallon on upper casual, Paul Surridge on couture and Nick Invernizzi on accessories, confided Donatelli, who is also keen on expanding the womens division. Polos, shirts and accessories should eventually account for 75 percent of revenues, he said, and the leather goods and shoes categories should also grow, as well as the licenses. Sustainability hence the inclusion of Crespi and boosting business in China are also priorities. Last year, as reported, Giglio Group turned its attention to China, boosting its e-commerce business and inking 12 new agreements with Italian designer brands. It already worked with the likes of Guess, Max Mara, Bomberg, Trussardi and Chiara Ferragnis The Blonde Salad. The group has been evolving from being a media company to presenting itself as a Worldwide Digital Enabler for its more than 70 fashion, beauty and design clients in the luxury arena. The company is led by Alessandro Giglio, founder, president and ceo. Established in 2003 with headquarters in Milan and offices in New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Rome, Lugano and Genoa, Giglio Group is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange on the STAR market. I chose the Club Deal 8 name because I believe, like in China, eight is a good luck number. I really hope so, said Donatelli, Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Prasanta Mazumdar By Express News Service GUWAHATI: As Assam continues to battle a devastating flood that left 84 people dead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called up Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to express his concern and solidarity with the people of the state. Honble PM Shri @narendramodi ji took stock of the contemporary situation regarding #AssamFloods2020, #COVID19 and Baghjan Oil Well fire scenario over the phone this morning. Expressing his concern & solidarity with the people, the PM assured all support to the state, Sonowal tweeted. An official statement said the PM had enquired about the steps taken by the state government for relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected people and treatment of Covid-19 positive patients. Sonowal apprised Modi that the state government had taken steps for providing shelter to the marooned and that the Covid-19 protocols were strictly being adhered to. He also informed that vast swathes of farmlands and houses had been severely affected by the flood and erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. On the Baghjan oil well fire, the CM informed the PM that the Petroleum Ministry had been persistently carrying out activities to completely douse the inferno and the state government was extending all cooperation. A blowout or uncontrolled emission of natural gas had led to the fire on June 9. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), five people perished on Sunday in Barpeta, Baksa, Dhubri, Morigaon, and Nagaon districts. Earlier, 26 others were killed in separate incidents of rain-triggered landslides. The ASDMA said over 25.29 lakh people from 2,400 villages and localities across 24 of the states 33 districts were reeling under the flood. Altogether, 50,559 of the marooned were taking refuge in 521 relief camps. The floodwater breached a number of river embankments and damaged bridges and roads across the state. The standing crop affected was in areas of 1,12,138 hectares. Major rivers such as Brahmaputra, Dhansiri, Kopili, Beki, Kushiyara, and Jia Bharali were in a spate, flowing above the danger level. The one-horned rhino fame Kaziranga National Park is bearing the brunt of the deluge. The Brahmaputra flows through the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Till Sunday, 108 animals, including nine rhinos, died due to various reasons including drowning and vehicle hits. A national highway traverses beside the park. The animals, particularly elephants and hog deer, cross the highway to go to the hills in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district during floods. Meanwhile, three children, swept away by the swirling Brahmaputra water, were rescued due to the timely action of a forest ranger of the park. Celebrity chef Rachael Ray and her husband John Cusimano are celebrating 15 years of marriage in September 2020. Recently, the 30-Minute Meals star shared with the world the magical recipe that, as she put it, made it all happen, between herself and her life partner. Rachael Ray (right) and her husband, John Cusimano | Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for SOBEWFF RELATED: How Did Rachael Ray Meet Her Husband, John Cusimano? Ray and Cusimano have recently made generous donations Ray and Cusimano donated $4 million to organizations helping out during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. A portion of their contribution is being given through her nonprofit, Yum-o!, as well as other organizations including Feeding America, Share Our Strength, World Central Kitchen, The National Restaurant Association, City Harvest, Hunger Free America, and Wholesome Wave. The couples desire is to get food and sustenance to anyone in need. The Food Network star said on her website, My overall goal with these donations is to support American families affected during the Covid-19 crisis with assistance for two-legged and four-legged family members. The two have been airing live shows during the pandemic The 51-year-old author and her husband moved all their operations to their upstate New York home once authorities began encouraging social distancing and quarantining. She thought at first that she would spend the time away from her television studios resting and discovering new hobbies. That notion did not last very long at all. I was going to get more serious about my painting. I had all these lofty goals and none of thats happening, she told The Associated Press by phone in April 2020. RELATED: Rachael Ray: Her Celebrity Crush and Favorite Moment from the Daytime Show With Cusimano on camera duties, Ray began filming her show in earnest. We have never worked this hard in our entire lives, Ray said. Her show is temporarily renamed #StayHome With Rachael and is filmed twice a week from her home. This is a weird time. I cant say theres a silver lining but there are found moments every day, she said during her first filmed show. The meal that made it all happen This week on Instagram, Ray posted a romantic message and video about the dish that brought the couple together, and the night the two met. HALIBUT IN TOMATILLO SAUCE, she wrote. 20 years later, @johnmcusimano and I are recreating our dish, the one that made it all happen. In the video, the two, who will celebrate fifteen years of marriage in September 2020, explained a bit more about this magical dish. Twenty years later, sharing this intimate moment with you!, said Ray. The night I met John, we were at this party, and literally everyone at the party was tall except for us. We really were the shortest people at this particular party. She went on to describe how the pair began chatting around all the other towering attendees. Anyway, conversation ensues. So I said, I cook for a living. Do you do any cooking? And hes like, Oh yeah, I love to cook. And he said that the night before for dinner, hed made At this point, Ray motioned for her husband to describe his dish. . . .tilapia that Id pan-seared and topped with a tomatillo sauce. . . For the remainder of the video, the couple recreated the dish that brought them together. When they finished, Ray turned to Cusimano and said, This is kind of our song. This is the dish that made me want to talk to you all night. Cusimano added, It made it all happen! RELATED: Rachael Ray Was an Answer on Jeopardy! and Shes Ecstatic Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 04:29:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UN-backed Libyan government on Saturday expressed concern over deteriorating security situation near oil facilities. "NOC is deeply concerned over the serious deterioration in the security situation in areas surrounding oil facilities in the Gulf of Sirte," NOC said in a statement. "Violent Clashes took place over the past 48 hours in the Brega region, only hundreds of meters away from oil tanks, between armed groups called Al-Saiqa and the Petroleum Facilities Guard, all of whom belong to Khalifa Haftar (commander of eastern-based army)," the statement said. The corporation demanded "foreign mercenaries" allied with the eastern-based army and blocking oil exports to leave the oilfields and ports. NOC on Sunday declared force majeure on oil exports again due to renewed oil blockade by the eastern-based army, which is demanding transparency in the distribution of oil revenues. The North African country has been plagued by political division and conflicts ever since the fall of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Enditem The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) supplies the silicon on which many OEMs' SoCs or devices are based, Huawei's included. However, the current US administration has issued an executive order that prevents the latter from conducting this kind of business. TSMC has stated that it is complying with the directive. Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here TSMC has reportedly suspended all business with the electronics giant Huawei. This move has been made in order to comply with new and stringent trade regulations that prevent US and (more recently) non-US companies doing business with this company. Accordingly, TSMC will not fulfill orders of chips to Huawei's specifications that were placed on May 15, 2020 or later. Therefore, the smartphone maker will see its last shipment from the Taiwanese silicon contractor on or after September 14 of the same year. TSMC investors and fans may worry about the void that the sudden absence of this business may have created - Huawei had been a major trading partner of this company's, after all. However, its chairman, Mark Liu, has said it is "progressing relatively well" in attracting new orders that will take up the excess left in its inventory. The chip-maker had been projected to earn third-quarter (3Q2020) revenues of about US$10.7 billion. However, it now estimates that it might make up to $11.5 billion for the same period instead. It had also predicted it would make about 20% more in 2020 compared to the preceding year, mainly based on the enthusiasm for 5G-capable chipsets from OEMs that it saw coming. Now, TSMC asserts that it is still on track to make this growth, Huawei orders or no. Furthermore, it now intends to raise its capital investment level by an additional $1-2 billion, or a possible total of $17 billion, in 2020. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released guidelines to all heads of tertiary institutions for the 2020 admission exercise. The board also told all institutions to begin admission for candidates for first and second choices on August 21, 2020. In the document, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, and sent to all vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, the JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, warned against flouting decisions of its 2020 policy meeting, held on June 16. Mr Oloyede insisted that all admissions must be carried out in an honest and transparent manner. The 1st and 2nd Choices Admission-Exercise be conducted for all institutions from 21st August 2020 to a later date that would be determined by the Federal Ministry of Education and communicated to all the institutions, he said, adding that the uncertainties of the COVID-19 make it impossible to fix a terminal date. The guideline Mr Oloyede explained that the guideline for the 2020 admission exercise is expected to guide all the participants in the admission process. All heads of institutions and admission officers are advised to carefully study and understand the content of the document with a view to implementing it fully for a seamless and transparent admission exercise, he said. According to him, the decisions, as well as the policy directives as contained in the address of the education minister at the policy meeting, shall serve as the guidelines for the 2020 admission exercise. All Heads of Tertiary Institutions are to ensure total compliance with the guidelines. Sanctions shall be applied to institutions that violate the decisions, he warned CAPS is important The JAMB chief said the admission-exercise for the 2020/2021 Academic Session would be conducted on the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS). The CAPS is an admission processing system that is geared towards ensuring quality control, transparency and credibility of the admission process. JAMB tasked the three higher education regulatory bodies The National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE ) to collaborate with it to ensure full compliance with the guidelines. The board said it has stopped illegal or irregular admission in any form, saying all admissions must pass through it. All applications for admissions to First Degree, National Diploma, National Innovation Diploma and the Nigeria Certificate in Education into Full Time, Distance Learning, Part-Time, Sandwich, must be processed only through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), it said. The board said institutions involved in advertising or selling application forms for admissions into the programmes should stop henceforth. Institutions should advise candidates to apply to them through JAMB. Duplication of application forms is NOT allowed, No Institution is allowed to publish, announce, exhibit or paste any name(s) of the admitted candidate without prior approval of the name on CAPS, the board said. Advertorial On advertorials, JAMB said institutions that desire to place advertisement can do so by advising candidates who applied for the current UTME to change to their institution as First (1st) Choice rather than requesting the candidates to purchase another application. This is to prevent the issue of double registration which is a violation of the JAMB mandate, Mr Oloyede said. No institution will be allowed to recommend or admit any candidate whose UTME score is below the following threshold: Degree 160; ND 120; NCE 100; NID 100. He said no institution can graduate a candidate who has not been a full time student of that institution for at least 2 consecutive years. Affiliated institutions are to adopt the same minimum UTME scores as the mother institutions, he said. FG prepares for resumption Schools across Nigeria are currently shut due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the federal government recently released guidelines that must be met by all schools ahead of resumption. Advertisements The guidelines for the safe reopening of schools and learning facilities after the COVID-19 pandemic outlined actions, measures, and requirements needed for resumption. The government also gave school proprietors across the country up to July 29 to meet specific guidelines set towards the reopening of schools. T he Chinese ambassador to the UK dismissed allegations of abuse against the country's Uighur people after the BBC's Andrew Marr confronted him with shocking footage that appeared to show blindfolded people waiting to be loaded onto trains. In the appearance on Mr Marr's show, Liu Xiaoming suggested that the video footage - said to be from the north-western Xinjiang province - which seems to show men kneeling, blindfolded and waiting to be led onto trains, was fake. And he hit out at so-called Western intelligence, accusing US, UK and European governments of making repeated false allegations against China. Mr Liu said: There is no so-called massive forced sterilisation among Uighur people in China. It is totally against the truth. I cannot rule out single cases for any country. There is no such concentration camp in Xinjiang." His comments came after British Government and opposition figures hit out at the alleged conduct of the Chinese government. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused Chinese officials of committing gross, egregious abuses in the Xinjiang province against the mostly-Muslim Uighur people. Mr Raab insisted that Britain wanted good relations with China but said it could not stand by while abuses such as forced sterilisations and mass re-education camps took place. It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on. We are working with our international partners on this. It is deeply, deeply troubling, he told The Andrew Marr Show. The reports of the human aspect of it from forced sterilisation to the education camps are reminiscent of something we have not seen for a long, long time. This from a leading member of the international community that wants to be taken seriously and in fact who we want a positive relationship with. But we cannot see behaviour like that and not call it out. Meanwhile shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy called on the Government to use Britains new independent sanctions regime to target individuals implicated in human rights abuses in Xinjiang. They could do that tomorrow, she told The Andrew Marr Show. But Mr Liu said it would be totally wrong for Britain now to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and said Beijing was ready to respond in kind. If the UK goes that far to impose sanctions on any individuals in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it. You have seen what happened between China [and] the United States. They sanctioned Chinese officials, we sanctioned their senators, their officials. I do not want to see this tit-for-tat between China-US happen in China-UK relations." And he rejected claims China was pursuing a policy of aggressive nationalism, saying it was Western powers which were trying to create a new cold war. A file photo of people walking past Chinese soldiers in Xinjiang province from 2012 Its Western countries, headed by United States, they started this so called new cold war on China, he said. They have the sanctions, they have these smearing, name calling, take what happened with the coronavirus. They still keep calling China virus, Wuhan virus. Totally wrong. But we have to make a response. We do not provoke but once we were provoked we have to make response. Extremely heavy rains in the northeast could accentuate existing flood conditions and lead to landslides in some areas of the north-eastern states and sub-Himalayan West Bengal, India Meteorological Department said on Saturday. The met department has issued a red category warning for most of northeast including Assam and Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and sub Himalayan West Bengal on July 19, 20 and 21 and an orange category warning for entire north and northwest India including Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand for the same period. Red category warning indicates that local and disaster control authorities take action to prevent any flooding or landslide disasters. An orange category warning indicates that disaster management and local authorities should prepare for disaster control. We have started impact based warnings for 12 cities in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Shimla, Dehradun, Shillong, Guwahati and others. When we have a consensus on the likely impact, we issue an impact-based warning. For example, in the northeast particularly Assam, the rivers are already overflowing so landslides and flooding is likely based on our assessments. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has been emphasising that we alert people on the weather will do. The assessment is based on a multi hazard approach, said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, national weather forecasting centre. According to WMOs guidelines on multi-hazard impact based forecast, for impact forecast exposure is considered along with the hazard and vulnerability. These types of forecasts and warnings are designed to provide detailed information precisely on who or what is exposed. Jenamani gives the example of UK Met Office which uses past data of 30 years on natural calamities to issue impact based warnings. IMD for the first time this month has started issuing impact-based warning in its daily bulletins so that common people understand the significance of a particular weather forecast and take precautions accordingly. Earlier this month when Mumbai faced extremely heavy rains, IMD had warned of localised flooding; disruption of traffic and utilities. On Saturday, IMD warned of landslides in upper reaches and flooding as the impact of extremely heavy rains in the northeast. IMD in its Saturday bulletin said western part of monsoon trough lies south of its normal position and a cyclonic circulation lies over coastal Saurashtra and neighbourhood. This cyclonic circulation is likely to become less marked during next 24 hours. At the same time, the entire monsoon trough (line of low pressure) is also most likely to shift northwards closer to the foothills of the Himalayas between July 19 and 20. In addition, Interaction between mid-level westerlies and lower level easterlies from the Arabian Sea over northwest India is very likely to start from July 18. Convergence of moist southerly/southwesterly winds from Bay of Bengal over northeast and adjoining east India will also begin from Saturday. The combination of these factors will bring widespread rains to northeast and parts of northwest India, IMD said. Brahmaputra in Jorhat and Sonitpur districts and River Beki in Barpeta district are flowing in Severe flood situation with rising trend. Since most of the catchments in northeast India, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are already saturated there is likelihood of continuation of floods in Severe to Extreme levels for the next 3-4 days. Maximum vigil has to be maintained along the banks of all rivers, the Central Water Commission warned on Friday. Monsoon rains in the country are 8% excess as on Saturday; 11% excess over east and northeast India; -17% deficiency over northwest India; 14% excess over central India; 17% excess over south Peninsular India. Its very good news that IMD has started issuing impact based forecasts. Until now their forecasts were based on meteorological parameters in terms of say how much its going to rain or how hot it may be. But now impact based forecast will consider local infrastructure and impact on people, said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. When the people of Israel were journeying from the wilderness to the promised land, they had many challenges on the way. They complained about everything, from lack of water, food, and insecurity as they faced the occupants of the promised land. In all of this, Moses managed to mediate on their behalf to implore God to respond to their needs. Yet, the complaints of the Israelites did not worry Moses in the same way that he worried about the consequences of the prosperity that the promised land portended for the people. Moses was concerned that while lack and challenges led the Israelites to God, prosperity was likely to cause the Israelites to turn away from God. So, when Moses was about to part ways with the Israelites, he cautioned them about the dangers associated with prosperity. He passionately cautioned them: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me. But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirm His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today (Deuteronomy 8: 10-18). Mosess passionate caution to the Israelites has important lessons for all of us. He carefully told them how they were nothing and were not even powerful in any way, but the Lord made them great. Moses told them that they were only slaves in a foreign land and yet the Lord saved them. Also, Moses hinted to them that the land they were to possess had many blessings. But he told them that the blessings of the Land could cause them to forget about God. It could also cause them to be arrogant and proud. More so, the prosperity associated with the land could cause the Israelites to think that they did not need God. Certainly, Moses was/is sagaciously speaking to us. Our world today has made unprecedented strives in overcoming some of the debilitating challenges of life. Landmark technological advances have helped us to push back common challenges such as poverty, diseases, hunger, and premature deaths. Knowledge has also expanded significantly in our world. And, compared to the previous centuries, our world has been less bloody. Nevertheless, atheism has equally increased significantly in our world. This is to the extent that we discount the existence of God. The belief in God is considered countercultural and counterintuitive. God has become the object of ridicule in the media. In the classroom, God is the whipping boy. Our century has become very hostile to God. We have become a people that gives no room for the existence of God. It is either God is dead, in the logic of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, the German philosopher (1844 1900), or He is an old man who has retired from the affairs of the world. In the face of stupendous prosperity, we have become masters of the universe. The illusion of self-sufficiency has resulted in we seeing ourselves as demigods. As the world intensifies its crusade against the Triune God and anything that has to do with Him, Moses cautions us not to remain oblivious to the goodness of the Lord. Just as prosperity has the facade of causing us to think of God as a thing of the primitive past, Moses is reminding us that we are still mortals. We are still dependent beings who must be cautioned against arrogance. This is precisely because, in the face of prosperity in our world, we are tempted to have two extreme views of human beings. It is either we have a too low view of human beings as dogs or a high view of human beings as gods. Either way, we have decentered God as the ultimate ruler of the universe. And either way, we have become insensitive to the plight of our fellow human beings. Human beings have become the measure of all things (as said by Protagoras, the Greek philosopher of the fifth century BC). The idea of human being as an image-bearer of God has been shelved in the face of technological advancement. While we were created as dependent beings and social beings, technology has removed us from the source of our ontological existence the Triune God. We have become online beings rather than social beings. We have consequently lost our sense of thankfulness. As I celebrated my birthday yesterday (July 16), I reflected on what it means to be grateful. I found Mosess caution to the Israelites very timely and providential. Mosess caution was/is a presage to the world - to us as individuals and as groups. The centrality of Moses's caution was/is that we have to be grateful to God. In the following, I will highlight the importance of gratitude in our relationship with God and our neighbours. Thus, both theocentrically and anthropocentrically, gratitude is the heartbeat of life. It is what defines our humanity. First, when we thank God, we admit that we are dependent beings. Human beings were not created to be sufficient in themselves. We were created to always depend on God for our sustenance. Without God, we are nothing (Acts 17:28). When we thank God, we openly admit that He is the Lord over our lives (I Peter 3:15a). Second, when we thank our fellow human beings, we admit that we are incomplete. A prolific professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and my friend, Francis Nyamnjoh, has written extensively about the need for human beings to admit our incompleteness. As we admit our incompleteness, we accept one another in our earthly journey. Third, through our dependence on God and the expression of incompleteness through gratitude, we become humble. We do not become conceited. We realise our limitation and the need to collaborate with others to live well, as well as fronting for the common good of humanity. This is because we become inclined to give God credit for all our achievements. Fourth, when we are grateful people, we appreciate the need to be selfless in our relations with others. For example, as a Christian, I acknowledge that my salvation is wholly the work of God alone. I did not contribute anything to make my salvation possible, since salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and in Christ alone. I admit that God chose me before the foundation of the earth, Jesus Christ, through His vicarious death on the Cross of Calvary, purchased me, and the Holy Spirit sealed my salvation. I did not contribute anything in the process. In the end, I see the need to sacrifice my time and other resources for the good of my family, friends, and neighbours. Sixth, studies have shown that persons who are grateful in all things tend to have a healthy and positive outlook about life. They tend to be happy and physically, cognitively and emotionally robust. The opposite is true about persons who are ingrate. As Christians, the Bible admonishes us to come before God with thanksgiving (Psalm 95:2a). We are also encouraged to give thanks to God in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. In the face of challenges, it is difficult to thank God, but I pray that the Lord will graciously unveil a little of our blissful future to us to see our glorious end (Romans 8:18). In conclusion, I want to thank all my families and friends who sent me messages, nourished with blessings, on the occasion of my birthday. I was/am humbled by the outpouring of messages from my supervisor, seniors, and colleagues. I am very grateful. In many cases, we bless in love, so I assume that you all blessed me because you love me. In return, I pray that the Triune God will be gracious and merciful unto all of you. I pray He blesses you in all good things. Satyagraha Charles Prempeh ([email protected]), African University College of Communications, Accra KYOTO, Japan - A memorial ceremony to mark one year since the fatal arson attack on Kyoto Animation Co. was held Saturday at the site of the company's No. 1 studio in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, with 94 people attending, including 85 family members of 30 of the victims. The July 18, 2019, arson attack on the popular animation company sent shock waves across the nation and abroad. Thirty-six people were killed and 33 were seriously or slightly injured in the conflagration. The memorial service, hosted by KyoAni, started at 10:30 a.m., the time when the incident took place. "I miss you every day. I feel lonely every day. I can't help but look for you," said the wife of Futoshi Nishiya, who was 37 and designed characters for the anime film "Koe no Katachi" ("A Silent Voice"), in her speech. "I'll live the rest of my life with a sense of loss." Many attendees were heard weeping. Shinji Aoba, 42, is suspected of setting the fire after dousing the first floor of the studio building with gasoline. About 700 square meters of the three-story building burned to the ground. Board member Yoshiji Kigami, 61, and Yasuhiro Takemoto, the director of "Rakisuta" (Lucky Star), were among the 36 fatalities. One person is still hospitalized. The Kyoto prefectural police arrested Aoba on May 27 on suspicion of murder and other charges. Currently, psychiatric tests are being conducted to determine whether Aoba is capable of bearing criminal responsibility. The KyoAni building was demolished in April and is now a vacant lot. It has not been decided how to use the site. Many people from home and abroad also paid tribute through social media. "I would not be what I am now without KyoAni's works. I'll continue to support you," said one of the tweets. At around 10:30 a.m., a memorial video by Kyoto Animation was posted on YouTube. At the same time, comments expressing condolences to the victims, such as "Silent prayer," "Rest in Peace" and "Thank you, KyoAni," poured in with the hashtag "#PrayforKyoani." Messages also came from abroad, such as comments saying it is heartbreaking that the incident took the lives of so many young talented animators. Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar congratulated Art of Living (Suriname) President Krishna Mathoera on becoming the Defense Minister of the South American nation. Mathoera, a policewoman-turned-politician, belongs to Progressive Reform Party (VHP) and is a member of National Assembly of Suriname. Congratulations to Krishna Mathoera, President, @ArtofLiving Suriname, on becoming the Minister of Defence, Suriname. I wish her all success & good health. pic.twitter.com/XzzcIpdcVT Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) July 19, 2020 Suriname recently elected VHPs Chandrikapersad Santokhi as the new President, replacing former military strongman Desi Bouterse. National Democratic Party (NDP) lost its majority in the Parliament in the general elections held on May 25, paving way for the VHP to rule the country known for its melting-pot culture. Read: Suriname Finally Issues Vote Results Showing Opposition Win Coalition government VHP General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) are part of the ruling coalition which also includes The National Party of Suriname (NPS) and the Pertjajah Luhur (PL). The coalition controls a decisive 33 seats out of 51 in the parliament. As part of the coalition deal, ABOP leader Ronnie Brunswijk was elected as the Vice President without any opposition. Mathoera successfully supervised the election and announced that the nomination process had been done correctly. Born in 1963, Mathoera began her public service around 1980 by joining the Suriname police force and served for 34 years. She represented the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission for five years until 2015 when she left the service and turned towards politics. In 2020 general elections, she won parliament seat from Paramaribo, becoming of the seven elected VHP members from the capital city. Read: Suriname Opposition Asks Bouterse To Concede Amid Slow Count While Donald Trump continues to slip in the polls against Joe Biden, the president still remains ahead among two demographics male and white voters, but the presumed Democratic nominee is still ahead in almost every other demographic. Overall, if the election were held today, Biden would earn 49 per cent of the vote, which is 8 per cent more than Trump's 41 per cent, according to a Fox News poll released Sunday. 'First of all, I'm not losing, because those are fake polls,' Trump told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace in a pre-recorded interview. 'They were fake in 2016 and now they're even more fake. The polls were much worse in 2016.' Trump has continuously dismissed polls showing Biden winning as 'fake,' claiming they will be proven wrong just like what happened in his 2016 victory against Hillary Clinton. The president also still refuses to say if he will willingly accept the results if he does not emerge the victor in November. The same Fox News poll, taken July 12-15, reveals that when it comes to male voters, Trump is up by 5 percentage points, but among women voters, Biden leads the president by 9 points. Donald Trump is still leading Joe Biden among white and male voters as a new poll Sunday shows the president losing by 8 per cent to the presumed Democratic nominee if the election were held today Trump dismissed the poll during an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday morning. 'First of all, I'm not losing, because those are fake polls,' Trump said White voters are also much more likely to cast their ballot for Trump over Biden in the November elections those with a college degree by a 3 per ent margin and without a degree by 9 percentage points. Biden is ahead of Trump among all other races. A massive 64 per cent of black voters say they would vote for Biden over Trump while the Democrat is ahead among Hispanic voters by 30 per cent. During his taped interview with Wallace, which aired Sunday morning, Trump railed against mail-in voting, claiming it could lead Democrats to rig the election results. The Fox News poll, however, reveals that only 15 per cent of voters want the election held full in-person. Thirty-one per cent are in favor of an option that allows for both in-person and remote or mail-in voting, and 25 per cent want elections to be held fully through the mail. Wallace asked if he feels mail-in ballots are more susceptible to fraud if he would not accept the results of the election if the mail-in ballot measures were used and he were to lose against Biden. 'I have to see. Look, Hillary Clinton asked me the same thing,' Trump said in an attempt to deflect. 'And you know what? She's the one that never accepted it.' 'She never accepted her loss and she looks like a fool,' the president said of the 2016 loser. 'But can you give a, can you give a direct answer you will accept the election?' Wallace pushed. 'No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either,' he finally acknowledged during the wide-range interview. The president also railed against mail-in voting during his interview, claiming it would lead to a higher chance of voter fraud and a rigged election When Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace (right) asked if Trump would accept the results if he lost and mail-in ballots were used, the president deflected 'No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either,' Trump said after claiming that Hillary Clinton never accepted the results of the 2016 election Biden's campaign responded to the comments by asserting: 'The American people will decide this election.' 'And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House,' the statement continued. Among voters 18-30 years of age, 58 per cent said they would vote for Biden to the 22 per cent who said their ballots would be cast for Trump. While 11 per cent more independents said they would vote for Biden over Trump, the largest portion of that demographic, at 42 per cent said they either don't know who they are voting for, won't vote in the 2020 presidential elections at all or would vote for someone other than the Democrat or Republican candidate. Two other demographics where Trump, 74, is experiencing a lead are among those registered in rural areas, by 9 per cent, and among senior voters by 1 percentage point over Biden, 77. Biden is winning over Trump among suburban voters by 11 per cent. Of the 1,104 registered voters who were surveyed, 45 per cent approve of the job Trump is doing as president but seven per cent of those respondents say they would back Biden in November. 'Whether it's in 2021 or 2025, how will you regard your years as President of the United States?' Wallace asked during his one-on-one White House interview with Trump. 'I think I was very unfairly treated,' the president said. 'From before I even won I was under investigation by a bunch of thieves, crooks. It was an illegal investigation.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 20:03:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A voter casts his ballot in the Syrian parliamentary elections held in Damascus, capital of Syria, on July 19, 2020. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua) Syria has started parliamentary elections, its third such elections during more than nine-year-long war. DAMASCUS, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The parliamentary elections in Syria kicked off on Sunday, the third elections during the more than nine-year-long war, amid the participation of President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma. A total of 7,277 polling stations opened across the government-controlled areas on Sunday as voters are having the chance to vote for 1,656 candidates for the 250-seat parliament. Both the president and his wife were seen wearing masks and casting their ballots at a polling center in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. The Syrian government now controls around 70 percent of the Syrian territory while ultra-radical rebels control the Idlib Province in northwestern Syria and the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control areas in northeastern Syria. New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow raj dharma and tell people the reality about Chinas incursions as it cited satellite images of Ladakhs Pangong Tso area taken in May and June and added that they showed Chinese structures had come up there. Addressing a digital news briefing, Congress leader Kapil Sibal asked Modi to at least speak the truth about it and take steps to protect the Indian territory. He was referring to Modis remarks at an all-party meeting on May 19 that no intruder was on Indian territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and that no Indian military post had been captured. The Prime Ministers Office on June 20 clarified Modis remarks and added they were being given a mischievous interpretation. It said Modi was clear that India would respond firmly to any attempts to transgress LAC. Sibal said councillors from Ladakh, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), submitted a memorandum to Modi in February, giving details about Chinas capture of Indian land. What action did the Prime Minister take? Had the Prime Minister acted, wouldnt we have been able to pre-empt the brazen Chinese transgressions? Modi on Friday made a surprise unscheduled visit to Ladakh, where he said the era of expansionism was over, to send a signal to China about Indias determination to defend its borders. Sibal asked Modi to stop the politics of illusion and delusion and added India should unequivocally tell China to retreat. He posed five questions to Modi. Sibal asked whether the actual picture of Chinese occupation of our territory up to the Finger 4 Ridge in the Pangong Tso area depicts the truth. They say pictures do not lie. Will the Prime Minister now tell the nation: is this Indian territory on which radars, helipad and other structures have been built by the Chinese in a brazen act of transgression? asked Sibal. Have the Chinese occupied our territory in the Galwan Valley, including Patrol Point 14, where our 20 jawans of the 16 Bihar Regiment made the supreme sacrifice [on June 15]? Has China also occupied Indian territory in Hot Springs? Sibal asked whether China has occupied territory up to Y-Junction in the Depsang plains, threatening Indias strategic Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip, the lifeline for the military supplies to the Siachen Glacier and Karakoram pass. He referred to Modis comments about expansionism and that this is not India of 1962 when the two countries fought a war. Sibal added that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to China, saying India will never submit to the demand for it to accept the Chinese 1959 line, whatever the consequences and however long and hard the struggle may be. Paradoxically, the 1959 line clearly depicted the entire Galwan Valley in India and it was only on June 16, a day after the fatal clashes, that China formally laid claim, for the first time ever, to the entire Valley. Sibal said late former PMs Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri also visited forward locations to boost the morale of Indian soldiers. But it appears that our Prime Minister stayed 230km away in Nimu, Leh. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said patriotic Ladakhis were raising their voice against Chinese intrusion and asked the government to listen to them. They are screaming a warning. Ignoring their warning will cost India dearly. For Indias sake, please listen to them, he tweeted. Gandhi shared a media report showing some Ladakhis alleging that the Chinese have been occupying the Indian territory. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi brushed aside the Congresss criticism, saying it is indulging in an irresponsible behaviour when the country is facing challenges. Even people within the Congress would be surprised at this behaviour. New Delhi: Government on Friday extended use of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for paying household utility bills, fuel, taxes and fees as well as purchases from co-operative stores by another 72 hours to November 14 as it struggles to make available alternative currency. While withdrawing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from the night of November 8-9, the government had allowed use of the old currency at government hospitals, railway ticketing, public transport, airline ticketing at airports, milk booths, crematoria/burial grounds and petrol pumps for 72 hours. This list was later expanded to include payments for metro rail tickets, highway and road toll, purchase of medicines on doctor prescription from the government and private pharmacies, LPG gas cylinders, railway catering, electricity and water bills and ASI monument entry tickets. The time limit set was to expire mid-night tonight, but it has now been extended by another 72 hours, top government officials said. The government has allowed use of the old currency to make payments at co-operative stores subject to valid identity proofs being provided. Public utility bills include only household bills. Court fee will also be allowed to be paid in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. Old Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes will be accepted for payment of fees, charges, taxes, penalty to central and state governments, including municipalities and local bodies. Such old notes will also be accepted for payment of utility charges like water and electricity. The official said while the old notes were allowed to be accepted for highway toll payment, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has freed national highways of any toll charges till November 14. In his first televised address to the nation two-and-a-half-years after assuming office, he announced a 50-day window from to for those having these notes to deposit them in their bank and post office accounts "without any limit". As many as 16.5 billion notes of Rs 500 denomination are in circulation currently while 6.7 billion Rs 1,000 notes are in market. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The federal government has commissioned a review of the National Broadband Network's valuation, prompting speculation about privatisation plans for the $51 billion asset. Consulting firm Ernst & Young has been appointed to examine how the network is valued as the NBN Co enters a new phase of ongoing maintenance and upgrades ahead of an eventual sale. The NBN's valuation is being reviewed, triggering speculation about when the network will be privatised. Credit:James Alcock The NBN's book value is $51 billion based on the rollout cost, funded by $29.5 billion in government investment, a $19.5 billion government loan, and private debt. Telecommunications industry figures and credit ratings agency S&P have said a write-down of the network's value is inevitable. The Parliamentary Budget Office recently said the most recent fair value estimate of NBN Co, as of June 2019, was $8.7 billion. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is staring at a cash crunch and "capacity hangover" due its inventory of undelivered 787 Dreamliners. US-based Boeing is also facing a shortage of space to store the wide-bodied aircraft, and is using every portion of the airfields near its factories in Washington and South Carolina, says a report by Bloomberg "The next couple of years are just going to be very hard for this airplane (Boeing 787 Dreamliner)," George Ferguson, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. Boeing declined to comment on the number of 787s in its inventory or production plans, as per the report. "We continue to closely monitor the commercial marketplace by staying very engaged with our customers around the globe to fully understand short term and long term requirements," Greg Smith, the companys chief financial officer said, as quoted by the report. The company was hoping the 787 Dreamliner could help it cope with the losses due to grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX after two plane crashes. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a plunge in demand for air travel, forcing airlines to slow down or cancel deliveries the 787, Boeings 777 and Airbus' A350 and A330neo, the report added. Boeing is also seeing a "capacity hangover", since it manufactured the 787 Dreamliner at the pace of 14 aircraft per month last year. Boeing's factories have over 50 Dreamliners in its factories, double the number of aircraft usually lined up for deliveries, the report said, citing a blogger called Uresh Sheth. Boeing has even begun storing the 787 Dreamliners in a desert lot in Victorville, California, according to Sheth. Catherine Muringos wardrobe consists of secondhand outfits shipped from all over the world: colourful blouses and jeans from Canada, floral dresses from the United States, trench coats from Australia and leather handbags from the UK. For years, Muringo bought the used clothes and accessories at cheap prices in open-air markets in Nairobi and used them to fashion her own idiosyncratic style. Seven years ago, she also started a business buying and selling such items, distributing cast-off fur coats, hoodies and shoes to customers in Kenya and in foreign markets such as Botswana, Uganda and Tanzania. In late March, however, the Kenyan government banned the importation of used garments in what it said was a precautionary measure to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Even though used clothes are fumigated before being shipped, Kenyan authorities said they were taking precautions because of the spike in infections in the US and other countries. Businesses like hers are now threatened, as well as the sartorial choices of millions of Kenyans who depend on low-cost imports to stay stylish. Kenyans love to go to the secondhand markets and spend hours looking and searching, Muringo says. Kenyans love the diversity of secondhand. Officials also said the banning of imported clothing known as mitumba, the Swahili word for bundles could have an unexpected benefit. It could help Kenya revive its own textile industry, which was wiped out in the late 1980s as the country started opening its markets to foreign competition. I think corona has shown not just for Kenya but for many countries to look inward a lot and try and fill some of the market gaps, says Phyllis Wakiaga, the chief executive of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers. The reality is that theres a big opportunity for us to produce local clothes for the citizens. Members of a privately funded NGO fumigate a market in Nairobi (AFP via Getty) For years, Kenya, along with other countries in east Africa, has tried to phase out used clothing to boost local manufacturing, but the countries faced the threat of being removed from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, which promotes trade by providing reduced or duty-free access to the US market. Many countries backed off from instituting a ban on imported clothing, with the exception of Rwanda. The pandemic gave Kenya a chance to promote its own clothing manufacturing, but thwarted a lively trade. In Nairobi, the combination of the import ban, plus lockdown measures and an overnight curfew introduced to stamp out the virus, has drastically reduced activity at the popular Gikomba and Toi thrift markets, mazes of narrow pathways packed with bellowing vendors and piles of clothes, shoes and household goods. As the largest importer of used clothing in east Africa, Kenya, with its new ban, is expected to not just upend supply chains but also lead to a hemorrhage in jobs connected to the trade and the loss of millions of dollars from government coffers as tax revenue and import duties fall. But where some see problems, others see opportunity. Wagura Kamwana, proprietor of the Textile Loft, a fabric shop, is seeking to capitalise on this moment. Kamwana, 40, grew up wearing hand-stitched clothes from her mother, and later sought trendy outfits at secondhand markets. Kenyans like used clothes, she says, both for their affordability and because of the their high-quality fabrics. A worker produces face masks at a garment factory in Kitui, Kenya (AFP via Getty) In 2016, she opened her store, offering premium quality fabrics, sourced from Europe, to Kenyans who wanted to create high-end fashion locally. In 2018, she started offering production services to designers looking to develop smaller lines who were being turned away by factories only interested in bulk orders. Kamwana has already worked with prominent local designers such as Katungulu Mwendwa. The pandemic has also offered the chance to start her own clothing line. Her new label is set to produce everyday clothing for women including dresses, scarves and trousers ranging from $25 (20) to $150. Kamwana says designers and manufacturers should collaborate and take baby steps to push the industry towards maturity. This whole value chain will take quite a few years to be feasible or to be seen, she says, adding: What we can do immediately is perfect our art of making. Other Kenyan companies are also responding to the challenges of the pandemic by focusing locally. We will have to adapt while still producing the type of bright bags that make us unique. When we source locally, we create jobs and make our industries grow Mohamed Awale Frederick Bittiner Wear, which does fabric selection, design and tailoring for retailers in east Africa, Europe and the United States, has seen a reduction in orders because of the coronavirus, so it has turned to producing leggings, T-shirts and vests for the local market, says the firms managing director, Dominic Agesa. After approaching distributors with samples, Agesa says he got 50 orders in a week. For too long, Kenya has been reluctant to incentivise local manufacturers, he says, but the import ban was one step towards making conditions more favourable for a local scene to eventually flourish. Are we able to satisfy the Kenyan market and beyond? Agesa asks, then answers: Gradually, the answer is yes. Upcoming Kenyan fashion designer Moses Omondi Odhiambo at work (EPA) Suave Kenya is a brand that transforms secondhand clothes ranging from silk shirts to leather jackets into stylish and colourful tote bags, backpacks and wallets. With the import ban, its founder, Mohamed Awale, is looking into sourcing from local tanneries and textile factories. If the pandemic persists, we will have to adapt while still producing the type of bright bags that make us unique, says Awale, 32. When we source locally, we create jobs and make our industries grow. Nowhere is the shift to adapt to the changes brought on by the pandemic more visible than in the special export zones on Nairobis outskirts. Established in 1990, these zones offer companies fewer regulations, plus tax incentives to promote export-oriented businesses. However, with borders closed and exports plunging, some of the clothing factories have begun servicing the Kenyan market, with the country temporarily allowing manufacturers to exceed the usual limit of supplying no more than 20 per cent of their annual production to local markets. Shona EPZ has 500 employees and makes reflective work clothes for companies including 3M and apparel for department stores such as TJ Maxx. Since the pandemic began, the firm has pivoted towards making personal protective equipment for Kenya, producing tens of thousands of masks and surgical gowns per day, says its director, Isaac Maluki. Maluki says he has also partnered with secondhand importers and small-scale manufacturers, which, given the ban on used clothing, are increasingly considering collaborations with larger companies like his to make clothes for local consumption. We want to really encourage them to see the kind of quality that comes out of here that can be shared into the local market, he says. The local market is huge. Reviewing the days production of face masks at the Kicotec factory in Kitui (AFP via Getty) But before a robust clothing sector can take hold, experts say local manufacturers will have to overcome a host of challenges, including inadequate access to finance, the high cost of electricity, and the lack of raw materials, including cotton. The fact that powerful lobby groups for the secondhand clothing industry in the US have already criticised Kenyas move doesnt bode well either, says Emily Anne Wolff, a researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands who has studied plans to phase out used clothing in east Africa. Kenya is aiming to be the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to negotiate a free-trade agreement with the US, which could undermine Kenyas will to retain the clothing ban. Used clothes traders have appealed to the government in recent days to lift the ban, saying there is no public health risk associated with the trade, but officials have so far ruled that option out. For now, Kenyan designers and manufacturers say the ban gives them a window of opportunity to start shaping the future of fashion in Kenya. Now is a good time to make choices and changes, says Kamwana, the owner of Textile Loft. You will be surprised by what comes out of this country. The New York Times Little Traverse Bay Humane Society hires training and behavior specialist Sarah Schertel will serve the training needs of Little Traverse Bay Humane Society, in addition to offering classes to the public. The Michigan American Council on Education (MI-ACE) Womens Network has selected Dr. MaryLee Davis, a longtime Michigan State University administrator and community leader, and Eva McCall Hamilton, the first woman elected to the Michigan Legislature, as its two 2020 Public Policy Pioneer honorees. MI-ACEs nonpartisan Public Policy Pioneer award began in 2013 to champion Michigan women who have impacted public policy or taken precedent-breaking action on behalf of women and higher education. The award also recognizes honorees work to support access, collaborative leadership and the equitable treatment of women. Previous years honorees have included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, First Lady Helen Milliken and State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith. For more information about this years honorees and a list of all previous winners, visit the MI-ACE Womens Networks website. Davis has often been credited with breaking the glass ceiling throughout Michigan. At Michigan State University, she became the first woman administrator in the state and in the Big Ten to work as a Governmental Affairs Officer and was the first woman to serve in the position of the corporate secretary of the MSU Board of Trustees. She also served as the first woman board chair for Sparrow Health System. Additionally, she was appointed by three governors to four Treasury Department positions that had statewide impact, including serving as a Michigan Finance Authority Board member. She has also held positions at the national level with the American Hospital Association and on the national board for Girl Scouts of the USA. She is an inductee to the Michigan Womens Hall of Fame. Today, she is the president of the Leadership Solutions Group in Kingsport, Tennessee. Among her numerous awards, Davis was the first person to receive the now International ATHENA Leadership Award. In 2008, she was recognized for and received the Michigan State University Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Diversity. I am grateful and humbled to be recognized as a public policy pioneer in Michigan, Davis said. As a child, my mother liked to ask me, MaryLee, what did you do today to help make the world a better place? Every day, I aim to have an answer to that question, and it has guided me through a wonderful career. Therefore, I actively strive to pass that ethos on to the next generation of women leaders in Michigan. Davis is a worthy award recipient not only because of her resume but because of her dedication to mentoring others, said MI-ACE Womens Network State Chair Kimberly Hurns. "MaryLee has spent her life and career as an educator and leader, trailblazing pathways for womens advancement and equitable treatment and advocating for higher education, health and medical care, Hurns said. She has had a major impact on public policy and is a role model in public service. She serves as a mentor to many and continues to provide a focus on strengthening collaborative leadership at local, state and national levels." Grand Rapids native Eva McCall Hamilton was elected to the Michigan Senate by a 2-to-1 margin in 1920, the first election in which women were allowed to vote. Prior to her election, Hamilton was a teacher and active in public issues. In the 1910 Grand Rapids homecoming parade, Hamilton led the horse-drawn Lilly Float for Suffragists entry by the Grand Rapids Equal Franchise Club, followed by 75 local suffragists in decorated cars. In 1912, she worked with two other women to mail out six tons of Votes for Women literature, buttons, stickers and other items. That same year, she worked on a major state referendum on womens suffrage. In 1919, Hamilton was involved in establishing the Michigan League of Women Voters in Grand Rapids, later becoming the League of Women Voters of Michigan. As a senator, Hamiltons legislative focus was on advocating on behalf of women and children. One of her successful bills raised the mill tax in certain cities to fund teacher pay raises. Another of her greatest accomplishments was working on legislation to reform the Michigan Mothers Pension Act, providing public funds for keeping underprivileged children in their homes rather than institutions. After being defeated in the 1922 three-way Republican primary, Hamilton left the Michigan Senate and remained socially active. When Hamilton died in 1948, she was still the first and only woman to have served in the Michigan Senate. No woman was elected to Hamiltons Grand Rapids Senate seat until state Rep. Winnie Brinks (D) won in 2018. Hamiltons selection is especially apt as the nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of womens suffrage, Hurns said. Eva McCall Hamilton was a tireless advocate for womens right to vote, and when that battle was won, she immediately rallied those rights to serve as a voice in the state Legislature for women and children, Hurns said. She accomplished many vital reforms in her two years in office, but the fact that no other woman held Hamiltons seat for nearly 100 years shows me this nation still has a long way to go until we reach true equality of representation. We hope women will be inspired by Evas example to become public servants, advocates and policymakers. Processed by Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Police have identified a man discovered unconscious and unresponsive Saturday by a passerby at Cedar Grove Beach in New Dorp. The body of Jagadeesh Koppanati, 27, was spotted at about 6 a.m. along the shoreline of the beach, prompting a 911 call and a police response to the area, an NYPD spokesman said Sunday. The cause of death remained unknown and will be determined by a medical examiner, police said. Police listed Koppanatis address in Fremont, Calif. The death remains an ongoing investigation. ANOTHER GRIM DISCOVERY AT CEDAR GROVE The police response Saturday at Cedar Grove occurred months after an incident on the same beach. In February, authorities were called to the area for a report of dead animals, including a goat and five chickens. At the time, a spokesperson for the Parks Department said the animals were not in a bag, and authorities didnt know how they got there. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on July 19 asked Sachin Pilot not to leave the party, blaming the BJP for the political drama in Rajasthan. In an interview to PTI, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said Pilot should not follow Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP, as he has a bright future in the Congress. His remarks follow Pilot's open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government, which has been on shaky ground with at least 18 legislators backing the rebel leader. Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief recently and the Congress has accused the BJP of making efforts to topple the Gehlot-led government by indulging in horse-trading. "The BJP is behind the crisis in Rajasthan," Singh said. The Congress veteran said he tried to call Pilot but his calls and text messages went unanswered. "Age is on your side. Ashok (Gehlot) may have offended you, but all such issues are best resolved amicably. Don't make the mistake that Scindia made. BJP is unreliable. Nobody who joined it from any other party has succeeded there," Singh said. He said this is the first time that Pilot hasn't responded to him. "Sachin is like my son. He respects me and I also like him. I called him three-four times and also texted him. He didn't revert. He used to respond immediately earlier," he said. "It is good to be ambitious. How can one move forward without having ambitions? But along with ambition, one must also have commitment to your organisation, ideology and the nation," Singh said. "I heard that he (Pilot) may form a new party. But what is the need for it? Has Congress not given him anything? He was made an MP at 26, a Union minister at 32, the state Congress president at 34 and deputy chief minister at 38. What else does he want? Time is on his side," Singh said. If Pilot had any issue, then as the state party unit president, he should have called a meeting and discussed the matter, he said. Pilot could have involved Congress national general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande in talks with Gehlot to resolve differences, he added. "If you have faith in your legislators, why have you have confined 18-19 of them in ITC Grand hotel at Manesar in Haryana?" Singh asked. This is the same hotel where the BJP kept MLAs from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (during political turmoil in those states), he said. Pilot should forget whatever has happened, come back and sit across the table to discuss how Congress could be strengthened, he added. (UPDATE: Former Michigan State and Saginaw track star Tony Martin dies at age 19) SAGINAW, MI -- Two people are dead after they were shot early Sunday morning outside a gas station on Saginaws east side. Officers with the Saginaw Police Department responded shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday, July 19 to the parking lot of the Sunoco gas station, 1944 E. Genesee St., for a report of a shooting. The victims -- a 19-year-old man and 22-year-old man -- had suffered gunshot wounds, police said. The 19-year-old man, identified by police as Tony Dawanye Martin, was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the 22-year-old man was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he later died, police said. Detectives have also discovered a third person -- a 25-year-old woman -- was also shot and showed up at a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm and has since been released. The Major Crimes Unit, consisting of Saginaw police and Michigan State Police detectives, are investigating the incident as a double homicide. No suspects are in custody. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Saginaw Police Detective Anthony Accardo at 989-759-1419 or report an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), on the P3 Tips mobile app, or online at crimestoppersofflint.com. More on MLive: Tens of thousands without power across Michigan due to storms Whitmers office says Trump did not call about holding a rally in Michigan Michigan reports 483 new cases of coronavirus, 2 deaths Washington/Dubai: Finance officials from the Group of 20 countries have called for all official bilateral creditors to implement fully a short-term debt freeze for the world's poorest countries, but stopped short of extending the initiative into next year. Sources briefed on the G20 meeting said there was strong support for extending the standstill beyond the end of 2020, given the severity of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, but the group's final communique said only that the issue would be considered in the second half of 2020. The G20 has postponed any fresh attempt to clear debt to the world's poorest nations. Credit:AP It also said nothing about growing calls for cancelling - not just deferring - the debts of some of the poorest countries. The Debt Service Suspension Initiative, agreed by G20 ministers in April, has proven challenging to implement, with only 42 of 73 eligible countries expressing interest thus far, saving just $US5.3 billion ($7.57 billion) in service payments instead of the $US12 billion initially promised. JERSEYVILLE Four days after the state entered Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers Restore Illinois plan, the Jersey County Farmers and Artisans Market launched its annual event not quite sure how state stipulations would change the popular weekly market. Ive been in constant communication since April with both the Illinois Farmers Market Association and the Jersey County Health Department, said Whitney McIver, Jersey County Business Association Special Events Coordinator and Farmers Market Manager. They recommend that everyone attending follow some simple guidelines intended to keep both the vendors and participants safe, she said. Those guidelines have been sent to vendors and will be posted around the market for customers to see. Those guidelines have not prevented shoppers. On June 30 when this years first market was held people were showing up 30 minutes before the market opened. The Jersey County Farmers and Artisans Market is offered every Tuesday 4-7 p.m. through Sept. 22. The market sets up in the parking lot of Outrageous Outdoors at 902 S. State St. in Jerseyville. Todd Fortschneider, who owns Fortschneider Orchard in Brussels, said that because of the cold and wet spring this year peaches his main crop are down in numbers this year. He noted the Jerseyville farmers market, as well as others in the area, faced similar problem last spring as the historic high water of 2019 damaged a lot of the crop. Despite the setbacks, however, Fortschneider said his peaches still came in strong this year. Its a good crop this year, he said. These are sweet. The first peaches are always cling, but they are definitely worth the trouble to work around the pit. He said that, even with the pandemic, he could not complain about sales the first day of this season. The pandemic hasnt slowed anything down, he said. Margaret Dublo of Hideaway Farms in Grafton operates stands in both the Jerseyville and Alton farmers markets. She, too, said the pandemic has not slowed down her business. In fact, she said business this year is better than ever. People want local produce and they want to know where its coming from, Dublo said. Along with produce, the weekly Jerseyville market offers an assortment of home grown and homemade items, including preserves and honey. The star of the show, however, is the barbeque stand organized by the Jersey County Farm Bureau. McIver said the Farm Bureau has been involved with the Jerseyville farmers market since it began about 12 years ago. McIver said she had been talking with Farm Bureau Manager Stephanie Knittel about having the stand this year and was concerned that the Jersey County Health Department might not let them open. The stand is usually offered the first Tuesday of each month during the markets run. But a late meat order because of pandemic concerns caused the Farm Bureau to hold off on its stand until July 14. McIver noted the Farm Bureau tends to avoid the market during the second week of July because thats traditionally the dates of the Jersey County Fair. But the pandemic canceled this years fair, increasing interest in last weeks barbecue. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fanny Andre and Benjamin Massot (Agence France-Presse) Nantes, France Sun, July 19, 2020 09:36 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406677e544 2 World fire,Nantes,cathedral,France Free A fire broke out in three places at the gothic cathedral of Nantes in western France Saturday, destroying stained glass windows and the grand organ and sparking an arson investigation. Catholic officials mourned the loss of priceless artifacts and paintings as well as the 17th century organ -- a star attraction of the cathedral. Regional fire chief Laurent Ferlay however said the damage was not comparable to last year's devastating blaze at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Passers-by saw flames behind the rosette of the Cathedral of St Peter and St Paul and alerted emergency services a little before 8 a.m. (0600 GMT). Roughly 100 firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to save the structure, built between the 15th and 19th centuries, Ferlay said. Nantes prosecutor Pierre Sennes said the fire had started in three different places, so a judicial investigation for arson was immediately opened. "When we arrive at a place where a fire has taken place, when you see three separate fire outbreaks, it's a question of common sense, you open an investigation," Sennes told AFP. The prosecutor said investigators had found no sign of a break-in, but noted that one fire has started near the organ, while the other two were at the other end of the cathedral. 'An unimaginable loss' Catholic official Father Francois Renaud, who oversees the cathedral, surveyed the damage with firemen and told AFP the organ console had "completely disappeared", describing it as "an unimaginable loss". "The console of the choir organ has gone up in smoke along with the adjoining wooden choir stalls. Original stained glass windows behind the great organ have all shattered," he said. While the blaze was still raging, President Emmanuel Macron tweeted support for "our firefighters who are taking all kinds of risks to save this gothic jewel". Prime Minister Jean Castex later inspected the damage along with the French ministers of the interior and culture. He set the investigation and subsequent reconstruction as priorities, saying "the state will play a major role" in the latter. The building was last hit by fire in 1972 and its roof took more than 13 years to repair. Cathedral rector Father Hubert Champenois said "everything was in order last night," and that "a very close inspection was made before it closed, like every other evening." Ferlay played down any comparison with the 1972 blaze or with Notre-Dame, which caught fire during repair work in April last year. Reinforced roof Much of Notre-Dame's roof and wooden structure was destroyed, its steeple collapsed and fumes containing toxic molten lead billowed into the air. Another church in Nantes -- the Basilica of St Donatian and St Rogatian -- was struck by a fire in 2015 that destroyed three-quarters of its roof. "I would like to stress that following the 1972 fire, the roof was redone with concrete reinforcement," Ferlay said. Aside from the destroyed organ, officials said other items lost included a painting by 19th century artist Hippolyte Flandrin and stained glass windows on the facade, some of which contained remnants of 16th century glass. Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot called the destruction of Flandrin's painting of Saint Clair healing the blind "a painful loss". The organ dated back to 1621 and had undergone five restorations since -- the latest one in 1971. During the 18th century revolutionary period, authorities had wanted to melt down its pipes for scrap, but the organist argued it could instead be used for "revolutionary ceremonies", according to historian Paul Chopelin. Topics : fire Nantes cathedral France Alex Foster Foster, M.D., M.P.H, is a pediatrician, epidemiologist and director of a public health training program at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. A parent of two Portland Public Schools students, he lives in Portland. Public health includes the protection and promotion of health and environments that assure healthy living, and it encompasses much more than prevention of coronavirus. That perspective is important to consider in the debate over reopening schools. While containing the spread of COVID-19 is one goal, it must be balanced with the social, emotional and educational needs of children at a critical time in their development. With the right precautions, Oregon schools should have the flexibility to fully re-open to students this fall. As the public health science on coronavirus has developed, the data suggest that children who contract COVID-19 are usually not severely sickened and, by extension, may not be major spreaders of the virus to adults. As outlined in the American Academy of Pediatrics recently released guidance, the goal for schools should be to have students in school as much as possible. Recent modeling published in Nature Medicine shows a minimal effect on community transmission with physical re-opening of schools in stark contrast to modeling if this were a flu pandemic. These data show that keeping teachers and staff safe is not at odds with a physical return to school. While precautions are still necessary, the alternative of keeping schools closed may have worse repercussions, yet there seems to be little discussion of this. Many school districts are talking about at best a partial reopening, in which students attend school a couple days a week and engage in distance learning the other days. Unfortunately, partially open schools will unintentionally but systematically perpetuate the achievement disparities that exist in our schools for low-income communities, communities of color and children with special needs. They may lack computers or reliable internet access to engage in distance learning. Meanwhile, families with more resources can hire tutors and are more likely to have the job flexibility to provide greater parental guidance than someone in a lower-paid job. Schools will try their best as they have with addressing food insecurity, but families will still face greater difficulties. Partially open schools may also have greater implications for womens careers than mens careers, given societal norms about who would more likely stay home with kids a step backward in gender equity. It also forces working families to find additional options for care when students are not in school potentially private child care or shared arrangements with neighbors or even grandparents. Thus, in a hybrid model of education, children are not just going to one school in a relatively stable class, but two or three environments and cohorts this has clear downsides to infection control. School fulfills the social and emotional needs of children. It also provides a critical point of contact for developmental screening, mental health support and child abuse surveillance that are nearly impossible to do virtually. There is clearly a need to protect teachers and staff, as a significant proportion of teachers are older and may be at increased risk for falling severely ill. Given the emerging data on children, the schools should be relatively low-risk environments, provided hygiene, masks, and physical distancing from other adults are in place, as described in the states guidance. Opt-in options could also be considered for in-person teaching to protect those at higher risk. Oregons effort to use science to inform our response to COVID-19 has been laudable. In that mindset, our children and teachers need a revised Ready Schools plan that takes into account the actual risk by age and relaxes the physical space requirements that force the hybrid model. The state should also allow districts to use local COVID-19 community transmission data to inform re-opening, rather than a hybrid model across the state as functionally implicated with current space requirements. While it may seem frightening, fully physically re-opening schools with a focus on promotion of students learning while protecting teachers is the best step to take for the greater public health. Subscribe to our free weekly Oregon Opinion newsletter. Email: Dil Bechara Director Mukesh Chhabra Reveals Why Sushant Singh Rajput-Sanjana Sanghi Were His First And Only Choice Russia's ambassador to Great Britain has denied Western allegations that Moscow helped hackers target laboratories conducting research on vaccines to fight the coronavirus. Andrei Kelin told the BBC in an interview to be broadcast on July 19 that "I don't believe in this story at all. There is no sense in it." Britain, Canada, and the United States on July 16 accused Russia of trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world. The British National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) said hacking group APT29, also known as the Dukes or Cozy Bear, had targeted organizations involved in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine in the three countries. APT29 hackers "almost certainly operate as part of Russian intelligence services," the NCSC said, adding that the United States and Canada shared its assessment. Following the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had "nothing to do" with any alleged cyberattacks on pharmaceutical companies and research institutes in the countries. Kelin told the BBC that the allegations made "no sense." "In this world, to attribute any kind of computer hackers to any country, it is impossible," he said. In its advisory, the NCSC said Cozy Bear exploited software flaws to get access to vulnerable computer systems, and used malware to upload and download files from infected machines. They also tricked individuals into handing over login credentials with phishing and spear-phishing attacks. Britain did not say which organizations were targeted, or whether any information had been stolen. Based on reporting by the BBC and AFP A sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (AP Photo/David Goldman) CDC Employees Made More Than 8,000 Federal Contributions to PACs and Politicians Since 2015 Only 5 Went to Republican Causes, FEC Records Show Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made more than 8,000 contributions totaling over $285,000 to Democratic candidates and causes since 2015, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of political contributions. Only five contributions were sent to a Republican PAC or candidate. Out of these five contributions, which totaled just over $1,000, three sent money to President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign efforts, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records indicate. The contributions were made by more than 550 people who listed the CDC as their employer on FEC forms. The contributors serve at various levels of management, ranging from nurses and information technology personnel to epidemiologists, public health advisors and the chief financial officer. The CDC did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF. The most common recipient was ActBlue, an online fundraising platform for Democratic and left-leaning organizations. Other common recipients included Bernie 2020, Biden for President, Hillary for America, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Warren for President, Inc. Aside from supporting specific candidates, employees also donated money to progressive organizations like Indivisible Action, which seeks to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda. After the World Health Organization declared coronavirus a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, the total amount of money employees contributed to left-leaning causes by the end of the month was nearly three times higher than the previous five-year average. In addition, the total amount of contributions more than doubled compared to the previous five-year monthly average. From March 11-31, employees donated nearly $8,000 through 158 contributions. During the same time span from 2015-2019, employees made an average of 69 contributions averaging $2,700 in total. In recent weeks, tensions between Trump and the CDC have elevated over CDC guidelines on reopening schools in the fall. I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020 Trump also retweeted conservative television personality Chuck Woolerys tweet Monday claiming that Everyone is lying about coronavirus, including the CDC, according to Newsweek. The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying. The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most ,that we are told to trust. I think its all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. Im sick of it. Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) July 13, 2020 Trump defended his retweet of Woolerys comments in an interview Tuesday with CBS News correspondent Catherine Herridge, The Hill reports. I reposted a tweet that a lot of people feel. But all I am doing is making a comment. Im just putting somebodys voice out there. There are many voices, Trump said. Woolery has since deactivated his Twitter account after tweeting that his son tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Betsy DeVos said Sunday on CNN that the key is that kids have to get back to school. When asked by anchor Dana Bash whether schools should follow CDC recommendations, DeVos responded that Dr. Redfield has clearly said these are recommendations, and every situation is going to look slightly different. By Spencer Landis From The Daily Caller News Foundation Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org Extensive wildlife trade not only threatens species worldwide but can also lead to the transmission of zoonotic diseases. An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research shed new light on the motivations why people hunt, trade or consume different species. The research shows that more differentiated solutions are needed to prevent uncontrolled disease emergence and species decline. Covid-19 and the associated global economic, health and societal distortions have shed light on the alarming threat of infectious diseases emerging at an increasing rate. Around 60 percent of emergent infectious diseases are zoonotic, originating in animals; among the most prominent are Sars, Mers, Ebola, HIV and Covid-19. More than two-thirds of those originate in wild species. Many voices have called for higher restrictions or even a blanket ban on the wildlife trade. This demand is also fuelled by the devastating effects of unsustainable hunting that threatens hundreds of species. However, millions of people, especially in the Global South, depend on wild meat ("bushmeat") for their livelihoods. Hunting and consuming wild meat is a vital part of their culture. Therefore, current strategies often aim at trade regulations, rather than the enforcement of strict bans. Even though species vary in their conservation value and their associated risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases, little is known about the reasons why people choose a certain species. "In order to make wildlife trade more sustainable, to prevent uncontrolled disease emergence and species decline, it is essential to know and understand these reasons, and I was surprised how little information existed on these," explains lead author Mona Bachmann, doctoral researcher at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. An international research team led by Mona Bachmann and Hjalmar Kuhl from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research studied a wildlife trading network in Cote d'Ivoire, West Africa. Since the wildlife trade is mostly illegal, people often hesitate to share information. With the help of local, trustable informants, often hunters or bushmeat traders themselves, the researchers were able to break the ice. Around 350 hunters, 200 bushmeat traders and 1,000 bushmeat consumers provided detailed insights into the wildlife trade and contributed to one of the most comprehensive data sets for a wildlife trading network to date. Different species, different risks In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, bushmeat trade encompasses over 500 species -- from rats to elephants. Around 80 percent of the bushmeat biomass harvested in this region consists of fast-reproducing generalists like rodents, small-bodied duikers or antelopes. These species resist high levels of hunting and are a crucial component of livelihoods throughout rural areas. Replacing them with alternative animal proteins could substantially increase the exploitation of fish stocks or lead to habitat degradation to provide grazing land. Species that produce fewer offspring, like many primates, are threatened by even low levels of hunting. Since they are comparatively rare, they usually represent only a small percentage of a hunters' catch. Additionally, different risks of zoonotic disease transmission are associated with those species. In general, proximity with humans -- either in the phylogenetic sense, like many primates, or in the spatial sense, like rodents in areas highly populated by humans -- can increase the risk of transmitting diseases. advertisement Most strategies aim at reducing wild meat in general, irrespective how common a species is or how likely it will transmit diseases. However, people might use species for different purposes. If mitigation strategies neglect this fact, rare species of greater conservation relevance that contribute little to the total bushmeat biomass, like many primates or disease-prone-species, would likely be overlooked. Why people use bushmeat According to the study, preferences for bushmeat differed widely between hunters, bushmeat traders and consumers, and so does their motivation. People hunt for monetary, nutritional, educational and cultural reasons. Primates, for example, were mostly targeted by commercial hunters for profit and consumed as a luxury meat, while rodents were hunted and consumed when alternative proteins like fish or domestic meat were lacking. Interestingly, hunters and consumers who were aware of the negative ecological consequences of unsustainable bushmeat hunting targeted or consumed primates less. In contrast, bushmeat traders did not change their behaviour. Broadly applied mitigation approaches are often development-based, educational or cultural. The results show that these interventions may address taxa like rodents, duikers or primates differently. Also, different responses by the individual user groups of hunters, traders or consumers are to be expected. "Up to 60 percent of the consumed meat was from rodents and only seven percent from primates," says Bachmann. "If we considered bushmeat as one generic good, we would have probably identified a lack of protein as the main reason for its use and had thus recommended development-related projects. However, primates were consumed irrespective of the availability of proteins, and economic development could even increase economic resources to purchase the desired luxury product. Hence, to protect primates, development-related strategies need to be complemented by educational strategies." The researchers, therefore, urge policy makers to prioritize planning processes: Clear goals, like conservation, development or disease prevention, have to be set. Assessments need to identify the behaviour causing problems, the user group and its motivations first. Knowledge and tools from disciplines such as psychology or marketing may optimize campaigns. "Scientists and practitioners in conservation often rush to find quick solutions because every delay comes at high cost," says Bachmann. "In West and Central Africa, this often leads to one-size-fits-all solutions. However, our results suggest that many conservation strategies may be tailored to fit the wrong targets. Poor planning not only hampers the effectiveness of strategies but can also cause harm and waste the already scarce resources available for biodiversity protection." Hjalmar Kuhl adds: "If we really want to solve the problem of the overexploitation of wildlife and reduce the threats associated with it, for species conservation and human well-being, we need to tackle it at its roots. We cannot continue ignoring this problem, but we need to invest resources and develop strategies that really help to create a more sustainable human-wildlife co-existence." Disney fans were shocked by the sudden death of Jessie and Descendants star Cameron Boyce. He was only 20 when he died of a seizure in his sleep. Before his passing, Boyce was already making moves to shed his Disney image. Cameron Boyce | Disney Channel/David Bukach RELATED: Late Disney Star Cameron Boyce Revealed the Heartbreaking Sacrifice His Sister Made For Him Boyce appears in the HBO documentary Showbiz Kids. Director Alex Winter interviewed former child stars about their experience growing up in Hollywood. Boyce discussed his plan to transition into adult roles after Descendants 3. Showbiz Kids is now airing on HBO and streaming on HBO and HBO Max. Cameron Boyce discovered his talent at an early age Boyce discussed the moment his parents thought performing could be more than just a hobby for their son. He was only six, but they made the right call for him. So I was a dancer originally, Boyce said. At six years old I was taking dance classes. We had a little recital at the end of the year. That recital was sort of the thing that led my parents to go, Oh, he might be able to do that. He seems like hes having fun. I was the only kid who seemed interested at all. Everyone else was picking their nose and digging in their butts. Cameron Boyces parents had second thoughts before Disney came calling Its one thing to support your childs talent. Its another when theyre missing school and not getting jobs. Cameron Boyce | Disney Channel/David Bukach RELATED: Fans and Celebrities React To Disney Star Cameron Boyces Unexpected Passing You go on 1000 auditions and book none of them, Boyce said. My dads going, Why am I pulling you out of school two hours early just so you can fail at this audition? Once I started booking things it made a little more sense, just sort of became a part of my life, a big, big part of my life for a long time. Cameron Boyce got his first Disney job at 11 Boyce got a job as one of the four children Jessie (Debby Ryan) nannies for on Disneys Jessie. That changed his life and he remained in the Disney family through three Descendants films. I booked Jessie when I was 11, Boyce said. Four years, did 100something episodes of the show. Being on set when I was a kid, because thats sort of naturally who I am, I wasnt one of those kids who was causing trouble for anybody. I wanted to do it right, I wanted to do it well and I wanted people to be impressed with me. It was time to move on from Disney After three Descendants films, Boyce started looking for more adult roles. He played a student in HBOs edgy Mrs. Fletcher and was working on the upcoming series Paradie City. I havent done a Disney project in over a year now, Boyce said. The people who watch me are still a lot of the times really young. I still want to be a good example but at the same time, right now Im doing a show about porn. I love that sh*t. Thats what Im supposed to be doing. Im an actor and I want to do cool stuff. Cameron Boyce | HBO RELATED: Westworld Star Evan Rachel Opens Up About the Moment It All Came Crashing Down On Me At Once Boyce wasnt looking down on his Disney fans. He hoped they would follow him as they grew up too. Its a weird balance when you are trying to break out of something but I also feel the responsibility of being an example for these kids, Boyce said. I take that seriously. How do I marry what Im actually doing and what I actually want to be doing with what people want to see from me and what people expect of me? Those two things are not the same. He was looking ahead to college At 20, Boyce was at the age to consider college. Hed been doing school on set through graduation. Students returning to New Brunswick university campuses in September from outside Atlantic Canada will have to self-isolate for 14 days. For many, that means moving in early. Mount Allison University in Sackville announced that students from outside of Atlantic Canada living on campus must move into residence on Aug. 14 or 15. New students from Atlantic Canada should pencil in Sept. 3 or 4 as moving dates, and returning Atlantic Canadian students Sept. 6 to 7. The multiple dates are designed to allow students plenty of time and ensure everyone is spread out, said Michelle Strain, director of administrative services. Shuttles will pick up those from outside of Atlantic Canada at the airport and take them directly to Sackville, she said. The plan will also include meals being delivered to students while isolating, and they are working on safe ways to allow students to spend some time outside, she said. Overall, its a great plan, said Jonathan Ferguson president of Mount Allison Student Union, MASU. Mental health is our biggest concern, said Ferguson, who had worried about the thought of students being locked in their rooms, and was glad to see efforts to allow a bit more movement being made. Virtual orientation activities will also tackle wellness and be delivered in fun formats, said Kristie Earles, MASUs orientation chair. Off-campus students needing to self-isolate is still a huge concern, said Ferguson, but said they were working with the town and other partners to sort out things like food delivery and a welcome centre. A motion was tabled at Monday nights meeting of Sackville town council to create a welcome centre in the ice rink, said Sackville Mayor John Higham, adding that the project is a collaboration between MASU, the university and the town. Those who need to self-isolate can use the centres drive-thru option. Half the students live in the community, so we are working toward mutual efforts to make everyone feel safe. It takes everybody, said Higham. Other universities across the province are developing their own plans. St. Thomas University in Fredericton is asking students from outside Atlantic Canada to move in Aug. 19 to 20, said Jeffrey Carleton, associate vice-president communications. The school, which is delivering all classes online, is expecting 130 students to live on-campus this fall compared to a typical 500. The school is rolling out an online orientation program involving small groups of upper-year students and faculty, and providing laptops to students in need. Welcome Week will be virtual, overlapping with this period, he said. Students will be isolated in their own rooms at St. Thomas, said Carleton. The STU Students Union is glad to see health and safety prioritized, but worries about isolation, loneliness and mental health-related struggles, said Sarah Kohut, president. Crandall University students from outside Atlantic Canada, on or off-campus, are being asked to arrive by Aug. 24, said Jon Ohlhauser, provost and vice-president for academic affairs. Students in residence will not be charged for their room during the quarantine period and food being delivered to them in their rooms will be provided at minimal cost, he said. New Brunswick Community College does not provide on-campus housing but is supercharging its outreach program to ensure non-Atlantic Canada students have what they need, said Tanya Greer. Move-in dates are case-by-case for on-campus students at lUniversite de Moncton, which will determine what each student needs as they self-isolate, said Vicki Theriault, the schools housing manager. This plan emerged out of concern not all students have much choice in flights, she said. UdeM is expecting residences to be a third full, including 120 students who never left. Students can order groceries or food services meals, she said. University of New Brunswick could not provide comment of student isolation plans by deadline. This reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Read more about: New Delhi: Amid the political firestorm in Rajasthan following Sachin Pilot's rebellion, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday called for amending the anti-defection law to ban all defectors from holding public office for five years and fighting the next election. Sibal also said that the "antibodies" against the "virus of corrupt means" to topple elected governments lie in amending the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law). His attack comes in the wake of Pilot's open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government, which has been on shaky ground since, with at least 18 legislators backing the rebel leader. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief earlier this week. The Congress has accused the BJP of making efforts to topple the Gehlot government by indulging in horse-trading. "Need for Vaccine: Virus of 'corrupt means' to topple elected governments has spread through a 'Wuhan like facility' in Delhi," Sibal tweeted, in an apparent swipe at the BJP. "Its 'antibodies' lie in amending the Tenth Schedule. Ban all defectors from: Holding public office for five years, fighting the next election," he said. Taking a swipe at Pilot over his claim that he is not joining the BJP, Sibal on Thursday had asked what happens to his "ghar wapsi" and whether Rajasthan's dissident legislators are vacationing in Haryana under the "watchful eye" of the saffron party. In the house of 200, the Congress has 107 MLAs, including the 19 dissidents who have been issued notices of disqualification by the speaker and they have challenged them in the high court. The Congress has maintained the claim that the Gehlot government has the support of 109 MLAs, including the two BTP MLAs. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal As a small-gallery owner and as an artist and like many of us Thais Mather was blindsided by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter the added urgency of the George Floyd demonstrations and the world at times seems to be at a tipping point. And that makes it the perfect time for artists to lend their unique perspectives to the discussion. Were under lockdown. Every day. Running a business is challenging for us because we had no income, Mather said. But I felt like I had to find some kind of positive labor to do during this time. This is a reflection of how we perceive and present labor itself. Also I wanted to aid people that were dealing with the most difficult challenges of the virus. Mather thought a great way to express that was for artists to develop flags to convey their feelings of todays world. It was conceived under the impetus to create an iconic language of misery during this time, said Mather, who owns Good Folks Gallery. I wanted to give people a message that presented artists experience, their experiences during these times, and almost create some kind of language around what was happening. The flag seemed like a very interesting medium to do that. And thus was born Flags of Resilience, a long-term, artist-run project featuring commissioned work by local and internationally known artists in response to their unique and communal experiences in todays global climate, she said. Each artists design, printed on limited-edition, 3-foot-by-5-foot flags, addresses global topics of isolation, community, family, fear and hope in this historical moment in time. When we were facing the double pandemic, facing up to our systemic racism in the culture, that really changed the tone of the project, Mather said. Noted Denver muralists Pedro Barrios and Jaime Molina created the first flag and its run of 100 flags is nearly sold out at $50 apiece. Similar to a family crest, or even a traditional totem, (the flag) can be a way to express to the world who you are and what is important to you, Barrios and Molina said in a written statement. What makes you, and your pack of humans, who you are. This simple act of expressing yourself through traditional means in a very non-traditional way can be incredibly empowering and inspiring. Mather said the project can have a lasting impact as a way through the creation and dissemination of iconic imagery emblazoned on flags, it seeks to ask the questions, who have we lost and how do we honor them? How does the pandemic exploit and reveal important ways were all connected? And perhaps most critically, how can we affect broad socio-political change in the best interests of humanity? Each current artist will select the next artist in line, who wont be announced until the next flag set is ready to be unveiled, which should be Aug. 7, Mather said Each artist also selected the charity that will receive the funds raised from the sale of their flags, with Barrios and Molina choosing the International Rescue Committee. The project was sponsored by Santa Fe galleries form & concept and Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, and the flags can be purchased on their websites. Amid the on-going row over digital taxation, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that a consensus-based solution on the issue should be simple and inclusive based on a robust economic impact assessment. The minister was speaking at the 3rd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting held at Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) through video conferencing. Referring to the issues concerning international taxation and challenges related to digital taxation, Sitharaman said, "It is imperative that this consensus-based solution should be simple, inclusive and based on a robust economic impact assessment." Recently India defended the 2 per cent equalisation levy on non-resident e-commerce companies, saying it is non-discriminatory in nature and its purpose is to tax businesses that have a close nexus with the country's market through their digital operations. In a six-page written submission to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), India said the levy is applicable only for companies with annual revenues in excess of Rs 20 million (about USD 267,000), which is a low threshold aimed at exempting very small e-commerce operators globally. The US had last month decided to start an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act, 1974, into the digital services taxes that have been adopted or are being considered by a number of countries, including India, to "unfairly" target American tech companies. It had then invited public comments on the said investigation. India is among 10 nations that are facing US investigations to assess whether the levies discriminate against American technology majors. Sitharaman in the first session of the meeting, talked about the G20 Action Plan in response to COVID-19 which was endorsed by the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in their previous meeting on April 15, 2020, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. This G20 Action Plan lays out a list of collective commitments under the pillars of Health Response, Economic Response, Strong and Sustainable Recovery and International Financial Coordination, aimed at coordinating G20 efforts to fight the pandemic. The Finance Minister emphasised that it is crucial to ensure that this action plan remains relevant and effective. She shared her perspective on the way forward on the action plan and highlighted the need for international coordination required in addressing the spill-over effects of exit strategies. Emphasising that the Action Plan needs to reflect how the economies are balancing their supply side and demand side measures in response to COVID-19, Sitharaman shared with her counterparts how India is working on ensuring this balance through credit schemes for greater liquidity, direct benefit transfers, and employment guarantee schemes. The Finance Minister specifically referred to India's comprehensive economic package to address recovery and growth amounting to over USD 295 billion, about 10 per cent of India's GDP. She also spoke about the procyclicality of credit rating downgrades by the rating agencies and its deterrent impact on policy options, particularly for Emerging Market Economies (EMEs). Meanwhile, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said, "Participated in virtual meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors today. Focused on macroeconomy, capital flows, cross border payments, transition from LIBOR and other issues." In the second session of the meeting, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed the developments on G20 Finance Track deliverables under the Saudi Arabian Presidency. Enhancing access to opportunities for Women, Youth and SMEs is a priority agenda under Saudi Presidency and a Menu of Policy Options on Access to Opportunities has been developed by G20 under this agenda were discussed. "The Menu presents country experiences of G20 members related to policies aimed at: Youth, Women, Informal Economy, Technology & Adult Skills, and Financial Inclusion. The Finance Minister noted that this agenda has assumed even greater importance now as the pandemic has most impacted the vulnerable sections," it said. During the session, Sitharaman also shared some of the policy measures taken by the Government of India to fight the pandemic, including direct benefit transfers, special support to agriculture and MSME sectors, rural employment guarantee measures etc. She particularly highlighted how India has successfully employed technology-based financial inclusion by harnessing the nationwide digital payment infrastructure that India has built in the last five years, to make contactless cash transfers of over USD 10 billion into the bank accounts of 420 million people. The minister also referred to the swift measures to provide free food grain to over 800 million people for eight months till November 2020. Also read: India responds to US probe on 'Google Tax', says it's not discriminatory North Wales MS writes to First Minister questioning test result delays for Rowan Foods staff This article is old - Published: Sunday, Jul 19th, 2020 Plaid Cymrus North Wales regional MS Llyr Gruffydd has written to the First Minister asking for clarification on delays in test results for workers at Rowan Foods on Wrexham Industrial Estate. Mr Gruffydd said the Covid-19 outbreak among Rowan Foods workers was among the biggest challenges faced by public protection in Wales to date and believes lessons need to be learned from the episode. In a letter to First Minister Mark Drakeford, he questioned why the focus has been on failures of transcription and labelling, both of which Mr Drakeford admitted had been problems and referred to the number of people whos first language was not Welsh or English. Mr Gruffydd said he had been told that workers with relatively common surnames such as Davies and Jones were still waiting for test results. Mr Gruffydd said: As this is one of the largest concentrated Covid-19 outbreaks to have happened in Wales, Im sure wed all want to learn lessons and improve as we move forward in tackling the virus. Rowan Foods provided a comprehensive database of workers and their contact details, so why did Public Health Wales refuse to allow the in-house team to help with names and contact numbers of workers being tested? Why was the data base not referred to? We know that more than 300 of the 1100 tested have now come back as positive but Im also aware of a large number of workers who, weeks later, are still waiting for test results. By now, of course, the results are largely immaterial but it does point to a problem in the testing regime that has been raised with me by those affected and also the track and protect team. Huge amounts of work was put into dealing with this outbreak and Im grateful to all who helped limit the problem, but it would be foolish and misleading to deny that mistakes were made. The key in moving forward is to openly acknowledge where things went wrong and ensuring its put right next time. In the latest update, Public Health Wales said of the local outbreak, The multi-agency team managing the outbreak of Coronavirus associated with Rowan Foods Ltd in Wrexham has recorded 309 cases. There continues to be no evidence that this outbreak is factory-based, and the results we have identified are what we would expect to see when a focused testing takes place. (Newser) Jana Jumpp spends eight hours a day updating a spreadsheetnot for work, but a recent hobby: figuring out how many of Amazon's 400,000 warehouse workers have fallen sick with the coronavirus, the AP reports. Amazon won't give a number, so Jumpp tracks it on her own and shares what she finds with others. She relies on Amazon employees at more than 250 facilities who communicate possible cases. She asks for proof, like messages or voicemails from Amazon, and tries to make sure she doesnt count the same case twice. It's time consuming, but Jumpp says workers should know if there's an outbreak and just how risky it is to head to work. "Amazon is not going to do it, so it's up to us," says Jumpp, 58, who lost her job in July at an Amazon warehouse in Jeffersonville, Indiana. story continues below Major companies are keeping their employees in the dark on just how prevalent the virus is in their warehouses, stores, and meatpacking plants. That has left workers like Jumpp to become amateur sleuths in their spare time. Unions and advocate groups have taken up the cause, too, creating lists or building online maps of stores where workers can self-report cases they know about. The numbers are publicized by the unions and labor groups and used to organize worker protests. But mainly, the reason for collecting them is so that workers can make decisions about their health. Companies typically notify employees if they may have been exposed to the virus by a coworker but critics claim they won't reveal the totals because it could spook workers and turn off customers. (Read more coronavirus stories.) By PTI KOCHI: A case has been registered against a Malayalam film producer for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman, police said on Sunday. Alwyn Antony had sexually abused the 22-year-old woman last year after promising her roles in his movies, the police said. The woman was sexually harassed four times between January and March 2019. Alwin had produced several hits including Ohm Shanti Oshana and 2015's Amar Akbar Antony. The accused is absconding, they said. 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... North Korea's military heads have met with the country's leader Kim Jong Un to discuss "further bolstering a war deterrent", state media reported on Sunday. Kim, whose titles include Chairman of the Central Military Commission, headed the "closed meeting" on Saturday. There was little detail about the content of the meeting, but there was a reiteration of the determination to bolster "a war deterrent". In recent days, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and top North Korean official Kim Yo Jong, widely believed to be sister of Kim Jong Un, have aired their opinions in public about the chances of Pyongyang and Washington talking again. North Korea's military emphasis on "bolstering a war deterrent" may be part of the messaging intended for Washington. A medical worker is disinfected after taking samples for Covid-19 tests from residents at a village in Hanoi, April 9, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy. The U.S. appreciated the lessons and experiences on controlling Covid-19 from ASEAN countries, calling for coordination in dealing with further developments of the pandemic. The message was passed in online talks held this week with U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas, who is Vice Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Vietnams Ambassador to the U.S., Ha Kim Ngoc, said that as the current ASEAN chair, Vietnam has cooperated with other bloc members to maintain all activities during the pandemic, and hopes it will be contained soon so that the nation can welcome ASEAN leaders and partners, including President Donald Trump, to Hanoi for the East Asia Summit slated to take place this November. Castro expressed appreciation over the pandemic fight in ASEAN, especially Vietnam which has reported no deaths so far, as well as ASEAN-U.S. cooperation in dealing with the pandemic. He said the priority now is to promote coordination in dealing with the complicated developments of Covid-19. Ngoc said Vietnam highly values the recent statements by foreign affairs officials of the U.S. House and the Senate, which "clarify the U.S.s position on the South China Sea and makes it clear that Chinas territorial claims are illegal." The South China Sea is known in Vietnam as the East Sea. On July 13, U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Bob Menendez, chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Representatives Eliot Engel and Michael McCaul, chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that "China has failed to abide by the Permanent Court of Arbitration's legally binding ruling from 2016, or provide any credible legal justification for its claims." "Instead, it has resorted to coercion of its neighbors, an aggressive campaign of reclamation and militarization of features, and continued activities in the exclusive economic zones of other countries. This has only accelerated over the last several months as the world focused on Covid-19. "The United States is committed to upholding international law; to flying, sailing, and operating where international law allows; and to supporting our regional partners and regional institutions who seek peaceful diplomatic resolution of disputes in the South China Sea," they said. Their joint statement was released the same day after the U.S. Department of State released a statement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on maritime claims in the South China Sea, which said: "Beijings claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them." Congressman Castro affirmed bipartisan consensus in the U.S. on an approach that upholds international law, peacefully resolves disputes in the South China Sea, underscoring the legal value of the Arbitral Tribunal's decision on the South China Sea dispute between the Philippines and China. China has taken a series of provocative, illegal actions in the East Sea since the start of the year, including several that impinge on Vietnamese sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagoes, even as other countries in the region and the world were focused on battling the Covid-19 pandemic. It formed the so-called Xisha and Nansha districts in Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) islands, sank Vietnamese fishing vessels off the Paracels, unilaterally issued a fishing ban and sent a ship to harass a Malaysian oil and gas exploration vessel. It also announced a vegetable farming project on Woody (Phu Lam) Island in the Paracels to strengthen its illegal sovereignty claims, and sent two diplomatic notes to the U.N. to make the infamous Four Sha claim, which covers an even broader swath of territory than the notorious, illegal nine-dash line. Vietnam has repeatedly protested and condemned Chinas provocative, illegal actions and urged it to desist. ASEAN has 10 members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Yoo In-seok, the chief barista of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas / Courtesy of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas By Jun Ji-hye Yoo In-seok, the chief barista of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, has been striving to make coffee through which customers can feel happiness and contentment. In his latest effort to offer coffee that will remain in customers' memory for a long time, he and his team launched the hotel's first private brand coffee bean blend, D'GOLD, in late April. "It is hard to say which coffee beans are good and bad as tastes differ," Yoo said in an interview with The Korea Times. "My team, called Team B'irst, recently launched D'GOLD as we wanted to offer our customers more special and memorable coffee." The barista team, consisting of four veteran baristas including Yoo, blended D'GOLD with premium beans from three regions Brazil, Ethiopia and Costa Rica. It is characteristically medium-bodied to heighten its fresh, invigorating acidity with the sweetness of berries and the fragrance of herbs and roses. As the coffee has a distinct sour citrus flavor, the chief barista recommends that customers enjoy it as an iced Americano or iced latte. "It took more than a year for Team B'irst to launch D'GOLD as we sampled coffee more than 20 times," Yoo said. "Since its launch, D'GOLD has been well-received by customers although it is a little bit more expansive than regular coffee. Some customers even asked us if they can buy D'GOLD beans separately." Yoo noted his team is working to develop D'GOLD in the form of drip bags so customers can enjoy it at home. He joined Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in 2006 as a server of the five-star hotel's fine dining French restaurant, Table 34. He began his career as a barista in 2010 when he became more interested in coffee making. "Coffee is a medium that helps me communicate with customers. I feel the greatest happiness when customers are curious about my coffee and ask me questions about it," he said. "I hope customers can feel satisfied and comfortable when drinking coffee I make." Yoo added that his team is continuing to develop new coffee beans with an aim of offering special coffee blends that are well-matched with each restaurant of the hotel. Advertisement Special report by Rabiu Omaku The recent resolution by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly that no professional doctor under the employment of the State Government should engage in private practice cannot hold water,reason been that the decision of lawmakers in Nasarawa was completely in conflict with the failed attempt by the Federal Government some years back. The move made by the Federal Government in 2017 was to banned doctors in public hospitals from operating their private clinics and hospitals during working hours,but today is all history,While the ongoing in Nasarawa State if not properly handle would be highly regretted and the citizenry would suffer at the receiving end. The issue at stake is to banned doctors under the employment of Nasarawa State Government from private practice completely,The Nasarawa State House of Assembly should get this right. The shortage of medical personnel especially doctors is a cause for worry because non indigent doctors constitute 70 percent of the population of health workers ranging from doctors,nurses,lab personnel while the 30 percent of medical personnel includes attendants and non professionals in the administrative Department in both Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital and all the General Hospitals in the State. It could be recalled that majority of Indigent doctors left the service of Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in 2013 due to lack of promotion,welfare,A survey conducted indicated that indigenes of Nasarawa State are at the echelon of service at the Jos University Teaching Hospital,National Hospital Abuja while others are operating their private hospitals and clinics . Is now high time for the State Government to call back the talented medical doctors to show case their potentials,This would only be feasible if the State Government would take proper care of the personnels,The issue of State Government health workers should not be tackle with hand in-glove due to the sensitive nature of their work. The State Deputy Governor should be up and doing by been at the forefront to mediate the impasse which has to do with 1.Proper Personal Protection Equipment 2.Payment of Federal Government special package for COVID-19 Frontline workers 3.Implementation of promotions from 2013 to date. It could be recalled that in October, 2017 the Nigeria Medical Association and the Dental Council of Nigeria reacted over the new policy of the Federal Government banning medical doctors in public health institutions from engaging in private practice during working hours, describing the move as illegall The leadership of the Nigeria Medical Association,Nasarawa State Chapter has described the resolution by the State lawmakers as illegal and an interference from politicians that are not conversant with the code of ethics guiding Nigeria Medical Association.Doctor Peter Wisdom in a telephone interview said the only regulatory body to sanction doctors is Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria not politicians. It was reliably gathered that the State Governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule has given the express approval for the payment of pending promotions to avoid further embarrassment that may lead to another strike action that may paralysed public health institutions from operating. On the COVID-19 special package for frontline health workers, an insider from the health sector said the State Government from the inception of coronavirus pandemic is yet to receive a dine from the Federal Government as a donation to Nasarawa State He confided that the State was insolvent and cannot be able to pay money to the tune of over N400m as special package to members of the Joint Action Committee comprises of six Associations. On the no work,no pay introduce by the State Government ,he explained the policy has been taken by event with the approval and directive of the Governor of the to pay the striking workers their June salary which the did not work for. The question to asked is can the resolution of the lawmakers stand ? As the house resolved that 1.The State Government should initiate special scholarship for indigenous medical and other science related courses. 2.The State Government should fast track the establishment of medical school in the State particularly at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi 3.Resolved that no doctor employed by the State Government should establish or operate a private hospital or clinic. Findings revealed that doctors in Nigeria are working below World Health Organization standard which prescribed a ratio of one doctor to sixty patients as against one doctor to 1,600 patients obtainable in Nigeria. Doctors supposed to work 40 unit not 80 unit,only time shall tell.. As long as science fiction writers have been imagining it, scientists have been trying to make it a reality. The holy grail of clean energy. The silver bullet solution to global warming. The power of the sun brought down to Earth. Thats right, nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion, if and when it becomes a reality, will change the energy industry--and the world--as we know it. It is, essentially, the key to limitless, renewable, and carbon-free energy. And not only is it many times more powerful than nuclear fission (the process of dividing atoms that currently powers nuclear plants) it does not require any radioactive materials, and therefore does not produce any hazardous radioactive nuclear waste. And, with no radiation, there is no risk of the nuclear meltdowns that have become synonymous with nuclear energy thanks to the tragedies at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island. In the south of France, 35 nations are collaborating under the banner of the ITER project, building the worlds largest tokamak, a space-age looking device that employs ultra-powerful magnets to create and manipulate hot plasma into a torus (for the laymen among us, a donut) shape in order to achieve nuclear fusion. ITERs magnetic field coils are the most powerful superconductive magnets ever designed according to Forbes, and the tokamak in southern France will employ 18 of them, weighing in at a whopping 6,000 metric tons. These 35 nations have been toiling away on this project for 35 years--and theyre getting close to a breakthrough. The tokamak functions by merging hydrogen atoms, as occurs naturally on the sun, to form helium atoms, producing incredible amounts of energy, which the tokamak harnesses in the form of heat, which in turn creates steam, which spins a turbine, which creates energy that we can use to power our homes, our industries, and, indeed, our world. Related: The Race To Complete The Worlds Most Controversial Pipeline ITER aims to bring its massive tokamak online and achieve first plasma in just five years. Last year, when ITER first announced its 2025 first plasma projection, the consortium had just reached a major milestone with the installation of the cryostat base and lower cylinder, bringing the project to 65 percent completion. Manufactured by India, the ITER cryostat is 16,000 cubic meters, ITER officials said in a release. Its diameter and height are both almost 30 meters and it weighs 3,850 tons. Because of its bulk, it is being fabricated in four main sections: the base, lower cylinder, upper cylinder, and top lid. Now, in 2020, its all about magnets. The plasma volume inside the tokamak at ITER will be several times larger than that generated by any previous fusion reactors. Because of the high temperatures, metal cannot be used to confine the highly unstable plasma, explains Forbes. Therefore, an enormous magnetic field is used to contain the plasma and ensure the fusion reactions can happen. This is achieved by a series of toroidal superconducting magnets, or field coils. The magnets that are our greatest hope for achieving commercial nuclear fusion are the size of five- and six-story buildings, each weighing in at 310 metric tons, with a width of nine meters (29 feet) and a towering height of 16.5 meters (54 feet). Japans Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group delivered the first installment of what will be 18 massive magnets to ITER in January of this year, seven and a half years after they were commissioned. If commercial fusion becomes within reach when ITER goes online in 2025, the ramifications are impossible to overstate. We could conceivably keep average global temperatures from increasing more than 1.5 degrees Celsius this century while still keeping up with energy demand. We could stop catastrophic climate change in its tracks, and change global geopolitics forever, thereby resolving countless conflicts, as dirty and finite fossil fuels become obsolete. Some of the greatest problems of our time will be solved thanks to the tireless work of scientists, human imagination and ambition, and some really, really big magnets. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In a recent judgment, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) held that a company could exit an ongoing insolvency process even as an interim resolution professional had been appointed and a moratorium imposed under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) by the adjudicating authority, that is the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The latest move by the NCLAT paves the way for companies to settle claims and end ongoing insolvency cases, according to a report by the Indian Express. The 'corporate debtors' in such cases can thus arrive at a settlement with the lenders, even after initiation of the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) under the IBC. The report notes that this new window could especially come as a relief to those firms already under the resolution process, with relatively smaller debts. However, all IBC proceedings have been halted for the time being in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centre has suspended insolvency proceedings for the next six months with a proposal to extend the same up to a period of one year. This has been done to cushion firms against the economic fallout of the pandemic and the lockdown that followed, as fresh debts during this period will not attract IBC proceedings. In the judgment, a bench headed by acting chairperson Justice Bansi Lal Bhat noted that since the operational creditor (who had taken the company to NCLT) and the corporate debtor had "amicably settled the dispute", it allowed the parties to exit the CIRP. The judgment was passed in the case of Burda Druck India Pvt Ltd, a company that had been taken to the NCLT by its operational creditor Vivek Bansal. The NCLAT observed, "The Respondent Company is released from all the rigour of law and is allowed to function independently through its Board of Directors with immediate effect. " The Edo State Government has announced the discharge of 58 more coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, who have tested negative for the virus and cleared from the states isolation centres to return to their families. The state Commissioner for Health, Patrick Okundia, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, commended the sacrifice, resilience and commitment of health workers and other essential workers on the frontlines of the governments efforts at containing the pandemic. The commissioner further reiterated the need to protect the states aged population, urging residents to comply with all guidelines and safety measures to curtail the spread of the virus in the state. Mr Okundia noted that the state has recorded 11 new confirmed cases, tested at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) laboratory. He said Edo has so far recorded a total of 8,350 suspected cases, 1,885 confirmed cases, 62 deaths and 1,208 discharges, adding that the state has tested over 8,759 residents and is contact tracing 4,756 others across the states 18 local government areas. The commissioner who identified screening and testing as essential in the governments efforts at containing the pandemic, urged all citizens to comply with government directives, aimed at ensuring the health and safety of all Edo people. While the government ramps up efforts to win the war against this common enemy, it is imperative that residents stay at home and observe social distancing guidelines and other precautionary measures against the spread of the disease, including regular handwashing with soap under running water and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Cover your mouth and nose properly when sneezing and/or coughing. Two toll-free lines for COVID-19 response have been introduced by Edo State Government to strengthen the initial lines from the State Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) distributed at the onset of the outbreak. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, please call 08001235111 or 08002200110 for assistance, he said. It is no exaggeration to say that there is now no guaranteed safe place in Trinidad and Tobago. We have moved from the stage of being prisoners in our homes behind metal bars to being afraid to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and even to sleep, for fear that if crime comes knocking we may have no recourse but to cower and beg for our lives. The society is being overpowered by the force of the criminal will with insufficient resources to resist and break that power. 19.07.2020 LISTEN The bus stopped; the chain was up. The driver opened the door. Canadian Peace keepers, soldiers in light blue got on the bus, walked through the lines, looked into tired faces and underneath their seats, walked back to the front again, got off the bus, lowered the chain and letting the bus pass. As Heinz Wohlfarth got off the bus, one slim and small man looked at him, stopped him, grabbed him by his arm, pulled him over from the crowd of following people and asked him to follow. They walked along apple trees and apple trees planted straight in lines until they reached a place very familiar to him. He was standing right in the middle of the loading place, a place full of empty and full containers for apples ready to be shipped around the world. He saw mostly red apples but spotted a limited portion of the containers were filled with green apples as well. Across the place was a red container placed with a shade to bring shadow to the place that was covered more and more by the heart of the sun. The sun light was burning down on them. He looked around seeing the Golan Heights for the very first time up close. Heinz Wohlfarth had reached the Golan Heights the night before. Tina Ratherford had arranged for him to be with them for few weeks before he would have to be back again in Kibbutz Ginegar. Kibbutz Ein Ziwan was a Kibbutz not as old as the one he saw as his home base in Israel. the Kibbutznicks were much younger on average, more open, more outspoken, more interacting with the volunteers. She had taken him to his room that he had to share with a young man from Switzerland, someone that loved everything that had something to do with military equipment, be it tanks, armoured vehicles or even guns and bombs. Heinz Wohlfarth when greeting him was surprised about the young man smaller than himself that was open and friendly yet his enthusiasm for the military was strange to him. Kibbutz Ein Ziwan also had a factory producing plastic shoes and boots, but the management had decided he was needed in the orchards. At his temporary working place surrounded by apples in containers he was feeling somehow at home. He laughed and smiled all over his face. Besides the container a bucket full of glue was standing next to it a stack of sheets to be put onto the containers for them to be identified as which destination to head to. High trees surrounded the place unable for him to see at first sight the other side of the Golan Heights, the ditches deep down through which tanks would reach from one little mountain to the other side of the mountain chain passing through a valley that could otherwise salvage their protection and make the enemy know what they were planning and up to. The dusty soil was covered all over with the remains of war activities, little pieces of plastic and metal once part of deadly weapons used by the Israeli army in the fight against the enemy from Syrian territory. In fact, as they stood on Syrian ground occupied by Israel in the attempt to protect Israel from attacks by the Syrian people. Heinz Wohlfarth felt somehow misplaced in life as having never been in the army of Germany himself and an anti-war activist. And now, all of a sudden, life had taken him right into the heart of a hot war; a war of blood, hate and tears, justification and counter-justification. "That is funny," said Peter Britain, responsible Manager of the loading area, "that in Kibbutz Ginegar you also do the same job...really funny!" He got onto his forklift, loaded the truck that had just arrived full of apple containers, turned the key and off the engine to sit next to Heinz Wohlfarth in the shadow by the container, prepared sweet black tea with milk, passed it over to his German friend, smiled all over his face, put up his feet onto a stack of concrete blocks to enjoy life to the fullest. "This is lifelike in heaven," said Peter Britain looking from left to right overseeing all corners of his working place. "This is the best job someone can ask for. Every now and then containers come, we load them on trucks, have a good cup of coffee and tea and ice-cream with cake of biscuits." He looked around, was surprised, tried to find, and finally found. "Oh my God, I am getting old. I forgot to offer you something nice. Here, takes a piece of cake...the fruity style like it is made in Britain. My wife is actually a very good baker...when she wants." He laughed his head off and took a second helping. The fruit cake with icing on the top was indeed a delight, that was what Heinz Wohlfarth was tasting. "Yes, in Kibbutz Ginegar it is the same job that I am doing. I belief," laughed Heinz Wohlfarth all over his face, "there is a caring God in heaven!" "For sure...he is caring!" stuffed Peter Britain another piece of cake into his mouth hardly been able to be understood by others. "My wife is a great child of God...I can tell you that!" Heinz Wohlfarth laughed his head off, had the time of his life. They finished off tea and coffee, cake and biscuits left in small portion for their way home just after work. Peter Britain looked at his watch, still half an hour left before they should expect another loading of apples to handle. Both walked through the small passage between the trees into the wide-open land with pitches deep and wide for tanks. To their left a chain of hills, to their right a chain of hills and far in their back Sea of Galilee once the place Jesus Christ confronted his disciples with their fear of life and belief in salvation and protection. They knew both the moment when Jesus Christ walked on water and sailed the storm, when he asked them to cast their net and they loaded fish after fish into their boat for it be overloaded. Their mind walked further South-West to Nazareth when little Jesus was taught by his father the craft of carpentry, played with his siblings, was a joy to his parents until the time had finally come he had to leave his family behind, separate himself from his earthly family and walked the land in the shoes of his heavenly father. He was no more a family member of the human mind but of the spirit to fulfill as the scriptures once had said. The womb that had given earthly breath into his human flesh was one special woman among many but was a woman only and not of the spirit his spirit belonged to. He knew so well that humans born by humans are not born for them but for a purpose, a purpose they are supposed to fulfill to be called worthy of life given, to honour the gift so precious to any human, life on earth, a once time chance to get things done and done right. "And now we are standing here...and I see blood on the ground dripping into the soil, the dust of this place. And I see what war is leaving behind, pieces of plastic and metal once part of deadly weapons, machinery of death," resonated it inside Heinz Wohlfarth with anger and fear. "Is there ever hope for peace?" did he turn around to Peter Britain with sadness in his face, grey colour all over. Peter Britain put his arms around his shoulder, looked into his face with great love and understanding and said quietly: In Europe, and other places, war was very much part of daily life for generations. In some countries it is still killing people because power, greed and selfishness is part of human nature. But here in the heart of the bible, of everything Jesus Christ and God had told us to do and to be...that in this place hate and fear is still so, so present in the hearts and minds of the people all around us makes me...", he stopped saying anything, sat down on a small light brown stone, looked over the ditches to the horizon, felt a tear dropping down before him disappearing in the dust between his legs and continued, "when in this region, in our place, peace between people is not possible...," he looked around and straight into Heinz Wohlfarths eyes, "how can peace ever be in the hearts and minds of people. Here in this holy land the power of God is even more present and felt than in any other place around the world. Yes, it is tragic...but it is human nature. I often ask myself whether the sacrifice Jesus Christ had to make for us was worth it...as humans do not seem to have improved much, are still the same old bunch of people as they were back when Adam and Eve walked on earth. People have not learnt much and from generation to generation they have to learn all over again, preaching the same old messages, hearing the same old stories as generations past were hearing them...and still no change in humans." "Hamster people!" said Heinz Wohlfarth quietly and with a tone of sadness paired with resignation in his voice. Peter Britain looked up to him before he got up to stretch his body: In some parts of this world war is as it seems for now a matter of the past. That is not to say that these countries do not fight in other territories instead. So, based on that we cannot say that peace is in countries that once heavily engaged themselves in wars over and over again, most certainly not. And when we do not blind ourselves and see the real danger for mankind coming, the overpopulation from mainly Africa, the issue of war and war engagement is closer than many of us today can imagine o want to think of leaving the issue to generations ahead....Austrich in the sand!" "In other words," looked Heinz Wohlfarth over the scenery with heavy heart in his chest making breathing challenging, periods of peace are extended but not for ever." "True...and factual!" "When...oh God, did Heinz Wohlfarth look into the heavens, will we ever learn and become the people we are supposed to become?" "Only he knows!" said Peter Britain, put his arms on the shoulders of his German friend, looked at his watch, saw the time to return back to work had come, moved him back to the loading place and gave the driver of the little truck pulling ten apple containers behind him instruction were to park and offload the full containers and where to pick the empty once. He shouted over to Heinz Wohlfarth while sitting on his forklift: "But we will never know. We simply are made to do our job over and over again...and we will never really know why we have to live a life like this. Much has been written, much has been said, every time basically the same old message...and see, here we are doing the same old jobs in other forms." Heinz Wohlfarth heard Im well while sticking sheet after sheet onto the empty apple container ready for the second round of the day to be picked and filled by the volunteers as their daily target. Few military aircrafts flew overhead from the heartland of Israel into the South of Lebanon. While performing his daily duties Heinz Wohlfarth was thinking of the Dead Sea a place soon, he wanted to pay a visit. Four hundred meter below sea level, the deepest place on dry land, a place impossible for swimming as the salt would carry any human like a feather, salty to what human mind could imagine. He knows over the past years the level of the Dead Sea had gone down drastically due to climate change effects but still a place for many tourists with lung and skin problems to come to and get treatment. Before the bus would take them back to Kibbutz Ein Ziwan Peter ritain and Heinz Wohlfarth had half an hour left to finish off their cake and empty their cups. They sat side by side not talking. A bird came, sat down on the ground in the dust before Heinz Wohlfarth`s shoes. The bird looked at him and looked at him, moved to the side and looked at Peter Britain. Then it moved back to Heinz Wohlfarth and looked and looked lifting and lowering his little head. Heinz Wohlfarth saw the rest of his fruit cake, saw the dried cherries and cranberries in it covered in deep brown dough filled with wild honey that gave the cake its special, fantastic and delicious taste, thought which part of the piece he should pick, decided for a part not filled with sugar too much, bowed down to the little bird, cautiously, very mindfully stretched out his hand, gave the little piece of cake to the bird seeing how much the bird enjoyed what was given to him. "As the bible is saying," commented Peter Britain, "ask and you will be given. The bird does not plant anything, yet he has enough to eat as it will be given to him." "But we humans have always to struggle to get!" said Heinz Wohlfarth ready to leave the place as the bus to take them back to Kibbutz Ein Ziwan would appear at any minute. "We have not listened to what God had told us and so we have to labour," smiled Peter Britain on their way to the place to get picked up and joining the other volunteers, while this bird does not know anything and for that he will always have enough of what he needs." Heinz Wohlfarth got off the bus, greeted Peter Britain wishing him a relaxed afternoon wishing and hoping his wife would provide another cake next morning, smiled while getting a smile back, stepped into the canteen, looked for a place to sit, saw Tina Ratherford, asked her to reserve a place next to her, walked over to the buffet filled with three different hot meals, salad, deserts and soups as a good starter. He picked from all of it, put it on his silver tray, made his way over to the table Tina Ratherford and three friends were suing, started to eat and came down from few hours of easy work. She smiled at him. All of a sudden alarm was raised. Men and woman alike rushed in and out of the canteen like in a chicken shed when the fox had entered. They shouted anxiously. Running here, running there, confusion all over the Kibbutz. Heinz Wohlfarth stopped eating, looking lost. He tried to stop a Kibbutznick to inform him about the situation but only got to hear `bomb`, which did not mean much to him. He got up and followed the crowd rushing to the scene. The closer he got to the living quarter of the volunteers the more he realized that in fact his room seemed to be the problem. The area was cordoned off. He tried to make a guard understand that the room there were rushing in and rushing out was the room he shared with his mate, Thomas Sonnleitner from Bern in Switzerland. They did not listen to him being too busy to handle the situation. He was asked to wait by the pool side for further instructions. He did as he was told. few hours later the scene got quiet again, problem solved. Tina Ratherford appeared and sat by his side in the warm green grass. She laughed at him and he did not know what was going on, why she had decided to laugh at him: "Your mate, Tom, he was a fan of the military and all things he could get hold off, bits and pieces here around left behind from the war, that was for him. So, while the Kibbutz was short of blankets the Management decided to raid all rooms of the volunteers and search for the missing blankets. They also walked into your room while you were at work and found a smoke bomb on the wardrobe. Thomas Sonnleitner had the idea to take that thing back home to Switzerland as a souvenir while in fact is was still active...so it could explode at any time." GRAND RAPIDS, MI A 24-year-old man is dead following a shooting overnight in Grand Rapids. The killing is Grand Rapids 20th homicide in 2020 and comes just days after 23-year-old Martell Deon-Daajon Phillips was gunned down outside Wealthy Market at Diamond Avenue and Wealthy Street SE on Wednesday, July 15. The 20 homicides in 2020 are two more than there were in all of 2019. In 2018, there were just nine killings. Since the early 1990s, the highest number of homicides in the city was 34 killings in one year. Related: Grand Rapids 19 homicides so far in 2020: Where, when and how they happened Officers responded to the citys latest slaying at about 2:20 a.m. July 19 in the 700 block of Turner Avenue NW after they were flagged down in reference to a shooting, according to Grand Rapids Police spokesperson Raul Alvarez. The victim was unconscious with multiple apparent gunshot wounds when officers found him, Alvarez said. There is no suspect at this time. Two days prior to Sunday mornings homicide, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne and other community leaders gathered together to address the surge in gun violence in the city this year. Related: Grand Rapids police, community leaders plead for end of senseless violence Payne called the killings and shooting incidents senseless and urged the community to work together. We need cooperation and help from the community to break this cycle of violence that we are seeing right now, Payne said. Over the night and day that followed Phillips killing, four more people were injured in shootings in the city, including a 2-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl that were shot in separate incidents. On Saturday night, in addition to the citys latest homicide, police responded to two other shootings, both non-fatal one that involved a 20-year-old man being shot while walking near Bradford Street NE and Clancy Avenue NE at about 7:30 p.m. The other shooting occurred at about 11:33 p.m. in the 1000 block of Bemis Street SE. The victim in that shooting was a 23-year-old woman who was shot in the side of the head. Officers located multiple scenes and more than 50 casings in the area. A 23-year-old woman is also in critical condition after being stabbed early Sunday morning in Grand Rapids following a fight at New York Fried Chicken at 743 Division Avenue S. I am both troubled and saddened by yet another life lost, a young man killed early this morning on the citys northwest side, Payne said in a statement Sunday. This weeks gun violence should trouble every person who lives and works in Grand Rapids. I will continue working with our community on increased efforts to do whatever we can to get at the root causes of this violence. But we need to do this together. This must include ongoing dialogue, including more cooperation from the public to help us solve these crimes. I believe together we have the ability to find real solutions to this unacceptable level of criminal behavior, which is causing devastating consequences to our neighborhoods. Also on MLive: Two teens shot in Kalamazoos West Douglas neighborhood Grand Rapids police investigating stabbing in Southwest Grand Rapids Coronavirus recoveries now exceed 55,000 as daily cases stay above 600 Thousands In Khabarovsk Protest Arrest Of Russian Governor By RFE/RL's Russian Service July 18, 2020 Tens of thousands of people in the Far Eastern Russian city of Khabarovsk marched in an unsanctioned rally on July 18 to protest the arrest of a local governor. Videos of the event showed a massive crowd filing down a main thoroughfare in the regional capital and gathering in its main square to demand the release of Khabarovsk Krai Governor Sergei Furgal. An estimated 15,000 to 50,000 demonstrators took part in the nearly five-hour rally, according to reports, although police gave no official crowd estimate. City authorities reported no arrests or violence. The rally ended in front of the city's Mayor's Office, where demonstrators protested comments made by Mayor Sergei Kravchuk, who earlier suggested that Furgal's supporters were being paid. The 50-year-old Furgal, who belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, denies the charges, and his supporters say they are politically motivated. Last week, weekend protests were reportedly the largest-ever in the city of 590,000. The continuing protests, far from the Russian capital, are a rare public show of defiance against the Kremlin and come following a controversial nationwide vote that set the stage for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Among the signs seen during the July 18 rally were ones reading "Free Furgal" and "Moscow. Go away from our river, our minerals, our resources." Rallies also took place on July 18 in the Khabarovsk Krai city of Komsomolk-On-Amur and in the port city of Vladivostok in the neighboring Primorsk region. On July 17, a Russian official announced that President Putin would soon appoint an acting governor of Khabarovsk Krai. With reporting by Kommersant and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia- khabarovsk-thouands-protest-arrest- governor-furgal/30734564.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 Late last month, some insiders pounced on a tweet posted from Pierres account just before the election that said lock em up about the three former Minneapolis officers who are accused of failing to stop the killing of George Floyd. While the ex-officers, like any criminal defendants, are innocent until proved guilty, the tweet said they should have to prove their innocence in court. Beijing is carefully managing its relationship with Vietnam after the United States took a harder line on the South China Sea dispute and rejected most of its claims in the strategic waterway as unlawful this week. Chinese vice-minister of foreign affairs Luo Zhaohui discussed South China Sea issues with his Vietnamese counterpart Le Hoai Trung on Thursday, according to the Foreign Ministry, which did not provide further details. The Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) said on Friday that it would lend US$100 million to the Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank to help the bank expand lending to private businesses disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. The South China Sea, through which one-third of global shipping passes, has been subject to decades of overlapping territorial disputes involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The sea is also believed to contain major reserves of natural gas and oil. The China-Vietnam meeting came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that the US formally opposed Chinese claims to waters within the so-called nine-dash line that encompasses almost all of the South China Sea in line with a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal at The Hague. Four years on, Vietnam is mulling legal action to assert its maritime claim. Le, its deputy foreign minister, said Hanoi preferred to negotiate, but other measures such as mediation, arbitration and litigation would not be ruled out. In May, Hanoi nominated four arbitrators and four conciliators, a sign it could soon file a complaint. Vietnams foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it welcomed countries positions that were consistent with international law and that respecting the legal order at the sea and implementing [the UN convention] in full and with good faith was critical. Story continues Hu Bo, director of South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative in China, told Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Peoples Daily that Vietnam was an exception while most Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) claimant states avoid taking sides in the US-China tension. Vietnam is one of the few countries that would be happy to see US-China tension. It has the most acute conflict with China in the South China Sea Many Vietnamese politicians think the country can maximise its gains in the US-China conflict and be part of a triangle relation. Vietnam has a more assertive approach compared with other Asean claimant states because of the high stakes for oil, gas, fisheries and sovereignty in the resource-rich waters and the long history of disputes with China, said Eduardo Araral, director of the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. Vietnamese deputy minister of foreign affairs Le Hoai Trung speaks to the press at UN headquarters in New York in 2019. Photo: Xinhua Araral said the way for China to manage its relationship with Vietnam was to continue to expand the trade part of the relationship. The sovereignty over South China Sea islands and competition for resources will not be resolved, he said. No country will back out from their claims. Observers said Vietnam was encouraged to see the US openly supporting its exclusive economic zone claims, which could have a balancing effect against China. From the Vietnamese perspective, its probably good for its position and interest if Washington appears to be more assertive and confrontational to China, said Li Mingjiang, associate professor at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Strong US positions could help modify Chinas claims and position in the South China Sea. Vietnam will be happy to see US military presence and security role in the South China Sea, which may help prevent the Chinese military from establishing a domination position, he said. Hanoi would like to manage the relationship with China, but not with the South China Sea dispute as the focal point, said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor of politics at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Vietnam has a massive trade deficit with China. But it cant get its industries going unless some of the supplies from China come in, [like] raw materials for garments, he said. Vietnam, with its limited resources and very good diplomats, wants to maintain its strategic autonomy to set its own national interest and pursuit them. Its got to do that with the least resistance from the major powers that could block it. When it is being blocked or conflicts arise, it does not want to become trapped. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington formally opposes many of Chinas claims to the South China Sea. Photo: AFP Although both countries are one-party socialist states, the common ideology has not stopped China from frequent coercion activities and even the threat of use of force in the South China Sea, said Huong Le Thu, senior analyst for the defence and strategy programme at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Vietnam stands firm in rejecting threats of use of force in the South China Sea disputes something that China frequently uses in its coercion practices, she said. Genuine political will on both sides, particularly the aggressive one, is necessary for the situation to de-escalate, she added. Investments are welcome and so are good economic relations. But Beijing cannot count on investments to neutralise all the aggressive behaviour. China cannot just invest while harassing and violating Vietnams sovereign rights on the brink of escalation. Purchase the 120+ page China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition, brought to you by SCMP Research, and enjoy a 30% discount (original price US$400). The report includes deep-dive analysis, trends, and case studies on the 10 most important internet sectors. Now in its 3rd year, this go-to source for understanding China tech also comes with exclusive access to 6+ webinars with C-level executives, including Charles Li, CEO of HKEX, James Peng, CEO/founder of Pony.ai, and senior executives from Alibaba, Huawei, Kuaishou, Pinduoduo, and more. Offer valid until 31 August 2020. To purchase, please click here. More from South China Morning Post: This article As Vietnam takes more assertive approach to South China Sea, Beijing tries to manage tensions first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. Nigerias foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, has tested positive for coronavirus. According to him, he was confirmed positive on Saturday, after his fourth test. The minister took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to announce his health status. Did my fourth Covid-19 test yesterday at the first sign of a throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive. That is life! Win some lose some. Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best. #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19, he wrote. Did my fourth Covid-19 test yesterday at the first sign of a throat irritation and unfortunately this time it came back positive. That is life! Win some lose some. Heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best. #StayHomeSaveLives #COVID19 #PTFCOVID19 Geoffrey Onyeama (@GeoffreyOnyeama) July 19, 2020 Mr Onyeama joins the list of prominent Nigerians who have contracted the virus. Before now, Governors Rotimi Akeredolu, Nasir El-Rufai, Seyi Makinde, Bala Mohammed and Okezie Ikpeazu had also tested positive for the disease. Apart from officials who have tested positive and recovered from the virus, some others have died from complications caused by the virus. The latter category includes President Muhammadu Buharis former chief of staff, Abba Kyari, and ex-Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi. As of the time of this report, 36,107 people have contracted the virus in Nigeria out of which 14,938 people have recovered and have been discharged while 778 have died. Lagos remains the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria with over a third (13,341) of the total cases. While Nigeria continues to record new cases in hundreds, daily, the country is opening its economy more while citizens continue to disobey the governments directives on social distancing and use of face masks in public. Iran plans new phase at sprawling PGSGCR refinery: Contractor Iran Press TV Saturday, 18 July 2020 5:13 PM Iran is planning to build out its largest gasoline refinery located south of the country on the coasts of the Persian Gulf, says a contractor. Head of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters said on Saturday that the contractor, which is run by Iran's elite IRGC military force, could win the right to build a fourth phase at Persian Gulf Star Gas Condensates Refinery (PGSGCR). "We are reaching an agreement with the Oil Ministry for construction of a new phase at PGSGCR," said Saeid Mohammad, adding that the project would completely rely on home-made equipment and expertise. The PGSGCR is responsible for more than a third of Iran's gasoline production of more than 100 million liters per day. The refinery, founded over a decade ago, has turned Iran from a net importer of gasoline into a fuel exporter. Reports last month suggested that a bulk of a massive cargo of gasoline sent from Iran to Venezuela onboard five large tankers had been supplied by the PGSGCR. However, government plans for expanding the massive refinery hit a snag in 2018 when the United States imposed its unilateral sanctions on Iran's energy sector. Mohammad said that sanctions had caused the Khatam company to become increasingly involved in the supply of home-made equipment to various phases of key energy production facilities in southern Iran. He said his company is currently supplying equipments to refineries linked to the PGSGCR and others working for the South Pars, a sprawling gas field in the Persian Gulf which is shared between Iran and Qatar. "Some 70 percent of the equipment at PGSGCR and (various) phases of the South Pars have become Iranianized," Mohamma told the Iranian parliament's news service ICANA. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India Limited, will be operating direct daily flight connecting Jagdalpur to Raipur and Hyderabad from August 5. The airline will be deploying its 70-seater ATR-72 aircraft on the route, to bolster connectivity under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. As per a press release issued by the airline, Flight 9I 885 will depart from Hyderabad at 0950 hrs and reach Jagdalpur at 1115 hrs. It will depart from Jagdalpur at 1155 hrs and reach Raipur at 1300 hrs. On its return, the flight will depart Raipur at 1340 hrs and arrive at Jagdalpur at 1445 hrs, further departing from Jagdalpur at 1525 hrs and reaching Hyderabad at 1650 hrs. The tourism ministry has identified Jagdalpur-Teerathgarh-Chitrakoot-Barsur-Dantewada-Teerathgarh Circuit as one of the 45 mega tourist destinations/circuits in India on the basis of footfalls and their future tourism potential. This flight will reduce travel time & add to the comfort of tourists. It is the constant endeavour of Alliance Air to connect various parts of India to its fast-growing aviation network, contributing to overall development of all the regions especially tier 2 and tier 3 cities, the release stated. HP today unveiled HP Amplify, a first-of-its kind global channel partner program optimised to drive dynamic partner growth and deliver consistent end customer experiences. Built on a single, integrated structure, HP Amplify provides the insights, capabilities and collaboration tools needed to drive growth as digital transformation and customer purchasing behaviours continue to evolve. The new program goes into effect November 1, 2020 for commercial partners with retail partners slated to transition in the second half of 2021. By consolidating HPs best partner products, tools and trainings into one intuitive program, HP Amplify removes complexity, making it easier for partners to take advantage of its many benefits and engage customers on a deeper level. Now comprising just two distinct tracks Synergy and Power - with clear compensation levels, HP Amplify provides partners with the flexibility to invest in value-added services and capabilities. The more a partner invests in these capabilities, the higher the rewards. Todays buyer expects streamlined, automated and personalized experiences. To thrive in this changing environment with data as the new currency - requires a combined shift to relate to our customers as individuals, not markets, said Christoph Schell, HP Chief Commercial Officer. HP Amplify not only makes it easier for partners to do business with HP - it provides partners with a clear path to ready their business and succeed in todays environment and beyond to capitalize on emerging trends and play a central role in the evolving customer buying journey. Experiences at the Speed of Digital Customers have dramatically altered how they research and buy technology and how they engage with brands, buying more products and services through digital channels, such as e-commerce, partner portals and marketplaces. At the same time, technology and digital transformation are advancing at an astounding pace while business models are shifting from simple transactions focused on selling products to contractual relationships. For the IT industry overall, and the channel specifically, it means business as usual is no longer an option. With the introduction of HP Amplify, HP is taking decisive actions to capitalise on these shifts, arming partners for future growth and to deliver a more satisfying customer experience. HP and its partners have an enormous and exciting opportunity to reinvent the way we do business and our route-to-market, said Luciana Broggi, HPs Global Head of HP Route-to-Market. Yet addressing these opportunities requires overcoming system inadequacies, legacy habits and embracing new business models. Were making this leap together, embracing and investing in important changes to our ecosystem and our shared capabilities. Performance, Capabilities & Collaboration Designed to enable progressive go-to-market strategies that cater to a combination of transactional, contractual and hybrid selling models, HP Amplify focuses on three core pillars: performance, capabilities and collaboration. HP Amplify Impact HPs dedication to sustainable impact through technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere has long been integral to its business strategy and operations. Together, HP and its partners can make a lasting difference by acting in lockstep to further fuel innovation and growth in these areas, says the company. For this reason, as an extension of the companys new global program, HP is introducing HP Amplify Impact, inviting all partners to join HP in its pledge to address: Planet: Working toward a circular, low-carbon economy People: Respecting human rights, enable people across the value chain to thrive; and cultivate a diverse and inclusive culture Community: Unlocking educational and economic opportunity while improving the vitality and resilience of local communities For partners who choose to join this opt-in pledge, HP will provide training and support, and help identify potential gaps in the goals partners wish to set and provide guidance on how to achieve those goals. HP will provide more details closer to the launch of HP Amplify on November 1, 2020. TradeArabia News Service Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama gestures during an interactive session at a city hotel in Kolkata. (PTI) The demarcation of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is one of the two vexed issues dogging Sino-Indian ties. The other is the status of Tibets revered spiritual leader Dalai Lama, whose 85thth birthday on July 6 was a relatively lukewarm affair in Dharamshala, his permanent abode in Himachal Pradesh. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi most unlike their open communicative styles cautiously avoided greeting Dalai Lama publicly, even as heads of local provincial governments and important BJP leaders wished the octogenarian monk, who is regarded as a revered guest in India, but is not allowed to hold meetings or `conduct politics on Indian soil. Officials maintain that given the intense and several rounds of dialogue to disengage troops in Ladakh between the two militaries the last one on July 15 went on for a record 15 hours any statement issued by Prime Minister Modi on Dalai Lamas birthday, could have proved to be counter-productive. French journalist Francois Gautier, who has covered South Asia for many top-notch French-language dailies, and is close to the Hindutva cause, told this writer of his experience on July 6, the birthday of Dalai Lama: I scanned the entire net looking for mention of this extremely important event but in vain! There was mention of the birthday of actor Ranveer Singh but absolutely nothing about the Dalai Lama and Tibet. Does India and the BJP government of Narendra Modi understand the extreme importance of that event? The Dalai Lama may be the last chance for India to regain a friendly border between her and the Chinese enemy and time is running out, Gautier warned, adding that a Chinese stooge to succeed Dalai Lama would compel India to face in the coming decades not only a hostile border with China, without the buffer of Tibet, but also the disadvantage of China swooping down from the heights of Tibet onto Indias valleys, as it did in 1962. For China, Tibet is a highly sensitive issue, even though they have controlled the tiny Himalayan kingdom, once regarded as Indias buffer, since 1950. But things have now reached the stage when India must sooner or later bite the Tibet bullet. Amid concerns internationally over the deteriorating health of the 14thh Dalai Lama, Beijing has issued periodical warnings, including one last year, that the issue of finding his successor, which may happen in Dharamshala where the Tibetan government-in-exile is based, must be left to China. In July 2019, Wang Neng Sheng, Director General of the Peoples Government Information Office of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, told visiting Indian journalists that there are established historical institutions and formalities for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and the position of the Chinese government is clear-cut and resolute. Wang, an official with the rank of vice minister - sounding remarkably pious for a Communist - pointed out in true mandarin style: [The Dalai Lamas] reincarnation will not be decided by his personal wish or some group of people living in other countries. The current Dalai Lama was recognised by Beijing and his successor must be found through the draw of lots in golden urn process within China, making it clear that an incoming monk does not have a legal status without recognition by Beijing. Another official, Zha Luo, director of the Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Centre, told journalists that if India formally recognises any successor to the Dalai Lama who has not been accepted by China, it will become a political difference between the two countries that would affect bilateral relations. Indian experts are miffed at New Delhis kid-glove treatment of China over Dalai Lama and Tibet, particularly in the light of Ladakhs border standoff and Chinas insensitivity towards issues close to this country. Points out Brahma Chellaney, well-known geo-strategist, author and China expert: The Dalai Lama symbolises Indian leverage over a core issue of China Tibet. He is Indias strategic asset. The longest-serving Dalai Lama recently turned 85 on July 6, without Prime Minister Modi wishing him happy birthday. Chellaney, the winner of the Bernard Schwartz Book Award and a columnist, told this writer that in early 2018, to propitiate China, Modi ended all official contact with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. This was a blunder, which needs to be reversed. According to him, India cannot just be bystander. While Tibetans around the world pray for Dalai Lamas long life, China is waiting anxiously for him to die so that it can install a fake replacement. India must help to find, appoint and protect the next Dalai Lama by following the instructions of the present Dalai Lama, he says. Dalai Lama himself has talked about the possibility that after his passing away, his incarnation could be found in India, where he has lived in exile for six decades. Additionally, he has also warned that any other successor named by China would not be respected. Speculating on what might happen after him, the Dalai Lama anticipated attempts by China to foist a successor on Tibetan Buddhists. China considers Dalai Lamas reincarnation as something very important. They have more concern about the next Dalai Lama than me, he told journalists last year, tongue held firmly in cheek. In future, in case you see two Dalai Lamas come, one from here, in a free country, one chosen by Chinese, then nobody will trust, nobody will respect the one chosen by China, he added for good measure. Experts like Chellaney believe that India needs to play its Tibet card. Tibet is to India against China what Pakistan is to China against India. But in contrast to Indias qualms about playing the Tibet card, Beijing has no hesitation to play the Pakistan card against India. On January 1, 1950, two days after India became the second country in the world to accord recognition to Communist China, Peking (now Beijing) had announced that the liberation of Tibet was one of the basic goals of its Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), taking New Delhi by utter surprise. Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a Chinese crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile is based on Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then. India says its stand on Dalai Lama has been consistent. "The government of India's position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India," the Ministry of External Affairs has maintained over the years. There have been 10 rounds of discussions between private representatives of the Dalai Lama and Beijing over the future of Tibet and of the spiritual leader. The last round of discussions took place in 2011 in Beijing, without any substantive results. In 2018, the Indian government had issued a note to senior officials, asking them not to attend events organised by the Tibetan government-in-exile. India has also supported the 'One China' policy, which states that Taiwan and Tibet are part of China's mainland. Beijing has made the 'One-China' policy a prerequisite for countries to establish diplomatic ties with it. Experts believe, however, that these moves, along with the several summit meetings between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping of China have not paid the dividends expected. Ranjit Bhushan is an independent journalist and former Nehru Fellow at Jamia Millia University. In a career spanning more than three decades, he has worked with Outlook, The Times of India, The Indian Express, the Press Trust of India, Associated Press, Financial Chronicle, and DNA. Our country is facing escalating aggression from Turkey, in complete violation of International Law, the International Law of the Sea, and the principle of good neighbourly relations. Throughout the eastern Mediterranean region, Turkey has unfortunately evolved into a destabilising factor, provoking tensions. Its flagrant violation of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, its exploitation of the migration issue and its involvement in Libya including the null and void memorandum it signed with Sarraj and its systematic violation of the arms embargo imposed by the UN have rendered our neighbour the regions troublemaker. But in its unacceptable decision to alter the monument status and ecumenical nature of Hagia Sophia, Turkey went a step further, provoking the whole of the international community. Faced with these developments, Greece is fortifying itself methodically with composure and self-confidence strengthening its alliances in the wider region from the Mediterranean to the Gulf, deepening its strategic partnership with the USA and, mainly, activating our natural family, the European Union. The recent meeting of the Council of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs confirmed the universal condemnation of Turkish provocations and the fact that Europe fully agrees with Greeces positions. And the Council is prepared, if need be, to proceed to clear actions, taking specific and severe measures against our neighbour. Greece does not want this to happen. We desire a prosperous Turkey as our neighbour. But the defence of our sovereignty and sovereign rights is not up for negotiation; it is our constitutional duty. And in this clear position and effort, we are shielded by international law. We have strong alliances, a strong deterrent force and the full support of our partners. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is to set out further measures in response to Chinas imposition of a tough new national security law on Hong Kong amid growing tensions with Beijing. The Government looks set to follow the example of the US, Canada and Australia and suspend the UKs extradition treaty with the territory a move that would infuriate China. In a strong signal that he is ready to go down the same route, Mr Raab confirmed at the weekend that he had completed a review of Britains extradition arrangements as part of the next steps. China was already smarting over the Governments decision last week to exclude the tech giant Huawei from the UKs 5G network reversing a decision in January allowing it a limited role. Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming has warned the UK not to impose sanctions (PA) Mr Raab threatened to pour further fuel on flames, accusing the communist regime of committing gross, egregious human rights abuses against the countrys Uighur population in the north-western Xinjiang province. The Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said Beijing was still evaluating its response to the Huawei ruling. There were reports at the weekend that the the Chinese social media company TikTok had broken off talks to open a global headquarters in Britain. Communist Party officials were also reported to have warned UK companies operating in China, including Jaguar Land Rover, BP and GlaxoSmithKline, that they could now face retaliation. Mr Liu warned Britain not to get drawn into a tit-for-tat confrontation in the way the US had, imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged abuses in Xinjiang, prompting Beijing to sanction a number of US senators and officials. Mr Raab played down suggestions any such measures were imminent under the UKs new independent sanctions regime, saying that it took a long time to build a case against any alleged abusers. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is flying to London for talks with senior figures (Stefan Rousseau/PA) He insisted also that Britain wanted a positive relationship with China, working with it on issues like climate change as well as trade and investment. Story continues However, with further UK measures due now on Hong Kong, relations look set to deteriorate even further. The Government says the new national security law violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration which was supposed to guarantee Hongkongers way of life for 50 years after the handover of the former British colony in 1997. In response, it has already offered a path to UK citizenship for three million Hongkongers eligible for British National (Overseas) passport a move which enraged Beijing. In a combative BBC interview on Sunday, Mr Liu denounced Britain for dancing to the tune of the US and accused Western countries of trying to foment a new cold war with China. He also rejected the allegations of widespread abuses against the mainly-Muslim Uighur people, accusing so-called Western intelligence of making repeated false allegations against China. He suggested video footage, said to be from Xinjiang, showing men, kneeling and blindfolded waiting to be led onto trains by police officers was fake. Meanwhile, China is expected to be high on the agenda this week when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travels to London for talks with senior British figures. Mr Pompeo flies out on Monday ahead of meetings expected on Tuesday with Boris Johnson and Mr Raab, as well as MPs pressing the Government to take a harder line on China. The US has warmly welcomed the Governments U-turn on Huawei, which followed intensive lobby by the Trump administration. Ministers said they had little choice after the intelligence services warned they could no longer be sure Huawei products were secure after the US imposed fresh sanctions on the company. Professor CS Seshadri had a poor memory for names and slid into the absent-minded professor" stereotype but the mathematician deliberately maintained the image to blunt the edges of a personality marked by a razor-sharp intellect that grew more and more focused as he aged, say friends and colleagues. Professor Seshadri died in Chennai on Friday at the age of 88. He was the founder-director of the Chennai Mathematical Institute. He spent a little over the last three decades building the institute as a rare haven for research and academia, after his time at TIFR-Mumbai. He recorded numerous achievements in the field of algebraic geometry, and among many others, were fundamental contributions like the Narasimhan-Seshadri theorem, a 55-year-old breakthrough that has changed linkages and perceptions in spheres as far theoretical physics. Professor Seshadris impressive body of work sat very lightly on him. Rather, he chose to underplay it, couching his intellectual prowess among other interests -- his passion for mathematics was perhaps equalled only by his love for Carnatic music. He hailed from a Kanchipuram family that had a line of musicians on his maternal side, and some from his fathers side as well. The professor, however, had no airs about him. Most of the time, his energies were focussed on expanding the institute into new branches and building capacities in different fields. Four or five years ago, when he wanted to plan the future of the institute, he assembled the best brains of the world. He brought Dr MS Narasimhan and Dr Srinivasa Varadhan (NYU Courant), and several others said software exporter Cognizants co-founder Lakshmi Narayanan, who had known Seshadri well. One of his special relationships was the one he shared with Fields Medal winner Manjul Bhargava. Whenever Manjul was in town, he made it a point to visit Seshadri According to Professor Madhavan Mukund, Deputy Director and Dean of Studies at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, Seshadris genius lay in the engaging with, arguably, one of the most complex branches of mathematics in a holistic manner: As the name suggests, algebraic geometry is a way of understanding geometric concepts through algebra. At school level, we learn how algebraic equations can represent geometric shapes such as lines, parabolas and circles. Algebraic geometry carries this correspondence to a very abstract level, where the geometric objects are hard to visualise and the corresponding algebraic manipulations are equally complex said Prof Mukund. The achievements of Professor Seshadri, which has won him international recognition, are coming into sharp relevance with the connection algebraic geometry has been found to have with the P-vs-NP problem, a famously unsolved problem sitting at the junction of computer science, mathematics, AI and several other fields. Recently, algebraic geometry has also been connected to the central problem P-vs-NP in computer science, which tries to understand whether some computational problems are intrinsically more complex than others, said Prof. Mukund. Compared to his peers, Seshadri looked at mathematics with a wide-eyed curiosity. He had a very broad view of mathematics, unlike many of his contemporaries. He was among the first senior mathematicians in India, for instance, to recognise the strong mathematical foundations that underlie computer science. In recent years, he was excited about the interplay between mathematics and areas like biology and economics, said Prof. Mukund. CMI was the first academic institution in India to actively involve top-level research mathematicians in undergraduate teaching. Over the past two decades, CMI graduates have established themselves as accomplished researchers in their own right. They have taken up positions as faculty members in leading academic institutions across India as well as the rest of the world. In his own way, Seshadri had developed the eccentricities of a mathematician that included an undying thirst to teach. Any opportunity to get some knowledge imparted, he would take it. At a CMI convocation, when Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was speaking, largely on human values, Seshadri walked up to Murthy and said (into the microphone), Can you talk about all that you have done and the opportunities in quantum computing? Talking about the incident, Narayanan said, When an idea strikes him (Seshadri), he forgets himself. His characteristic abruptness, sometimes, had its immediate benefits. One day, Seshadri had asked Narayanan why the latter was living in such a largish independent house. Even as Narayanan was framing a response, Would you be okay if I conducted my classes here? Be my guest said Narayanan. By Jennifer Okundia Popular Nigerian reality show Big Brother Naija kick starts today July 19th 2020 with regular host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu taking it to yet another level with new housemates. Heres a recap of past winners who have participated in the program and have become a household name in mouth of almost everyone who cares. The very first edition of the show held in Nigeria was known as Big Brother Nigeria in 2006 with housemates like Gideon Okeke and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. It was won by 38 year old Katung Aduwak who hails from Zonkwa, Kaduna, Nigeria. Aduwak, a Scriptwriter and Production Assistant went to the Air Force Jos Military School before going to study Political Science at the University of Jos. He is married to Raven Taylor. Musician and media personality from Delta State, Efe Ejeba won the BBNaija Season 2 See Gobbe edition with housemates like Bisola, Kemen, TBoss among others in participation. The brand name changed to BBNaija after season 2 held in South Africa. Ejeba later earned himself a phrase in the house dubbed Based on logistics. The 2018 Season 3 of the BBNaija edition Double Wahala also held in South Africa with CeeC, Tobi, Alex, and Miracle, who emerged winner. Miracle who is an Imo State native has always wanted to become a professional and commercial pilot, so he used proceeds from the show to further his studies abroad. Mercy Eke aka Lambo is the official first female housemate to win the BBNaija season 4 2019 show after a battle long competition with other housemates including Tacha, Mike, Omashola and others. Eke hails from Imo State and since leaving the house, shes ventured into acting, business and even a reality show with her boyfriend and fellow participant in the BBN show Ike Onyeama. Related The new boss of Westminsters spy committee was accused of hypocrisy last night over claims that he had privately lobbied Boris Johnson to guarantee he would land the plum post. Tory sources angrily said that veteran MP Dr Julian Lewis had approached Ministers and party whips months ago to plead that he be promised the coveted job of chair of Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). The New Forest MP stunned party colleagues last week after he stood against the Tories preferred candidate, ex-Cabinet Minister Chris Grayling. Members of the committee, which scrutinises the work of Britains intelligence and security services, voted for Dr Lewis to become chair last week. Tory sources angrily said that veteran MP Dr Julian Lewis (pictured) had approached Ministers and party whips months ago to plead that he be promised the coveted job of chair of Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee Dr Lewis, who was promptly thrown out of the parliamentary party, hit back by insisting the Prime Minister had no right to nominate a particular candidate for the chairmanship of the committee, which has a special status at Westminster. Dr Lewis, who was understood to have been elected with the help of votes of Labour committee members, also denied he had ever undertaken to back Mr Grayling for the role. However, the MPs coup which took Tory party managers by surprise even led to suggestions that the Government could now seek to remove him from the committee altogether. But well-placed Tory sources yesterday told The Mail on Sunday that Dr Lewis himself had sought to be the Tory nominee. They claimed that the MP, a former chair of the Commons Defence Select Committee, had approached Ministers before Christmas to ask for the ISC chairmanship. He was also said to have spoken to party whips about his ambitions. The New Forest MP stunned party colleagues last week after he stood against the Tories preferred candidate, ex-Cabinet Minister Chris Grayling (pictured) One senior Tory source said: Julian may be claiming to have scrupulously observed the rule book in this affair by saying that there could never be a Tory nomination for chairmanship of the committee. Sadly, he is exposing himself to charges of hypocrisy as he himself approached Ministers months ago to ask that he be that very nomination. He also spoke to the Tory whips who, as everyone knows, are in charge of organising votes. If this wasnt about organising the vote to become chairman, why was he speaking to the whips? Dr Lewis was unavailable for comment yesterday. But close friends dismissed any suggestion of double standards. They conceded that Dr Lewis had vigorously lobbied Tory colleagues from the Prime Minister downwards that he wanted to chair the committee. Dr Lewis, who was promptly thrown out of the parliamentary party, hit back by insisting the Prime Minister (pictured) had no right to nominate a particular candidate for the chairmanship of the committee, which has a special status at Westminster But they insisted that Dr Lewis had never suggested that Tory members of the ISC should then be forced to vote for the Prime Ministers preferred candidate for chairman. One ally of Dr Lewis said that he lobbied them very hard to be chairman. Thats true and he would have liked to have had the PMs backing on that. But at no stage did he ask to be the Tory choice in a whipped, rigged election that excluded other candidates because he knew very well thats not how the ISC works. Its chairmen are picked in a free vote by fellow committee members and Julian knew that very well. The ally added that the Tory Chief Whip, Mark Spencer, was well aware of that, saying: So the question is: did he tell Boris Johnson, when urging him to kick Julian out of the parliamentary party, that he never had the power to choose the chairman in the first place? She said the people in her friend's company were not aware of Indiana's Good Samaritan Law which protects a person from criminal and civil liability if they administer naloxone to an overdosing person, call 911 and cooperate with law enforcement. The law states that a person who comes upon the scene of an emergency or accident and who "in good faith, gratuitously renders emergency care ... is immune from civil liability" if the other person dies or is injured as a result. "People need to know if you call for help, you will be protected," Martin said. Martin, who hails from Calumet Township and now lives in Gary's Miller Beach section, said she became hooked on painkillers at a young age after back surgery, and that physical dependence evolved and lasted years. "I got clean a couple of years ago, but I can't say the same for the loved ones I grew up with. I've lost so many people to overdoses," she said. Martin hopes to turn that around with the founding of "Gary Harm Reduction," a Region group that is focusing on education and free distribution of naloxone. Ball-and-stick model of the crystal structure of Cr2Ge2Te6 covered with the ion gel. The red arrows represent the magnetic moments of Cr atoms. Credit: Verzhbitskiy et al. Electrical control of the magnetism of novel two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductors could enable the development of new types of spintronic deviceselectronic devices that leverage the intrinsic magnetic properties of electrons to transmit, store and process information. To be technologically viable, these devices should operate at or close to room temperature. However, most existing layered ferromagnetic semiconductors exhibit Curie temperatures below 100 K. Moreover, the interplay between magnetic order and electrical charges in these materials systems remains largely unexplored. Researchers at the National University of Singapore, University College London (UCL) and University of Science and Technology in Beijing recently proposed a new method to modulate the magnetic anisotropy of chromium germanium telluride, Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 , a layered ferromagnetic semiconductor. The findings presented in their paper, which was published in Nature Electronics, could have important implications for the development of a wide range of hybrid electronic devices. "The idea of electrically controlling magnetism in a magnetic semiconductor, which is key to developing energy-efficient information processing and storage devices, has been around for decades," Associate Professor Goki Eda, who led the team that carried out the experiments, told TechXplore. "However, the effect of electric fields on magnetism in most materials is too weak to be useful for real applications." Recently, studies showed that some layered semiconductors exhibit remarkable magnetism even when thinned down to nanoscopic thicknesses. Due to the ultrathin body of the thinned materials, their physical properties are highly susceptible to gate electrostatics. Thus, electrical control of their magnetic properties by gate electrostatics has become easier, and promising results were reported by several research groups. Inspired by these recent findings, Prof. Eda and his colleagues started testing methods that could enable the electrical control of magnetism in ultra-thin crystals of Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 . They soon realized that these materials' magnetism cannot be effectively tuned using the standard solid-gate oxides (i.e., dielectric layers typically used to modulate the electrical properties of semiconductor-based transistors). The team decided to boost the electric field effect using an electric double-layer transistor geometry where gel-like electrolyte forms a layer of ions at the surface of the crystal, generating strong electric fields. This device geometry allowed them to achieve electron doping densities one order of magnitude higher than those typically achieved using common solid oxides. The researchers showed that using the electric double-layer transistor geometry, the Curie temperature and magnetic anisotropy of Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 can be modulated via electrostatic gating. "Due to this high electron density, the changes in the magnetic properties of the semiconductor became profound," Dr. Ivan Verzhbitskiy, a research fellow who carried out the experiments, explained. "The Curie temperature was enhanced by more than 140 degrees, from 61 K to 205 K. Such a pronounced electric field effect on Curie temperature has not been observed in other magnetic semiconductors. We were excited to observe such a dramatic increase in the Curie temperature of a magnetic semiconductor with electric fields, as it means that we can switch on and off the magnetism of a material, similar to the way in which a transistor switches electrical signals on and off." The findings could have important implications for the fabrication of hybrid devices capable of both storing and processing information. In the future, the same strategy could be applied to other layered semiconductors to investigate the modulation of magnetic properties further. "We plan to investigate the mechanisms behind the observed phenomenon in greater detail," Prof. Eda said. "With a better understanding of the phenomenon, we should be able to improve the operation temperature and eventually realize room-temperature tunable magnetism, which is crucial for practical applications." Explore further Researchers unveil the mystery of van der Waals magnets, a material for future semiconductors More information: Ivan A. Verzhbitskiy et al. Controlling the magnetic anisotropy in Cr2Ge2Te6 by electrostatic gating, Nature Electronics (2020). Journal information: Nature Electronics Ivan A. Verzhbitskiy et al. Controlling the magnetic anisotropy in Cr2Ge2Te6 by electrostatic gating,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-0427-7 2020 Science X Network A Brooklyn woman who was shot multiple times after she confronted a man setting off illegal fireworks in her neighborhood over the Fourth of July weekend has died from her wounds. Shatavia Walls, 33, was hit eight times in a barrage of bullets on July 7 at 1259 Loring Ave in the Pink Houses around 8.30pm. Her companion Kelvin Hernandez was also hit, according to the New York Post. She died from her injuries on Friday night at Brookdale Hospital. Last month Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said that setting off illegal fireworks is a 'nonviolent act' and urged residents to 'go talk to the young people or the people on your block who are using fireworks' instead of calling 911 or 311. Shatavia Walls, 33, was hit eight times in a barrage of bullets on July 7 at 1259 Loring Ave in the Pink Houses (above) around 8.30pm after she asked a man in her neighborhood to stop setting off fireworks. She died from her wounds on Friday But when Walls did so, it ended up costing her life. She told a man, who has not been identified, to stop with the pyrotechnics. He left and returned with a gun and shot at Walls and Hernandez as they tried to run away. The suspect is still at large. Fireworks had been going off for weeks in New York in anticipation of the Independence Day holiday. 'We can never and will never condone any form of violence. The person who shot Ms. Walls must be found and held criminally responsible. My heart goes out to her and her entire family on this horrific incident,' Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said. Pictured in a press conference on July 8 Adams spokes in a news conference urging people to setting fireworks disputes among themselves saying 'the first line of interaction when it comes to non-criminal behaviors should be between neighbors.' 'If a situation escalates to the point where someone is becoming disrespectful or violent, the police should be called,' Adams said. 'We can never and will never condone any form of violence. The person who shot Ms. Walls must be found and held criminally responsible. My heart goes out to her and her entire family on this horrific incident,' he added. Last month Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said that setting off illegal fireworks is a 'nonviolent act' and urged residents to 'go talk to the young people or the people on your block who are using fireworks' instead of calling 911 or 311. A cop watches fireworks go off in Brooklyn on July 5 A police officer watches fireworks set off near a crime scene in Brooklyn on July 5 The Fourth of July weekend saw gunfire break out across the city, observing three times as many shootings in the last two weeks of July over the same period in 2019. At least 64 people were shot in at least 45 shooting incidents across the city between July 3 and 5, according to NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said Monday, as per Patch. (CNN) President Donald Trump's reelection campaign pushed ads on Facebook this weekend that accuse the Chinese video app TikTok of spying on Americans. "TikTok is spying on you," the ads declare, and links to a survey and Trump campaign mailing-list sign-up asking if TikTok should be banned in the United States. TikTok, owned by a Chinese company and popular with young Americans, has become a focal point in tensions between Washington and Beijing. The Trump campaign ads appear to be referring to research from a company called Mysk that found earlier this year TikTok and other apps, including the apps of some American news organizations, accessing the contents of iPhone users' clipboards. Clipboards is where iPhones store data on text that is copied (part of the copy and paste feature). This information could be particularly sensitive as some users copy and paste passwords for different services. The ads prompted a stinging rebuke of Facebook from TikTok on Sunday. "We get that election rhetoric gets heated, which is why we don't accept political ads on our platform. What's more interesting is that Facebook is taking money for a political ad that attacks a competitor just as it's preparing to launch a TikTok copycat," a TikTok spokesperson told CNN Facebook announced Friday it was launching a TikTok competition globally. Roland Cloutier, TikTok's chief information security officer, sought to reassure the app's users in a blog post at the end of June. Cloutier said there are "many legitimate reasons" why apps access clipboard data. "In this case, we had been working to address the problem of spam and incidents where users sometimes post the same comments on hundreds of videos. Our technology allowed us to identify users who were copying comments and placing them over and over in the comment section for different videos. We took this as a signal that the user had an agenda, such as promoting themselves to gain followers, or trolling other users," he wrote. He said data gathered as part of the anti-spam program did not leave a user's device. Nevertheless, Cloutier said in the blog post the company would remove the feature. Mysk, the group that exposed the clipboard issue, tweeted Saturday, "Trump campaign is using our clipboard research for a political gain. This is sad." They also pointed out that it was not only TikTok which had been accessing clipboards. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US was considering banning TikTok, citing security concerns. He said that people should only download the app "if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party." "TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement following Pompeo's comments. "We have no higher priority than promoting a safe and secure app experience for our users. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked." It's not the Trump campaign's first brush with the app. In June, TikTok users sought to troll Trump's campaign by falsely registering to attend his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This story was first published on CNN.com Trump campaign pushes Facebook ads bashing TikTok A video of a herd of pigs reportedly roaming freely inside a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in Kalaburagi district has triggered outrage on social media, with people questioning the 'negligence' of authorities. The video purportedly shows pigs roaming freely in the corridors of the hospital, undeterred by people walking nearby. People and staff were also seen going about their regular activities as usual. Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu has in a tweet said the incident where pigs were seen at Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences was three days old. He said as soon as he got information about it he instructed authorities to immediately take necessary action. "The owners of the pigs were called, pigs around the hospital were caught and shifted. District administration and concerned officials have been instructed to see to it that such incidents don't repeat," he had said in another tweet. According to official sources, District Deputy Commissioner B Sharath visited the hospital and took officials and security staff to task. He has also instructed officials to file FIR against the owner of the pigs. With the incident going viral on social media and television channels, Congress MLA from the district Priyank Kharge hit out at the BJP government in the state. "Congratulations @BJP4Karnataka you have put Kalayana Karnataka (Hyderabad Karnataka region) on national TV. The 1st reported COVID death in the country was Kalaburagi. What are the lessons we have learnt? What did we teach others? What are the SOPs being followed? NOTHING! BJP Govt is busy making profits!" he tweeted. As of July 18 evening, cumulatively 59,652 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 1,240 deaths and 21,775 discharges. Kalaburagi till last evening had reported a total of 2,674 cases. Through this initiative, the World Federation of Neurology is working alongside more than 122 global organizations to advocate for improved patient care, education, and additional research for those living with Parkinson's Disease and their caregivers. "Parkinson's Disease affects people of all ages, including one in 100 people over the age of 60," explained Prof. Tissa Wijeratne, World Brain Day Chair. "The prevalence of this disease is on the rise, making our actions today vital to improving the lives of those who have been and will be diagnosed, particularly during this global health crisis." To elevate Parkinson's Disease awareness, WFN is hosting a free webinar on July 22 at 12:30pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) with some of the world's leading neurologists, patient advocates and Parkinson's Disease experts to offer vital insights on the disease, as well as discuss the current state of prevention, diagnosis and treatment. To register to attend, visit www.wfneurology.org. Parkinson's Disease as a Global Issue "Parkinson's Disease affects more than 7 million people around the globethat's nearly equivalent to the entire population of New York City," explained Prof. Tissa Wijerante, the World Brain Day chair. "Our goal is to raise awareness for Parkinson's Disease and its impact on society in an effort to improve access to quality neurological care and life-changing treatments." While the distinctive symptom of Parkinson's Disease is shaking and slowness of movement, the degenerative disease affects movement, the mind and brain function generally disrupting sleep and cognitive ability, causing pain and gastrointestinal issues, provoking anxiety and depression, and reducing motivation and quality of life. Early diagnosis and access to effective treatment are vital in order to help patients find relief and enhance their quality of life. People with Parkinson's Disease may be particularly impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic and are encouraged to keep in contact with their healthcare providers. "More than one in four people living with Parkinson's Disease were initially misdiagnosed," said Prof. Wolfgang Grisold, the WFN's Secretary-General. "Many symptoms of Parkinson's Disease are poorly recognized and undertreated, which is detrimental for those living with the disease. There is a profound need for improved standards of care across the globe." Move Together to End Parkinson's Disease "The impact of Parkinson's Disease extends throughout the whole body and reaches every corner of the world," said Claudia Trenkwalder, MD, President of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. "With 60,000 diagnosed each year in the United States alone, it is critical that patients have access to quality care." COVID-19 is a dramatic reminder that healthcare is a global issue. Let us remember that Parkinson's Disease is also a daily challenge faced by all ages and people, but mainly by the elderly. To advocate for patients, World Brain Day is spreading awareness by asking people all over the world to Move Together to End Parkinson's Disease through the use of the hashtags #WorldBrainDay and #WBD2020. "Brain health has never been more vital or relevant," said WFN President Prof. William Carroll. "When the world unites against this crippling movement disorder on World Brain Day, we will demonstrate the power of advocacy and awareness." Throughout the coming months, the World Federation of Neurology will stand together with other organizations in asking patients, caregivers and loved ones around the globe to share their stories about Parkinson's on social media. We will also be providing vital information on how to navigate COVID-19 while living with Parkinson's Disease. "When we all move together, we raise the voices of those impacted while uniting the world in a mission to end Parkinson's Disease," said Prof. Carroll. "The World Federation of Neurology's World Brain Day aims to energise those with Parkinson's Disease to drive research, improve standards of care and advocacy for the seven million people living with this disease today and those who will one day be diagnosed." Media Contact Ashley Logan [email protected] SOURCE World Federation of Neurology Related Links http://www.wfneurology.org Algeria extends lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 Global Times Source: Xinhua Published: 2020/7/18 9:25:21 Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad on Thursday announced the extension of partial lockdown measures in 29 provinces to contain the spread of COVID-19, the official APS news agency reported. The prime minister said that the government decided to extend the anti-COVID-19 measures in 29 provinces for another 10 days. Algeria on Thursday reported 585 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases to 21,351 with 1,052 deaths. China and Algeria have offered mutual help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A Chinese medical expert team arrived in Algeria on May 14 for a 15-day mission to help fight the coronavirus, through sharing China's experiences in controlling its spread. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 18:05:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The international community has urged the Group of Twenty (G20) to step up and play a bigger role as the global economy continues to suffer repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic. While there remains great uncertainty on the global economic outlook, the unprecedented actions taken by the G20 countries and others "have helped to avert a much worse outcome," Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva said Saturday at the conclusion of a virtual meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. "As we enter the next phase of the crisis, further policy action will be required, as well as increased international cooperation," she said. Georgieva's call for further actions from the G20 was seconded by World Bank Group President David Malpass, who, during the meeting, urged the G20 countries to extend the time frame of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) through the end of 2021. "We've made a great deal of progress with DSSI in a short period of time, but more needs to be done," said the World Bank chief, calling the effort one of the key factors in strengthening global recovery. In response, G20 officials have vowed on Saturday to take immediate and exceptional measures to address COVID-19. "We will consider a possible extension of the DSSI in the second half of 2020, taking into account the development of the COVID-19 pandemic situation," G20 officials said in a statement. The statement highlighted that the G20 will continue to facilitate international trade and investment and to build the resilience of supply chains to support growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and development. Meanwhile, public health response remains vital. IMF chief Georgieva called it "the main priority" to protect people, jobs, and economic activity. "Across the world, countries have implemented exceptional measures to support individuals and workers. These lifelines should be maintained as needed and, in some cases, expanded," she told the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. Jeffery Sachs, professor of sustainable development and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University, said in a recent article that all G20 countries need to cooperate on global-scale policies to overcome the health crisis. Noting that an epidemic is a social phenomenon and needs a social response, the U.S. economist urged all people to be cautious until the pandemic is suppressed. "That means wearing face masks in public places, keeping a prudent distance from others, and monitoring ourselves and our close contacts for symptoms," he wrote. "As South Korea, Japan, and China have shown, the virus can be suppressed -- that is, new cases can be brought to near zero -- if this basic logic is followed," he said. Enditem Two private hospitals in Uttar Pradesh will soon begin human trials of Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited. The two hospitalsPrakhar Hospital in Kanpur and Rana Hospital and Trauma Centre in Gorakhpurare among the 12 institutes across the country where the human trial of the vaccine candidate will be conducted. However, none of the two hospitals is affiliated to a medical college and is not a dedicated Covid-19 hospital. Prakhar Hospital in Kanpur is looking at a sample size of 50 people in the first phase and another 150 in the second phase of the human trial. The Rana Hospital, meanwhile, is awaiting a safety certificate before the trials can begin. We are getting a number of calls from healthy people every day who want to volunteer for the clinical trial of Covaxin, said Dr JS Kushwaha, owner of Prakhar Hospital. The hospital has a database of volunteers in place with a team of eight specialists, headed by a doctor, who has joined the hospital from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), he said. The hospital has received a letter from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is waiting for statutory permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It is expected to come by next week. Then, we can move ahead in line with the ICMR protocols, Dr JS Kushwaha said. In the past, the hospital has conducted successful clinical trials for the rotavirus vaccine. Bharat Biotech did not comment on the matter. A senior ICMR official, in the know of things, said the size of a hospital doesnt matter when it comes to conducting clinical trials. There are a lot of other factors such as ethics committee approvals, infrastructure to support the type of trial, subject recruitment, qualified principal investigator etc. Its better to have a mix of sites that is decided mutually by trial sponsors, said the official, who did not wish to be named. ICMR issues permits for conducting the trials to government facilities (67%) and the private sector (33%). The primary task of the hospital would be to vaccinate and keenly observe the side-effects, if any, and send samples to an National Institute of Virology (NIV) or ICMR-sanctioned laboratory after 28 daysthe period in which the antibodies are developed, said Dr Kushwaha. After the recruitment of volunteers, the hospital would first send their samples for RT-PCR and antibody tests in Delhi. On the basis of the reports, the vaccine would be given to the subjects. Their samples would be tested again to ascertain the increase in antibodies. The process would be repeated after another 14 days. The antibodies take 28 days to develop. All the data will be analysed at the level of ICMR and NIV. We have no capability here in Kanpur to evaluate that kind of data, Dr Kushwaha said. The hospital would monitor the subjects after they are given the vaccine. There is no problem in 99% of cases and if someone shows adverse symptoms, these would be treated and corrected by a team of specialists, he said. For the Rana Hospital, it will be the third vaccine trial in a span of one year. We completed two vaccine trials for typhoid and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) with a sample size of 100 volunteers in January. The third will be the Covid vaccine, Venkatesh Chaturvedi, chief administrative officer of Rana Hospital, said. Established in 2001, Rana Hospital is known for obstetrical and gynaecological services. The human trial at this hospital will be held under the supervision of physician Dr Ajit Pratap Singh and Dr Sona Ghosh. Dr Ghosh, a senior consultant gynaecologist and one of the key members in the vaccine trial at the Rana hospital said the hospital was selected by Bharat Biotech when the trials for Covid-19 vaccine were announced. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, we are the only medical centre with the experience of conducting two vaccine trials, Dr Ghosh added. Chaturvedi said that delivery of the vaccine for the trials is awaited. Also the sample size has to be decided by the company along with final guidelines for the trial method, he said. He said a list of volunteers was ready with the hospital and more volunteers were contacting the hospital. Random sampling will be done to check their health status and then a final list of volunteers will be made. Our prior experience will help us in the Covid vaccine trials, he said. Chaturvedi said the hospital would move ahead with the trials as soon as the guidelines and vaccines arrive. ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava had said in a letter that the plan was to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15, after completion of all clinical trials. The hospitals had also been directed to enrol healthy people for the trial of the vaccine earlier this July. Covaxin, Indias first potential indigenous Covid-19 vaccine, has been jointly developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL). Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech is among the seven Indian firms working on Covid-19 vaccines. It was the first to get the regulatory nod to begin phase 1 and phase 2 human trials to test the vaccine for efficacy and safety. Zydus Cadila has also got an approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for human clinical trials for ZyCov-D, its indigenously developed vaccine candidates against Sars-Cov-2, which causes Covid-19. By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/19/2020 ADVERTISEMENT [ Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Colt and Jess are still together after Colt traveled to Brazil for : Happily Ever After? or the couple is still together.] ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT So did Jess and Colt call it quits or are they still together? And how does Vanessa come into play? ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT So what is Colt's relationship with Vanessa like now? Are they really "just friends?" ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Colt Johnson and Jess Caroline's trip to Brazil with Debbie got off to a rough start on Season 5 of : Happily Ever After?, so was it all downhill from there and did Colt and Jess split -- or are they still together now?Colt from Las Vegas, NV, began starring on the franchise with his ex-wife Larissa Dos Santos Lima for Season 6 of . Afterward, they starred on Season 4 of : Happily Ever After?.Colt and Larissa got married in June 2018, according to Clark County Clerk records obtained by Reality TV World, but their relationship took a nosedive due to serious arguments and Larissa accusing Colt of cheating on her.A big fight in January 2019 at Colt's home he shares with his mother Debbie resulted in Larissa getting arrested for the third time. It was the final straw for Colt, who subsequently filed for divorce in Clark County Court.Colt and Larissa's divorce was finalized on April 30, 2019, with both former spouses agreeing not to slander or defame either other in the press or on social media.On Season 5 of : Happily Ever After?, which premiered June 14, Colt admitted he was struggling to get over Larissa but was ready to debut a "Colt 2.0."Debbie thought it was "too soon" for Colt to start dating again, but Colt acknowledged he was tired of being alone.Little did Debbie know, however, that Colt had already started dating someone new -- a Brazilian woman whom he figured Debbie wouldn't approve of."I wasn't looking for anything specific, but this gorgeous little red head reached out to me named Jess," Colt shared. "Jess is beautiful. She is 26 years old, she has a rocking body, she has glasses, and she loves cats!"Colt said Jess lived in Chicago at the time but they met while she was partying with friends in Las Vegas.Since the couple really hit it off, Colt planned a trip to Chicago to spend the weekend with Jess, revealing she was an au pair from Brazil living in the United States on a visa.Debbie was "a little suspicious" when Colt suddenly packed his bags for a weekend trip and said he was visiting "friends."Once Colt arrived in Chicago, he and Jess met up at a restaurant, and Jess said her J-1 visa was going to expire in six months but she wanted to stay in America longer because "it's amazing."Colt called Jess "a breath of fresh air" and was grateful for the new life she had breathed into him, and Jess didn't hesitate to call Colt her boyfriend.The couple then spent the night in Colt's hotel and slept together, but Jess was upset because Colt had yet to share with Debbie that they were dating.Colt told Jess he didn't want to rush things and Debbie didn't know everything about him. Colt said he was just trying to be "careful" because his last relationship "almost destroyed" him.Colt later met Jess' friends, who were wary of Colt's intentions and loyalty when they found out Colt had a friend "from the gym" named Vanessa who called him all the time.Colt -- whom Jess' friends also found a little "controlling" -- said he met Vanessa online and she was "just a friend" who had helped him through his divorce from Larissa, but Jess wasn't buying it.Colt promised Jess that he'd stop talking to Vanessa to make her happy, but Colt really had no plan of following through on his word given he considered Vanessa to be his best friend and clearly the priority in his life."After Larissa, I never thought I'd find love again. But with Jess, I think we have a future together," Colt said in a confessional.Knowing her visa was expiring soon, Jess suggested she could apply for a new visa, either for "studying" or a K-1, meaning Colt would have to marry her for her to stay in the U.S.Colt told the cameras it was "too early" to be talking about a K-1 visa but he didn't want to see her go back to Brazil either.Jess then asked Colt if he'd be up for a trip to Brazil so he could meet her family, and he said he would love that. Jess gushed with excitement, and Colt was so pleased Jess wanted him to be involved with her family -- which was something Larissa allegedly never wanted.Once Colt returned home happy and in love, he finally came clean to Debbie about his new relationship with Jess."Two from Brazil," Debbie scoffed. "As long as Larissa is still in this country or waiting for her deportation, I don't think Colt should be involved with anyone else. It's too fast -- too much, too fast... [And] over my dead body you'll live in Brazil."Colt said Jess made him feel happy and supported, but Debbie acknowledged Larissa was like that at first as well. Debbie said she didn't understand why Colt was interested in women from different countries and he always lived "in the moment" without "thinking ahead."To protect her son, Debbie decided to join him on his trip to Brazil. Colt hoped Jess and Debbie would get along, but it was apparently also important that Jess' father grew to love Colt.Fans were then introduced to Vanessa, who was invited to Colt's house for dinner since she agreed to watch his cats while he and Debbie took off to Brazil."I met Vanessa during the last few months of my marriage to Larissa. We started talking online, and eventually, we decided to meet at a casino, and we just kind of hit it off," Colt said."Jess has never met Vanessa. She doesn't even understand who Vanessa is, and she's so jealous of her. I told Jess I wouldn't talk to Vanessa anymore, and I was wrong to lie to Jess, but Vanessa is my best friend and she's been there a lot longer than Jess has."However, Colt admitted he had sex with Vanessa one time."Honestly, I have a crush on her. I think she's a great girl," Colt confessed. "But I don't think she returns the favor, and so I moved on."Vanessa said she was going through a divorce of her own when she met Colt and Colt had been there for her. She said they were best friends, but Debbie wished Colt and Vanessa would date.Prior to Colt's trip to Brazil, Larissa actually called Jess on the phone to warn her about how Colt was an alleged manipulator and womanizer."Colt is a demon," Larissa told Jess during the call. "I know that everything's perfect with him from the [beginning] but he changes and turns into someone mean."Larissa called Colt "dangerous" and said he might sabotage Jess' status in the United States given he was trying to deport Larissa."Once he doesn't need you anymore, he's gonna try to do the same that he did to me," Larissa told Jess. "I know that I was arrested and I'm a little bit crazy... but I don't want same thing to happen [to you] that happened to me."Jess insisted Colt was cute and said beautiful words to her, but Larissa asked Jess if Colt was hiding his phone from her.Jess admitted, "Yes," and then Larissa went on to say, "Congratulations. Welcome to the club."Larissa told the cameras that while she was married to Colt, he was "very shady" and "trying to talk to other women.""I believe Colt cheated on me," Larissa continued. "Colt is nasty, so Jessica should be careful and [not] trust him anymore."Larissa added that Debbie is "a wolf" and "insane."Jess was nice to Larissa on the phone but decided not to take her words to heart since she said she really loved Colt and wanted to try to make things work.After 14 hours of traveling, Colt and Debbie arrived in Barra Velha, where Jess' family lives.When Debbie first met Jess at the airport, Debbie thought she was "a pretty little girl" and "very voluptuous." It didn't take long, however, for Jess to mention sex, and she and Colt were all over each other in the car on the way to Debbie's hotel, which apparently made Debbie sick.Also during the car ride, Colt and Jess discussed baby names, Dominick for a boy and Katrina for a girl, with Colt saying he'd probably like to have children down the road.Debbie didn't think Colt ever wanted to have kids, so she was surprised to hear that and began worrying Jess was going to persuade Colt to settle down, get married and have a child just so she could get a Green Card and stay in the United States.Colt then checked Debbie into a hotel and she was feeling exhausted. Debbie snapped at Jess that she just wanted to be left alone so she could rest, and Jess thought Debbie was "grumpy," "rude" and didn't like her."Now I understand why Larissa called me and said, 'Jess, be careful,' because Deb is terrible. She's really bad with me. Scream with me. She's rude and she's not good. [I'm scared] about the rest of [our] vacation," Jess told the cameras.Colt was afraid Debbie was going to scare Jess off because she wasn't being "a team player." Colt called the trip "a disaster" and he had only been there a matter of hours.And it appears Colt and Jess' relationship is going to be explosive on a future Season 5 episode of : Happily Ever After?.In a trailer that was released for the rest of the fifth season, a clip showed Jess throwing her shoes at Colt in a hotel room."You lied!" Jess shouted. "Again! Vanessa talk. You still friends. You talk every day!"Jess shoved a phone in Colt's face and yelled, "Look at this! You lie!"Colt appeared startled and then yelled for Jess to stop and talk to him as she stormed out of the room.Colt first sparked dating rumors with Jess in June 2019, just two months after his divorce from Larissa was finalized, In Touch Weekly reported.Colt and Jess reportedly went public with their relationship in July of last year.Jess called Colt her "person" on Instagram, revealing they had already been together for "a while," and Colt dubbed Jess his "muse" for drawing, a hobby he apparently picked up in his spare time, In Touch reported."I'm with him because I want and because he wants," Jess reportedly explained."We have chemistry... The important thing is how he treats me. He makes me laugh and he's nice. We like the same movies and songs."Colt reportedly went on to post photos and sketches of diamond engagement rings on Instagram, the magazine reported in September 2019, leading his followers to believe he was ready to pop the question to his girlfriend."Looking for someone that makes jewelry," he captioned the image on his Instagram Stories. "DM me please."Colt and Jess only dated for a few months last year and decided to break up by October 2019, Starcasm reported.The pair now appear to be on bad terms, and it seems Jess is furious at Colt.In April 2020, Jess accused Colton of sharing nude photos she had sent him during their relationship.Starcasm reported that Jess publicly flipped out on Colton and called him out for being an alleged abuser."I am tired of all the abuse I had in my old relationship and I still have it!" Jess reportedly declared in the first of a series of posts on her Instagram Stories."Enough, I can't take it anymore! I'll tell you the whole truth... no woman needs to go through this."Jess then reportedly wrote the following message to her Instagram followers: "I am really nervous right now about a DM I just received by a guy who says he is Colts Johnson friend my ex boyfriend, a guy who uses women to stay relevant on the show. He is the only person who I trusted to sending private pictures while we were dating long distance.""Now I just got this DM from his friend and he told me Colt sent it to him. Everyone already knows Colts loves to leak pictures of his small penis. But I never could imagine he could get that far and leak images that I trusted on him."She continued, "I know [revenge] p*rn is a crime and I need some legal guidance. If you are an attorney or law enforcement please tell me how I can proceed to make this sicko stop. I am located in New York. Thank you."Jess also wrote a long message that she tagged Larissa in."Don't be silent about abuse! Do not be silent by threats, do not be afraid, do not be ashamed! Today I'm going through this, if I don't speak tomorrow it will be another. Women, get help! I do not wish that even for the worst enemy, all the suffering that goes on, all my [friends know], how much I cried and suffered," Jess reportedly wrote."Today I am happy and he keeps trying to abuse my psychologically! Every day is a new DM from someone related to him, calling me names and now sending pictures I sent him in the past. I will not shut up, I will fight for me and for all! Let's get together, let's empathize! We are in 2020 where we women... [have] rights!"Jess continued, "In the middle of 2020, we can't leave men [looking like] hero, like the good man of the mother! Man who plays with women for fame, where he said that Brazilian is all whore and crazy and would be great for him, discloses my photos, disrespects many women!"Jess vented enough is enough and women must put an end to situations like that."He should be banned from this show forever, he had not [done] anything nice to anyone. He likes attention and money and will do whatever he has to do to get TV time again," Jess concluded.Jess also shared a screenshot of a DM message Colt's alleged friend Sena had sent her with a nude bathroom selfie of Jess attached.In addition, Jess posted another screenshot of a text exchange she allegedly had with another male friend of Colt's from last year, Starcasm reported.The unidentified male friend claimed he had seen a "whole gallery" of nude photos of Jess -- and Larissa as well -- while looking through Colt's phone."I didn't show anything [last year] out of fear, but this is repeating itself and I won't shut up," Jess reportedly admitted.Larissa apparently had Jess' back and re-posted the screenshots to help her out and spread the word.Following her relationship with Colt, Jess moved on with musician Brian Hanvey and Colt went on to date Vanessa, who was newly-divorced at the time, Starcasm reported.According to court records, Vanessa and her husband of nearly seven years finalized their divorce in early October 2019.In early July 2020, the @tote_the_memes Instagram account, a fan account, shared screenshots of direct messages Vanessa allegedly exchanged with a follower revealing numerous details about her relationship with Colt.In the messages, Vanessa alleged she actually lived with Colt "before Jess was in the picture."Vanessa also reportedly said she was the person who drove Colt to the airport when he flew to see Jess in Chicago -- and she picked him up once he returned to Las Vegas.However, Vanessa reportedly claimed she was never Colt's girlfriend and they are not dating now."Never was an official girlfriend. I couldn't take him seriously," she allegedly wrote in one text message."Honestly it was never anything. I could never stop going out with other men which is why he never stopped talking to women."Vanessa reportedly believes Colt "is not happy with himself," which supposedly "breaks" her heart. However, she insisted Colt is "always going to be family" to her "no matter what sh-tty things he's done.""I wish he'd get help. I tried to help him, but couldn't. I hope he finds some self worth one of these days."Colt is not Vanessa's type, according to the alleged exchange, and she "couldn't" see past that. She apparently prefers "bearded tattooed men."Since Colt apparently didn't fit the bill, Vanessa is reportedly dating someone else now.The Instagram account also allegedly obtained a photo of Vanessa and her bearded boyfriend and a text message in which Vanessa wrote, "I'm actually dating someone else. Which is why you see [Colt] follow/unfollow me all the time. He's a very jealous person."As for Larissa's love life, she got back together with Eric Nichols following their September 2019 split.Season 5 of : Happily Ever After? just recently showed Larissa asking Eric for a second chance because she missed him and still loved him.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage! Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden have at least one thing in common -- neither trust the polls in Michigan. Virtually every poll taken since Biden won Michigans 83 counties in the Democratic primary has shown the former vice president with a growing lead over Trump. At least two House Democrats, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, have advised the Biden campaign not to take the state for granted, warning that polls had similarly shown Trump had an uphill battle before he narrowly won Michigan in 2016. West African mediators trying to resolve Mali's political crisis on Sunday called for a power-sharing government and a new constitutional court in their latest bid to calm tensions. The country is in the grip of a political impasse between President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, and a newly-galvanised opposition which is intent on his resignation. At least 11 people died over three days of unrest last week following an anti-Keita protest, in the worst political unrest the West African state has seen in years. After days of talks with the government and the opposition, mediators from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States proposed that the current ruling coalition make up 50 percent of a new unity government. A proposed 30 percent should be members of the opposition and the remaining 20 percent from civil-society groups. The mediators also suggested appointing new judges to the country's constitutional court, to resolve a dispute over the March-April parliamentary election. ECOWAS mediators -- led by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan -- finished their mission on Sunday, after having landed in the country on Wednesday. On Friday, however, Mali's main opposition alliance spurned an offer from the mediators and stuck to its demand that Keita resign. The June 5 Movement has triggered a show-down with the government over its unflinching demands that Keita quit for perceived failures in tackling the dire economy and Mali's eight-year jihadist conflict. At a news conference in the capital Bamako on Sunday, Jonathan told reporters that it was not within the remit of ECOWAS to seek Keita's resignation. "We met with the M5 four times and we couldn't resolve our differences," he said, referring to the June 5 Movement. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 05:18:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Combo photo shows different complexions of John Lewis, congressman representing the state of Georgia of the United States and a revered civil rights leader. (Photo credit: congress.gov) Trump was criticized by his opponents for making a statement on the death of Lewis too late. WASHINGTON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was saddened by the death of John Lewis, congressman representing the state of Georgia and a revered civil rights leader. "Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing," Trump tweeted, offering his first public remarks about the death of Lewis, which was announced late Friday. The president said that first lady "Melania and I send our prayers to (him) and his family." The White House issued a presidential proclamation earlier on Saturday ordering flags to be flown at half-mast throughout the day in commemoration of the late congressman, who died at the age of 80 after having battled with pancreatic cancer since December 2019. Trump was criticized by his opponents for making a statement on the death of Lewis too late. Public feud between the two dated back to Trump's inauguration in 2017, which Lewis refused to attend, calling Trump not a "legitimate president." In return, Trump attacked Lewis by saying the district he represented was "horrible." Born into a family of sharecroppers in 1940, Lewis was hailed as a civil rights icon for his leadership in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. A founder and early leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis led protests against racial injustice in an era in which apartheid was still rampant in the American South. He was the youngest and longest surviving speakers at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom movement, which culminated in Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Tributes have been pouring in for Lewis since his passing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, called him "a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, lauded him as a "pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles." Calling Lewis "a giant walking among us," presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he wished that Lewis's life and legacy may continue inspiring those in pursuit for "justice, equality and what is right." Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States, awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, calling him the "conscience of the United States Congress" on the occasion. "I stood on his shoulders," the former president wrote in words commemorating the revered figure. Want to participate in a short research study? Help shape the future of investing tools and earn a $40 gift card! We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So we'll take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Core Laboratories N.V. (NYSE:CLB). Do Insider Transactions Matter? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'. View our latest analysis for Core Laboratories The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Core Laboratories Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Independent Supervisory Director Gregory Barnett for US$116k worth of shares, at about US$40.00 per share. That means that even when the share price was higher than US$20.30 (the recent price), an insider wanted to purchase shares. Their view may have changed since then, but at least it shows they felt optimistic at the time. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock if insiders have bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. Happily, we note that in the last year insiders paid US$320k for 8.60k shares. On the other hand they divested 139.00 shares, for US$370. In total, Core Laboratories insiders bought more than they sold over the last year. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! Story continues Core Laboratories is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket. Insiders at Core Laboratories Have Bought Stock Recently Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider buying at Core Laboratories. insider Jan Sodderland shelled out US$10k for shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own. Does Core Laboratories Boast High Insider Ownership? Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Insiders own 1.8% of Core Laboratories shares, worth about US$17m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment. What Might The Insider Transactions At Core Laboratories Tell Us? Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. That said, the purchases were not large. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Core Laboratories insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Core Laboratories (1 is concerning) you should be aware of. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. 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. An international Jewish group is calling on an Ontario auction house to stop the online sale of scores of German items from the Second World War, many adorned with swastikas and some bearing the image of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Shackelton Auctions, near Aylmer, Ont., posted an online sale this week of 1,200 items of military memorabilia from a private estate sale. But among the Royal Canadian Legion berets, ration cards and war bond posters are about 100 objects from Nazi-era Germany, including Hitler youth daggers and postcards with Hitler's image along with flags, medals and armbands, many emblazoned with swastikas. There are also cast iron busts of Hitler, German officers' swords and toys of German armour and soldiers. Most of the items already have bids in the auction, which is set to end on Aug. 18. The auction's web page includes a statement that says the items "do not represent the views or opinions of Shackelton Auctions or Sackrider Auctions or their staff." But Jaime Kirzner-Roberts of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies said the auction should be stopped. She's also calling for laws that would make the sale of such items illegal in Canada. "Our position is that it's disgusting and unacceptable that people should be buying and selling relics of murder and genocide," she said. "We find it very difficult to imagine any legitimate reason why someone would want to possess them." CBC News contacted Shackelton owner and auctioneer Mike Shackelton about the sale. He said while he sympathizes with those concerned about the items being sold, he will not take them off the auction block. 'I do have mixed emotions on selling these items, but the sale is going forward. - Auctioneer Mike Shackelton "I do have mixed emotions on selling these items, but the sale is going forward, and it's our hope that these items land in the right hands," he said. Story continues "It is our hope that that these items do go to museums or to groups that are going to do the right thing. That will help us remember history so that these things don't happen again." No control over who buys them Kirzner-Roberts, director of the centre's Campaign Against Antisemitism, said a huge concern is that the objects could be sold to extremists and sympathizers of a regime that murdered six million Jews. Another worry, she said, is that speculators could profit from the sale of items associated with genocide. She's not in favour of destroying the items but wants to ensure they go to a place where they can be shown in a historical context as a way to educate people. "These items should be given to an educational institution or museum where the public can make use of these items as tools for learning about the horrors of racism and genocide," Kirzner-Roberts said. When asked if he would identify the buyers of the items, Shackelton said he doesn't want to violate his clients' privacy. He said the objects are from the private estate of a man from Oshawa, Ont., who was a "major collector" of everything from coins and toys to old advertising posters and gas pumps. This is the fourth auction of items Shackelton has sold for the man's estate but the first of military items. The collector was a regular buyer at auctions and antique sales, and Shackelton said he doesn't believe the man held pro-Nazi views. Anticipating opposition to the sale before it went online this week, Shackelton said he raised with the collector's family the possibility of donating the items, but they opted to go ahead with the auction because that's what the owner of the items wanted. Shackelton couldn't say how much commission his company will collect on the auction but that 15 or 20 per cent of the final sale price is typical in the industry. No laws against selling Nazi items Jonathan Vance, a professor at Western University in London, Ont., who teaches military history, said there are no laws in Canada governing the sale of items like this but that there is a big market for it. Like Kirzner-Roberts, he said he'd like to see the objects sold to a museum but admitted that doesn't always happen. "It's just as likely, or maybe even more likely, it's sold to someone who's got a Nazi shrine in their basement and lots of money to fill it," he said. "And that's a concern because we know that right-wing politics are on the rise right now. And this sort of historical stuff is highly in demand. Mostly for the wrong reasons." Vance there are laws in some parts of Europe that prohibit the sale of Nazi items. This sort of historical stuff is highly in demand. Mostly for the wrong reasons. - Western University history professor Jonathan Vance Kirzner-Roberts said her group is often contacted by people who find Nazi-era artifacts in attics and closets, and it works with them to find a museum willing to take them. She said her group doesn't typically speak out about the sale of small lots of Nazi items, which pop up from time to time at flea markets and online auctions, but "this is the biggest sale of material like this I've ever seen." In its policy on offensive materials, the online auction site eBay prohibits the sale of "historical Holocaust-related and Nazi-related items, including reproductions." Any item that bears a swastika or is identified as Nazi propaganda also can't be sold on eBay. In February, a Montreal auction site took down an online auction after a similar outcry. The items were returned to the owner, along with suggestions about where they could be donated. SARATOGA SPRINGS - Crowded streets near bars and restaurants in the city - which continued during the opening week of the Saratoga Race Course - are prompting concerns over potential spikes in coronavirus cases. City Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton said she receives complaints "that trickle in steady" about specific businesses that are crowded and in apparent violation of New York state pandemic guidelines, which require 50 percent occupancy, as well as a ban on serving just alcohol. She said she has received the complaints since outdoor dining was allowed in phase three of the reopening. Want more news from the Saratoga Race Course? Sign up for our newsletter. She said that establishments that attract night life, like those along Caroline Street, "are going to cause more issues." She urges everyone to adhere to regulations on wearing masks and social distancing while out on the town. The crowds reportedly continued as the racing season began Thursday. "I'll take a walk down to Caroline Street at 8 o'clock at night and there are big groups of 20-somethings and teens," Dalton said. "It's a mess. The bars and restaurants know their capacity, but we can't control the streets." This past weekend was the first of the Saratoga Race Course season. But with no fans allowed in the stands or on the grounds because of the pandemic, many have wondered if it would make the city's streets quiet as well. That, however, does not appear to be the case. Many restaurants and bars have offered outside viewing of race action on televisions during the day, provided that crowd limits are adhered to. "This is a critical time for Saratoga Springs to show that we can handle being open and hosting visitors responsibly - for the health and economic welfare of our city," Dalton said. Bartender Nick Canterino of the Ice House, which is on Putnam Street, said that he and the staff are turning people away at the door to keep their place below 50% capacity. Earlier in the week New York also put in place a requirement that patrons must purchase food along with drink orders, and that only table service will be allowed. Harvey's Restaurant & Bar in Saratoga got national media coverage after naming a dish after Gov. Andrew Cuomo - the Cuomo Chips - in response to the new food requirements. "It's definitely challenging," Canterino said. "People used to come in and stand up at the bar and hang out. Now, it's 100 percent table service. We have to adapt with sanitization, extra staff, serving staff. We used to have bartenders and a cocktail waitress. That's not enough staff now. We are still hiring." It lays a financial burden on the business, too, he said, because they pay more staff and to serve fewer patrons. After this story ran in Monday's paper, Charlie Hoertkorn who owns the Caroline Street Pub called to say that it's not the bars and restaurants that are packed, it is the streets, because his bar and others cannot allow many inside. His pub generally can handle 200. But for the reopening, no more than 32 people are allowed inside. That is forcing people to gather outside, on Caroline Street. "We can't stop people from coming into town but we can stop them from coming inside," Hoertkorn said. "We have been turning people away at the door. We don't let them congregate outside our door." He that he and his partners and staff are working hard to "do the best we can to keep the business afloat" by complying with all state guidelines. Dalton said the city will follow the Gov. Andrew Cuomo's "three strikes, you're closed" initiative. Announced on Thursday, the initiative is meant to ensure that bars and restaurants are "complying with state social distancing and face covering orders." Any establishment with three violations will be forced to closed. "Egregious violations can result in immediate loss of liquor license or closure before a third strike," the initiative states. "Additionally, any establishment facing disciplinary charges by the State Liquor Authority will have its name and location posted publicly and updated on a weekly basis. If the state is alerted to similar noncompliance in other regions of the state, these restrictions will be extended to those areas immediately." The state Liquor Authority has shut down very few establishments, based on its news releases on cases. Dalton said the guidance is important to follow. "Not only do we need to prioritize the public health of our residents and visitors, but we do not want to see businesses get shut down down or go out of business for failure to comply," she said. Currently, she said Saratoga Springs police do not have the authority to do anything other than monitor crowds at city bars and restaurants. However, she said, the city is looking to change that. "Last week the first municipality in New York State passed local law-enforcement measures and we are looking at that and an amendment to public health law to see if we can use anything to put enforcement measures in place," Dalton said. Note: This story was updated on Wednesday morning. Radio presenter Stuart Robinson says he and his nurse girlfriend were abused online after going on a night out as coronavirus restrictions were lifted earlier this month. Pubs and restaurants reopened their doors on July 3 for the first time since lockdown was introduced to the delight of business leaders and large sections of society. However, despite the cautious optimism of that weekend Stuart says he was targeted on Facebook by "social media shamers" who disapproved of him and partner Katie McKenzie (29), who is a nurse at the Nightingale Hospital, going out on the town. The Cool FM man said: "I went out on the Friday and Saturday so was kinda expecting it as I know what people are like but I was taken aback by how blunt people can be. We went out together on the Saturday night and I had seen there was pile-on by some people saying that going out was problematic but I wanted to do something positive for the hospitality industry by supporting them. "We had a lovely time and everything was being done properly and people were behaving themselves which was great, but then when I put a post about it on Facebook, I was stunned by some of the responses. "One person called us 'ridiculous' for going on a night out while another said they hoped we wouldn't have the audacity to call the NHS for help. "It's funny because Katie, my other half, is an NHS worker at the Nightingale Hospital in Belfast, so I informed them of that and said we had very much enjoyed our night out, thanks! Expand Close Cool FM DJ Stuart Robinson out for a drink after lockdown / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cool FM DJ Stuart Robinson out for a drink after lockdown "I was told she should feel ashamed of herself and should 'wash herself off' before going back to work. I was shocked. "I replied to these people telling them she is very aware of her responsibilities and does not need to be scolded by some clowns on Facebook. "Negativity is one thing but nastiness is different and I felt it crossed that line. There was a bit of a backlash to the comments from supportive people and fellow NHS workers on the post also. "Many people agreed with us that anybody who has been working on the front line for the last four months is going to be looking forward to going out and having a few drinks, that was the overwhelming vibe I got anyway." Stuart, who also presents on Downtown Radio and Downtown Country, says he appreciates people feel differently about social distancing but believes those feelings should not cross over into abuse. He added: "I appreciate it's each to their own, everyone has their own reasons for the way in which they move forward, but don't have a go at members of the public for using a pub or restaurant when everyone is being responsible. Don't have a go at somebody else for getting out when they can, it's like a lot of these social media shamers, what ever happened to minding your own business? "I just wanted people to know it was a safe experience and show that the hospitality industry was doing really well." Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal A former Rio Arriba County commissioner indicted by the state Attorney Generals Office on felony charges now works for a nonprofit agency overseen by the state department of Workforce Solutions. Trujillo was charged in 2018 with three counts of unlawful interest in a public contract and one count of a procurement code violation in connection with contracts his promotional firm had with the Espanola Municipal Schools. The court documents allege he was paid thousands of dollars without any documentation of work performed. Trujillo has pleaded not guilty and now works as operations manager for the Northern Area Local Workforce Board, according to Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley and Workforce Board chair Joseph Weathers. They are not a state agency, McCamley said in a telephone interview Wednesday. Ive known that Mr. Trujillo works for them, but the decision to hire Mr. Trujillo is nothing we have any control over by federal law. The nonprofit Workforce Board was incorporated in 2001 to operate as the Administrative Entity for workforce funds in the 10 northern New Mexico counties: Cibola, Colfax, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos, according to the boards website. The mayors and county commissioners or their representatives oversee the board and its lead chief elected official for the northern area is Santa Fe County Commissioner Henry Roybal, said McCamley. It (the judicial process) should run its course and, depending on the outcome, the (Workforce) board needs to address the situation, Roybal said in an email, adding he was not part of committee that hired Trujillo. Workforce Board chairman Weathers of Mora said he was aware of Trujillos history and has no qualms about the allegations. Trujillo was hired in 2017 by a committee of board members and business owners. He made the committee aware of his indictment, said Weathers, who was not on the board at the time. I have no particular reservations or concerns about Trujillos employment with the organization, said Weathers. His work has been outstanding, exemplary. Trujillo deals with those who administer the program, said Weathers, adding that there are multiple checks and balances for the financial aspects of the nonprofit. The Workforce Board was established under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), under the U.S. Department of Labor, and is designed to strengthen and improve our nations public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers, and help employers hire and retain skilled workers, the Acts website states. The role of the Workforce Solutions Department, as described by federal law, is to oversee the overall operations and make sure funding is being spent correctly, McCamley said in an email. The Northern Area Workforce Board oversees about $5 million in federal funding every year, McCamley said. Trujillo was indicted by a grand jury in 2018 on three counts of unlawful interest in a public contract and one count of procurement code violation. Trujillo made over $100,000 from three contracts with Espanola Public Schools, without the proper business licenses and never disclosed that he contributed to the campaigns of two school board members, which is a violation of governmental conduct laws, the AGs Office said previously. The AG also alleged that Trujillo ran illegal school board meetings, even though he wasnt a member. The meetings were held at Big Dawgs Restaurant in Espanola, and attendees entered through the back door, according to court documents. Trujillo has pleaded not guilty and a brief status hearing in the long-running case was held earlier this month in Tierra Amarilla District Court, with another scheduled for August 12, according to a telephone interview with Trujillos attorney, Dan Cron. Cron said he was not at liberty to talk about that when asked if any plea agreement discussions were underway. Trujillos company 2 Smooth Advertising, later renamed Trujillo Media was unanimously awarded a marketing contract with EPS at an August 2014 school board meeting without any apparent discussion, according to court documents. There is no line item accounting of the work performed by 2 Smooth Advertising on any of the invoices, the documents state. School board member Ruben Archuleta told the Journal in May 2017 that the district had nothing to show for Trujillos contracts because Trujillo never included anything specific on his invoices. The Attorney Generals Office executed search warrants on the EPS district office and Trujillos home in January 2017. Trujillo was elected to the Rio Arriba County Commission in 2010 and served two consecutive terms. He also ran for state representative in 2016, but lost in the Democratic Party primary. Questionable procurement practices caused the state Public Education Department to take over the districts finances in November 2016. The district regained control last year. In a separate case involving Espanola schools contracts, married couple Lianne Martinez and Joseph Torres pleaded guilty last month to three counts each of violations of the procurement code, and received deferred sentences in a plea agreement, court records show. Multiple counts of fraud, making or permitting a false public voucher, racketeering and conspiracy between January 2015 and April 2016 were dismissed, the records state. The AGs Office alleged that the couple created a company, Enviro-Kleen hired to order janitorial supplies for the school district and made about $18,000 in illegal profit by overcharging the district on six different invoices. Documents in that criminal case state Martinez and Torres had connections in the school district to undermine the procurement process. The Greater North Dakota Chamber stands with industry leaders and elected officials across our country speaking against the decision made by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg. His ruling to stop and drain the Dakota Access Pipeline in order for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete an environmental impact statement creates burdens for our businesses and disruptions during a time when investment, infrastructure development and certainty in processes are needed the most. The oil and gas sector contributes significantly to the states gross domestic product with tax revenues and royalties as well as jobs and livelihoods for citizens. A loss in production would not only harm companies and individuals but ripple impacts into the service industries who support and benefit from the presence of oil in the state. Right now, given the current condition of our economy and the nations, we dont want anyone put in positions to fail where they may have otherwise survived. Our concern goes beyond the fact that approximately 40% of North Dakotas crude oil is transported by DAPL safely to marketplace or the shift to other transportation modes could potentially strain existing infrastructure or cause competition for resources. GNDC is concerned about the message this decision sends to the business community. There will be economic impacts to our state but letting this decision stand sets a tone for energy infrastructure development and any federally regulated development. This trend could impede entities investing in major transportation projects including road, rail and air. Currently, developers require regulatory certainty. There is an understanding that they can operate in the free market system if they follow the rules and permitting process, which DAPL has. The Army Corps met or exceeded all guidelines previously when conducting its review of the environmental assessment and pipeline permitting including the inclusion and consultation with tribal groups. Before the construction was even allowed to progress, our state also conducted a review, lasting over a year. Sadly, Judge Boasberg understood that this ruling would create severe hardship. He stated, The Court does not reach its decision with blithe disregard for the lives it will affect. It readily acknowledges that, even with the currently low demand for oil, shutting down the pipeline will cause significant disruption to DAPL, the North Dakota oil industry, and potentially other states." GNDC is disappointed in the decision and looks for a stay or overturn in the appeal process. Arik Spencer is president and CEO of the Greater North Dakota Chamber. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service RaPATNA: A 25-year-old Indian national was shot on the shoulder by the Nepal Armed Border Force on Saturday evening near the Indo-Nepal border in Bihars Kishanganj district. The injured youth, identified as Jitendra Kumar Singh, was searching for his cattle along with two co-villagers when he was shot. Ankit Kumar, 22, and Gulshan Kumar Singh, 26, who remained unhurt in the firings, escorted Singh to safety. According to sources, the youth went 300 metres into a no-mans land inside the Nepal side of border by mistake. This is the second incident of firing by Nepal forces in recent times. On June 12, an Indian national was killed in Sitamarhi district in Bihar when he was seen sitting near a no-mans land. On Sunday, the injured youth was taken a govt PHC at Teerhagachh from where he was referred to Purnia after first aid for better treatment. Though, IG, Sashastra Seema Bal, Siliguri, B Bandhopadhya was unreacable for his statement, official sources at Patna said Singh along with his co-villagers went mistakenly around 300 meter inside no-man land of the Nepal side border when they were intercepted by the Nela Armed Border Force. Speaking to the media, Birendra Chaudhary, deputy commandant of SSB 12th Battalion, confirmed the shooting incident by Nepal Police and said that in the firing, a bullet hit on the shoulder of Singh. Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Kumar Ashish confirmed the firing, and added that the spot didnt fall in Indian Territory. Worsening the tension The firing occurred in the midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries, with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any artificial enlargement of its territorial claims Today we celebrate National Ice Cream Day not that any of us needed an excuse to indulge. What better way to spend this extremely important holiday than by taking a trip to the theme parks? Join us on our guide to the most decadent frozen offerings at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Plus, watch out for a bonus ice cream treat at the end! A Guide to National Ice Cream Day at Orlandos Theme Parks *Note: Some locations/restaurants may be currently closed, or opening in phases, due to COVID-19. We recommend calling ahead before visiting. Walt Disney World 1. Kitchen Sink Location: Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, Disneys Beach Club Resort The Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop isnt first on our list by accident. This may just be the largest and most intense ice cream dish in all of the theme parks, so naturally its a must on National Ice Cream day. 2. Sundaes Location: Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, Disney Springs Ghirardelli at Disney Springs is known for its rich, tasty ice cream. Since its a holiday, we recommend splurging on one of their incredible sundaes you wont regret it. 3. Ice Cream Cones Location: Plaza Ice Cream Parlour, Magic Kingdom If youre headed to Magic Kingdom, one of Disneys best dessert spots is just a quick stroll down Main Street, USA. Plaza Ice Cream Parlour offers guests some of the tastiest ice cream in the forms of cups, cones, sandwiches and sundaes. They are almost as adorable as they are delicious. 4. Croque Glace Location: LArtisan des Glaces, France Pavilion at EPCOT Hidden within the France Pavilion at Epcots World Showcase, LArtisan des Glaces is a wonderful little ice cream shop that puts an authentic French twist on its dessert offerings. Although its tough to choose, our favorite menu item is probably the Croque Glace, made of warm brioche with your choice of ice cream or sorbet in the center. 5. Mickey Bar Location: Ice Cream Carts Throughout the Disney Parks Probably the most iconic treat on this list, the Mickey Bar is beloved by many and for good reason. You cant go wrong with vanilla ice cream covered in a hard chocolate shell, but for some reason we cant explain, it just tastes better at Disney World. Find Mickey Bars at ice cream stands all throughout Walt Disney World parks. 6. DOLE Whip Location: Aloha Isle, Magic Kingdom Another Disney World must, DOLE Whip is the perfect way to cool off during a toasty summer day here in Orlando. This pineapple-flavored soft serve will instantly transport your taste buds to the warm beaches of Hawaii. If youve never tried DOLE Whip before, now is definitely the time! Universal Orlando Resort 7. Butterbeer Soft Serve Location: Florean Fortescues Ice-Cream Parlour, Universal Studios We didnt know Butterbeer, a Universal Orlando stable, could get any better. That is, until we tried the Butterbeer soft serve at Florean Fortescues Ice-Cream Parlour in Diagon Alley. Its rich, creamy and somehow creates an even more delicious Butterbeer flavor than the beverages. Plus, you get to keep the souvenir cup! 8. Waturi Fusion Ice Cream Cone Location: Universals Volcano Bay The Waturi Fusion at Universals Volcano Bay just might be the most instagrammable treat on this list. Strawberry, blue raspberry, orange and banana are layered in the most beautiful soft serve youve ever seen. 9. Brain Freezin Doh-Nut Sundae Location: Lard Lad Donuts, Universal Studios Lard Lad donuts are tasty enough as is, but when you turn them into a sprinkled donut ice cream sandwich its an automatic win. The Brain Freezin Doh-Nut Sundae at Universal Studios Florida is just the sugar-rush you deserve. 10. No Melt Ice Cream Locations: Honeydukes (Islands of Adventure) & Sugarplums Sweet Shop (Universal Studios) If you wish to celebrate the holiday without making a mess, the No Melt Ice Cream at Honeydukes might be the right choice for you. Its just as tasty as the real thing, but you can relax and take your time eating it, because itll never melt! 11. Gelato & Sorbet Location: Gelateria at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel Rich Italian gelato is served fresh at Loews Portofino Bay Hotels Gelateria. Flavors include Cappuccino, Stracciatella, Pistachio, Tiramisu, Lemon Sorbet and more. 12. May Contain Nuts Sundae Location: Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen Toothsome may be known for its out-of-the-box milkshakes, but it also has an impressive array of ice cream sundaes to choose from. The May Contain Nuts sundae pictured below is a peanut butter lovers paradise. BONUS: SeaWorld Orlando 13. Hurricane Sundae Location: Manta Soft Serve This massive ice cream sundae can easily be shared by an entire family (or all on your own we dont judge). Its definitely a treat yourself kind of dessert, but isnt that what holidays are all about? You can find this sweet treat at SeaWorld Orlandos Manta Soft Serve stand. Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut opened new pages on her personal struggles with the problem of nepotism in the industry, which she claims killed Sushant Singh Rajput in a candid interview. Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has spilled the beans on her struggles as an outsider in Bollywood, owing to nepotistic camps, in a recent interview with a news portal. In a pertinent instance, she has opened up on her interaction with the YRF Managing Director Aditya Chopra, after she made news for turning his offer on the blockbuster Sultan down. Ranaut has slammed Chopra for threatening her with an industry exit, despite having clarified with Sultan Director Ali Abbas Zafar, who she claims came to her house with the script, that she was regretful, and that she would like to personally express her apologies to Chopra for turning it down. I did not wish to work with the Khans, revealed Kangana, who had just delivered her own blockbuster Tanu Weds Manu around the time. Chopra is said to have approached her with the offer to play the lead in his upcoming film starring Salman Khan in the opposite, which was later played by Anushka Sharma. Also read: R. Balki asks for better actors than Ranbir & Alia amid nepotism debate, gets a befitting response Also read: Kangana Ranaut vows to return Padma Shri if unable to prove her claims on Sushant Singh Rajputs death Kangana added that Zafar seemed fine with the refusal at the moment, but after a a news article made it public, Chopra, she alleged, messaged her, You are finished. Notably, the Queen fame has been making news for her statements on actor Sushant Singh Rajputs suspected suicide, after she posted a spree of videos on her Instagram account wherein she can be seen pinpointing at a Bollywood Mafia for driving Rajput to the brink and abetting his suicide, which she calls a murder. Talking about the problem of nepotism in the Hindi film industry, Kangana has lashed out against several big names in Bollywood for systemically boycotting Rajput, hence essentially making him an outcast, to pave way for the rise of other star-kids. I will return my Padma Shri if Im unable to prove my claims on Sushant, said Ranaut who has claimed that Rajput was pushed to take the drastic step after he was pulled down by other B-Town celebrities and pieces of yellow journalism, despite repeatedly attracting swathes of audiences and giving out one successful film after another. Ranaut has also claimed that she was summoned by the Mumbai Police in relation to the investigation on Rajputs sudden passing, on which she had asked the police for sending someone to record her statement in Manali, where she was residing at the time. But she claims that the police did not contact her again. Ranaut, in the much-talked about interview, revealed that she had contemplated suicide when she lost all her 18 brands in 2016 after an ex-partner filed a case against her, post which her reputation in the media plummeted leading to scathing articles on her character. Her deep investment with the brands and losing them all in a span of two months, Kangana said, made her utterly hopeless, after which she had even thought of shaving her head and running away. She added that her declining public reputation also pushed her own relatives against her who started to take her for a nymphomaniac and a bad influence on youngsters. Kangana has been conferred with 3 National Awards and a recent Padma Shri in a decade-long star-studded career. She has emerged as a symbol of empowerment and struggle for aspiring actors unrelated to the industry and her open take-downs on Bollywoods nepotism has amassed her public support. She last featured in Ashwini Iyer Tiwaris Panga, and is set to star in Thalaivi and Dhaakad as her next big ventures. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput death case: Aditya Chopra records statement For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App A community in Essex is fighting back against the banks that have cynically abandoned it with plans to open the country's first shared branch. The 18,000-strong town of Rochford saw its last bank close three years ago when Barclays pulled out. A year earlier NatWest quit the community while previously Lloyds turned its back on the town. But this proud market town has now been thrown a lifeline. It has been identified as the best candidate out of eight 'cash pilot' schemes chosen to test new ways of ensuring that hard money rather than just plastic remains freely available to both consumers and businesses to use on the high street. This autumn, locals intend to open a shared community bank in one of the still boarded-up premises once occupied by NatWest and Barclays. It will mean customers of all the major high street banks will once again be able to withdraw and deposit cash. Demand: Butcher Jason Macaree says half his customers want to use cash It is part of a 'community access to cash pilot' launched by former boss of the Financial Ombudsman Service Natalie Ceeney. This follows the publication of a Government-backed Access to Cash Review she wrote last year setting out the desperate need for people to have access to cash. COMMUNITY'S FURY AT BEING ABANDONED Rochford District councillors Craig Cannell and George Ioannou are spearheading the shared bank initiative and have a wealth of banking and technology experience to push through the plans. George, 59, is a retired director of financial credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's while 30-year-old Craig is a former online banking analyst who now develops mobile phone apps for a living. Craig says: 'Our community is furious at the way banks have treated us. We will no longer accept lame excuses and are certain a shared branch can work in Rochford. 'We have the know-how and skills to ensure it will thrive. Being chosen to be part of this cash pilot scheme gives us the necessary initial funding to set the system up. 'We can even run it without the banks' full blessing we just need them to be forced to sign up to this deal.' Initial funding of 100,000 is expected from the scheme organisers for Rochford money that high street banks have been made to hand over. The aim is for the branch to open this September and hope fully to become a full-time outlet after a six-month trial. George says: 'As chair of the local chamber of trade, I am delighted that every local business is foursquare behind this exciting new project. An empty branch is being earmarked to house this new community bank hub.' The businesses are responding to calls from locals desperate for a new banking service. Jason Macaree, 49, owner of town butcher J Mac Meats, says: 'The banks keep telling us all to bank online but only because it saves them money and not because it's what people always want. For my business, about half the customers still insist on using cash.' Naime Alagoz, who runs Annie's Coffee Shop and Sandwich Bar, collected more than 2,000 signatures four years ago in a fight against NatWest's branch closure but to no avail. There is now only a post office counter at the back of a Martin's newsagent to handle people's financial needs plus an outside Cashzone cash machine that charges 99p every time you withdraw money. Naime, 59, says: 'The number of customers coming through my door fell by half after the banks abandoned us. It is the same for many other shops. This is about the survival of our high street and our community not just access to cash.' SCHEME IS LAST CHANCE FOR A SHARED BANK Penny-pinching banks are still dragging their feet over the shared branch idea. They would prefer to install a free ATM in a local shop as an alternative 'cash pilot' solution. This year cash machine network group Link pledged 5million coming from bank members to install 250 ATMs nationwide. Link admits this could be used to support the pilot scheme. A Link spokesman says: 'We will have a clearer idea on solutions over the next few weeks.' Former Financial Ombudsman Service boss Natalie Ceeney has yet to confirm the shared branch will open though she says it is a distinct possibility. She says: 'It is perfectly feasible that a shared bank branch could work and there might well be justification for providing one in Rochford.' Derek French is former director of the Campaign for Community Banking Services, an organisation that argued for shared bank branches in the early 2000s. He says: 'Rochford, out of all the candidates, has the strongest case for having a shared bank branch. Banks have used every trick in the book to avoid trialling shared banking hubs. 'This pilot scheme provides a last ditch opportunity to make something happen.' More than 7,000 cash machines have been removed from high streets since the coronavirus lockdown in March and there are now fewer than 50,000 free-to-use ATMs nationwide. Over the past decade, more than 6,000 bank branches have closed reducing the network by a third. This has led the Government to pledge to introduce legislation requiring banks to provide access to cash and support for the pilot scheme. The cost of rolling out a network of shared branches has been estimated at about 20million a year. Banks currently spend 700million a year keeping open loss-making outlets and ATMs. A spokesman for banking industry trade body UK Finance says: 'We are committed to ensuring access to cash remains free and widely accessible and understand there is no one-size-fits-all solution. 'Solutions include helping local communities identify non-ATM cash access ideas.' OTHER PLANS TO KEEP ACCESS TO CASH Ron Delnevo, director of the ATM Industry Association, is launching a new cash pick-up service in September to help keep ready cash freely available. Using the Swiss payment service Sonect, it will enable people to order money via a smartphone app to collect at a local high street shop. Initially, he hopes to trial the idea in the Midlands before rolling it out nationwide. He says he's worried shared bank branches will never happen 'as banks do not want them'. He explains: 'If they did, they would have been introduced by now. I'm also concerned for the future of cash machines if it means banks have to pay to run them. This is why I am backing this new cash pick-up service.' Delnevo not only wants the Government to keep its pledge of ensuring banks and building societies provide access to 'free' cash but that this is reinforced by guarantees that shops accept banknotes and coins as well. Delnevo points to a 'payment choice bill' being proposed in the United States as a benchmark to follow. This would make it unlawful for a shop not to accept cash if this is how a customer wanted to pay. He says: 'It is appalling how shops are refusing to take cash on so-called 'safety' grounds with high street retailers pushing people towards contactless payments. 'There is no proven link between cash and the pandemic. Shops are just using it as an excuse for their convenience.' STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- An 18-year-old male was shot early Sunday morning in Castleton Corners by an unknown suspect, according to an NYPD spokesman. The victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the groin, was transported in stable condition to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, police said. Police responded to a 911 call just before 4 a.m. for a report of a shooting near the intersection of Westwood Avenue and Todt Hill Road. The motive remains unclear, and no description of a suspect was available, as of Sunday morning, the spokesman said. The city announced a plan on Friday to keep New Yorkers safe after weeks of increased shootings. Parts of the plan include a shift of patrol and detective resources to high shooting areas, enhancement to shooting investigations, and an increased focus on community relations. When compared with the same time period in 2019, as of Sunday, New York City has seen 36 more shootings in the past week, 162 more shootings in the past 28 days, and 240 more shootings year-to-date, according to the latest information from the NYPD. Staten Island has seen a similar spike in shooting incidents, with six more shootings in the past 28 days, and 11 more year-to-date, when compared to 2019 as of Sunday, according to the latest NYPD data. From July 6 to July 12, there was only one shooting in both years. This is a breaking news story. heck back to SILive.com for updates. RTHK: Portland mayor demands federal forces leave city The mayor of Portland demanded the withdrawal of federal officers from the northwestern US city, accusing them of dangerously escalating the situation with abusive, unconstitutional tactics against protesters. The accusations followed another night of protests in the Oregon city that saw a police association building set on fire. Mayor Ted Wheeler said federal officers sent to the city had escalated a long-running standoff between protesters and police with tactics that included scooping people off the streets into unmarked vans without identifying themselves. "What's happening here is we have dozens, if not hundreds, of federal troops descending upon our city. What they're doing is they are sharply escalating the situation," Wheeler said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all. "They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave," he said. The Oregon attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit late Friday against the federal government, accusing it of overstepping its powers and injuring or threatening peaceful protesters. The deployment of Homeland Security officers in camouflage uniforms last week followed threats by US President Donald Trump to use federal might to restore order after a weeks-long standoff between protesters and police. The Portland protests were part of a nationwide wave against police brutality sparked by the killing in May of George Floyd, the unarmed African American who died when a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. In a tweet Sunday, Trump, who has been campaigning as a "law and order" president, said the federal government was "trying to help Portland, not hurt it." "Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action," he said. Wheeler, however, said the presence and actions of the federal officers had ignited "a powder keg." "The reason we want those federal troops out of our city is they are making the situation much more dangerous." (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Today we are no longer living in a free society. Instead, we are ruled by those who try to enforce their extreme views by shaming and ruining those who think differently. It is not far-fetched to compare the methods of this woke movement to those of Chairman Maos Red Guards, who terrorised the Chinese people half a century ago. The so-called cancel culture publicly shaming and trying to undermine the professional standing of anyone who deviates from ever-more extreme standards of political correctness is simply the latest expression of this intolerant, baying movement. John Gray (pictured) is an emeritus professor at London School of Economics Such behaviour was once confined to virtue-signalling celebrities. However, it has now insidiously taken hold in most of our national institutions. From universities, the Church, big business, schools, broadcast media, the police, local authorities, publishing houses and even in some newspapers, woke ideology is now being actively promoted. This is a terrifying development. Anyone who departs from the new orthodoxy is deemed evil and beyond redemption. By ganging up together on social media, activists are on a mission to get such people sacked from their jobs and silenced forever. Historically, the far-Left tried to shut down debate. But todays woke crusaders go much further. Consider whats happening in higher education. In the early Seventies, when I took up my first academic job at the University of Essex, it was seen as being pretty Left-wing. Practically every branch of the radical Left was active on campus. From students out of comprehensives handing out Communist Party of Great Britain pamphlets through to ostentatiously scruffy ex-public school Trotskyites and anarchists, the entire spectrum was represented. I remember carrying on teaching classes in 1973-4 in defiance of blockades which eventually faded away after a massive police operation in which more than 100 students were arrested. As a young lecturer, I was able to take a detached attitude because neither I, nor anyone else I knew, was threatened. Back then, what we witnessed was the small world of quarrelling radical sects. No one ever spoke of getting anyone cancelled. 'It is not far-fetched to compare the methods of this woke movement to those of Chairman Maos Red Guards, who terrorised the Chinese people half a century ago,' says John Gray. Pictured: Red Guards reading Mao's Little Red Book in Beijing, 1966 The same was true when I moved on to teach at Oxford University and then at the London School of Economics. True, most academics in both institutions were Left-wing but there were also crusty old Tories, old-fashioned liberals and many who did not bother about politics at all. There was no rigid orthodoxy in whose shadow teachers and students cowered and quaked. Today, our universities are bastions of Left-wing, woke orthodoxy. Any dissenting voices however mild in their beliefs have to be silenced. And a growing number of schools are now joining universities in propagating this ideology. Critical race theory a sub-Marxist ideology in which white privilege is invoked to explain all kinds of injustice is increasingly being taught as part of decolonising the curriculum. Indeed, no subject is immune from this re-education campaign in our schools and universities. Academics at Birmingham City University have proposed that Mozart be eliminated from music teaching and replaced by the rapper Stormzy. Eton College has announced it will change the teaching of history, geography, religion, politics and English, along with school assemblies and societies, in order to ensure that decolonisation is enforced across the board. John Gray says: 'Academics at Birmingham City University have proposed that Mozart be eliminated from music teaching and replaced by the rapper Stormzy' It may be true that the school curriculum has been narrow in the past. As an example, I believe too little has been taught of the enormous volunteer army from India, Africa and other then-British colonial territories that fought on behalf of this country in the Second World War. But the ideology that is being used to shape a new curriculum is even narrower. Abstract concepts of whiteness are taught as facts, while the real complexities of history are ignored. Of course, students and academic institutions have always been full of Left-wing idealised youths but today this woke agenda goes way beyond education and infiltrates every other institution of public life the very pillars of our civilisation. Nowhere is exempt. The head of the Church of England, Justin Welby, has, for example, suggested it is wrong to portray Jesus as white. Different cultures portray him in different ways, the Archbishop of Canterbury points out. This is so but the fact is that Jesus was neither black nor white. The historical truth is that Jesus was a Jew, who spoke the ancient Semitic language of Aramaic something Welby fails to mention. Our police force, too, has also been affected by woke attitudes. 'The head of the Church of England, Justin Welby, has, for example, suggested it is wrong to portray Jesus as white. Different cultures portray him in different ways, the Archbishop of Canterbury points out,' John Gray says Officers face many difficulties. There have been violent attacks by protesters on them in Hackney, Brixton, White City and other parts of London. Also, it is true that some have been tainted by racism. In these conditions, the police are bound to be cautious. But that does not explain officers dancing along with Extinction Rebellion protesters, as some did in April last year at a demonstration at Londons Oxford Circus. There were also scenes of police officers taking the knee during the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Why are our police officers virtue-signalling their wokery? The task of the police is to enforce the law and maintain public peace, not show sympathy for any political movement. One reason why British institutions have been captured by the forces of illiberalism is contagion from the US, where the movement has been most extreme. Even the citadels of capitalism have fallen. Giant corporations instruct their employees in diversity training but fail to provide them with medical insurance, childcare facilities or decent incomes. John Gray says: 'In these conditions, the police are bound to be cautious. But that does not explain officers dancing along with Extinction Rebellion protesters, as some did in April last year at a demonstration at Londons Oxford Circus.' Pictured: Oxford Circus on June 29, 2020 All the while, there is a witch- hunt which has seen leading figures driven from American institutions. Last week, the senior curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art resigned, accused of white supremacist language after he stated that refusing to collect white artists would be reverse discrimination. And an opinion editor and writer at the New York Times resigned, citing constant bullying by colleagues who attacked what they called her forays into Wrongthink. This reference to George Orwells novel 1984 where people are punished for thought-crime is very telling. Whats more, major American news providers and magazines are now operating a system in which staff are encouraged to snitch on their colleagues and denounce one another on Twitter. This hounding of people is strikingly reminiscent of Maos Cultural Revolution, which convulsed communist China from 1966-1976 and wrecked much of what remained of the countrys ancient civilisation. The only way someone accused of thought-crime could escape punishment was through public confession, re-education and abject apology in so-called struggle sessions, in which they were humiliated and tormented by their accusers. Tragically, the woke movement has reinvented this vile ritual, with teachers, journalists, professors and others seeking to hang on to their jobs by desperately begging forgiveness. In some ways, todays Twitter Maoism is worse than the original Chinese version. Maos Cultural Revolution was unleashed by a communist dictator, who used the upheaval to consolidate his power. Conversely, in Britain and America today, our leading institutions have shamefully surrendered their own authority to a destructive ideology. It is vital that this ideological rampage does not rage on for a decade as Maos did in China. Otherwise we will find our freedom lost to a movement that aims to dictate how we live and think, and British civilisation will suffer irreparable harm. PRISTINA -- Kosovar President Hashim Thaci has again defended his actions during Kosovo's war with Serbia following his return from an international war crimes court in The Hague, and called for unity among the country's political forces as it attempts to normalize ties with its bitter rival. Thaci's televised address and Facebook comments on July 18 were his first public remarks since returning from The Hague following four days of questioning by prosecutors regarding his actions during Kosovo's guerrilla war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s. The Kosovo Specialist Chambers (SPO) announced on June 24 that Thaci and other prominent Kosovars were the subject of an indictment on suspicion of serious crimes, including "nearly 100 murders," enforced disappearances, and torture. Thaci has defended his war record and has denied any wrongdoing. In his July 18 remarks, he said he had "full respect" for the process of determining the truth of what happened during the war years of 1998-99 and said he was confident that his role in "the liberation struggle for freedom and independence" would be legally justified. Pristina declared independence from Serbia in 2008. More than 110 countries including the United States now recognize Kosovo, but those who do not accept its independence include -- in addition to Belgrade -- Russia, China, and several EU member states, including Spain, Greece, Slovakia, and Romania. Many ethnic Albanian Kosovars still bitterly recall years of armed opposition to policies imposed on them by Belgrade ahead of the 1998-99 war that ended in NATO's 78-day bombing campaign that drove Serbian forces out of Kosovo. Thaci, who was a top commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) during the war, said all of his actions were focused on the defense of Kosovo. "The glorious resistance, survival, and triumph over an invader, which sought to exterminate the Albanian people of Kosovo from the face of the Earth with the broom of ethnic fascism, will become once and for all untouchable by anyone," Thaci said in his on July 18 broadcast. Thaci said he underwent some 30 hours of questioning by prosecutors during his four days in The Hague, ending on July 16. The SPO, which is funded by the European Union, was established to deal with alleged crimes committed in the period January 1998 through December 2000. It was created by a law passed by Kosovo's parliament in 2015 under pressure from the EU, the United States, and international organizations. Although the judges, prosecutors, and other court officials are from various countries, the court is being administered under the laws of Kosovo. A pretrial judge in the SPO has yet to decide whether to put Thaci and the others on trial or throw out the case. Thaci has told Kosovars that if he is tried, he will immediately resign and face the accusations. The Kosovar president also called in his July 18 remarks for dialogue between the political forces in Kosovo and for a "healthy" debate between the government and the opposition. He said unity was crucial as the small, Western-backed state continues to negotiate normalization of ties with larger neighbor Serbia, which has long attempted to balance its ties with the West and that of traditional ally Russia. "We must speak to the world with one voice and develop the dialogue with Serbia with an exemplary show of unity," he said. Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo met in Brussels on July 16 for their first face-to-face talks in 20 months under a EU-mediated dialogue process aimed at normalizing relations between the two Balkan neighbors. Close Donald Trump suggests he could reject 2020 election results As the coronavirus pandemic death toll grew to more than 140,000 people in the US, Donald Trump tweeted out a photo of himself wearing a mask and saying "many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance. There is nobody more Patriotic than me". The president said he would resume the White House's daily 5 pm EST briefings on coronavirus, which he has now taken to calling the "Invisible China Virus". As violence continued in Portland, meanwhile, Trump confirmed reports that his administration planned on sending "law enforcement" to major cities across the country. Two world wars, however, were described as "beautiful" during a Fox News interview as the president defended his resistance to renaming US military bases connected to Confederate generals. Trump's attacks on Joe Biden mental fitness during the interview didn't poll well with voters, while many viewers questioned the president's own performance during the heated sit-down with host Chris Wallace. Please allow the blog a moment to load Tensions are mounting by the day between the United States and China, leading to talk of a new Cold War. Experts see important historical differences -- but believe the two powers are entering dangerous territory. US President Donald Trump's administration has increasingly gone global against China, pushing other nations to reject its strings-attached aid and telecom titan Huawei, and siding unreservedly with Beijing's rivals in the dispute-rife South China Sea. Trump has made China a major campaign issue as he heads into the November election, but the relationship looks unlikely to change in more than tone if he loses to Joe Biden, who has accused the president of not being tough enough. Stephen Walt, a professor of international affairs at Harvard University, said the world's two largest economic powers were engaged in a long-term competition over "incompatible strategic visions," including China's desire to dominate Asia. China sees Trump as a "weak and error-prone leader" and likely believes the "disastrous" US response to the coronavirus pandemic presented opportunities to press its advantage, he said. "It resembles the US-Soviet 'Cold War' in certain respects, but it is not yet as dangerous as that earlier rivalry," Walt said. "One key difference is that the two states are still closely connected economically, although that relationship is now under considerable strain." US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is taking stern warnings about Beijing around the world, did not reject the Cold War comparison in a recent radio interview. He also noted that the United States was never as economically intertwined with the Soviet Union --and said the West therefore needed to separate from China, especially its technology, which Washington fears will be used for espionage. - Chance of 'hot war' - Oriana Skylar Mastro, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said it was dangerous to speak of a Cold War with China. "The situation with China is nothing like the Cold War," she said. "On the positive side, we have extensive engagement. On the negative, there is a real possibility of a hot war between the two sides to a degree that never existed with the Soviet Union." She said that using a Cold War lens leads to ineffective responses, including Washington incorrectly seeing Beijing as an ideological threat. Mastro said that China had plenty of options to alleviate US concerns, such as pulling back weapons systems in the South China Sea. "But Beijing won't do this because it fundamentally misunderstands the drivers of US policy. It thinks the US is responding to its own decline in power -- that no matter how Beijing acts, the US will lash out," she said. "So there is no impetus to try to moderate its ambitions and how it attempts to achieve them. This is a mistake. And China's failure to do so, to try to assure the US, could lead us into a war." - Sharp hardening - In a shift from a few years ago, US businesses, stung by what they see as rampant theft of intellectual property, are rarely asking for de-escalation. David Stilwell, the top State Department official for East Asia, said he learned as US defense attache in Beijing that China responded to "demonstrable and tangible action." "Personally I was of that school that you could work with these folks. But my epiphany came 10 years ago when I went to Beijing," he told a recent think tank event. The United States has also pressed China over its clampdown in Hong Kong and mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims, each time triggering retaliatory measures by Beijing. Trump has still voiced hope of preserving a trade deal with China, which promised before the coronavirus pandemic to ramp up purchases of US goods. Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said both sides knew China would no longer be able to carry out the agreement in full. Shi said he expects relations will keep deteriorating. "The old Cold War was a very fierce confrontation and competition between two great powers, driven by ideology and strategy," Shi said. In the case of the United States and China, the two powers are selectively but rapidly "decoupling" from each other, he said. "Using this definition, it can be said that China and the United States have begun to enter a new Cold War." Chinese troops march in October 2019 in Tiananmen Square in Beijing at a time of growing friction with the United States Hong Kongers opposed to an extradition bill with mainland China hold an American flag at an August 2019 protest A billboard in Shanghai in June 2020 advertises a global flagship store of Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant which the United States is seeking to counter China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump meet at a summit in Osaka in June 2019 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. On July 18, Libyas internationally recognised Government of National Accord moved the fighters closer to Sirte. Sirte is the gateway to Libyas main oil terminals which the GNA aims to recapture from the eastern based Libyan National Army. According to reports, witnesses claim that about 200 vehicles moved eastwards from Misrata towards the town of Tawergha, which falls in the way of Sirte. Read: UAE Wants Return Of Libya's Oil Production With Safeguards, Says Emirati Minister Battle between the LNA and GNA The GNA is backed by Turkey and claims that it will recapture Sirte and an LNA airbase at Jufra. The GNA recently ended military commanders campaign Khalifa Haftars 14 months campaign to take control of the capital, Tripoli. With this, GNA recaptured most of the territory held by LNA. Egypt is further threatening to send troops to Libya if the GNA and Turkey try to capture Sirte. Egypt is supported by the United Arab Emirates and Russia. Read: Pentagon Report: Turkey Sent Up To 3,800 Fighters To Libya The United States also made a statement saying that Moscow has sent warplanes to Jufra through Syria just to act in support of the Russians who are fighting in company with LNA. However, both Moscow and LNA have denied this statement. The LNA has itself sent forces and weapons to sustain its defence of Sirte Read: Libyan Forces Set Conditions For Lifting Oil Blockade Also Read: Libyan Forces Set Conditions For Lifting Oil Blockade (Image Credits: AP) Irans president on Saturday estimated as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak's beginning, as he urged the public to take the pandemic seriously, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Hassan Rouhani cited a new Iranian Health Ministry study in offering the unprecedentedly high numbers. Rouhani also said about 30 to 35 million will be infected to the virus in the coming months. We have to estimate that 30 to 35 million people will be exposed to the virus, which is very important, Rouhani added. Iran's population is around 81 million people. Iranians officials have not explained on what the report's estimates are based. The study has so far not been made publicly available. Referring to the report, Rouhani said it also predicts that the number of hospitalizations will soon be "twice as many as we have seen in the last 150 days. In recent weeks, Iran has seen daily death tolls spike to their highest-ever levels, sparking increasing fear even as government officials say they cant lock the country back down for fear of cratering its sanctions-hit economy. Iran has seen the worst outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 270,000 confirmed cases and at least 13,979 deaths. That includes 2,166 new cases and 188 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. Authorities in the capital of Tehran are imposing new restrictions from Saturday, amid the severe increase in cases in recent weeks, closing some public spaces like coffee shops, zoos, and indoor swimming pools. Rouhanis most recent remarks show that questions remain over the country's official figures from the outbreak, even after officials have publicly acknowledged its importance. Before Iran reported its first cases of the virus in February, authorities denied it had reached the country for days, allowing the virus time to spread as the nation marked the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with mass demonstrations and then held a parliamentary election in which authorities desperately sought to boost turnout. Story continues A parliamentary report in April said Irans death toll is likely nearly double the officially reported figures. Given insufficient testing, the report said the number of people infected at the time was probably eight to 10 times higher than the reported figures. Even today, Iranian death tolls remain based on those who died in coronavirus wards in hospitals. However, its believed that many more died at home, and some families have reportedly asked doctors not to mention their loved ones died of the virus to avoid the stigma associated with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. (AP) Delhi rains: Kejriwal says not time to blame each other after BJP slams AAP govt over waterlogging India pti-PTI New Delhi, July 19: This is not the time to play the blame game over waterlogging in parts of Delhi as all agencies have been busy combating the coronavirus, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday after the BJP charged that the first spell of rains has "exposed" the AAP government's preparations. Heavy rains caused waterlogging in parts of Delhi, including at Minto Bridge where a 56-year-old man died allegedly due to drowning after his mini-truck was submerged. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari alleged that the AAP government's preparations have been exposed by the first spell of monsoon rains. Delhi rains: Heavy showers lash city, 60-year-old dies of drowning under waterlogged Minto Bridge In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal said, "This year, all agencies, be it Delhi government or MCD (civic body), were busy in prevention of COVID-19. They faced many difficulties due to corona. This is not the time to blame each other. All have to fulfil their responsibilities together. Wherever there is waterlogging, we will try to pump out water immediately." Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News Later, in another tweet, the chief minister said water had been drained from the Minto Bridge. Kejriwal said he had been in touch with the agencies and monitoring the process of removing water from there. Slamming the chief minister, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta in a tweet said that it is just the beginning of monsoon and asked the AAP dispensation to take concrete steps as soon as possible to prevent waterlogging. Gupta also condoled the death at Minto Bridge which comes under the Delhi PWD. He said that if steps were taken in time, the death due to waterlogging could have been prevented. "Minto Bridge area comes under the PWD of Delhi government. There is a pump which was not started in time and the DJB line which carries the lifted water was also choked. We have been raising this issues in the past. Taking to Twitter, Tiwari said that the situation worsened in a few hours of rains and wondered what will happen if there is rains for months. "...Arvind Kejriwal ji your preparations are exposed by the first rains of Monsoon. Maharashtra: Rain lashes parts of Mumbai, city records second-highest single-day rainfall since 2015 A solid plan should be prepared to deal with the rains so that Delhi could be prevented from submerging and people saved from difficulties" the BJP MP said on Twitter. North MCD Mayor Jai Prakash, who visited the Minto Bridge on Sunday morning, claimed that he got North Delhi Municipal Corporation staffers clear water from the area. The national capital received its first spell of heavy rains on Sunday morning which led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and brought traffic to a standstill at key stretches in the city. According to the Delhi Traffic Police, jams were reported from Azadpur to Mukarba Chowk, Yashwant Place to Ashoka Road, at Ring Road, Bhairon Road, and near Mundka metro station due to heavy waterlogging. The driver and the conductor of a bus that got stuck at the Minto Bridge underpass due to waterlogging were rescued by fire department personnel, officials said. TDT | Manama Indian School Bahrain (ISB) students displayed exemplary performances in the Class X CBSE examination, held in March of this year. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the results yesterday. Against a total of 776 students who appeared for the exam, the school achieved a pass percentage of 100 per cent, including exactly 100 students earning an A grade in all subjects and 172 students scoring above 90 per cent marks in aggregate. Nandana Subha Vinukumar topped the school with 98.6 per cent, scoring 493 out of 500. This is the highest-ever scored by a Class X student in the history of ISB. Nayana Chandran Puravankara, who scored 489, stood second with 97.8 per cent, and Goutham Anaimallur Janardhanan, who got 488, stood third with 97.6 per cent. Meanwhile, four students secured 100 in mathematics and 19 students secured 99. Four secured 100 in social science and four others secured 99. Two students scored 100 in French and six students secured 99, while one student secured 100 in science, 10 students secured 99 in Malayalam, two students scored 99 in Sanskrit, and one student secured 99 in English. Furthermore, 84.1 per cent of students got First Class and 58.9 per cent got Distinction, while 172 students scored 90 per cent and above and 100 students earned an A grade in all subjects. ISB honourary chairman Prince S Natarajan, honourary secretary Saji Antony, honourary member academics Mohammed Khursheed Alam, executive committee members and principal VR Palniswamy congratulated the students, teachers and parents for the excellent results. In this difficult hour of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is heartening to know the brilliant results of the Indian School which is the result of the combined efforts of the academic team and the wholehearted support of the parents and teachers, said Natarajan. Congratulations to all who have contributed to the spectacular performance. Antony added: The Indian School students have proved their brilliance by achieving an excellent result though the road was tough. Best wishes for achieving excellence and all the best for the upcoming days.Alam commented: The ISB students excellent results will open new doors of opportunities. I wish success and happiness in their future endeavors. Enjoy what you do and success will follow as before. Principal Palaniswamy said that the students success can be credited to the academic environment, meticulous planning by the schools leadership, and commitment of the teachers and efforts of the students. The Winneba District Magistrates Court, presided over by Mr Isaac Oheneba Kufuor, has granted bail in the sum of 5,000 Ghana Cedis with one surety each to two Nigerians over kidnap. Duru Favour, 26, Artist, and Paul Okafor, 29, Businessman, kidnapped 39 other Nigerians trafficked into the country and kept at Gomoa Pomadze near Winneba Junction. Their victims were allegedly used to commit crime, to wit cyber Fraud. The two pleaded not guilty to the charges of kidnapping and use of trafficked persons. They are to re-appear on July 23, 2020. Narrating the fact of the case, Chief Superintendent Samuel Okanta, officer in charge of the Winneba Police Command, said Charles Ikorohk, a Nigerian, was the complainant. He said Ikorohk arrived in Ghana (Accra) on January 22 to visit a friend by name Collins but could not reach him on his phone and got stranded as a result. Chief Supt. Okanta said whilst at Kwame Nkrumah Circle Ikorohk met Uzo, also a Nigerian, who introduced him to his senior brother called Arisuezo, who offered to assist him to get a place to sleep until he found his friend (Collins). He said Arisuezo transported both his junior brother Uzo and Ikorohk to Winneba and kept them in a walled house at Gomoa Pomadze. Ikorohk, on the third day, could not see Uzo again, hence he tried to leave the house but he was prevented and was locked up in a different room by Arisuezo where he met seven other Nigerians and he was fed once a day. Chief Supt Okanta said Ikorohk attempted to escape twice but he was arrested and subjected to inhumane treatment. All these while, Arisuezo used them to perpetrate cybercrime with the assistance of Favour and Okafor, who acted as supervisors. Chief Supt. Okanta said from January 26, Ikorohk could not step out of the house until Sunday, July 12, at 0800 hours, when he and others were asked to weed the compound. Ikorohk scaled the wall and sought refuge in a nearby house after the two accused persons went out with one of the victims to withdrew money from a nearby mobile money vendor. The occupants of the house later called the Effutu Municipal Joint Police and Military Patrol Team to go to the rescue of the complainant. The Commander said a team of police personnel went to the house where Ikorohk was held captive for six months and forced open three single rooms where 38 others, all Nigerians, were rescued. Thirty-six laptops were retrieved from the house and during the rescue exercise, Favour and Okafor informed the police that the victims were locked up on the orders of their boss, Arisuezo, who is on the run. The police is doing everything possible to arrest Arisuezo, Chief Supt. Okanta said. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 06:51:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close European Council President Charles Michel chairs a special European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, July 17, 2020. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua) The EU summit, the first face-to-face one since the outbreak of the pandemic, failed to reach consensus on the next seven-year budget and an ambitious recovery plan designed to lift the bloc out of the crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. BRUSSELS, July 18 (Xinhua) -- A special summit grouping heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) member states on Saturday failed to reach consensus on the next seven-year budget and an ambitious recovery plan designed to lift the bloc out of the crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The leaders will reconvene on Sunday noon, said a spokesman for the European Council President Charles Michel. The extension by an extra day was proposed by Michel, who has hosted the challenging roundtable and held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the member states in the first two days, trying to bridge their differences. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a special European Council meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, July 17, 2020. (European Union/Handout via Xinhua) The summit, the first face-to-face one since the outbreak of the pandemic, came at a critical moment as the 27-member bloc is seeking a consensus on a 750-billion-euro recovery plan embedded in an enhanced 2021-2027 EU budget of 1.074 trillion euros. Part of the debt-financed fund will be paid as non-repayable grants to crisis-hit countries and the rest as loans. Countries particularly hard hit by the pandemic, such as Italy and Spain, would benefit most from the recovery plan. However, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria, nicknamed the Frugal Four, oppose the non-repayable grants, and call for linking aid to reform plans. EAST GREENBUSH Residents are so eager to see the 36-mile Albany-Hudson Electric Trail open that town officials keep telling them its not yet ready to be used. We have been putting out social media reminders about safety. The COVID pandemic and the beauty of the trail makes them want to use it, Deputy Supervisor Tina Tierney, who is a member of the Town Board, said Friday. The trail runs through Rensselaer Countys most populous town on its way south from the neighboring city of Rensselaer to the city of Hudson in Columbia County. Construction crews have been working in the town on the trail. And signs saying Trail Closed have been posted in the Hampton Manor neighborhood in an effort to remind residents to wait until the trail opens before they venture on it. East Greenbush officials are concerned that the trail is not yet finished; advisory signs have not yet been posted near the crossing at Route 4 and along the trail; and that traffic near the trail is a concern, said Tierney. The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail follows the path of the electric trolley line that connected Albany to Hudson from 1899 to 1929. Its part of the $200 million trail Empire State Trail project to construct a 750-mile hiking/biking path running north-south between New York City and Canada and east-west linking Albany and Buffalo. The trail was a topic of discussion for Rensselaer Countys municipalities for the past decade. Trail construction started in May 2019, and significant progress was made during calendar year 2019. However, at present, no trail segments have been completed. Given the projects 36-mile length, two construction seasons will be needed to complete the trail, with all work completed by mid-November 2020, the Hudson Valley Greenway said in its last posted update in January regarding the trail. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. New York State is on schedule to complete the $45 million Empire State Trail section connecting the cities of Rensselaer and Hudson later this year, said Dan Keefe, a spokesman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Albany-Hudson Electric Trail follows the path of the trolley line from Rensselaer through East Greenbush, Nassau, the village of Nassau and Schodack in Rensselaer County into Columbia County where it traverses Chatham, Kinderhook, the villages of Valatie and Kinderhook, Stuyvesant, Stockport, Greenport and arrives in Hudson. Details are available on the trail website at www.ahettrail.org. People are so excited about it, Tierney said, When its finished, it will be fantastic. ROME (AP) Italian coast guard divers and biologists were working Sunday to free a sperm whale that was entangled in a fishing net near a tiny Mediterranean island. In a coast guard video, a diver can be seen slicing away some of the net in the waters surrounding the Aeolian Island archipelago. Boaters on Saturday had spotted the struggling sperm whale in that stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italys west coast and contacted the coast guard. The operation to free the sperm whale was particularly difficult due to its state of agitation" that didn't allow for continual intervention near the whale, the coast guard said Sunday. Three weeks ago, the Italian coast guard freed another sperm whale ensnared in a fishing net, also in the sea off the Aeolian Islands. Since the start of the year, the coast guard has sequestered illegal fishing nets totaling more than a 100 kilometers (62 miles) in length.. The coast guard says it has stepped up its efforts this year to combat illegal fishing. LABELLE, FL. -- It is the season for asphalt paving trucks to head south to warmer states like Florida. A man knocks on your door and convi... Many creative people move to New York City in hopes of one day getting a job in show business or the arts. They often work as waiters in bars or restaurants while hoping for a big break as a performer, painter or writer. But the coronavirus health crisis has put many servers out of work in recent months as eateries were forced to suspend their in-house dining services. And the future of what restaurant dining will look like is unclear even as New York City reopens. Some people wonder whether there will be enough business for bars and eateries to stay open and even have server jobs to fill. This raises questions about what that will mean for New Yorks creative class. Many servers fear the jobs that helped them live in the city and add to its artistic culture are no longer readily available. Travis McClung grew up in Texas. He told the Associated Press: It really is a part of the artists life in New York, so I dont know what thats going to look like if its just suddenly not an option anymore. McClung moved to New York in 2009 to study theater in college. Now 28-years-old, he has spent close to nine years serving food while doing theater, singing and more recently, trying to build his career in video production. The virus has been especially damaging for the citys restaurant workers. The New York State Department of Labor reports that restaurants and other eateries employed just over 273,000 people in February 2020. But that was before the city started closing down in March to fight the spread of COVID-19. In April, as case numbers jumped, the number of employees had fallen to under 78,000. As the city began reopening in May, the number rose to close to 100,000, still far below where it had been. New York has permitted outdoor dining service in recent weeks. Around 6,600 of the citys restaurants have requested permits to feed people on sidewalks and streets. But the return of indoor service has been delayed over fears that enclosed spaces would make virus cases rise. Rachel Berry moved to New York City from Maryland in 2004. She tried several different jobs like dog walking and childcare before moving to food service in 2016. Berry even spent some time at a traditional office job. But she found the structure too rigid to give her enough time to work on her creative interests. These have included painting, performing and most recently, interior design work. She worries now about what will be available in restaurants, as social distancing restrictions require eateries to limit crowds in the weeks to come. She also worries whether she would have to work even more in other jobs to make what she has been able to in food service. Am I going to have the same opportunities afforded to me financially, or, you know, am I going to be stuck in this, I need two to three jobs to get by, Berry asked. Jen Lyon is the owner of MeanRed Productions, a company that organizes arts and music events. She worries that creative people may leave New York, or choose not to come there at all, because of the high cost of living. As someone who spent years bartending, she understands the importance for food service jobs and what they offer creative people. They are the best jobs to have when you need to focus on your art, especially in New York, she said. But now, if many of those jobs disappear, What happens in my world is suddenly I dont have young artists to work with because they cant afford New York, she said. You dont have people creating art in New York anymore. Losing creative people is also a huge threat to the city, said Eli Dvorkin. He serves as editorial and policy director at the Center for an Urban Future, which supports policies that make New York more equitable. As a city we cant afford to lose our creative edge. Its been one of the drivers of the citys economic growth over the past decades, Dvorkin noted. Im Pete Musto. Deepti Hajela reported on this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story bar(s) n. a building or room where alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served break n. a lucky situation or event that makes success possible option n. something that can be chosen rigid adj. not easily changed opportunities n. amounts of time or situations in which something can be done afford(ed) v. to supply or provide something needed or wanted to someone bartending v. serving drinks at a bar or restaurant focus v. to direct your attention or effort at something specific equitable adj. just or fair decade(s) n. a period of 10 years (Natural News) COVID-19 has proven time and time again that its unlike any other illness society has faced, and a new study shows that preventing the disease is going to be incredibly challenging, as infections do not give people long-term immunity to the disease as many had hoped. This is according to a study that was recently carried out by Londons Guys and St. Thomas National Health Service Foundation Trust. The researchers studied the immune response in patients with the disease and found that the antibodies they developed decreased within a few weeks after the onset of symptoms. This means that people could well become reinfected after recovering from the illness. According to the study, 23 days after the symptoms first appeared in patients, 60 percent experienced a potent antibody response; 65 days later, just 16.7 percent had this response. Antibodies are the proteins your body makes to fight off an infection. If there is any silver lining here, its the fact that those who had a more severe infection enjoyed an antibody response that was stronger and lasted longer. The study looked at 59 patients who had tested positive for the disease, the majority of whom were men. Researchers collected sequential serum samples from the patients from one day to 94 days after their symptoms first appeared. They also looked at 31 healthcare workers who volunteered to undergo regular antibody tests. The researchers noted that the antibody response to COVID-19 that they found was similar to that seen in other types of human coronaviruses, such seasonal coronaviruses linked to the common cold and SARS. In these viruses, a persons antibody response tends to fade for a period of time that can be as little as 12 weeks or as long as 34 months after infection. This study isnt just bad news for those who have suffered from the disease and are hoping to avoid a repeat; it also indicates that coming up with a vaccine could be complicated, if not impossible. Even those with severe infections who enjoyed longer antibody responses still saw those effects fading within just a few months. That could mean, at the very least, that if a vaccine is developed, it will need to be administered frequently. Dr. Mala Maini, a virus expert from University College London, told CNN that the study suggests vaccines will need to be better at inducing high levels of longer-lasting antibodies than the natural infection or that doses may need to be repeated to maintain immunity. Other studies show similar antibody issues The U.K. study is just the latest evidence that getting infected with COVID-19 doesnt mean people can let their guard down. A study from Spain found that just five percent of the population there had coronavirus antibodies despite experiencing a significant outbreak this spring. Moreover, their immunity to the disease faded after just a few weeks. This means that 95 percent of the countrys population is still susceptible to the virus. The study, which took place from April to June, encompassed more than 61,000 participants, making it the largest study of its kind to date in Europe. The study also concluded that the antibodies in Spains population were not sufficient to provide herd immunity, which occurs when a population is allowed a certain amount of exposure to the virus to build up immunity among the general population. Meanwhile, a study out of China that compared the antibody responses of 37 symptomatic patients with 37 asymptomatic people found that those who did not have symptoms experienced a weaker antibody response than those who did have symptoms. Many people have already expressed concerns about the potential side effects of a rushed COVID-19 vaccine, but that may be a moot point if the vaccine is incapable of providing people with immunity to the disease in the first place. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com Edition.CNN.com CNBC.com RGVs interview with Renuka, the young pregnant wife of the one of the accused, on TV5 appears to be extremely insensitive. File Photo Known to court controversy when presenting his critique of society through the medium of cinema, director Ram Gopal Varmas two upcoming film projects are based on sensational subjects. One of the films is based on a 23-year-old dalit man, Mirayalaguda Pranay, who was murdered in broad daylight on September 14, 2018, by career criminals engaged by his caste Hindu wifes father, Maruthi Rao. The other film is about the young veterinarian, Disa, who was raped and murdered on November 27, 2019, in Hyderabad. It led to the police killings of four young men. Let us discuss a few ethical concerns related to the subjects of these two films. The discussion is not aimed at curtailing the directors freedom of speech and expression. It must be remembered, however, that it is equally important to protect the survivors of crime from further violence. The concerns are as follows. First, the legal procedure in both cases has not come to a conclusion yet. Second, these cases involve sensitive matters caste killings and rape. It is unethical to make a biographical film on a living person without their consent. Amrutha is a young woman, who witnessed the murder of her beloved husband. It is difficult for people to measure her unfathomable pain while surviving parental abuse, experiencing misrepresentation of her life and views in the media and suffering online trolling. Making a film on the caste killing of Pranay that includes her life story may put her through the trauma again. Amrutha condemned making a movie on her life. The portrayal of the life of an ordinary middle class family may also affect the privacy of Amruthas child who must grow up in the same casteist and sexist society. Third, there are cases of consolidated caste Hindu middle classes stalking and bullying her online. The process of all those cyber crime cases might be hampered. Popular cinema impacts the perceptions of not only the common man but also of the police, lawyers and judges. The question here is whether RGVs film would be helpful for Amrutha in her fight for legal justice or merely empathise with the casteist parents of our society. The rape and murder of Disa is another complex case. Her parents and family members are finding it difficult to cope with the loss. There was police negligence, which was the primary accusation by Disas family. Four young men, who belonged to poor families, were arrested within 48 hours. All four were killed by police even before they were presented in the court. According to the police report, it was an encounter, though that is yet to be proved legally. Many Indian middle classes celebrated the alleged encounter. It was one of those rare moments in which urban Hindu middle class protests have overthrown the legal process in the worlds largest democracy. However, Disas family members said that they would have been happy if police had responded quickly without humiliating Disas mother by character assassination of her missing daughter. Varma making a film on Disas incident might make them relive their trauma. Another set of survivors in this case are family members of the accused who lost their loved ones to police bullets. RGVs interview with Renuka, the young pregnant wife of the one of the accused, on TV5 appears to be extremely insensitive. The filmmaker asks Renuka as to why she mourned the death of her husband, Chennakesavulu. None of the accused is proven guilty under law. RGV cannot assume that Renuka knew for sure that the accused had committed the crime. Moreover, Chennakesavulu being guilty has nothing much to do with Renuka mourning her husbands death. Varma also asked questions with regard to the stigma on her unborn child as a son/daughter of a rapist! His interview was based on the prima facie assumptions of guilt of the accused. Renuka, barely educated, could not comprehend his questions. Varma repeatedly said that two brutal rape cases in India, namely Nirbhaya and Disa, made him fear for his own life. He appeared to be unaware of the many cases of rape and murder of dalit/adivasi women in Hyderabad, successively reported after Disas murder. Only, those are not sensational but acts of casual sexist violence on dalit women. What of the rapes on dalit women in villages such as Khairlanji and rape and pogroms on Muslim women in Gujarat in 2002? While Varmas films like Lakshmis NTR (2019), Vangaveeti (2016) on Vangaveeti Ranga, and Rakta Charitra-1 and 2 on (2010) Paritala Ravi and Suri are based on incidents that happened a few decades ago, there was some distance in terms of elapsed time between the events and the making of these films. Those films may not have had as much impact on the survivors. When Shekhar Kapur made Bandit Queen (1994) on Phoolan Devi, Arundhati Roy criticised Kapur for making a film on a rape survivor without her consent. While sexual violence can be triggering, domestic violence too may be so. Constructing sexual violence as the worst form of violence may be brahminical and sexist. Not all survivors have a similar belief system and similar views on sexual violence and it is evident in Phoolan Devi later using Shekhar Kapoors film for her political campaign. While consent is one ethical question, the larger question is whether Ram Gopal Varma can provide an objective political critique on caste and gender issues through his two films. What is important in depiction of sexual violence is to not open the doors for voyeurs. It is equally important not to be carried away by the brahminical values of fatherly love in depicting a (dis)honour killing. If RGVs films are based on the poignant story of Maruthi Raos fatherly love and presupposition of the accused as the perpetrators in Disas case, they may not be very different from the stories telecast in local Telugu media channels. Moreover, they might trigger violence against Amrutha or the family members of the accused in Disas case. Indian society has been known for condoning unprecedented mob -violence against dalits, adivasis and Muslims. If RGV is critical enough to discuss the police brutality, caste system and control over the sexuality of women in caste Hindu families and endemic sexual violence on dalit women, his movies will serve a larger purpose. Otherwise, his idea of making films on real-life incidents that took place in the nearest past will only be an exercise of his pet business model. Floods in India, Nepal displace nearly 4 million people, at least 189 dead People push a car through a waterlogged street after it broke down during heavy rainfall in Mumbai By Zarir Hussain and Gopal Sharma GUWAHATI, India/KATHMANDU, Nepal (Reuters) - Nearly four million people in India's northeastern state of Assam and neighbouring Nepal have been displaced by heavy flooding from monsoon rains, with dozens missing as deaths rose to at least 189, government officials said on Sunday. The overflowing Brahmaputra River, which flows through China's Tibet, India and Bangladesh, has damaged crops and triggered mudslides, displacing millions of people, officials said. More than 2.75 million people in Assam have been displaced by three waves of floods since late May that has claimed 79 lives after two more deaths were reported overnight, a state government official said. "The flood situation remains critical with most of the rivers flowing menacingly above the danger mark," Assam water resources Minister Keshab Mahanta told Reuters. Assam is facing the twin challenge of combating floods and the coronavirus pandemic. Out of 33 districts, 25 remained affected after the current wave of flooding, beginning a fortnight ago. India is grappling with the novel coronavirus, which has infected nearly 1.1 million people and 26,816 have died from the COVID-19 disease, government data showed on Sunday. In neighbouring Nepal, the government asked residents along its southern plains on Sunday to remain alert as heavy monsoon rains were expected to pound the Himalayan nation where more than 100 have died in floods and landslides since June, officials said. Some 110 people were killed and another 100 injured as landslides and flash floods washed or swept away homes, upended roads and bridges and displaced hundreds of others in 26 of the country's 77 districts, police said. Home ministry official Murari Wasti said the death toll was expected to rise as 48 people were still missing. "Search and rescue teams are looking for those who are missing in different places but chances of finding them alive are slim," Wasti told Reuters. Story continues Barun Paudel of the weather forecasting office in the capital, Kathmandu, said heavy rains were expected to pound much of the mainly mountainous nation in the next four days. "We have urged residents to remain alert against possible landslides and floods," he said. Landslides and flash floods are common in Nepal, India's Assam and Bihar states during the June-September annual rainy season. (Reporting by Zarir Hussain in Guwahati, Gopal Sharma in Kathmandu; Writing by Manoj Kumar; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) To give in to the U.S. or stand up for itself: Spain needs to decide U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently spoke with Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Arancha Gonzalez Laya over the phone, pressing Spain on the issue concerning the 5G technology of Chinese tech giant Huawei. This conversation took place right after the U.S. government coerced Britain into breaking its promise of welcoming Huaweis 5G kit. In early February, Robert L. Strayer, deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy at the U.S. State Department, warned officials from Spain and other members of the European Union (EU) against using Huawei in building 5G networks and suggested looking at alternative companies at the forefront of network technology. For certain reasons, the U.S. has locked Spain as its second prey in Europe. It is difficult to get Germany and France on board as leaders of the two countries have already announced that they will continue cooperation with China, including involving Huaweis 5G kit into their networks. If the U.S. were to successfully persuade Spain into removing Huaweis 5G from its networks, a country that has formed close cooperation with China and exerts certain influence on the EU, it would be a breakthrough in the EU, possibly causing other countries to follow suit and creating some impact on Germany and France. Spain is an important participant in the Belt and Road construction and is close to Latin American countries. By driving a wedge between Spain and China, the U.S. will then influence other countries. While reinforcing lies that Huawei 5G technology threatens information security and serves the Communist Party of China (CPC) to undermine human rights, the U.S. could try to entice other countries with advanced technologies and preferential policies. The focus of the U.S. remains on the will to restrain the development of Huawei over the care to tackle the worsening pandemic, social unrest and recession back home. The fundamental motivation of the U.S. may stem from seeing the spirit of the Chinese nation in achieving rejuvenation and the prospects of Chinas peaceful development from the growth and strength of Huawei. For some U.S. politicians, restraining Huawei is an attempt to weaken China. Spain has always handled major international affairs independently, including the China-Spain cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations 47 years ago and bilateral collaboration under the China-EU framework which have brought practical benefits for both parties. The two countries boast a solid foundation and broad prospects in the cooperation of communication technology. Hopefully, the Spanish government will make a choice that best suits the countrys interests on the Huawei issue. A small conservative college in southern Michigan has defied warnings from state public health officials during the coronavirus pandemic by hosting an in-person graduation ceremony. Hillsdale College held a graduation Saturday evening, capping days of celebrations. The college of about 1,500 students had expected more than 2,000 people at the event, though school officials declined to discuss actual attendance numbers. 'COVID obviously was a concern,' said David Betz, whose son, Christian, graduated. 'For a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to come, it was well worth it.' Hillsdale College held a graduation Saturday evening, capping days of celebrations. Chairs are seen set up for graduating students ahead of the ceremony The college of about 1,500 students had expected more than 2,000 people at the event, though school officials declined to discuss actual attendance numbers. Health officials had said the event, drawing people to restaurants and hotels, put Hillsdale at risk School officials said graduation is an important milestone and safety precautions were taken, including wearing masks. Signs encouraged attendees to wear masks and keep six feet apart Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had called the gathering illegal at a time when with public gatherings are capped at 100 people. Nessel said in a statement: 'Organized gatherings of more than 100 people are prohibited by law in that part of the state, and such events clearly show a lack of consideration for the dangerous threat this virus presents. 'We sympathize with those who want to celebrate the success of college graduates, but the unfortunate circumstances surrounding this pandemic have made that difficult for many, and we encourage alternatives to large assemblies that could further jeopardize the health of many people,' Nessel's statement continued. Health officials had said the event, drawing people to restaurants and hotels, put the Hillsdale city community of about 8,000 people at risk. School officials said graduation is an important milestone and safety precautions were taken, including wearing masks. Robert Norton, the vice president and general counsel for Hillsdale College, told News 10 that the school reached out to state officials and epidemiologists about a month before the event. The Hillsdale College (pictured) graduation occurred just a day before the US surpassed 140,000 deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic The US is losing about 5,000 Americans on a weekly basis as confirmed cases surge past 3.7 million Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford told the station that he doesn't 'have any specific concerns' about an outbreak. 'You could have your neighbor over to your house and catch coronavirus from them. I dont have any specific concerns about it, but Im sure its a possibility,' Stockford said. And because the college is a private institution, Stockford said: 'Its not typical for our city government to get involved in the affairs of private institutions,' said Stockford. 'Im not in the business of trying to stop the spread of COVID-19.' The liberal arts college has connections to top Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence, who gave the 2018 commencement address. Michigan has reported more than 73,000 confirmed COVID-19 with more than 6,100 deaths. The graduation occurred just a day before the US surpassed 140,000 deaths amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cases of the virus are steadily rising in 42 out of the 50 states, according to a Reuters tally. The US is losing about 5,000 Americans on a weekly basis as confirmed cases surge past 3.7 million. Toto Wolff has slammed Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto for making "ridiculous" comments in Hungary about the new Concorde Agreement. The sport's new commercial deal, set to begin in 2021 and run for five years, was held up by the corona crisis and Formula 1 shutdown. But team boss Binotto says Ferrari is now ready to sign. "I think we are happy because we know that Formula 1 has understood the importance of the role of Ferrari within F1," he said. "And for us that was key. "I think it's important also for the small teams, as looking ahead with clarity is important. We are somehow ready to sign," added Binotto. McLaren supremo Zak Brown also said the Woking team is "ready to sign this new agreement imminently". But according to France's L'Equipe, Mercedes team boss Wolff blasted those comments as "ridiculous". "I don't know why some of the teams are making these ridiculous comments about being ready to sign while others are not," he said. "By making such statements in public, everyone is laughing at them. Negotiations should be held behind closed doors without live commentary." Wolff said he remains in talks with Liberty Media because Mercedes wants to stay in Formula 1, but there are some details of the proposed agreement "that bother us a little". "But it's nothing that cannot be resolved," he added. (GMM) 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... The irony of playing a man with extreme road rage isn't lost on Russell Crowe. Fifteen years after his infamous 'phone throwing' incident, the actor, 56, is now gearing up to star in Unhinged, a thriller movie in which his character hunts down a woman for simply beeping at him on the highway. 'I actually saw that as kind of amusing,' Russell told The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, when quizzed on how it feels to finally embrace the 'angry man' trope in his career, after being accused of having a temper for years. 'I actually saw that as kind of amusing': Russell Crowe, 56, has revealed he finds it 'amusing' to finally play a character with extreme rage issues in new film Unhinged - 15 years after THAT phone throwing incident. Pictured in Unhinged trailer Clarifying that he doesn't actually have anger issues in real life, Russell continued: 'But in reality if you look at my work life, I go from one set to another set, I do the work that I want to do.' 'That cliched description that is applied to me isn't any level of my truth,' he said. The Gladiator star went on to explain that, as a result of his fame, he has lost control over what is said about him in the media. 'That cliched description that is applied to me isn't any level of my truth': Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, Russell claimed the false idea that he has a bad temper has become an important 'asset' to the media's 'broader phenomenon' As a result, the false idea that he has a bad temper has become an important 'asset' to the media's 'broader phenomenon', he argued. Russell has famously been accused of losing his temper on several occasions. In one of his more memorable incidents, the Cinderella Man star allegedly threw a phone at a New York hotel worker in 2005 after being unable to place a call successfully to Australia. Infamous incident: The Cinderella Man star allegedly threw a phone at a New York hotel worker in 2005 after being unable to place a call successfully to Australia. Pictured in 2002 with ex-wife Danielle Spencer In 2014, Russell defended the alleged assault during an interview with Channel Seven's Sunday Night, claiming: 'I never touched him, mate. Never touched him, never laid a finger on him.' The Kiwi-born star was also accused of losing his cool again while filming The True History of the Kelly Gang in Victoria, Australia in August 2018. Claims emerged from the set that a frustrated Russell lost it when he discovered that catering had run out of rice and had 'stormed off'. Claims: The Kiwi-born star was also accused of losing his cool again while filming movie The True History of the Kelly Gang in Victoria, Australia in August 2018, when he discovered that 'catering had run out of rice' Controversy: In June, Page Six reported that the star had 'thrown himself into a rage' during a midday meltdown while appearing on the AOL Build Series. The actor's rep disputed this account however In June, Page Six reported that the star had 'thrown himself into a rage' during a midday meltdown while appearing on the AOL Build Series. 'He refused to walk out on the stage. He was screaming at people and then just stormed out onto the street,' a source claimed at the time. The actor's rep disputed this account however, saying in a statement: 'This is not correct. Russell did not "freak out" and there was no "curse-filled tirade". He simply made the decision not to do the interview following the host's intro.' A rep for Build echoed that statement, saying: 'Our experience with Russell at our studio was completely fine. There was no "meltdown". No animosity, whatsoever. He simply chose not to go on stage fearing we had a bias. That is really the end of it.' Unhinged will be released in Australia on July 30, and July 31 in the UK and US Youre probably familiar with the plague doctor mask, most often associated with the infamous Black Death of the fourteenth century, and the later outbreaks of bubonic plague that recurred in Europe for centuries afterward. The mask, which included spectacles and a long, hollow beak, was certainly distinctive, but its unusual look was more than just aesthetic. The beak would be filled with herbs and spices that would produce pleasant smells, which were believed to protect the doctor from invisible poisonous emanations in the air, called miasma, which created harmful imbalances in a persons humors, or bodily fluids. The presence of this poisonous air was signified by foul smells, often arising from rotting carcasses or vegetables, and the masks beak shape was meant to give the air sufficient time to be suffused by the protective herbs before it hit the plague doctors nostrils and lungs. It would be easy, given our modern conceit in appraising the inhabitants of the past as ignorant bumpkins, to mock these practices as peculiar and ridiculous, knowing as we do how useless they were. But the plague doctors could be forgiven for all this ritualistic pageantry, and the false sense of security it provided, if only because they lived long before modern germ theory was even a thought. The symbolic and useless mask-pageantry in which we Americans are now engaging, on the other hand, is less forgivable. Heres an example. Upon entering a nearly-empty bar in Texas last month (just before the hopefully-primaried-in-2022 Greg Abbott shut them all down again), I was told by the masked bartender to go back outside, and to re-enter the establishment while wearing a mask. So, I walked outside, put on the ol train robber bandana that was buried in my pocket, and entered again. I then walked roughly fifteen feet to the bar, ordered a beer, and was told that I didnt have to wear the mask anymore. However, if I decided to walk into the single-toilet restroom, I would have to put it back on, she said. Because coronaviruses like to hide and pounce not just at the doorway, but in the bathroom, I guess, and my silly bandana is somehow supposed to protect me from that. Heres another example that youve undoubtedly seen or experienced. At your local grocery store, you are standing in a line that is several customers long. Everyones wearing masks, but still standing several feet apart. When you finally get to the cashier, you observe that the mask shes wearing couldnt be looser, with large gaps between the cloth and her face that you could drive a Buick through. But, in the unlikely event shes infected, somehow the mask might still prevent coronavirus-carrying, microscopic droplets of moisture from escaping her mouth to infect anyone else, we all suppose. Theres a clear acrylic barrier annoyingly placed between you and the cashier for some reason, so you move a foot or so to the right so you can comfortably communicate with her around it. Its time to pay, so you look down at the card reader, and theres a thin layer of translucent plastic covering it (which looks suspiciously like the plastic food wrap from aisle 13), though you notice it hasnt been changed by anyone since the six customers before you used it, and you assume hasnt been changed for hours before that. But you confidently insert your card and press the keys with your bare fingers, anyway, knowing that the barrier provided serves as some sort of protection from the invisible coronavirus that is potentially lurking on every surface that you touch. You dont have to be a scientist to recognize that what Ive described above are nothing more than useless symbolic rituals, and its all practically ineffective at stopping coronavirus spread, just as a plague mask was practically ineffective is stopping the spread of plague. But, unlike the plague doctors of the past, we should certainly know better than to go through any of these silly motions believing otherwise. Just three months ago, hysteria about COVID-19 was in full swing, but the calls for mandatory masking werent prominent yet. Back in March and April, Dr. Fauci, the CDC, the Surgeon General, and the WHO all prescribed no guidance for healthy members of the public to wear masks, and, in fact, they all explicitly advised against the practice. It isnt hard to understand why. There was, and there remains, very little science suggesting that wearing a cloth mask like my stupid bandana does anything to reduce viral transmission. At the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Dr. Lisa Brousseu and Dr. Margaret Sietsema published commentary back in April arguing against recommendations for mandatory masking, stating unequivocally: We do not recommend requiring the general public who do not have symptoms of COVID-19-like illness to routinely wear cloth or surgical masks because: There is no scientific evidence they are effective in reducing the risk of SARS-COV-2 transmission. [emphasis added] As you might expect, there have since been calls to remove this commentary from the website by the pro-mask crowd. The central reasons for the demand are that, sure, theres not a lot of evidence that cloth masks work to curb the spread of COVID-19, but theres also not a lot of evidence that the masks dont work, either, given the limited data. Also, demanding that everyone wear masks that is better than doing nothing at all, the pro-mask advocates argue. Neither of these are strong arguments, to say the least, and on July 16, the website updated the article to provide an explanation for keeping it available to the public, reiterating that theres a dearth of evidence suggesting that cloth masks are effective. But the original article posits an interesting, more general question thats worth considering. Masks may give people a false sense of security, the article says. If masks had been the solution in Asia, shouldn't they have stopped the pandemic before it spread elsewhere? Indeed, a good question to ask. Lets apply that logic more directly to California. In my California county, we never had a mask requirement before Governor Newsom issued one statewide, and, like so many of my friends and neighbors, I never once wore a mask until mid-June. And yet, my county accounts for just 188 cases per 100,000 residents, less than 0.1 percent of the states cases, and precisely zero COVID deaths. Inversely, Los Angeles was one of the first cities to issue a large-scale and rigid masking mandate, very early in the pandemic. Los Angeles County alone now accounts for over 40 percent of the states cases, over 1,400 cases per 100,000 residents, and nearly four thousand deaths attributed to COVID-19. You might be inclined to conclude that population density is a key factor in that difference, not the masks. Yet San Francisco County has, by far, the states densest population, and only represents 1.3 percent of the states cases, 533 cases per 100,000 residents, and just 50 deaths. Granted, San Francisco also mandated masks in public, so, clearly, we must understand that there are myriad factors that contribute to these results. But it seems obvious that a mask mandate isnt meaningful among them. Quite simply, if mask mandates are effective, why are the places that have enacted them often experiencing some of the worst results, while those places with no mask mandates have fared far better? For the angry and loud mask advocates, such inconvenient evidence is inadmissible to the discussion, and the calls for mask mandates (even in red states like Texas) have become more aggressive, even as we continually learn that the virus isnt nearly as deadly as it was once believed. Fatality rates are now convincingly evidenced to be 0.26 percent or lower, and with deaths clustered very specifically among the elderly and the significantly unhealthy. Targeted mitigation to protect at-risk Americans is achievable, while also allowing most Americans to go about their lives, but we are instead committing to more ridiculous efforts at holistic mitigation. I do have a simple alternative to these silly and symbolic mask rituals that are becoming commonplace. We should just do what civilized people have done for many years before this pandemic, and what nearly every credible doctor advised until just a few months ago. Stay home if youre sick, wash your hands regularly, and if you feel the urge to cough or sneeze, be courteous to others while doing it, and maybe cough or sneeze into a handkerchief that you keep in your pocket. Practically, its not much different than taking that handkerchief out of your pocket to wear on your face from time to time, and itll be much less ridiculous than what were all doing right now. Graphic credit But as the coronavirus has torn through the region, and countries from Mexico to Argentina have locked down, many of these refugees, left jobless and hungry on the streets of Quito, Lima and Bogota, are heading home. In recent weeks, a rush of 60,000 returnees has caused bottlenecks at Colombian border-control points. Some have spilled over to illegal crossings, known as trochas, along the lawless frontier between Colombia and Venezuela. India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist Amid Covid-19, floods, PM Modi speaks to CMs of seven states India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, July 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday had a telephonic conversation with the Chief Ministers of several states to discuss the COVID-19 and flood situation in the respective states. Modi also spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to enquire about army troopers affected by Covid-19 and gave necessary directions to curb the virus spread in the state, officials said. Modi also called up Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palanisamy to discuss the preventive measures taken by the state to contain the spread of Covid19 and also aspects related to treatment amid a continued surge in new infections in the state. With a tally of over 1.65 lakh, Tamil Nadu is the second worst-affected state after Maharashtra. Discussing the flood situation with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone, Modi also enquired about the COVID-19 situation in the state and the ongoing efforts to douse the raging blaze at Oil India's Baghjan gas well in Tinsukia district. PM Modi now has 6 crore followers on Twitter "Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji took stock of the contemporary situation regarding #AssamFloods2020, #COVID19 and Baghjan Oil Well fire scenario over phone this morning," Sonowal tweeted. "Expressing his concern & solidarity with the people, the PM assured all support to the state," he said. An official at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Sonowal informed Modi about all the measures the state has taken so far in dealing with the problems faced by the people. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News The total number of people losing their lives in flood and landslides in Assam this year is 110. While 84 died in flood-related incidents, landslides claimed 26 lives. NEW YORK, July 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. (Brookdale or the Company)(NYSE: BKD) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired Brookdale securities between August 10, 2016, and April 29, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Brookdale securities during the class period, you have until August 24, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Brookdale is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. The Company is the nations largest senior living community operator, with $4 billion in reported revenue in 2019. As of February 1, 2020, Brookdale owned 356 communities, leased 307 communities, managed seventy-seven communities on behalf of third parties, and three communities for which it has an equity interest. The Company operates independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers (CCRCs). Through its ancillary services programs, the Company also offers a range of outpatient therapy, home health, personalized living, and hospice services. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Brookdales financial performance was sustained by, among other things, the Companys purposeful understaffing of its senior living communities; (ii) the foregoing conduct subjected Brookdale to an increased risk of litigation and, once revealed, was foreseeably likely to have a material negative impact on the Companys financial results and reputation; (iii) as a result, the Companys financial results were unsustainable; and (iv) as a result, the Companys public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On April 30, 2020, Nashville Business Journal reported that a proposed class-action lawsuit had been filed against Brookdale in this Judicial District, which accused the Company of, among other things, purposeful chronically insufficient staffing at its facilities to meet financial benchmarks since at least April 24, 2016. According to the lawsuit, Brookdale misled residents and their families when it promised to provide basic care and daily living services. The lawsuit also claims that the proposed class of plaintiffs have not received the care and services they paid for. The lawsuit asks for damages and Brookdale to stop the unlawful and fraudulent practices. On this news, Brookdales stock price fell $0.56 per share, or 15.22%, over two trading sessions, closing at $3.12 per share on May 1, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com Ericsson has been selected by Groupe ADP, its subsidiary Hub One, an operator of digital technologies for businesses) and Air France to deploy a private mobile network covering Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget airports. The 4/5G network will serve a professional ecosystem of more than 120,000 people who work at the three Paris airports every day, across about 1,000 companies of differing sizes and sectors. Hub One will manage and set up the network on behalf of Groupe ADP and Air France. Ericssons technology will enable Hub One to comply with the new security obligations of Frances National Agency for Security of Information Systems. The mobile network will be effective across all outdoor spaces at the airports by the end of 2020 and indoors across all public and reserved areas for professionals working at the terminals by the end of 2021. Guillaume de Lavallade, CEO, Hub One, says: Ericsson is a major player recognized for its expertise in telecommunications, with which we have been collaborating for several years. It seemed natural to us to call on Ericsson and take advantage of the technological innovation capabilities of a leading provider of 5G networks with more than 45 live mobile networks already deployed worldwide. Asa Tamsons, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Technologies and New Businesses, Ericsson, said: Anyone who has ever been to an airport knows that security, reliability and speed are key to ensure a good travel experience. The digital transformation of airports represents a big opportunity and private 5G networks will enable and accelerate this transformation. We are pleased to collaborate with Groupe ADP, Hub One and Air France to future-proof Paris airports with 5G ready networks delivering fast, secure and reliable wireless internet. Edward Arkwright, Executive Director General of Groupe ADP and President of Hub One, says: The development of Smart Airports actively continues to grow thanks to this new major step through the partnership between Air France and Hub One. The deployment of this professional mobile network will strengthen the performance and accelerate the digitalization of the 120,000 professionals daily at our Parisian airports and pave in the best way the resumption of air traffic. Jean-Christophe Lalanne, Executive Vice President, Information Technology, Air France-KLM group, said: Air France is delighted with this major partnership with Groupe ADP and Hub One and its continued collaboration with Ericsson, who have been with us since the experimental phase of this project. We are proud to be working together to set up this very high-speed private professional mobile network at the heart of the Paris airports. This innovative program is another way to improve our operational performance in order to meet the expectations of our customers and employees. Groupe ADP develops and manages airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2019, more than 108 million passengers passed through Paris Aeroport. More than 2.2 million metric tons of freight and mail were processed via Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. TradeArabia News Service CHAINS, RINGS, staffs, and liturgical vestments may make a person appear venerable, but they do not necessarily make anyone true servant of Jesus Christ. Academic degrees are very good, but they do not scripturally qualify anyone to be a true servant of God. But divine calling and preparation through the Word of God by the Spirit of God with godly character do. When you decide to follow a pastor for discipleship or mentoring, look beyond his physical appeals wealth, education, stature, oratory skills, complexion, wardrobe, tribe, nationality, miracles, popularity and years of ministry. A professed preacher can possess all the things aforementioned and yet be a charlatan. As a Christian, it is not wise to follow a pastor or worship with a church just because they mention the name of Jesus Christ. It is not wise to follow a prophet or bishop when you have not learnt or been told, understood and scripturally be convinced about his key assignment and unique message given to him by God during his calling. God does not call, train, prepare and set people in ministry when He has not spoken to them. And He does not speak to anyone He calls without giving them clear message of the assignment or job they must perform for Him in the world. A person called by God and placed in ministry will have strong innate desire to do the very job assigned him; he or she will do the will of God. We live in a generation where many false ministers have sneaked into the Body of Christ unnoticed. Their aim is not to serve Christ Jesus, but to make money, achieve fame and popularity. The apostle Paul wrote a lot about these false ministers. In his letter to Titus, Paul described them as insubordinate, empty talkers, deceitful teachers, who teach lies for money. They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such leaders only want your money (Titus 1:11, NLT). For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (Jude 1:4). The Bible says false ministers deny Jesus Christ. They disown Him. They are controlled by the same evil spirit which tempted Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus Christ for money. This does not mean they do not mention the name Jesus in their ministrations. They do. They mention the name of Jesus Christ in their prayers, teachings, preaching, counselling and conversations. God does not forbid people from mentioning Christ's name. False ministers mention the name Jesus Christ all the time, but they do so to cover up their evil activities. Thus they never walk in the truth. Jesus Christ is truth, the Holy Spirit is truth and the Word of God is truth. But Christians are commanded to walk in the truth for their freedom from the controlling power of sin, the world and the devil. Now, to deny Jesus Christ is to reject his teachings and ordinances. Thus false ministers, most of whom are into occultism, refuse to follow Jesus Christ by failing to abide in His Word. They refuse to teach what He taught, preach what He preached and walk the road to the cross which He commanded His servants to walk in. By their fruit, especially in the area of teachings, we can easily know them. But there are true servants of Christ in the world today making disciples for Christ by vigorously preaching the gospel, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all the commands of Christ Jesus. The commands of Christ include the teachings of the apostles who spoke by the Spirit of Christ as recorded in the epistles. Teaching the commands of Christ is necessary to produce Spirit-born sons and daughters of God. It is to get the disciples perfected, i.e. matured, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). Houses, cars, planes and clothing are good, but Jesus Christ did not die primarily to procure these things for His followers. And academic degrees are very important, but Jesus did not die for them. Jesus Christ purposefully came to die for the salvation of precious souls. Salvation is not a matter of joke; it is a serious matter. And pastors play key roles in the ultimate salvation of believers on the Last Day. Now, it is time each believer diligently examined the teachings of their pastors and also find out if they are really tending, feeding and preparing them for the second coming of Jesus Christ or not. It is time to make a bold decision to leave false pastors who are not following Christ. Leaving a morally corrupt and doctrinally deviated pastor or church is not leaving Jesus Christ. So, quit and change your pastor if he is habitually immoral or a womanizer, drunkard, does not teach about salvation, his messages are not Christ-centred and gospel-focused, sells concoctions, offer prayers to kill his perceived enemies, curses people, practises numerology and does not run transparent financial administration. By James Quansah [email protected] LUDINGTON, MI - A man from the Flint has yet to resurface after jumping into Mason Countys Round Lake Saturday night. The man is presumed to have drowned by Mason County Sheriffs officials. Emergency crews responded to a potential drowning at 7:07 p.m. Saturday, July 18 at Round Lake in Mason Countys Sheridan Charter Township, northeast of Ludington, said the Mason County Sheriffs Office in a release. Initial investigation determined that Nathan Troy Munsey, a 47-year-old man from Goodrich, 15 miles southeast of Flint, leapt from a moving pontoon boat and did not surface or return to shore, police said. The search for his body is being conducted by Mason County Sheriffs deputies and the Marine Patrol and Dive Team, the Michigan State Police, Fountain Area Fire and Rescue, Mason County Emergency Management, Free Soil Fire, Hamlin Fire, Life EMS, the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Ludington police. Mason Countys Victim Services Unit also was at the scene. Munsey was presumed drowned after rescuers searched until 2 a.m. Sunday with no results, police said. Additional search efforts continue Sunday, as weather conditions allow. Read more from MLive: Man, 24, is Grand Rapids 20th homicide victim of 2020 Special Olympics Michigan premieres virtual Summer Games We are not the mask police, officers, state at odds over enforcing Michigan governors orders TOKYO - A Japanese H-IIA rocket carrying a United Arab Emirates Mars spacecraft has been placed on the launch pad for Mondays scheduled liftoff for the Arab worlds first interplanetary mission, officials said Sunday. The launch of the orbiter named Amal in Arabic, or Hope from Tanegashima Space Center on a small southern Japanese island was initially scheduled for this past Wednesday, but was delayed due to bad weather in the region. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the provider of the H-IIA rocket, announced Sunday that the launch would proceed at 6:58 a.m. Monday (2158 GMT Sunday). The preparation has been completed, and the rocket is now on the launch pad, Mitsubishi said. Hope is expected to reach Mars in February 2021, the year the UAE celebrates 50 years since its formation. A successful Hope mission would be a major step for this OPEC-member nation home to the skyscraper-studded tourist destination of Dubai. The Emirates have set ambitious plans for space, including pledging to build the first inhabitable human settlement on Mars by 2117. While raising eyebrows with that goal, the UAE has successfully built a space program with local talent working out of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai. The Hope probe was built here by a program co-operating with other nations to quickly reach out to the stars. The UAE already sent its first astronaut to space last year on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station. It sends a very strong message to the Arab youth that if the UAE is able to reach Mars in less than 50 years, they could do much more, Omran Sharaf, the project director of Emirates Mars Mission, told The Associated Press on Sunday as his colleagues prepared for the launch. Two other Mars missions are planned in the coming days by the U.S. and China. Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned for 2024. Hope will carry instruments to study the upper atmosphere and monitor seasonal changes in the climate on Mars. It is scheduled to circle the red planet for at least two years. The UAE says it will provide a complete view of the Martian atmosphere during different seasons for the first time. A newcomer in space development, the UAE has so far successfully launched three observation satellites, but has not gone beyond the Earths orbit. Hope may change that. The Emiratis involved in the program also acknowledged it represented a step forward for the Arab world, the home of mathematicians and scientists for centuries before the wars and chaos that have gripped wide swathes of it in recent times. So the region has been going through tough times in the past decades, if not centuries, Sharaf said. Now we have the case of the UAE, a country thats moving forward with its plans, looking at the future and the future of region also. Because of accepting differences, because of coexistence and having people from different backgrounds living together, we were able to move forward. ___ Associated Press writers Malak Harb and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. ___ Follow Mari Yamaguchi on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 22:13:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DOHA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Qatar's health ministry on Sunday announced 340 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 106,648. "Some 345 people recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 103,377, while three others died, raising the fatalities to 157," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a statement by the ministry. A total of 441,700 persons in Qatar have undergone lab tests for COVID-19 so far, it added. China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tonnes of medical supplies donated by the airline. On July 8, Chinese health officials and medical experts held a video conference with their Qatari counterparts to share experience and expertise in fighting COVID-19. The two sides also held in-depth exchange of views on the issues that Qatar is most concerned about, including coronavirus prevention and control, test analysis, clinic care, vaccine development and social management. Enditem There were church burnings this month, and statues of the Blessed Virgin were vandalized. You wouldnt know it, though, if you depended on the local media for your news. When I searched the internet for Catholic churches vandalized near the newspaper of record, or used the terms Catholic relics destroyed near papers for which I do not write, the only thing that came up were cases from almost ten years ago. And there was scant mention in the national media as well. So I will talk about hate crimes, the kind that rarely gets the type of attention they deserve. The following incidents happened in July: Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Marion County, Florida, was set on fire after a man named Steven Anthony Shields (why do they always have three names?) rammed his vehicle into the vestibule and poured gasoline in the foyer; The Church of San Gabriel in Los Angeles caught fire under suspicious circumstances, right before its 250th anniversary; A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which had been set up decades before in honor of World War II veterans was set on fire outside of a Boston church; A similar statue of Mary was vandalized outside of Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in Queens, N.Y. And in June, the statue of Father Junipero Serra was forcibly pulled down from its pedestal in the park bearing his name in Los Angeles. Serro was a Franciscan friar who is credited as the principal architect of the California Mission system when that part of the country was under Spanish colonization. Native Americans have long argued that Serra was behind the forced conversion of indigenous to Catholicism, and that the terms of that conversion were often brutal. While I strongly oppose the removal of that piece of history from its legitimate location, just as I condemn the attacks on statues of Christopher Columbus in Philadelphia and other historical figures, and while I definitely place this trend to cancel the culture we dont like in the category of vandalism, there is an argument to be made that controversial figures can be expected to attract this sort of attention in contentious times. What is not legitimate, what is not acceptable and what is not something that the media should be ignoring with the blithe attitude of what the public doesnt see wont hurt them is the deliberate, obvious, coordinated and (to my mind) condoned attacks on my faith. As someone once told me, anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice. There are those who object to the term anti-Catholicism when it comes to anything that smacks of a hate crime. They prefer the sanitized phrase anti-clericalism, which acts as a form of gaslighting. In other words, if a Catholic such as myself dares to raise the specter of sectarian bigotry, we are generally told that its not the Catholics that people hate, its the people and the policies of the church. This is commonly employed when those self-styled cleric-haters criticize the churchs position on same-sex marriage, or abortion, or most commonly when they want to describe my faith as a training ground for pedophiles. We dont hate Catholics, they say with a straight face. We hate what they stand for. Well I am here to say that when you burn a church to the ground, you are setting me on fire. When you paint vile words on a statue of the Blessed Mother, you are smearing those words onto my own skin. When you throw rocks through the windows of a chapel to destroy the jewel-like stained glass, you are bruising my body. And when you are a member of the media, and you look away as this is happening but make sure to point out every offense perpetrated against every other group that has you as its free P.R. director, you are ignoring my righteous cries and my pain. Just as swastikas painted on tombstones at a Jewish cemetery are evidence of bigotry, and just as the vilification of women in hijabs is bigotry, and just as crosses burning on an African-Americans lawn is bigotry, so is the torching of my spiritual home and the defiling of my mothers image. The difference is that I need to scream louder to get noticed. And that, in and of itself, is the most insidious sort of prejudice. Christine Flowers is an attorney and a columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times and and can be reached at cflowers1961@gmail.com. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Iran Sends Downed Ukrainian Plane's Black Box To France Radio Farda July 18, 2020 Six months after downing an airliner, Iran says that it has sent the aircraft's black box to France on Friday July 17. Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharvand told Etemad newspaper in Tehran on Saturday July 18 that French technicians are going to read the content of the black box on Monday. The Iranian revolutionary Guards IRGC downed a Ukrainian airliner in January, killing all the 176 passengers and crew members on board. During the past months Iran had refused to hand over the black box although its technicians were not able to access its content. Under pressure by the family members of the passengers as well as officials in Ukraine, Canada and several other countries, Iran finally handed over the black box although it had claimed earlier that the equipment was damaged. The claim was made although the videos broadcast earlier showed that the equipment was intact. Iran has still not accused anyone for the downing but has acknowledge that the aircraft was downed due to human error on the part of IRGC operators who fired at least two missile and downed the aircraft. Other countries involved in the case have demanded compensation from the Iranian government. Passengers and crew members from Ukraine, Iran, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan and Canada were on board the downed aircraft. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/30734785.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 RTHK: Covid deaths continue to spike in the US US deaths from the novel coronavirus exceeded 140,000 as cases continued to rise in 43 out of 50 states over the past two weeks. Since late June, the United States has seen a resurgence in new cases and now, six weeks later, deaths have also begun rising, according to a weekly Reuters analysis of state and county data. America is losing about 5,000 people to the virus every week. By contrast, neighbouring Canada has reported total deaths of 8,800 since the pandemic started. Meanwhile Fox News reported that US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has entered a hospital in upstate New York after feeling unwell, Fox News reported. It said Ross was admitted over "minor, non-coronavirus-related issues". A spokesman for the department told Fox that Ross, who is 82, was "doing well and we anticipate his release soon, Fox reported. Fast-rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States, with some patients moved into hallways and nurses working extra shifts to keep up with the surge. Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full, officials said, and the near-constant care they require is overtaxing workers who also are treating more typical ER cases like chest pains, infections, and fractures. In Texas, Dr Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine said the current situation is worse than after Hurricane Harvey, which swamped Houston with floodwaters in 2017. On Saturday, Florida reported more than 10,200 new cases of the virus and 90 additional deaths, while Missouri recorded a pandemic-high 958 new cases in one day. Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million, and deaths rose above 600,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. On Saturday, the World Health Organisation, which also tracks the virus, reported a single-day record of new infections over 259,000 worldwide for the second day in a row. The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be even higher, in part because of shortages in testing and shortcomings in data collection. (Reuters, AP) This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A poll in May by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about half of Americans said they would be willing to get a coronavirus vaccine. One in five said they would refuse and 31% were uncertain. A poll in late June by researchers at the University of Miami found that 22% of white and Latino respondents and 42% of Black respondents said they agreed with this statement: The coronavirus is being used to force a dangerous and unnecessary vaccine on Americans. Calls to defund or even abolish the police are ringing out across the country, sometimes accompanied by violence. The anti-police squads point to cases such as the shooting of Rayshard Brooks during an arrest attempt in Atlanta. On the other hand, a police shooting in Minneapolis three years ago, for which an officer has been tried and convicted, has not drawn the media attention it deserves. In 2017 Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of Australia and the United States, heard a woman being assaulted and called 911. When Minneapolis police arrived, Damond approached their car and officer Mohamed Noor shot her dead. The 40-year-old woman was to be married within a month. Photo credit: Linkedin via The ABC Noor claimed he fired to protect the life of his partner, Matthew Harrity. Three days after the shooting, Harrity claimed he heard a loud bang on the squad car. None of the forensic evidence showed that the victim had even touched the car. The use of force was objectionable, unreasonable and violated police policies and training, expert witness Derrick Hacker testified during the trial in April 2019. No reasonable officer would have perceived a threat by somebody coming up to their squad. Another expert witness, Timothy Longo, who like Hacker has a law-enforcement background, told the court that a string of bad decisions led to the shooting death. I dont believe they were logical or rational at all, Longo explained. This was an unprovoked, violent response. The officers had turned off their body cameras and unholstered their firearms. They also failed to telephone Damond, who had called 911 a second time to check on their arrival. She did nothing wrong, Hacker told the court. Police are approached daily, this happens routinely. Noors attorney, Thomas Plunkett, told the court that what really caused the shooting was the fear that continues to permeate our society. The police are afraid of the people, the people are afraid of the police. The Minneapolis jury didnt buy it and found Noor guilty of third-degree murder. In June 2019 Noor drew 12-and-half years in prison. Supporters claimed the term was excessive, but across the nation that is the average sentence for a cop convicted of a murder committed on duty. In Colorado, James Ashby received a 16-year sentence for killing Jack Jacquez after a confrontation in 2014. Roy Oliver, the Texas officer who shot Jordan Edwards, 15, was sentenced to 15 years. The Somali-born Noor had been on the force for only two years, and his case raises issues of police training, procedure, and discipline. Plenty to see here, but -- no surprise -- national media and politicians neglected the case. In 2019 police killed nine unarmed African-Americans. That same year police killed 19 unarmed whites, and the number of cops killed on duty also outnumbers the unarmed black victims. According to the FBI, 89 law-enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2019, including 48 felonious deaths. In those cases, 40 officers were white, seven were black and one Asian. Offenders used firearms to kill 44 of the 48 victim officers, the FBI explains, including 34 slain with handguns, seven with rifles, and one with a shotgun. If embattled Americans believed that police reform should be based on facts not fantasies, it would be hard to blame them. Police raid Uttara with Shahed in tow; pistol, drugs seized Police have seized a firearm and drugs during a raid in Uttara, taking along Mohammad Shahed, a businessman arrested over a coronavirus test scam and fraudulence. Shahed is accused in two new cases of firearms and narcotics, in addition to charges of embezzling funds from patients through fraudulent practices. The detective police raided the Uttara Janapad intersection with Shahed in tow on Saturday night, said Tapan Kumar Saha, chief of Uttara West Police Station. Police recovered a pistol, bullets, 10 bottles of Phensedyl and five bottles of foreign liquor. Shahed, the chairman of Regent Group, was being hounded by law-enforcement agencies after it emerged that his hospitals swindled thousands of unsuspecting patients out of millions of takas on the pretext of coronavirus treatment. The Rapid Action Battalion sealed off the headquarters and two branches of Regent Hospital in Dhaka. It also initiated a case against 17 people, including Shahed, on charges of issuing fake COVID-19 test reports and other irregularities. Shahed has allegedly embezzled billions by defrauding ordinary people through his microcredit and MLM business. RAB arrested him on Jul 15 in the frontier district of Satkhira a week after his scandal came to light. ACCREDITATION CARD SCRAPPED The government has also scrapped the accreditation card of Shahed, who received the card from the Press Information Department as the editor and publisher of Daily Notun Kagoj. Our policy says that anyone arrested by the law enforcement agencies will have their accreditation cards cancelled, Chief Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarkar told bdnews24.com. His card has been annulled as he has been arrested over a fraud case. Media personnel need to show a separate ID to enter the secretariat while those having their offices inside the secretariat can use their regular ID. The PID issues permanent and temporary ID cards to the media personnel. Permanent cards are valid for three years and temporary cards for a year. A temporary card was issued for Shahed which had validity until Dec 2, Sarkar said. Source: bdnews24.com A photo of an HHI-won LPG carrier is seen in this file photo, Sunday. Korea Times file By Kim Yoo-chul The European Union's antitrust regulator has confirmed that it will restart its thorough probe over the validity of a mega merger deal of two Korean shipbuilders Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings (HHIH). Sources told The Korea Times Sunday that both DSME and HHIH have been notified of the EU regulator's planned resumption of the investigation because they are in the final process of resubmitting required documents for review by the European regulator. "The key concern by the European Commission was that the merger plan, if approved, would reduce competition in various global cargo shipbuilding markets. The central point is that the merger entity will have greater control in the promising liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel market," an official familiar with the issue said, adding HHIH is reviewing a range of options and scenarios for an early approval. "Honestly, chances are quite high that the Commission would grant conditional approval for the proposed merger under which the merged entity may be restricted in terms of expanding shipbuilding capacity," another official said. Given the significance of the cargo shipbuilding industry for the European Union with maritime transport representing a substantial portion of the EU's internal and external freight trade, the EU has been carefully assessing the proposed transaction over whether or not it would have any negative impact on the construction of cargo ships. The commission holds the key in moving forward with the proposed transaction approval in other countries as the EU has the top 10 shipbuilding companies out of the global top 25. Any delay in the EU's investigation process means an additional delay in other countries. HHIH requested five countries Japan, China, Singapore, Korea and Kazakhstan as well as the EU for approval of its proposed transaction. Only Kazakhstan has okayed the plan. HHIH requires approval from all countries. Earlier, following its preliminary market investigation, the commission stated that it has concerns that the proposed merger may remove DSME as an important competitive force in the following markets large containerships, oil tankers, LNG carriers and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. As barriers are high for new entrants in these segments, the EU was worrying that the merger could lead to higher prices, less choice and reduced incentives to innovate. While the transaction was reported to the EU regulator, last year, both DSME and HHIH failed to submit the required documents during the initial probe to possibly address such looming concerns. In January and March, the Commission halted its review of the deal "due to the COVID-19 pandemic." The South Korean duo is believed to have offered concessions to the commission to move forward with the merger review process as its response to such EU's concerns. Company officials declined to elaborate. Regarding the specifics of the restart of the EU's probe on the transaction, both HHIH and DSME officials said they will cooperate with the Commission. HHI earlier inked a deal to acquire a 55.72 percent stake in DSME in an ambitious deal that will see the merged entity control a 21 percent of the global shipbuilding market. HHI Group separated HHI into two entities. If the transaction is approved, HHI Group will have four shipbuilders under its flag including DSME. The Taliban have put the son of the movement's feared founder in charge of their military wing and added several powerful figures to their negotiating team, Taliban officials said. The shake-up, one of the most significant in years, comes ahead of expected talks with Kabul aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan. As head of a newly united military wing, 30-year-old Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob brings his father's fiercely uncompromising reputation to the battlefield. Equally significant is the addition of four members of the insurgent group's leadership council to the 20-member negotiating team, Taliban officials told The Associated Press. The shuffle, overseen by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhunzada, is meant to tighten his control over the movements military and political arms, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the inner workings of the Taliban. Analysts say the shake-up could be good news for negotiations with the Afghan political leadership, and a sign of how seriously the Taliban are taking this second and perhaps most critical step in a deal Washington signed with the insurgents in February. Id say it appears to be a positive development because the Taliban are creating a delegation that seems more senior and more broad-based than theyve used to date, or than might be strictly necessary for the opening stages of talks, said Andrew Wilder, vice president of the Asia Program at the Washington-based U.S. Institute of Peace. If you want to see the glass as half full, this strengthened Taliban delegation could be interpreted as a sign that the group is planning to engage in serious discussions, he said. When the U.S. signed the deal with the Taliban on Feb. 29, after more than a year and a half of negotiations, it was touted as Afghanistans best chance at peace in four decades of war. It was also seen as a road map for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, ending Americas longest war. On Monday, four-and-a-half months since the signing, chief U.S. negotiator and peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted that a key milestone in the implementation of the U.S.-Taliban agreement had been reached as American troop numbers dropped to 8,600 from about 12,000 and five bases were closed in Afghanistan. Even as Khalilzad chastised increased insurgent attacks on Afghan security forces, he said the Taliban had been true to their word not to attack U.S. and NATO troops. No American has lost his/her life in Afghanistan to Taliban violence. Regional relations have improved, he tweeted. The Taliban have stepped up their military activity against Afghan government forces since Yaqoob's appointment in May, a sign the militants under his leadership may see battlefield wins as upping their leverage at the negotiating table. I can see a lot of reasons for the Taliban to be pushing the envelope perhaps as a negotiation tactic, but equally likely as a means to test U.S limits, said Daniel Markey, a senior research professor at Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies. So far, the Trump administration looks like it is heading for the exit, no matter what. Why not ratchet up the violence to see what greater victories can be won? Surprisingly, the shuffle also sidelined senior Taliban leader Amir Khan Muttaqi, removing him from the negotiating committee. Seen as close to neighboring Pakistan, his removal could limit Pakistan's influence and buttress their position with Kabul, which is deeply suspicious of Islamabad. Already a deputy head of the movement, the sudden appointment of the son of Mullah Mohammed Omar as the Taliban military chief reportedly ruffled feathers among members of the leadership council, who had not been consulted. Yaqoob, however, met with the council and won over the dissenters, said the Taliban officials. Yaqoobs appointment appears to be, at least in part, an effort by Mullah Akhundzada to shore up oversight of battlefield operations at a key moment ... as the insurgents ramp up violence to strengthen their negotiating position in preparation for potential peace talks with the Afghan government, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center. In recent weeks, hopes have been raised of a July start to negotiations but the Taliban and the Kabul government have become bogged down in the final release of prisoners, a prerequisite for the start of negotiations. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AP on Friday that the Taliban reject government efforts to substitute prisoners from the originally negotiated list for the exchange. Countries have been lining up to host the talks, with Germany being the latest to put in an offer and Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Japan and Norway reportedly among the nations volunteering. However, the Taliban and Afghan government officials say the first round is likely to be held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. The newly strengthened negotiating team includes Abdul Hakeem, the Taliban's chief justice and confidant of Akhunzada, as well as Maulvi Saqib, who was chief justice during the Taliban rule. Under the U.S.-Taliban deal, the Taliban who during their rule of Afghanistan hosted al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden as he planned the 9/11 attacks have pledged to no longer host any terror groups. They also guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used as a launching arena for future attacks against America. In a tweet this week, Khalilzad said more progress is needed on counter-terrorism, without elaborating. This week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also spoke about the controversy surrounding the White House over reports of Russian money being paid to Afghan militias reportedly with links to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops. Theres a lot of Russian footprint; there are Russian weapon systems there. We have made clear to our Russian counterparts that we ought to work together to get a more sovereign, more independent, peaceful Afghanistan, he said. (AP) The father of a 14-week-old 'miracle baby' died on Saturday after his body was pulled from a lake in Wigan, Greater Manchester following a canoe incident. Mark Hill, 40, was canoeing on Amberswood Lake in Hindley on Saturday afternoon when his canoe overturned and he got into trouble in the water. Emergency services recovered his body after a search of the water. Mr Hill leaves behind his fiance Lisa Heavey and his 14-week old son Corey. The couple struggled to conceive and chose to have IVF treatment in their bid to have a child. Mark Hill (pictured), 40, died on Saturday afternoon following a canoe incident at Amberswood Lake in Wigan, Greater Manchester. He leaves behind a fiance and a 14-week old son (right) described as a 'miracle baby' after two failed attempts of IVF treatment After two failed rounds of IVF, their son was born much to the delight of Mr Hill, who had 'wanted to be a dad for 20 years', according to his family. Tributes poured in from his devastated family members, who praised the 40-year-old's character and personality. Ms Heavey said: 'He was the most loving, kind-hearted, hard-working, gentle man. He was a doting dad. 'Corey meant the world to him, he's our miracle baby. Mark was the best dad he could have asked for. Mr Hill got into some difficulty at Amberswood Lake (pictured) after his canoe overturned in the water 'We've been together nine years, but we've known each other since we were teenagers because we used to be next door neighbours.' His sister Hannah said: 'He was a good man. He was funny, kind, and gentle. 'My heart is shattered into a million pieces. He has left behind so much family that love him dearly - a fiance and 14-week-old miracle son, whom he adored so much.' A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'Shortly after 3.50pm on Saturday 18 July 2020, police were called to reports of concern for a man in Amberswood Lake off Liverpool Road in Wigan. 'Emergency services attended and following a water search, sadly found the body of a man believed to be in his 40s. 'There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a file will be passed to the coroner.' Saturday morning in criminal court in Manhattan, 21-year old Tyrese Devon Haspil was charged with second degree murder, accused in the killing and dismemberment of tech entrepreneur Fahim Saleh, his former boss. Police say the gruesome crime happened Monday afternoon inside Salehs luxury Lower East Side condo at 265 East Houston St. Security video showed someone wearing a black suit, mask and latex gloves following Saleh into a keyed building elevator and then his 7th floor apartment, apparently shooting Saleh with a Taser and stabbing him. Video showed the same man returning the next day with an electric saw, partially dismembering the victim. Haspil, once a student at Hofstra University, was arrested on Friday at an an apartment on Crosby Street in Soho and taken to the 7th Precinct. Investigators believe Haspil had stolen $90,000 from Saleh, who fired him but did not report Haspil to the authorities. Saleh, 33, reportedly offered to set up a payment plan, allowing Haspil to repay the money over a period of time. The NYPDs chief of detectives, Rodney Harrison, explained, Mr. Haspil was Mr. Salehs executive assistant and handled his finances and personal matters. It is also believed that he owed the victim a significant amount of money. Haspil pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. His attorneys released a statement, which read, in part, We urge the public to keep an open mind. There is much more to this narrative than the accusations, an arrest by the police and a charge by the district attorney. A young tech CEOs killing and dismemberment looks like a professional job, a law enforcement official said. Fahim Saleh, 33, was followed into his luxury Manhattan condo by a man dressed all in black, according to the official. https://t.co/c3X4M2Pq4Z The New York Times (@nytimes) July 16, 2020 At first, cops thought the murder could have been a professional hit job. But it soon became apparent that this was the work of an amateur. The criminal complaint asserts that Haspil used a credit card to pay for a car service to take him to Home Depot on 23rd Street and to purchase an electric saw and cleaning supplies. As the New York Times noted, the criminal complaint says hes seen on security camera video making the purchase at 9:30 a.m. Back at the apartment, investigators believe the killers efforts to dismember the body were interrupted by the arrival of Salehs cousin. When she arrived in the condo, the electric saw was still plugged into the wall. Police say Haspil fled through the back exit. Saleh was born in Saudi Arabia to Bangladeshi parents. He grew up near Poughkeepsie and graduated from Bentley University in Massachusetts. He created an app called PrankDial, which became a $10 million business and then founded a motorcycle ride sharing app in Bangladesh, and Gokada, another ride sharing app in Nigeria. He was also co-founder of a venture capital firm in Manhattan. According to public records, Saleh purchased the Lower East Side condo for $2.2 million in the summer of 2019. Salehs family released the following statement: Firstly, thank you for the words of love and support from all over the world for our dear Fahim. We hear them and they are providing us strength during this time. We understand there is a desire to hear from us, but please understand our devastation and our desire to remain private about the most recent developments surrounding this tragedy. We do, however, want to thank the NYPD and all members of law enforcement for their diligence and hard work in providing at least some peace for our family as we get ready to put our dear Fahim to rest. Haspils next court appearance in Aug. 17. Mass rallies continue to rock Russia's Far East as the backlash against the arrest of a local governor rattles the Kremlin. Thousands of people took part in protests across the region, including in Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and Birobidzhan. The fresh rallies come after tens of thousands peacefully demonstrated in the city of Khabarovsk on July 18 to demand the release of Khabarovsk region Governor Sergei Furgal. Despite the protests not being given official permission, no detentions were reported. Organizers put the size of the July 18 protests at some 50,000 people in a city of only 600,000 people. Furgal, who was arrested in Khabarovsk on July 9 and transferred to Moscow, is charged with attempted murder and ordering two murders in 2004-05. On July 16, the Moscow City Court in a closed-door decision upheld Furgal's pretrial detention. The 50-year-old Furgal, who belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, denies the charges, and his supporters say they are politically motivated. Furgal was elected governor of the Khabarovsk region, which borders China, two years ago in an upset for the longtime incumbent, who represented the ruling United Russia party. The continuing protests, far from the Russian capital, are a rare public show of defiance of the Kremlin and come following a controversial nationwide vote that set the stage for President Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. The authorities have been unnerved by the protests, with the regional capital's mayor calling for calm and saying such rallies were illegal and could spread the coronavirus. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) had also warned of an alleged terrorist threat involving explosives, which it claimed to have already foiled. In addition, authorities in Khabarovsk said they were considering a return to strict quarantine in the region and attributed this to the "difficult situation with the spread of coronavirus infection." With reporting by dpa (Newser) When white doctors walked into Camopi, a majority Indigenous town near the border with Brazil, townspeople felt worry instead of relief. With French Guiana facing a wave of coronavirus infections, the AP reports, doctors from the French mainland were there to administer tests and treat the sick. But for residents of the former colony, few of whom have internet or television or knew about COVID-19, the appearance of health workers carried echoes of the arrival of Europeans in South America and the disease and exploitation they brought. "There is still in the minds the time of colonization and the havoc wreaked by viruses brought by colonizers," said a representative of Indigenous communities. "So when they saw white people from the mainland, they made the link." Frances most worrisome virus hot spot is on the northern coast of South America: French Guiana, a territory of about 300,000 people where poverty is rampant and health care is scarce. story continues below Its outbreak has exposed deep economic and racial inequality that residents say leaders in Paris have long ignored. Months after the virus stabilized in mainland France, it grew in French Guiana. More than 6,500 cases have been recorded in the territory, though officials fear the real number is much higher. Hospitals reached capacity in June, and the French military intervened to ferry patients to the French Caribbean island of Martinique. The national government sent 130 reserve health care workers to French Guiana, with more on the way. Local officials decry a lack of concern from the French mainland for a region where more than half the population lives under the national poverty linesome 10% don't have running waterand where it took more than a month to translate the government's COVID-19 guidance into local languages. One of French Guianas two lawmakers in the French legislature said the government dictates decisions, as "in the times of the colonies." He wants that to change. (Read more coronavirus stories.) A spokesman for Mr Hunt told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald his advice on masks had been consistent. "What has changed, and continues to evolve, is the level of community transmission in Victoria, and the need to respond to that." Then on Sunday, Mr Andrews announced wearing a mask while outdoors would be mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, and those who fail to do so could face $200 fines as of Thursday unless they have a reasonable excuse. According to Andrews, it may be reasonable not to wear a mask if a person: is going for a run; has medical issues that make mask-wearing difficult; has a job that is not amenable to mask-wearing; or is a child under 12. Dr Sharma said the official advice on when or if to wear masks is "just the latest incarnation of messages that are late and confusing. Loading Experts in health and emergency communication agree. They say information from the federal and state governments is often muddled, contradictory, and hard for the average person to read and understand. A federal Health Department spokeswoman said monitoring indicated the vast majority of Australians are confident they can recognise the symptoms [of coronavirus] and know how to reduce their risk. But one survey of 4362 Australians from April found 40 per cent could not list three COVID-19 symptoms and 30 per cent could not describe three government-recommended prevention methods. Those numbers were greater for people with poor health literacy. We have to recognise its challenging times for everyone, said Professor Kirsten McCaffery, the director of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab. But I feel like we could do a better job. She cited confusing messages around why schools were staying open. People found it very hard to understand why they should send their kids to school, but not have a family birthday. That undermined peoples understanding of what was going on." Dr Barbara Ryan, chair of Emergency Media and Public Affairs, Australias peak emergency-communication association, said the problem in part stemmed from a decision to have health bureaucrats run COVID-19 messaging rather than emergency communications experts. Health communications is not geared towards an emergency, she said. Its more about covering someones backside. And she criticised federal and state governments decision to use politicians as key spokespeople. Politicians are the least-trusted people, she said. I dont understand why theyd put themselves up as spokesmen in this. Its the trusted people who are going to generate the behaviour change we need in the pandemic. She was also critical of Mr Andrews decision to play the blame game. He told media COVID-19 spread in Victoria partly because people were not taking the virus seriously enough. It is really not helpful to be blaming people, she said. For Dr Sharma, the most confusing message from the Victorian government was recommending everyone wear a mask except those under 18. That advice mirrors scientific evidence showing children are at far lower risk of getting COVID. But for the general public its just confusing, Dr Sharma said. If you have low health literacy, it is 100 per cent impossible for you to figure out if you should be putting a mask on a child or not. The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said it was engaging "with vulnerable communities with face-to-face conversations, on-the-ground translators and messages tailored to specific communities". In a study uploaded to medRxiv two weeks ago but not yet peer reviewed, a team of researchers from University College Cork ran government COVID-19 websites through a tool known as SMOG which quantifies what the academics call a "Simple Measure of Gobbledygook". Loading SMOG measures a websites readability by counting the number of words on the site that have three syllables or more. After putting 30 sentences of the the federal governments COVID website through the tool, it scored 19.1 meaning reading it comfortably needs a university-level education. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the worlds largest aluminium smelter ex-China, today (July 19) launched its first virtual Summer Safety Campaign under the theme Our Safety is in Our Hands. The six-day Summer Safety Campaign aims at encouraging employees and contractors to make the right choices for their Safety and Health as the summer season is in full swing, a statement said. Albas Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali virtually inaugurated the Summer Safety Campaign 2020 with a welcoming address live streamed to the companys management as well as employees and contractors. In his opening address during the launch of the Campaign, Al Baqali said: While Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we operate, keeping safe is a constant choice we -- employees and contractors make in Alba. With the launch of our much-awaited Safety Campaign, we aim to emphasise that Safety dont just happen, but it is the result of our collective efforts as ONE team. Albas Summer Safety Campaign 2020 comprises virtual presentations by the executive management, which will be broadcasted by using virtual platforms in various locations in the plant as well as Safety Walks by the management.-TradeArabia News Service The pants are off now as shorts of multi-coloured hues adorn the nether regions of men. Work from home hasn't been kind to trousers, once the showstoppers in men's attire. With the likes of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet turning the focus solely on the top, the bottom has literally fallen out of the male wardrobe. Yet, just once in a while there's a scare, as when you get up to fetch some papers, only to realize you have been exposed. That lurid pair of shorts or even worse the checkered boxers on display have the potential to bring your own and your company's stock down a few notches. Time then, to bring back the good old dhoti, that four yards of unstitched cloth, apotheosized into a convenient wrap around for men. It is functional, comfortable and makes a fashion statement. Worn with a smart shirt and even a jacket on top, it is equally suitable for lounging in an easy chair as it is to sit upright at the work desk. Since the standard dhoti is almost always white or off white, it can be matched with virtually any shirt. The dhoti dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization and continued to be used throughout Indian history by emperors and commoners alike. Hindu Gods too have mostly been depicted wearing some form of it. Indeed, for a country whose sartorial choices have been influenced by outsiders and invaders like the Persians and the British, the dhoti has been the one constant and quintessentially Indian garment. Even the term dhoti is generally believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word dhauta meaning to cleanse or wash. Over the years, it morphed into various regional avatars like mundu, vesti, dhuti, laacha, chaadra, dhotar, mardaani or pancha. As a visible expression of Indian identity, it was standard wear before and immediately after Independence with men like the erudite Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in his bandh-gala suit over a dhoti or C Rajagopalachari in his white khadi jacket and dhoti, wearing it with pride. In popular culture too, the dhoti conferred dignity and respect on the wearer. Think of the upright schoolmaster of the 1972 N T Rama Rao classic Badi Panthulu or the memorable bade babu of the 1972 Rajesh Khanna-starrer Bawarchi. Paradoxically, with the exit of the British, the dhoti went into hiding to be replaced by the ugly and uncomfortable trousers. Truth be told, pants were never really made for the Indian male with his signature paunch atop mostly short legs making for a rather comical combination. Often it led to the ungainly sight of men constantly hitching up their trousers or sneakily loosening a button for some room to breath. There have been recent attempts to restore the dhoti to its rightful place, around men's waists. Last year, the Tamil Nadu government told its staff to avoid casualwear to work and cleared the dhoti as a reflection of Tamil culture. And this year, on January 6, officials at the Chief Secretariat in Puducherry came to work in veshtis, white shirts and shawls to celebrate the International Dhoti Day. But the dhotis real moment of glory came in 2019 when Abhijit Banerjee, winner of the years Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, wore a white, gold-bordered dhoti in Bengali style paired with a kurta and a bandhgala for the awards ceremony in Stockholm. It should have set off a sartorial revolution in the country, but the Indian corporate executive, conservative to a fault and too inhibited to stand out, stuck to his pant-shirt routine. Till the COVID-19 pandemic stuck. Locked down at home and no longer called upon to show up in formals, it was time to dress down for on-camera meetings. In the bargain, the tie lost its place as did the formal trousers, to be replaced by cargos and bermudas. But the dhoti remains confined to the back of the cupboard, awaiting the return of the ceremonial occasion when it can be aired. She's a judge on MasterChef Australia alongside Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo. And on Sunday, fan favourite Melissa Leong said it's a 'great privilege' to have been the first female judge on the cooking show. In an interview with News Corp Australia, the 38-year-old chef said: 'I think if you're going to be the first female judge ever, then wear it with pride, [and] wear it with confidence.' New role: MasterChef's Melissa Leong (pictured) has said it's a 'great privilege' to be the first female judge on the cooking show on Sunday 'It's a great privilege to be taking this role, for sure,' she continued. Melissa also praised the cooking show for its diversity and said it represents 'modern Australia in the kitchen'. She said: 'MasterChef has always been an incredibly diverse place, when it comes to casting contestants, we have seen so many faces that represent modern Australia in that kitchen. Judges: Melissa is a co-judge on MasterChef Australia alongside Andy Allen (right) and Jock Zonfrillo (left) The celebrity food critic also said 'it's a great honour to be on the judging panel and be a person of colour, because I represent myself, then I represent people who havent seen their faces held in high regard.' Melissa and co-stars Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo replaced veteran judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston on MasterChef in April. The former trio had previously hosted MasterChef for 11 years before being dumped by Channel 10 in July 2019 after reports of a pay dispute. It's over! George Calombaris (centre), Gary Mehigan (left) and Matt Preston (right) previously hosted MasterChef for 11 years before being dumped by Channel 10 in July 2019 after reports of a pay dispute Last month, Melissa told The Weekend Australian she's 'very humbled' by the show's success. According to the publication, the average live-to-air and catch-up audience is 1,105,000 viewers - representing a 45 per cent increase to last year. The food writer and TV personality of Singaporean heritage said: 'Ratings aren't really within our control... (but) it's a wonderful thing to feel that it has resonated with the viewers in Australia and overseas.' Traffic snarls were also reported at Minto Road, Mathura Road, Outer Ring Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road and Ashram Chowk A DTC bus almost submerged at waterlogged Minto Bridge underpass after rains in New Delhi. PTI photo Waterlogging in several areas of the national capital due to heavy rains affected movement of traffic in the city on Sunday, officials said. The Delhi Traffic Police posted alerts on Twitter to inform commuters about waterlogged roads. Delhi received its first spell of heavy rains this morning which inundated low-lying areas. Several stretches where construction work is going on also reported waterlogging. Many residents shared on social media videos and pictures of rainwater gushing into their houses and vehicles wading through waterlogged roads. Traffic slowed down from Azadpur to Mukarba Chowk due to waterlogging near GTK Depot, according to police. Traffic snarls were also reported at Minto Road, Mathura Road, Outer Ring Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road and Ashram Chowk. "Traffic is affected from Yashwant Place to Ashoka Road due to water logging," the Delhi Traffic Police said in a series of alerts posted on Twitter. "Traffic is affected on Ring Road under Dhaula Kuan Flyover, GGP PDR road (both carriageways) and near Mundka Metro station (both carriageways) due to water logging," it said. Movement of traffic has also been affected at W point, Ramcharan Aggarwal Chowk and from Ring Road towards Bhairon Road due to waterlogging, the police informed commuters. According to the Delhi fire department, a bus and two autorickshaws were stuck at the Minto Bridge underpass due to heavy waterlogging. "We received a call around 7:54 AM. Our team reached the spot where a bus and two autorickshaws were stuck due to waterlogging. The driver and the conductor of the bus and an auto driver were safely rescued by our personnel," said Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service. There were no passengers on board the bus, he said. Medha Dutta Yadav By "You have only two daughters. Who will take the family business forward? As relatives questioned her father, five-year-old Vanshika Goenka wondered why she was not good enough for the job. The conversation left a deep impression on me, she confesses. Years later, when Vanshika was working for a company that manufactured sanitary napkins, she realised she was the only woman in the room, working with an all-men team to create a product for women. It suddenly hit me that there were just not enough women in workspaces. I started delving into this skewed ratio. This is what led to the start of Kool Kanya, a woman-oriented community to create the workforce of the future, she smiles. The platform, which started in 2019, is a blend of online and offline women-targeted communities that lend support both emotionally and mentally. It fosters progressive conversations around relevant subjects and focuses on imparting guidance on topics such as upskilling, freelancing, entrepreneurship, financial planning and mental health. We are on a mission to help every woman out there to create a career that she loves. We are also launching a marketplace by the end of this month for independent women professionals and freelancers. The vision is to build the perfect ambition destinationa one-stop solution for everything that has to do with a womans career, says the founder. Currently, a community of 21,000 members and growing, Kool Kanya is a safe space for women to network professionally and ask questions. With the pandemic unleashing financial instability in its wake, the platform is the perfect outlet to sustain and support women who are facing job losses. Women have been able to find solace on our platform during these uncertain times. We have had women who have lost their jobs and have been encouraged to start working on their own businesses with guidance from mentors and peers in the community. "Community members also have access to helpful webinars on topics such as starting a business on Instagram, which are exclusively available to them, Vanshika adds. In fact, with the help of community members across genres, many can also seek help in professional areas such as logo designing, graphic design or content writing. During the pandemic, the platform also started an initiative to support women who are looking for jobs called GetWork 2020. The latest event saw participation from 13 companies across 18 fields and 697 applications. It is our aim to help every woman power her way to her dream career, she signs off. Hong Kong, July 19 : Most of Hong Kongs 180,000 civil servants will work from home next week and the compulsory wearing of masks is being extended to cover public indoor areas, with the city facing a daily high of more than 100 confirmed coronavirus cases, sources said on Sunday. Chief Executive Carrie Lam is expected to announce her latest response to the virus's resurgence in the city with her ministers in the evening, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper. "The government will only provide essential and emergency services, going back to the service level in February," a newspaper report quoted an informed source as saying. Another source said the government was also expected to announce that the compulsory wearing of masks would be extended to cover public spaces indoors. Current regulations impose a requirement to wear masks on public transport. On Saturday, there were 64 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 60 others which were preliminary, with one of the largest clusters found at Tsz Wan Shan in Kowloon. The city's official COVID-19 total on Saturday surged to 1,777 - surpassing the 1,755 infections it recorded during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic in 2003. On Sunday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said that social-distancing measures were likely to be continued. Also on Sunday, a government spokesman insisted that the quarantine exemption for some people entering Hong Kong, including airline and cruise crews, was necessary, after a respiratory medicine expert suspected it had created a loophole to allow asymptomatic cases into the community. The number of NSW police leaving the force for medical reasons has doubled since 2015, sparking concerns about the loss of experienced officers and the morale of police who believe they are increasingly becoming scapegoats for problems that rest mostly out of their control. The government is spending $583 million on recruiting 1500 additional officers over four years. But retention of police is proving difficult, with 648 officers departing the force last year, 303 of them "medically unfit". More than 100 of those officers were ranked at sergeant level or higher, NSW police annual reports reveal. NSW Police Association president Tony King said there were "concerns" about recruitment and retention. "For many officers, the prospect of leaving the force but doing so in a way that they can be financially secure is a major area of concern," Mr King said. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. In August, a robot will begin placing food and drinks on store shelves in Japan. This is a test that the robot's maker hopes will help create a wave of automation in retail stores. Automation is the process of using robots or computers, instead of people, for some jobs. The manufacturer of the robot worker is a Tokyo-based company called Telexistence. Following the test, store operator FamilyMart says it plans to use such robots at 20 stores in and around Tokyo by 2022. One of FamilyMarts competitors is the retail chain Lawson. That company will be testing its first robot in September, according to Telexistence. At first, people will operate the robots from a distance. These operations will continue until the machines artificial intelligence (AI) can learn to copy human-like movements. Jin Tomioka is the robot makers chief executive. He noted how the technology lets people sense and experience places other than where they are. It advances the scope and scale of human existence, he said. The idea, called telexistence, was first proposed around 40 years ago by the companys co-founder, University of Tokyo professor Susumu Tachi. Telexistence calls its robot the Model T, after the famous Ford Motor car. The Ford Model T began the era of mass car use around 100 years ago. The robot looks somewhat like an Australian animal -- a kangaroo. The unusual design is meant to help people feel at ease. Many people feel uneasy around robots that look too human. Escaping factories Robots are still a rare sight in public. They also struggle with simple jobs in unexpected settings. Solving that problem could help businesses in some countries, especially those in rapidly aging Japan, deal with fewer workers. Businesses hit by the coronavirus may also need to operate with fewer people. Since the coronavirus crisis began , hotels, restaurants and even oil companies have contacted Telexistence, Tomioka said. Niki Harada is an official at Japans Restaurant Workers Union. Its difficult to tell now what impact robots might have in restaurants - it could mean fewer people, but it could also create new jobs, Harada said. Although FamilyMart will still need people to control its robots, operators can be anywhere. The operators can also be people who would not normally work in stores, said Tomohiro Kano, a general manager. There are about 1.6 million people in Japan, who for various reasons are not active in the workforce, he said. Takeo Kanade is an AI and robotics scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. Kanade joined Telexistence in February as an adviser. Future telexistence robots could be used in hospitals so doctors could perform operations from a distance, he said. However, he added, it might take another 20 years before robots can work in peoples homes. In order for robots to be really usable at home, he said, we really have to be able to communicate." I'm John Russell. Tim Kelly reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story shelf n. a flat object which is connected to a wall, and on which other objects can be placed retail n. the business of selling things directly to customers for their own use chain n. a group of stores or businesses owned by the same company according adv. as stated by or in artificial intelligence n. the development of computers with the ability to do things that normally require human intelligence scope n. the area that is included in or dealt with by something scale n. the size or level of something especially in comparison to something else era n. a long time or period of history rapidly adj. very quickly impact v. to have a strong effect on someone or something A woman from Nevada was sentenced late June to life in prison without the possibility of parole after she beat her parents to death with a crowbar. The woman also lit their house on fire. According to authorities, the woman went ballistic after her parents caught her sniffing huffing paint in their garage. Double homicide On June 26, the 31-year-old Alexis Alegria was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for killing her father and mother. The victims, 61-year-old Victor Alegria and 58-year-old Jami Alegria were killed in their shared home. According to a statement released by the Washoe County District Attorney's Office, the murderer was heard in bodycam footage and a recorded phone call confessing to killing her father and mother and setting their house on fire to hide the evidence. Authorities who responded to the house fire talked to Alexis, who told them that her parents were still inside the home. The police then noticed a laceration on her lip and blood on her legs and her feet. She claimed that she fell down the stairs while she was fleeing from the burning house. Also Read: Boy from Saudi Died After a Swab Test Stick Broke Inside his Nose After a thorough investigation done by authorities, it was discovered that she intentionally started the fire to hide the murder, as reported to MSN.com Prosecutors said that both the victims caught Alexis huffing paint in their garage. It led to an argument and ended with Alexis beating both her parents to death with a crowbar, she also stabbed her father in the back of his head. The autopsy of Victor and Jami Alegria confirmed that they died from blunt force head trauma and that Victor sustained sharp force injuries to his head. According to the prosecutors, Alexis Alegria had a history of mental illness and that both of her parents had called the cops on her numerous times. Despite her history, she was still found able to stand trial for the murder. Alexis pleaded guilty for the crimes and was sentenced to 5 to 15 years for arson. Her arson sentence will run consecutive to the life sentences that she got for killing her parents. Similar incident In June 2020, an elderly couple from San Antonio, Texas was shot and killed by their daughter. After the murder, the daughter tried to commit suicide. The identity of the daughter was not released by the authorities by according to NEWS4SA, the woman worked at a school in West Texas and she emailed a resignation letter before committing the murder. According to the neighbors of the elderly couple, both of them were very ill and their daughter would visit them often to take care of them. SAPD Chief William McManus said that the daughter called 911 to let the cops know that she killed her parents. By the time that the cops arrived at the home, they discovered the bodies of the 84-year-old man and the 79-year-old woman. Cops also heard another gunshot from the backyard and Chief McManus said that the daughter shot herself. The police rushed her to the hospital. She was in critical condition and was in life support as of June 11. Related Article: Decomposing Body of Unidentified Man Discovered on Roof of McDonald's Branch in New York @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. While the Indian Army and Air Force are fully deployed on the Aksai Chin border, the Indian Navy through its forward posture has ensured that there is no Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy threat in either the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal. According to sources based in Mumbai, Vishakhapatnam and New Delhi, after the June 15 Galwan flare-up, the Indian Navy warships including aircraft carrier and submarines adopted an aggressive posture on both eastern and western seaboard to ward off any Chinese Navy threat to India from Malacca Straits to the Horn of Africa. Also Read: QUAD is ready but no more free lunches for ASEAN on South China Sea The PLA Navy warships using the cover of anti-piracy operations operate between Gwadar, their maintenance and logistics base in Balochistan, to acquired Djibouti Naval base on the mouth of Red Sea. The PLA warships also enter the Indian Ocean through Malacca Straits and operate in the international waters. After the Galwan flare-up in East Ladakh, the Indian Navys forward posture has ensured that three PLA Navy warships have taken to safe waters in Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Djibouti and three other warships have exited through Malacca Straits to home base. A Chinese warship which was entering through Indonesia towards the Indian Ocean also turned back as the Indian forces were fully prepared for any contingency, said a senior commander. Also Read: Apex China Study Group reviews East Ladakh: Key stand-off points record withdrawal The PLA Navy has acquired a string of ports in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran and east Africa to not only contain the Indian Navy but also challenge the presence of US Central Command forces as well as French and British Navy. Beijing has 70 per cent stake in Kyaukpyu port in Myanmar, which sits in the Bay of Bengal, Hambanthota port in South Sri Lanka dominates the Indian Ocean, Gwadar port in Pakistan sits on the mouth of Gulf of Oman and the port of Jask in Iran is located on the edge of Persian Gulf. While the countries in which these ports are may justify the Chinese tie-up due to push by the US, fact is that all these ports have been acquired through huge infusion of cash and muscle. With the PLA Navy moving full speed to acquire blue water navy status, it is only a matter of time that the global trade will be at mercy of the Chinese warships. Also Read: US backs ASEAN on South China Sea, challenges Chinas predatory world view With a clear understanding of the Chinese posture, the Indian national security planners are working towards building of advance landing grounds in some of the 1062 islands under its sovereignty. Rather than buy more aircraft carriers, the Indian plan is to totally upgrade the military facilities in Andaman Nicobar Islands on eastern seaboard as well as Lakshadweep on western seaboard. To counter the Chinese threat, the plan is to have a network of Indian airbases on these islands in both Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal so that freedom of navigation and overflights is maintained and not restricted like in South China Sea. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON OTTAWA - The Canadian Armed Forces has issued new orders to military personnel as senior commanders seek to address allegations of having been soft on hate in the ranks. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 19/7/2020 (549 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Canadian flag patch is shown on a soldier's shoulder in Trenton, Ont., on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014. The Canadian Armed Forces has issued new orders to military personnel as senior commanders seek to address allegations of having been soft on hate in the ranks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg OTTAWA - The Canadian Armed Forces has issued new orders to military personnel as senior commanders seek to address allegations of having been soft on hate in the ranks. The orders, which aim to take a harder line on "hateful conduct," follow a rash of high-profile incidents in which the military was caught flatfooted as service members were publicly linked to hateful actions or groups. "The year before, it was more like a reaction kind of approach," acknowledged Maj.-Gen. Marc Gagne, who oversees strategy, plans and policy within the chief of military personnel's office. "We were reacting to cases." The new direction also comes as the military is actively working to recruit more women, visible minorities and Indigenous people to ensure it reflects Canadian society and is better able to operate in diverse theatres. The new order aims to leave no doubt about what constitutes "hateful conduct" by banning anything words, images or symbols that encourages, justifies or promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups. That includes discrimination based on nationality or ethnic background, race, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or disability. "We were talking about different forms of misconduct: sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination," Gagne said. "But 'hateful conduct' was never clearly articulated. ... We broke new ground by developing this definition." Troops are required to report any and all incidents while military commanders are expected to take action when incidents are brought to their attention. All have been warned that they will be held to account if they do not. A database has also been created to track such incidents, based on the system created to monitor sexual misconduct in the ranks. New training for troops and screening for recruits is being developed. "The idea is basically as soon as you join, it's crystal-clear and we're going to keep reinforcing through education and training as you move through the ranks and as you assume more responsibility," Gagne said. Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, described the new orders and definition as a positive and long overdue step. But he said only time will tell whether the military follows through in addressing hate in the ranks. "Right now, these are just words," he said. "They are good words ... But too often in the past, when they investigated, it has really only resulted to the best of our knowledge in a slap on the wrist. What we need to see from the Canadian Armed Forces is they take meaningful actions." The new approach follows a number of incidents in recent years in which the military has been accused of not doing enough to root out hate from the ranks. Those incidents have ranged from sailors associated with the Proud Boys group disrupting a Mi'kmaq ceremony in Halifax in 2017 to the case of a Manitoba army reservist who was accused of being a recruiter for a neo-Nazi group. Patrik Mathews is currently in custody in the U.S. with two other men after disappearing from his home in Beausejour. The FBI have accused them of plotting to start a race war on behalf of The Base, a white-supremacist group. Senior commanders also faced months of questions and criticism after a military intelligence report in 2018 identified 30 service members as belonging to hate groups or having otherwise made discriminatory or racist statements. The Armed Forces eventually reported in November that 16 of those members had been warned, disciplined or ordered to take counselling but allowed to stay in uniform. A number of other cases were described as "ongoing." It also comes amid concerns about systemic racism within the military, RCMP and other government institutions. Chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance and Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas last month apologized for their slow response to questions about systemic racism. Service members have been told that more detailed policies and orders on systemic racism are coming soon. Gagne said the new orders are just the first step in a much longer effort to change attitudes within the Armed Forces and ensure the military is leading by example when it comes to hate. "To change culture, to change group dynamics, to change or modify perceptions and beliefs will take time," he said "But we had to take action. Somebody may think this is a one-off. But those little one-offs could erode the institution." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2020. A $1,000 donation to the Coins for Alzheimers Trust. The CART Fund provides funds for cutting edge research to cure Alzheimers disease. CART started in 1996 with Rotarians voluntarily emptying their pockets and purses of change at weekly meetings. The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide seed money for cutting-edge, high-impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimers disease. A $1,000 donation to Polio Plus. The goal of the Polio Plus program is the global certification of polio eradication. By eradication, WHO, the Global Commission on Certification and Rotary mean the interruption of transmission of the wild poliovirus. All these contributions were made possible by the Rotary Club of Hickorys successful fundraising activities, highlighted annually by the Rotarian Idol fundraiser. The 2020 contest was postponed due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and will be rescheduled at a later date when public health and safety allows large gatherings. Flash World Bank Group President David Malpass on Saturday urged the Group of 20 (G20) countries to extend the time frame of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative through the end of 2021, calling it one of the key factors in strengthening global recovery. "I urge you to extend the time frame of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) through end 2021 and commit to give the initiative as broad a scope as possible," Malpass made the remarks at the virtual G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, according to a statement. "We've made a great deal of progress with DSSI in a short period of time, but more needs to be done," said the World Bank chief. Malpass said that the pandemic has triggered the "deepest global recession in decades," and what may turn out to be "one of the most unequal" in terms of impact. "For the poorest countries, poverty is rising rapidly, median incomes are falling, and growth is deeply negative," he said. "Debt burdens -- already unsustainable for many countries -- are rising to crisis levels." Even with these immediate steps -- a longer suspension of debt payments, a DSSI scope that includes more debt and more official bilateral creditors, participation by commercial creditors and the World Bank's large positive net flows -- many of the poorest countries won't be able to make the resulting debt burdens sustainable in the medium term, Malpass noted. "The economic repercussions from the pandemic are expected to inflict lasting scars on growth through lower investment, erosion of human capital, and the retreat from global trade and supply linkages," he warned. The World Bank president urged the G20 to "open the door to consultations" about the debt overhang itself and effective ways to reduce the net present value of both official bilateral and commercial debt for the poorest countries. He noted that the debt resolution process should be improved. "Looking longer term, creditors' rights frequently take precedence over the people in the debtor countries, adding to the difficulty of debt resolutions," he said. "The international community needs to recognize this imbalance if we are going to achieve effective debt resolutions or adjust the process in a way that encourages good outcomes." Malpass also highlighted the importance of debt transparency, noting that creditors need to fully assess the debt sustainability of their potential borrowers, citizens need to be able to evaluate their leaders for the debt they take on, and borrowers need to design strategies based on a clear understanding of their debt. A country that was war torn till the first half of last century, has now occupied territories of more than half a dozen bordering countries. Chinese President Xi Jinping has added to the Chinese desperation of expansionism and the great Maoist dream of conquering the whole world. The current standoff at LAC is at another sinister attempt of furthering that expansionist agenda. Under the sinification policy, Xi Jinping is leading the systematic efforts to eliminate minority identities and alienate minority provinces along borders. Look at what they have done to minority provinces of Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang) to eliminate ethnic identities. Jinping and the Politburo standing Committee have been stressing the need of four identifications, among the ethnic minorities: identification with the motherland; the Chinese nation, Chinese culture; and the socialist road with Chinese characteristics. Under the Jinpings regime, a number of fast-track initiatives were introduced after the demography of Tibet and East Turkestan, eliminating ethnic and religious cultures. The Chinese push for assimilation got intensified and accelerated after the Second Xinjiang Work Forum held in Beijing on 28-29, May 2014 attended by over 300 top Party officials and the entire Politburo. It was decided to strengthen the Party structure in minority dominated regions and to accelerate inter-regional migration, besides other measures. In the same year, the Qiemo county in East Turkestan came up with a policy to promote inter-ethnic marriages by offering 10,000 RMB per year to inner-ethnic couples for five years, along with other social security benefits. Policies of promoting such marriages have backfired as minorities perceive. These steps are attempts to attack the region's unique culture and identity. In order to ensure authoritative control over these minority provinces, it has ensured a rapid influx of Hans in Tibet and East Turkestan. In Tibet, the magnitude of the influx is so massive, that Hans have outnumbered ethnic Buddhists. Similarly, Hans and other ethnic communities are outnumbering Uighurs and Turkic communities in East Turkestan, especially along the border areas. Human rights have taken a backseat in minority provinces after the coronation of Of Jinping. 197 people died in the 2009 violence and the number of deaths in 2013 and 2014 were 110 and 308, respectively. The September 2015 attack in the Aksu region resulted in the loss of at least 50 lives. Similarly More than 129 cases of self-immolation by Tibetan Buddhist have come to light after 2011 and numerous religious and liberation leaders have been arbitrarily detained. To suppress dissidents ,China has relied on deployment of surveillance technologies at massive scales. Citizens in both the territories are compelled to install a surveillance app - Jingwangweishi, which tracks and monitors them real time. Besides tracking, it also monitors employment status .Transport used, religious places visited. China has also used East Turkestan to implement its infamous facial recognition technology ,before it was implemented to pan China. China establishments have been holding the process of Arabisation as the reason behind disconnection amongst the Islamic communities in East Turkestan. The practice of Islamic rituals and customs like Hajj and Madrassa education began to be identified as extremism. The first wave of Muslim genocide erupted in 1980s, in which Islamic leaders and preachers were identified, targeted, and murdered in deadly riots. The same wave of murdering Muslims revamped in 2009 and is continued till today, eliminating all religious leaders. Minorities have not only been marginalized religiously, but socially and culturally as well. The Uighur community has been made a Pariah in the entire communist nation. This observation is magnified in Hans hotels of East Turkestan, where Uighur are not allowed to stay or eat. Recently, the government issued a notification, banning 29 names for Uighur kids that were considered too Islamic or non-Chinese. In another such attempt to eliminate the Uighur identity, the government banned burqa in public places, terming it non-local attire. This gives a sense that everything that relates to symbols of dominant communities like Hans and conforms to the ideas of the Party is local, patriotic, and institutionally acceptable. Everything else is external, seditious and institutionally prohibited. Patriotic religious education which Jinping connotes as legal channels for religious people, is eliminating Uighur identity and Islamic customary practices through detention camps disguised as schools and training centers .Such schools are mushrooming all over East Turkestan and Tibet. The idea was initiated in 1996 and is also largely responsible for appointments in religious institutions. It appoints only those monks and imams who have been trained in government run mosques and monasteries and have received government sanction. Similarly, in Tibet, trainees and detainees in patriotic religious schools denounce His Holiness Dalai Lama and made to recognize Chinese government appointed Panchen Lama as a true religious leader of Tibet.There are numerous instances ,where in Buddhist monks had to trample the picture of the Dalai Lama under there foot to immunize themselves against the Chinese torture. Many believe that numerous cases of self immolation by Tibetans are consequences of the imposition of such a repressive model of education. To cope up with the dissident and unrest, China has also been exponentially increasing its internal security budget, which surpassed its national defense budget in 2011. The trend kept continuing in the subsequent years. As a consequence of the 2009 Urumgi riots, the budget for public security apparatus was raised from 1.54 billion RMB to 2.89 in RMB marking a huge increase of 90 percent! Further, the XUAR government doubled its public security bureau budget in 2014 to two million RMB. East Turkestan consists of more than 30 percent of crude oil and more than 40 percent of coal reserves of China, which has been rigorously exploited by the Chinese government to the benefit of its economy. Any form of instability in the province would mean hindrance to such exploitation. Consequently, in the aftermath of the 2009 anti-Uighur pogrom, China started infusing capital and introduced a series of corporate reforms in East Turkestan. It also came up with projects like setting-up of SEZs near Kashgar and in the border towns of Alataw and Kogras. These were perhaps additional efforts to strengthen Chinese position along the border areas. What a brilliant way of killing two birds with one stone! Tibet is another mineral and energy rich territory within China. To counter the liberation movement, the Chinese government plans to invest USD 81 billion exclusively on connectivity and infrastructure projects. Both the provinces are of utmost strategic significance to China as their occupation awarded its boundaries with South Asian nations as well as provided access to numerous trade routes. Hence investments on infrastructure projects in these two territories reflect the Chinese desire of expansionism by strengthening its hold in territories with international borders. Moving ahead from East Turkestan and Tibet, China has managed to travel till Indias border. We cannot keep acting like frightened Ostriches burying their heads in sand to escape from reality. We need to implement multi level policy changes regarding our border areas. Through development of connectivity and infrastructure projects, India should ensure that local population along the bordering villages are empowered, well connected and sustainably inhabited. We also need to pump in more investments in bordering regions in India to promote inter-state businesses and connections. Similarly, we also need to preserve local identities, popularize local culture and promote local markets of bordering areas to motivate and equip our front-end and full-time defenders. When the COVID-19 pandemic began to make its way to the U.S. in early March, the staff of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association immediately went into planning mode. How would we operate if we werent able to meet, learn and practice music, and rehearse for our upcoming spring performances? In-person collaboration is vital to making music, and the prospect of not meeting in person was completely foreign to us, and to our students. Yet it became a reality in early March, when New Mexicos government mandated that all schools must transition to an online environment. This state of emergency, reminiscent of an outlandish sci-fi novel, rendered all events cancelled until further notice. Stay-at-home orders had everyone sheltering in place with little to no contact with the outside world. As music educators, we had to leap into learning new technology, practically overnight. Our entire community of more than 300 students and instructors began taking advantage of such online meeting platforms as Zoom and Google Meets. The sounds of music stands being set up were replaced by notification bells of students entering a virtual meeting room hosted by an ensemble conductor. Everyone had to step up. Our students committed to doing their utmost to attend every rehearsal. Our instructors and conductors, rather than preparing to wind down for the summer, began exploring new ways to engage with their students. Our symphony orchestra conductor set aside nearly 33 hours of his own time to spend 30 minutes with each of his 65 students in order to find out how they were doing and explore how he could help work with them through any trouble spots. Our mariachi director took his voice lessons from the classroom to one-on-one instruction and found that his students lost their inhibitions when not singing in front of their peers. Our elementary strings director challenged her students some as young as 6 to compose their own music. Students in the jazz and orchestra ensembles alike recorded individual tracks and brought them together for combined virtual experiences. For their end-of-season project, all 65 musicians of SFYSAs most advanced orchestra, the youth symphony orchestra, recorded themselves playing a piece that staff and conductors compiled into a video that allowed all the parts to come together audiovisually. These performances and more will be on display over the weekend of July 17-19 when SFYSA holds its first virtual concert, which celebrates the music of marginalized composers. And through this strange, but amazing, period, we managed to pull off something almost unimaginable: We held every rehearsal, as scheduled. In a time when most school teachers reported significant drop-off rates among their students particularly the youngest SFYSA students navigated these new virtual worlds so they could stay connected to their music, and to each other. Not only do they get to continue learning and growing together, but also they encourage and lift each other up during their online sessions, and beyond. This experience has confirmed for all of us just how very vital, uplifting and, indeed, critical music is to our students well-being during this uncertain time in the world. As Youth Symphony Orchestra conductor William Waag said, They are delighted to see each other when they log on. And continuing to have a reason to practice and prepare music gives them something creative to focus on and a connection to almost normal. The uncertainty around the pandemic continues. But what is certain is that music remains a creative outlet, a balm for the soul, and the best possible way for our students to stay connected and move forward as musicians. Andrea Cassutt is executive director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association (SFSYA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing its community together through youth music education. Democrat-run Portland has given complete license to Black Lives Matter and Antifa, allowing increasingly violent protests that cause tens of millions of dollars in damage. When the mob eventually began to attack federal property and stated their intention to overthrow the U.S. system, the Department of Homeland Security sent in Customs and Border Patrol officers to arrest people violating the law. Antifa and the mob called what was happening fascist. It was to be expected that Portlands mayor would echo this, but its disgusting that Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in America, would also call CBP officers stormtroopers. Monica Showalter has already described the violence and destruction on Portlands streets, as well as the way the Portland mayor and Oregon (both Democrats) nastily refused to accept Trumps offer of federal police aid, so I wont repeat that here. [UPDATE: In a bad Freudian moment, because Andy Ngo reports from Portland, I looked at the following tweet and mentally substituted Portland for "Chicago." I'm leaving the video here because it shows what Antifa is doing all across America.] Its sufficient to say the violence is escalating: Air footage showing the onslaught of projectile weapons and explosives thrown at police in Chicago who were protecting a Columbus statue yesterday. What stands out to me is the organized brigade of black bloc militants using umbrellas as cover. pic.twitter.com/CBwoyB4jBz Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 18, 2020 The mob is also explicit that it isnt seeking reform; instead, its wildly applauded goal, stated by an afro-indigenous, non-binary local organizer, so you know she means it, is to overthrow the government of the United States: 1863 Abraham Lincoln: Four score and seven years ago.... 2020 Lilith Sinclair: "I'm an afro-indigenous non-binary local organizer." Quentiam Dominus (@QuentiamD) July 18, 2020 As part of its revolution, the mob deliberately destroyed federal property: HAPPENING NOW: Antifa are currently vandalizing the Court House and attempting to bait the Federal Police outside here in Portland pic.twitter.com/M8sxLAicgZ Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) July 13, 2020 Chad Wolf, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, properly concluded that neither the governor nor the mayor has the power to prevent the United States government from acting against revolutionaries destroying federal property and determined to overthrow the United States. Wolf, therefore, sent Customs and Border Patrol law enforcement officers (who serve under DHS) to Portland. Antifa., which has partnered with Black Lives Matter, promptly waged all-out warfare against the CBP officers: Antifa losers in Portland were trying to mess with/ambush officers. Messed with the bull, got the horns. And the one guy's laughter gives me strength lmao. pic.twitter.com/lGZpfVAVQP L (@SomeBitchIKnow) July 17, 2020 When the officers succeeded in arresting mob members, leftists launched a conspiracy theory: Illegal detention. Snatching people off the streets of Portland in unmarked cars. No arrests, no charges. Just kidnapping. #Trump's fascist state policing. pic.twitter.com/qSZ3jBlxud Lee Saunders (@LeeSaunders72) July 17, 2020 Law professor Jonathan Turley had to remind people that its legal for federal officers to protect federal property and arrest people trying to overthrow the government: As a legal matter, Portland cannot force the federal officers out of Portland or prevent arrests for federal offenses. This is the other side of federalism. The federal government has jurisdiction in the protection of federal buildings and the arrest of suspects in federal crimes Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) July 18, 2020 Mark Morgan, the Senior Office Performing the Duties of the Commissioner of CBP, also made it clear that the federal law enforcement officers were properly identified but had to hide their names to prevent Antifa doxing: Our personnel are clearly marked as federal LEOs & have unique identifiers. You will not see names on their uniforms b/c these same violent criminals use this information to target them & their families, putting both at risk. As Acting Commissioner, I will not let that happen! CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) July 17, 2020 Despite all this destruction of federal property, the announced intention to overthrow the U.S., and the doxing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a federal elected officer, misrepresented the violence as free speech and called federal police Trumps stormtroopers: First Amendment speech should never be met with one-sided violence from federal agents acting as Trumps secret police, especially when unidentified. This is disgraceful behavior we would expect from a banana republic not the government of the United States. Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 18, 2020 Both Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Dan Crenshaw sharply rebuked Pelosi: Cops are not stormtroopers. Arrests are not kidnappings. ANTIFA terrorists are not protestors. Dems are making the cynical political decision to stand with violent criminals trying to destroy America. https://t.co/Noib5l4HrX Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 18, 2020 Graffiti? What a lie. See this link for actual arrest info.https://t.co/oa7wg9ZeJP Democrats are openly accepting mob violence, while disparaging law enforcement as stormtroopers. Share this. Americans must understand that voting Democrat is a vote against safety and order. https://t.co/R3UofDi4TE Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) July 18, 2020 If you needed a reminder that the revolution going on here is one in which the grossly misnamed American elite is encouraging civil breakdown to revolt against you, all you need to do is look at the tweet from Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in America. Image: Twitter screengrab After six crazy seasons, Empire, FOXs musical drama, ended. The decision to end Empire appeared to be related to Jussie Smolletts off-camera drama. Fans felt the show did not get its proper end. Nevertheless, all major stars of the show, sans Smollett, were part of the finale, including Serayah, who starred as Tiana. The role of Tiana was initally offered to Ryan Destiny. Destiny later accepted the role in another musical drama on the same network. Empire cast | FOX Image Collection via Getty Images Ryan Destiny was offered the role of Tiana on Empire Destiny has been performing since she was 12-years-old. The Detroit, Michigan natives first taste of fame was attending the red carpet premiere of Justin Biebers Never Say Never documentary. Destiny won a singing competition, with her grand prize to appear on the red carpet. Destiny continued performing and she auditioned for Americas Got Talent. She met one of her future group members on the show and later debuted as part of a trio with Love Dollhouse. The group signed to All Def Records under a partnership deal with music mogul, Russell Simmons, and released a single. Love Dollhouse disbanded in 2015 and Destiny set her sights on solo stardom. Source: YouTube She eventually caught the eye of director Lee Daniels, who offered her the role of Tiana in his FOX musical drama, Empire. Destiny was signed to a record deal with Capitol Records at the time. The label refused to allow her to participate in the series. Destiny told The New York Post in a 2017 interview that she was distraught over not being able to take the part. I had originally gotten a part on Empire to play Tianna, but because of previous [contractual commitments] it didnt go through, she said. I was devastated, because when [Empire] came out and broke all those [ratings] records, it hurt. That was supposed to be me, but it was all in Gods timing. The role of Tiana on Empire went to Serayah Tiana was portrayed by another rising talent, Serayah. Serayah starred on the show for the entire series run and had a number of songs released as part of the official show soundtrack each season. Empire marked her first major acting role. Destiny later admitted that she was happy Serayah landed the role in her place. Serayah McNeill was definitely the perfect person for that role, she told The New York Post. The character Tiana was a central figure on the show. She was one of Empire Records best talents and also entangled in an on-again-off-again relationship with Hakeem Lyon. Tiana and Hakeem eventually marry and have a child together, with Tiana also helping to raise Hakeems daughter from another relationship. By the end of the show, Tiana and Hakeem split. Ryan Destiny landed a role on another popular FOX musical drama Despite Destiny losing the role on Empire, Daniels was so impressed with her talent that he scooped her up for another FOX musical drama. Star chronicled the humble beginnings and rising careers of a girl group. Destiny starred as Alex. Source: YouTube Aside from music, Alex has her fair share of love triangles. She is in an up and down relationship with Derek and also finds herself in the arms of an industry guy. She often has tense arguments with her group members as well. The show lasted for three seasons before its cancelation in 2019. Its rumored that the show will have a finale in the form of a movie. Destiny now stars on Grown-ish on Freeform. President Barack Obama headed inside the Capitol for the traditional bipartisan luncheon that follows every inauguration when someone handed him a copy of their ticket to the history-making event and asked for his autograph. "It's because of you, John," the first black American president wrote to Rep. John Lewis on Jan. 20, 2009. Lewis, who died Friday night after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer, had that kind of moral clout in a Capitol that increasingly lacks a true compass. The words "civil rights icon" became synonymous with Lewis over his nearly 34 years in Congress, always harking back to his days leading marches in the 1960s as a top lieutenant in the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s team. Lewis harnessed his own history, beaten by state troopers in Selma, Ala., as he and other peaceful protesters tried to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and turned it into a moral calling on Capitol Hill. Every year, he led dozens of members of Congress to a weekend pilgrimage to Selma that served as an educational retreat to learn of the civil rights struggle and culminated with a soul-replenishing trip with Lewis across the bridge where he had nearly died in 1965. For the 50th anniversary, Lewis marched with then-President Obama on one side of the span while former president George W. Bush marched on the other side. Five years later, on an early Sunday morning in June, Lewis appeared on 16th Street in Washington just outside the White House. He stood alongside D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who had just ordered the street to be painted with the words "Black Lives Matter." They inspected the scene where protesters had been dispersed with tear gas to clear Lafayette Square before President Donald Trump could walk to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church to stage a photo opportunity, a scene that was all too familiar in Lewis's youth. Cancer treatments had left him frail, and he required a cane to get around. A few days earlier, he had told his Democratic colleagues that the image of George Floyd's death in police custody and the ensuing protests hurt him deeply, because he had thought America had moved past such moments. "It's been hard and difficult for me. I've cried, I've prayed," Lewis told Democrats on the conference call, according to the notes of a participant. Lewis was not seen in public again, a missing voice for a moment so suited to his life experience. "John answered brutal violence with courageous hope. And throughout his career as a civil rights leader and public servant, he worked to make our country a more perfect union," Bush said in a statement Saturday. The former president never mentioned Trump, but his final sentence made clear he is more comfortable with Lewis's tactics than the current president's. "America can best honor John's memory by continuing his journey toward liberty and justice for all," Bush said. Obama published an essay Saturday that reminisced about their final private talk in early June, after the lawmaker and former president had held a virtual town hall with young activists. Lewis told Obama how inspiring the group was. "I told him that all those young people - of every race, from every background and gender and sexual orientation - they were his children. They had learned from his example, even if they didn't know it," Obama wrote. Through his biography and his own charm, Lewis cast the type of long shadow that every president - until Trump - felt comfortable sitting under. When Ronald Reagan signed the 1988 law banning housing discrimination, he singled out first-term Rep. Lewis for special praise for bringing "us one step closer to realizing Martin Luther King's dream.'' Bill Clinton, appearing in a new documentary about Lewis, essentially apologized for the 1994 crime bill that Lewis opposed because of its strict death penalty provisions. "The older I've gotten, the closer I've come to his position. And maybe what we need is a little more reconciliation and rebuilding," Clinton told the filmmakers of "John Lewis: Good Trouble." Bush drew a direct line from the Edmund Pettus Bridge to Lyndon B. Johnson signing the first Voting Rights Act in 1965 - a connection he highlighted when he signed a rewrite of the historic law in 2006. "In a little more than a year after Selma, a newly enfranchised black community used their power at the ballot box to help defeat the sheriff who had sent men with whips and clubs to the Edmund Pettus Bridge on that bloody Sunday," Bush said then. In 2011, Obama draped the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, around Lewis's neck. Despite his reverend-like demeanor, Lewis knew how to play political hardball if it meant advancing his cause. In 2008, Lewis accused Obama's opponent, then-Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., of running a campaign that was creating a racially charged atmosphere that could lead to violence. A decade later, McCain admitted that he was still bitter that someone he considered a "personal hero" had lodged such a charge. "I couldn't believe it, and I couldn't forgive it. I still can't," McCain wrote in "The Restless Wave," a memoir released three months before his own death from cancer in 2018. In 1986, Lewis ran against one of his closest friends, Julian Bond, in the Democratic primary for the House seat that Lewis would hold for more than three decades. They had helped run the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s, then both settled in Atlanta when they shifted from activism to politics. Lewis publicly challenged Bond to take a drug test, a racially charged move that Bond believed helped send white voters to Lewis's side for a narrow victory. During Obama's 2008 campaign, Lewis, then in his late 60s, initially rejected Obama and instead endorsed Hillary Clinton, part of a generational divide within the Congressional Black Caucus in which older members doubted that America would elect a young black man president. For only the second time ever, Lewis drew a primary challenge based on his support of Clinton - and three weeks after Obama defeated her by a more than 2-1 margin in Georgia, Lewis switched sides and endorsed the future president. He won his primary that summer with less than 70% of the vote. On Aug. 28, 2008, the night Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, on the 45h anniversary of the March on Washington, which Lewis helped organize, he walked through the Denver stadium trying to find his seat, coming across then-Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who had been an early Obama supporter. Lewis and the son of the civil rights activist hugged, never saying a word, just weeping, over the history they were about to witness. "It was a very moving day for him and myself. We didn't need to speak in a verbal way," Lewis recalled of that moment in a 2012 interview. A week before Trump was sworn in, Lewis made clear that he wanted nothing resembling the warm bonds he shared with the first five presidents he served alongside in Congress. He declared Trump not "a legitimate president" because of Russian interference in the 2016 race, and Lewis led a boycott of several dozen Democrats of that inauguration. Lewis knew when to choose activism and when to use restraint. In 2016, after a massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., some rank-and-file Democrats wanted to stage a sit-in to demand House GOP leaders vote on gun violence bills - so they went to Lewis, whose imprimatur turned the idea into a movement. But in 2019, once the Democrats had reclaimed the House majority, Lewis joined a group of younger House Democrats who marched to the Senate and sat on the back benches in a silent protest over GOP demands for border security funds. They planned to erupt in protest and yell "shame on you" at Senate Republicans, a move that Lewis realized would only have antagonized their counterparts. "That's not how we do this," Lewis told the younger Democrats, according to Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who recounted the story for "Good Trouble." That documentary, filmed in 2018 and 2019 and released in early July, serves as Lewis's final words on an extraordinary life. He grew emotional as he held the official 2009 Obama inaugural program, explaining how he felt when he was declared the winner. "Oh, I cried, I cried uncontrollably. I jumped so high and started crying. I didn't think my feet were going to touch the ground. I cried," Lewis told the filmmakers. At Obama's second inauguration, the president found his older friend and let him know how he felt about him. "It's still because of you, John," Obama told Lewis. Then Lewis looked in the camera and shared his thought about Trump's presidency. "Makes me feel like crying again," Lewis said. Gurbir Singh By Some European nations, and even those in the East, have been remarkably successful in flattening the corona curve, and have clawed their way back to some degree of economic normalcy. Domestic and international flights have been resumed and so has limited levels of tourism. On the other hand, the US and India seem to be united in breaking all records in their inability to control the pandemic.Both have been anxious to open up the economy, and in the process, they have either triggered new hotspots, or those areas that showed flattening of caseloads, have regressed once again. This new wave of frightening levels of Covid-19 infections now threaten to cancel the first baby steps of economic revival. The earlier relatively unaffected US states of California, Texas, Florida and Arizona, which opened up, are now showing a huge spike in Covid-19 cases with ICUs and hospitals running out of beds. On Thursday, 77,000 new cases were reported, the highest daily jump so far. In India, as we approach another weekend, the health ministry has reminded us that we have joined the unflattering company of the US and Brazil of surpassing the one-million milestone of confirmed infections; and with a record 34,956 new cases in the last 24 hours on Friday morning. OPEN AND SHUT As Mumbai gains some control over the galloping pandemic, and has reduced deaths to less than 100 a day, the virus has gripped the outer Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). As Maharashtra began opening up from June 3 for Mission Begin Again and people started travelling to work, a huge spike of fresh cases was noticed in distant suburbs like Panvel and Kalyan-Dombivili. Now, all the nine municipal corporations, excluding Mumbai, are in lockdown mode again for the past week. Pune, which saw the start of the pandemic in India, is again back with a spike reporting nearly 25,000 cases till last weekend. A 10-day lockdown has been imposed and the municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad, who favoured opening up, has been sacked. Bengaluru too, till recently was a study of exemplary handling of the infection; and then the city began opening up and the spike started with over 2,000 fresh cases being reported every day. Now its in lockdown again. These fresh rounds of lockdown have got the political class in Delhi worried. It is estimated that, despite all talk of opening up, as much as one-third of the population is back in lockdown shelving all plans for revival.For instance, rating agency ICRA, which had earlier estimated GDP contraction for FY2021 at five per cent, has revised its forecast to a 9.5 per contraction based on the spate of localised lockdowns in some states and cities, arresting the nascent recovery. The Nomura India Business Resumption Index, a weekly rating of power demand, labour participation, etc, fell to 66.8 for the week ended July 12 from 70.5 in the earlier week. The index shows the difficulty being faced by companies to restart, leading to slowing of power demand. FINANCIAL CRISIS COMING Economists and bankers have also been warning of a huge financial crisis exploding threatening any recovery process. Former Reserve Bank (RBI) Governor, Raghuram Rajan, at a recent conclave emphasised that the pandemic had so deeply damaged the economy that it cannot be thought of as a normal recession. Households are going to be deeply starved with very low reserves. It is hard to imagine that many of them will start consuming after the initial bout of pent up consumption, he said. The main impact is going to be on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the foundation of the economy. With the pandemic, a significant portion will not survive. The former RBI chief, speaking at an event of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), predicted banks were heading into an unprecedented rise in bad debts, and that their non-performing assets (NPAs) are going to be at unmanageable levels in six months from now. The conclave also saw a presentation by Prachi Mishra, chief India economist at Goldman Sachs, who argued that the fiscal support claimed by the government to be 10 per cent of the countrys GDP or Rs 20 lakh crore, was hugely overestimated. The math showed it was actually 1.8 per cent of GDP or Rs 3.6 lakh crore, lower than not only advanced economies, but many emerging market economies as well.Theres no quick fix to business units going bankrupt and folding up, but what the central and state governments can do is not to impose lockdowns indiscriminately and widely. Clusters of Covid infections can be detected, and those areas isolated. Localised action is needed rather than mass lockdown to serve the economy better. We have to balance containment of the virus with opening the economy if millions are not to be driven to starvation. Ellen DeGeneres is in deep, deep trouble, and it might be too late for her to do anything. Ellen DeGeneres' Canceled The popular host and comedian has been in the headlines in recent months after several accusations about her personality surfaced online. Ellen has been described as a rude and mean personality who is the complete of opposite of the image she projects online. In fact, according to her former bodyguard Tom Majercak , DeGeneres was "very cold" and "kind of demeaning" when he worked for the host and her family during the 86th Academy Awards. Moreover, YouTuber Nikkie de Jager -- more popularly known as NikkieTutorials -- exposed "The Ellen DeGeneres" show for their less than welcoming accomodation of her when she was invited as a guest back in January 2020. "Call me naive, but I kind of expected to be welcomed with confetti cannons: 'Welcome to The Ellen DeGeneres Show!' But instead I was greeted by an angry intern who was a bit overworked," Nikkie said in a Q&A with Dutch publication &C, via E! Online. "I was expecting a Disney show, but got Teletubbies after dark." More recently, former employees came out and shared that they experienced bullying, racism and a toxic work culture while working at the the now 17-season show. Ellen DeGeneres' Brand -- Ruined? Now, in an interview with Fox News, brand expert and public relations specialist Eric Schiffer revealed how the recent controversy could affect Ellen's career and reputation. Schiffer, who is the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, said that Ellen is experiencing a "celebrity brand suicide." "Authenticity is king with celebrity brands and these continued leaks are lacerating her credibility and mangling her capacity to continue to try to be positioned at a high moral ground," Schiffer explained. "It's celebrity brand suicide." For what it's worth, the show's execs shifted the blame on themselves for the recent controversies that Ellen faced. However, Schiffer said that the move won't do anything but worsen the situation since it would look like the 62-year-old host is avoiding responsibility. "Ellen is unwilling herself to accept full responsibility and is trying to get her senior producers to take the full hit which further shows a lack of character," Schiffer added. "A leader steps up and learns from it, and now we're learning that Ellen -- who is considered to be squeaky clean in her persona -- may be leading an organization that has stone-cold crazy racism going on within it. It's horrifying to think about." It remains to be seen how Ellen will address and navigate the recent controversies to save her career. However, it is looking more and more likely that the popular media personality would need to step put of the limelight for some time. READ MORE: Ellen DeGeneres Is Doomed! Despite India having one of the highest COVID-19 recovery rates, plasma donation by recovered patients is yet to pick up, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Sunday, urging people to come forward to help fight the pandemic. Vardhan launched a plasma donation campaign at the AIIMS hospital here during an event co-organised by Delhi police, where 26 police personnel who have recovered from COVID-19 volunteered to donate their blood plasma, the health ministry said. Vardhan said it's "very sad" that a dozen Delhi police personnel died due to the coronavirus but they are "doing a great job" deploying personnel to contain the spread. Of the volunteers, Om Prakash was donating his plasma for the third time Sunday. The health minister saluted the contribution of the volunteers by conferring certificates. Vardhan said these volunteers will inspire others to donate plasma. "Every single donor counts in our journey towards victory over COVID-19 and we need more and more of these plasma warriors to help fight the pandemic till a definitive treatment or vaccine is developed," he was quoted as saying in a ministry statement. "As of now convalescent plasma therapy has been approved for compassionate use with various plasma banks being set up to ensure round-the-clock availability. Despite the fact that India has one of the highest cure rates amongst COVID-19 patients, the plasma donations has yet to pick up," he said. Remembering Delhi police's contribution in the success of Pulse Polio campaign in 1994, Vardhan said tens of thousands of police constables had joined the drive. Plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients contains protective antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 virus. It can provide immunity to patients of COVID-19 when transfused. Considering its potential benefit, plasma therapy is provided to those who are not responding to conventional treatment. Anyone who has recovered from COVID-19, and has completed 28 days after the completion of treatment or home isolation, is between 18 and 60 years of age with a weight of more than 50 kg is eligible to donate their blood plasma, the statement said. The process of donation is completed in 1-3 hours. Plasma therapy has been mentioned under "investigational therapies" in the Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19 by the Health Ministry. By Trend The Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) adopted a communique on July 18, 2020 on the military provocation of the Armenian armed forces on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend. In accordance with the communique, the NAM member-states strongly condemned the Armenian armed forces attack on the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces along the international border of the two countries by using artillery. The incident caused military tension in the region and resulted in numerous casualties, the communique said. The NAM Coordinating Bureau reaffirmed its support for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the UN Security Councils resolutions. While expressing their unequivocal support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the member-states expressed their solidarity with the efforts of the Republic of Azerbaijan to restore its territorial integrity. Thus, 120 member-states of the UN Security Council expressed their position based on the principles of justice and international law on the recent military provocation of the Armenian armed forces on the border between the two countries and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Authorities fear the spread of COVID-19 in New South Wales is already out of control with testing being urgently increased to discover the origin of five mystery cases in the state leaving contract tracers stumped. NSW recorded 18 new cases on Sunday, with four of them of unknown origin, following 15 Saturday, five of which are directly or indirectly connected to the cluster originating at the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, southwest Sydney. Five cases are still under investigation, including a man and a teenager from the same house who visited a bistro at Batemans Bay and McDonald's in Albion Park. Coronavirus detectives are still trying to determine the origin of these cases, leading to fears the rate of community transmission could be on the rise. NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said contact tracers are looking to find links between the five mystery cases, Sydney Morning Herald reported. Authorities fear the spread of coronavirus in New South Wales is already out of control as testing is urgently increased to discover the origin of five mystery cases that have left contact tracers concerned (A pop-up clinic in Picton pictured) Tests are carried out at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic at Victoria Park in Picton in Sydney's south-west NSW recorded 15 new cases on Saturday, five of which are directly or indirectly connected to the cluster originating at the Crossroads Hotel in Casula (The Crossroads Hotel testing centre pictured) 'They're the ones that make us really concerned,' Dr McAnulty said. 'Where we are unable to find links between cases that means we haven't been able to lock down that cluster and there may be other people out there.' The duo attended the bistro at the Soldiers Club in Batemans Bay on July 13 between 7 and 9.30pm and McDonald's at Albion Park on July 15 between 2 and 2.30pm. Dr McAnulty said health authorities are asking residents who were at the bistro over the same time period to immediately self-isolate for two weeks. McDonald's diners have also been advised to watch for symptoms. 'We're also asking anybody at Albion Park McDonald's on the 15 July between 2pm and 2:30pm to watch carefully for symptoms and if they develop any respiratory symptoms, coughs, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath or fever, to come immediately forward for testing and isolate themselves,' he said. Another case was linked to a brand new cluster at the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park and four were returned travellers in hotel quarantine. A NSW health worker (pictured) dressed in PPE performs COVID-19 tests in southwest Sydney on Friday amid fears the outbreak is spreading across the city On Saturday NSW recorded 15 new cases, five of which have been traced back to the Crossroads Hotel Cluster in Casula (pictured, testing near the pub on Friday) NSW conducted a record 27,702 tests on Friday which included 3,000 in the south-western Sydney region. Case numbers in NSW are considerably lower than in Victoria, which tallied 217 new infections and three deaths on Saturday. There are concerns about NSW's reproduction rate, which indicates the number of people infected by a single positive case and is considered crucial to controlling the spread. Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has revealed that while Victoria's reproduction rate is effectively at one, in NSW it has climbed to 1.4. 'People are more mobile, they are mixing in greater numbers,' he said. Dr Jeremy McAnulty said residents who live on the NSW South Coast should be on high alert after two people who tested positive to COVID-19 visited a bistro and a McDonald's restaurant. Pictured: Albion Park McDonald's Another case was linked to a brand new cluster at the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park and four were returned travellers in hotel quarantine 'And there are suggestions from that modelling that people are not taking those messages about physical distancing, hygiene and so forth ... as seriously as they currently are in Melbourne.' Prof Kelly noted that while the figure did not necessarily translate to higher numbers of cases, it demonstrated that the potential for transmission was higher in NSW than in Victoria. 'The message to people in southwest Sydney, please be careful,' he said. Prof Kelly said there were good indications the lockdown was working in Victoria, where Saturday's numbers were half the record infections announced a day earlier. While the NSW contact tracing team consisted of just six people at the beginning of the pandemic, it has now blown out to 180 detectives. NSW Health's Director of Contact Tracing Carolyn Murray said those 180 people have made more than 10,000 calls to confirmed cases and close contacts. Case numbers in NSW are considerably lower than in Victoria, which tallied 217 new infections and three deaths on Saturday Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has revealed that while Victoria's reproduction rate is effectively at one, in NSW it has climbed to 1.4 NSW Health authorities are asking residents who were at the bistro of the Soldiers Club in Batemans Bay on July 13 between 7 and 9.30pm immediately self-isolate for two weeks They are still hiring and expect to have 380 contact tracers in the near future. As a result of the NSW outbreak, international arrivals in Sydney are limited to 350 people a day to ensure returned travellers don't overwhelm the NSW hotel quarantine system. Announcing the decision on Sunday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the step was necessary to make sure the state stays in a strong position to prevent the spread of coronavirus. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement 'Our number one priority is the health and safety of the people of NSW, and this new cap will help us protect our state from COVID-19,' Ms Berejiklian said in a statement. 'NSW is the gateway to Australia and it is important that passengers returning home do not overrun the capacity of NSW Health and hotel quarantine.' The new airport cap will apply from 12.01am on Monday under an agreement with the federal government. It further reduces the current cap of 450 people introduced on July 5. Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres said Australians have been given plenty of time to return from overseas. 'It is incredibly important the volume of returning travellers does not undo the great work of the people of NSW,' Mr Ayres said in a statement on Sunday. 'The people, businesses and industries of NSW can only operate in this 'new normal' if we effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19, and further limiting the cap on returning travellers will help ensure this.' Meanwhile, the retail, fast-food and warehouse workers union is urging people to not visit the shops after being tested for coronavirus. 'If you are getting tested it is out of a concern you might have COVID,' the SDA's NSW/ACT secretary Bernie Smith said in a statement on Sunday. 'Don't go to the shops after you are tested. Wait for your test results. Don't go until you know. Don't put the health of the workers in the store and other shoppers at risk. 'Particularly in the wake of these new COVID-19 clusters in some parts of Sydney, the community needs to be extra vigilant and ensure we're doing everything we can to keep each other safe.' Signage at a COVID-19 testing centre at the Crossroads Hotel testing centre in Sydney's southwest NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that international arrivals in Sydney are limited to 350 people a day to ensure returned travellers don't overwhelm the NSW hotel quarantine system The union says it has written to Health Minister Brad Hazzard asking for additional signage around testing areas and shopping centre precincts to remind people to go straight home after being tested. The spread of the coronavirus in Victoria and worrying trends in NSW have prompted Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cancel the planned sitting of federal parliament early next month. Acting on the advice of Prof Kelly, Mr Morrison has written to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to request that the sitting fortnight commencing August 4 be cancelled. Parliament was due to sit from August 4 to 13, and will now not meet again until the next planned sitting fortnight starting on August 24. But Prof Kelly said there will need to be substantially lower rates of community transmission in Victoria, and no worsening of the situation in NSW or other jurisdictions before he was happy with parliament gathering in late August. Egyptian health officials have likened doctors wary of working because of concerns about missing personal protective equipment (PPE) to soldiers deserting a battlefield. One hospital director even warned that health workers could stand military trial like deserters if they didnt go to work, in a WhatsApp voice message shared with The Independent. In another, a regional health ministry official told doctors that those who absconded would face maximum penalties as traitorous soldiers. The general manager of a medical centre in the north of the country, meanwhile, threatened to send the names of medics who disobeyed orders to the feared National Security Agency (NSA). This is happening across all the hospitals in the pandemic, says one Egyptian medic, who received similar warnings and asks to remain anonymous, fearing arrest. The doctor tells The Independent that medical staff are often forced to purchase their own masks because the authorities did not provide him with any, despite the fact that Egypt has donated PPE to the US, Italy and China. Either you are obliged to work in dangerous circumstances without complaining, or risk your freedom and be sent to jail, the doctor says. Recommended Iran estimates country has seen up to 25 million coronavirus cases At least nine healthcare workers in Egypt were arbitrarily detained between March and June on sweeping charges such as spreading false news and terrorism. All of those behind bars had expressed safety concerns or criticised the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which in Egypt has infected at least 86,000 people and killed over 4,000 more. According to documents shared with The Independent, the Doctors Syndicate, a medical union, has sent regular communiques to various government bodies pleading for help with the lack of PPE, contact tracing, testing and protocols to protect health workers, as well as poor-quality locally made masks that were putting the lives of medics at risk. Many remain unanswered. And at least 112 Egyptian doctors have died from Covid-19, which is among the highest medic death tolls in the pandemic. No one knows how many nurses, hospital orderlies or other related staff have also perished from the deadly disease. But Egypt is not an exception. Across the world during lockdown, grateful citizens took to their windows, balconies and front yards each night in an unprecedented outpouring of support for those on the front line of the war against the deadly virus. Simultaneously, several governments have used that very same military rhetoric to justify jailing, silencing, threatening and dismissing workers who have dared to complain about the risks they have been forced to take while treating the infected. According to a new Amnesty International report, there were incidents of serious PPE shortages in nearly all 63 countries they surveyed, including Egypt, Brazil and India. In some countries, hospital staff have been forced to wash and reuse single-use protective suits or repurpose rubbish bags and raincoats to try to protect themselves. And so, as the world has struggled to stamp out the pandemic, doctors, nurses and hospital staffers in dozens of countries have launched industrial strikes, hunger strikes and protests over their unsafe working conditions. In places like Egypt, Russia, and Malaysia, police have arrested those healthcare workers who have spoken out, on charges ranging from organising unlicensed gatherings to publishing fake news and terrorism. For many, protesting is too late. Amnesty reports that globally at least 3,000 health workers have died from Covid-19 a figure that is likely to be a significant underestimate because of the lack of testing. The authorities want to hide the problem, they dont want to make it public. And those who publicly state this are intimidated Alliance of Doctors, Russia The highest recorded medic death toll is in Russia. An unofficial count collated by medics says at least 584 healthcare professionals have died from Covid-19 (although the official number is just over 100). The UK is not far behind with 540 recorded deaths, followed by the US, Brazil, Mexico, Italy and finally Egypt. It is not just about human rights; it has direct health implications for everyone, says Hussein Baoumi, Egypt researcher at Amnesty, which is urging states to take the lives of health workers seriously. When you silence the people on the ground expressing valid concerns, this has implications for all the lives of the health workers and the entire population. Egypt is not alone in trying to muzzle critics. In Russia, the government has expanded existing false news legislation to incorporate people speaking out about the states response to the pandemic. While Amnesty says this has mostly impacted normal citizens, medical workers have also been targeted. The Alliance of Doctors, a union that has been critical of Russias handling of the pandemic and has links with unofficial opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said that two of their members are facing retaliation after complaining about a lack of PPE. Medical workers get ready for a shift treating coronavirus patients at the Spasokukotsky clinical hospital in Moscow (AFP via Getty) ((Photo by YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images)) Yulia Volkova, an endocrinologist, was charged under Russias fake-news laws and faces a fine of up to 100,000 roubles (1,107) after she published a video in March asking that physicians be given better protective equipment. Tatyana Revva, an intensive care unit doctor, is facing disciplinary proceedings that may result in her dismissal after she also complained about a lack of protection. Even the unions own leader, Anastasia Vasilyeva, was beaten and briefly held by police in April when she tried to deliver boxes of PPE to a village in western Russia. Last week, the groups spokesperson, Ivan Konovalov, was arrested and drafted into the military service in northern Russia, the group tells The Independent. The authorities want to hide the problem; they dont want to make it public. And those who publicly state this are intimidated, a spokesperson says. There are unconfirmed reports that at the start of the crisis in Russia, when conditions were particularly dire, some doctors may have been coerced into signing non-disclosure agreements. Damelya Aitkhozhina, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said medics were now concerned that the authorities will reclassify administrative fake news offences as criminal ones, which could carry three-year jail terms. This has had a profound impact on the physical and mental health of the medics. Between 24 April and 2 May, three frontline workers fell out of windows, even sparking wild speculation that they had been pushed. But an Independent investigation showed that the three individuals were working under intolerable strain, including being inadequately protected. The incidents may have been suicides. Healthcare workers have also been harassed in the west. In the US, Amnesty recorded several incidences of employers stopping health workers from speaking out, with a range of reprisals including harassment, disciplinary procedures, and unfair dismissal. In April, Tanika Somerville was fired from her role as a nursing assistant in Cook County, Illinois, after she posted on Facebook about the lack of PPE in the facilities. In the UK, early studies indicate that Bame health workers (those who identify as black, Asian, or minority ethnic), make up the lions share of the total number of health worker deaths related to Covid-19, with some reporting that up to 60 percent of health workers who died identified as Bame. Doctors are not just facing unsafe working conditions within hospitals, and backlash from the authorities if they speak out. In India, medics say they have been attacked by mobs of panicked citizens who were fearful that doctors were actually spreading the coronavirus. Back in Egypt, documents sent by the Doctors Syndicate to the authorities paint a picture of a chaotic response to the outbreak. In the letters The Independent has seen, doctors describe cases being diagnosed by sight, patients dying at home without being tested and an absence of contact tracing meaning there are undocumented clusters of infections among medical staff. The letters have largely been ignored as have complaints about potentially faulty locally manufactured PPE, including N95 masks made by military factories. Meanwhile, doctors have been subjected to threats, penalties, interrogations by the NSA, and administrative questioning. Egypts health ministry did not reply to The Independents request for comment. The state has denied it is harassing its health workers. Like doctors around the world, those in Egypt fear they are not being properly protected and so are putting their own lives and the lives of their families at risk. There is a high chance of getting infected, and if you get Covid-19, even as a doctor you cannot guarantee youll get a hospital bed, says one Egyptian medic. On top of the safety issues, I have to watch myself and not complain on social media, or I might be arrested and interrogated. They are giving us the choice: risk your life or risk jail. New Delhi, July 19 : While India is set to begin the trials of its indigenous coronavirus vaccine from this week, a top official from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has claimed that a vaccine cure for the deadly COVID-19 upon its development and marketing would reach usable stage only after 2020. "A usable vaccine to cure COVID-19 and bringing the same to good use would go beyond 2020. Developing a vaccine for viral infections is a longer process as firstly, these infections have shorter immunity and secondly, viruses mutate faster, so this makes developers clueless as to which mutation is there in which part of the country," said Dr V K Monga, IMA Board of Hospitals Chairman. Dr Monga further added that for developing a vaccine there are multiple stages and steps. "Developing a vaccine is not a political decision, it involves a lot of steps and procedures," he said. Explaining the process, he said, "First, we isolate the virus then you develop an antidote to that, followed by animal testing and then on human volunteers. Secondly, you see the efficacy, toxicity and then its longevity as to how long it sustains." "Since, the viral infections have shorter immunity; a vaccine with a longer effect is to be seen, secondly, we have to see that it has no side effect and thirdly, viruses mutate faster and hence, it has to be seen that the vaccine is effective on most of the mutants as we don't know which mutated virus is present in which part of the country," he said. Speaking about the rise in the recovery rate, Dr Monga said that in this particular disease, approximately 80 per cent of the people are recovering on their own. "These patients will automatically recover. Home isolation is a good thing," he said adding that people using masks and adhering to social distancing norms is also increasing recovery. However, he clarified that plasma therapy, which is being seen as the only solution to COVID-19 in place of the absence of the vaccine, can't minimise the need of a vaccine. "In the case of COVID-19, only vaccine or immunity can defeat the present disease," he said. Regarding community spread of this virus, he added that community spread of COVID-19 has begun in India and the major causes of this are migration of labourers and discontinuing of contact tracing of COVID-19 patients. "We have indeed moved into community transmission phase. The government may not acknowledge it but look around how the people are getting infected. There are elderly who have not stepped out of home since months yet they have contracted the infection. There are women who have only gone out to buy vegetables in a week and carried home the COVID-19 infection," he said. "The authorities are unable to track and trace the contacts of each positive case. Also, it is believed that 80 per cent of population is asymptomatic and have not tested themselves. Few days ago, Kerala government admitted about community transmission in a few districts despite the state having less cases in comparison to Delhi and Maharashtra," he added. With 38,902 new cases reported in the past 24 hours India's total coronavirus cases on Sunday reached 10,77,618. With 543 new deaths the death toll stood at 26,816, Health Ministry data said. Karnataka is the new hotspot state nearing 60,000 cases, as Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state, with 3,00,937 cases and 11,596 casualties. It crossed the 3-lakh mark on Saturday with Mumbai reporting over 1 lakh coronavirus cases so far. It is followed by Tamil Nadu with total 1,65,714 cases, and 2,403 deaths. The national capital, on the other hand is projecting an uplifting trend. For 17 of the last 20 days, including 11 in a row now, the number of people recovering from Covid in Delhi has remained higher than newly detected infections -- no other state has come close to such a trend. Schools and educators across the United States are in the middle of a debate over how best to reopen schools. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines to assist school systems in reopening safely. The suggestions include face coverings, or masks, and social distancing rules. Some parents object to both ideas. They want schools to operate just as they did before COVID-19. Others are calling for part-time school and face coverings for everyone. An anti-mask petition Kim Sherman is a mother of three in the city of Clovis, California. Dont tell me my kid has to wear a mask, she said. Sherman said she is conservative and supports President Donald Trump. Trump, a Republican, has called on schools across the country to fully reopen. He threatened to withhold federal money from school systems that do not return to in-person classes in the fall. He has accused Democrats of wanting to keep schools closed for political, not health, reasons. Some parents have threatened to withdraw their children from school if masks are required. Hillary Salway is a mother of three in Orange County, California. She is part of a group calling for schools to fully open with normal social interaction." If the school system requires masks for her son's kindergarten class, she said, I dont know if my son will bein the public school system this fall. Salway started a petition last month urging the areas school system to keep facial expressions visually available." And she helped organize a protest of more than 100 people outside the school systems headquarters. Other parents have expressed similar opinions in Orange County Board of Education meetings. The five-member, elected group supports a full return to school without masks or social distancing. Supporters argue that face coverings are ineffective and give a false sense of security. 'I just want us to take precautions' Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, however, has ordered Californians to wear masks in public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says masks may help prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others. It has urged students and teachers to wear them, especially when social distancing is not possible. Brooke Aston Harper, a parent in Orange County, attended an especially lively school board meeting recently. She described what she heard from some speakers there as horrifying. She said they were forcing what she called small worldview on others. Im not looking for a fight, I just want us to take precautions, said Harper, whose two children are age four and six. She also started a petition. It calls on schools to follow state guidelines that include masks for teachers and students, social distancing rules and other measures. For each school board, the question is going to be: What does our community want, and who is the loudest? she said. Some parents, educators and doctors argue that there are social, educational and emotional costs to children who do not go to school. They say those costs may be greater than the risk of the virus itself. The American Academy of Pediatrics has provided guidelines supporting in-person school to avoid social isolation and depression in students. But it said science, not politics, must guide decisions where the coronavirus is spreading. Teachers worry Texas is a current hot spot for COVID-19 infections. Its Republican governor Greg Abbott and Texan education leaders say it is safe to open schools in August. Abbott's government has not released COVID-19 safety guidelines for reopening. It has said masks are a decision for local officials. Stacey Pugh is a fifth-grade teacher near Houston, Texas. She hopes her school system will order students to wear masks. She said she will wear a mask and a shield - a large, piece of clear hard, plastic that hangs in front of the face. Im even considering getting some type of body covering to wear, she added. The Texas American Federation of Teachers has demanded guidelines. President Zeph Capo said: We wont sacrifice our members and students for politics. New York City and Los Angeles, California operate the two largest school systems in America. Both cities are led by Democratic mayors. Officials in those cities say their schools cannot fully reopen. New York City officials say schools there will likely combine in-person and distance learning. In Los Angeles, school officials announced Monday that students will start the term with online classes from home. Other California cities, including San Diego and Oakland, also say their schools will stay closed. A 10-year-old student might have a 30-year-old teacher, a 50-year-old bus driver, or live with a 70-year-old grandmother. All need to be protected, said Los Angeles schools chief Austin Beutner. He said public health safety demands the schools avoid becoming infection centers. Besides masks, the CDC has advised schools to seat students at a safe distance apart in classrooms and eat meals there instead of in larger shared rooms. Some people in small, rural communities argue they should not have to follow the same rules as people in big cities, where infection rates are higher. Craig Guensler leads the Wheatland School District, a system of four schools in Californias Yuba County. He said that Wheatland already has spent $25,000 on physical barriers for classrooms. Eighty-five percent of parents who answered a Wheatland opinion study said they want their children in school full time. Officials will space out desks as much as possible. But, they still expect up to 28 students in each classroom, Guensler said. Im Caty Weaver. And Im Mario Ritter. Jocelyn Gecker reported this story for the Associated Press. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Quiz - To Mask or Not to Mask? US Divided on How to Reopen Schools Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story petition n. an official document of request kindergarten n. a school or class for children usually from four to six years old visually adv. of, relating to, or used in vision worldview n. the way someone thinks about the world precaution n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble from happening in the future isolation n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others : the condition of being isolated hot spot n. a place of more than usual interest, activity, or popularity Paris, TX (75460) Today Cloudy this morning. A few showers developing during the afternoon. Morning high of 60F with temps falling sharply to near 40. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 23F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. In June, India recorded its first trade surplus in the last 18 years, the first such month since January 2002. On a year-on-year basis, the Indian merchandise exports fell 12.4%. The imports fell 47.6% over last June. The cumulative effect was a trade surplus of $790 million. Earlier in May 2020, the trade deficit was $3.15 billion, where the exports had fallen by 36.5% and imports by 51%. This resulted in the trade deficit shrinking by over 79%. In April 2020, India registered a trade deficit of $6.8 billion, with exports falling 60.3% and imports falling by 58.7%. Between April and June, as the economy gradually opened up and as buying centres also restarted business activities, the merchandise export contraction narrowed down from 60.3% in April to 12.4% in June. The rate of contraction in imports, however, has been more stubborn, moving from 58.7% in April to 47.6% in June. So, while the June trade surplus reflects a demand weakness in the Indian economy, shackled by the states imposing their local versions of the lockdowns, which at the central level had started to ease in early June, it also reflects a sharp turnaround in the export activity. Exports can be analysed in two broad categories petroleum and non-petroleum commodities. In June, the petroleum exports shrunk by 31.6% while the non-petroleum exports were down 10.1%. The global demand for petroleum products has been hit in a big way due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has in India. These exports have seen contraction in value terms over the years as crude prices have been benign. What is, however, remarkable for June exports was that the non-petroleum category bounced back to only 10.1% contraction over the last year. In April 2020, the non-petroleum exports had fallen by 59.3% over April 2019. So June 2020, in fact, signified a very strong comeback. Despite facing uncertain global demand and supply disruption, Indian exporters did well to resume operations and maintain order fulfilment flow. Indian imports can be analysed in three broad categories crude oil and petroleum products, gold and silver, and others. In June 2020, Indias import of crude oil and petroleum products fell 55.3%, which was not unusual. With limited retail sales and restricted commercial goods movement, this demand remained tepid. Another factor in comparing imports in value terms is the pricing of the Indian crude oil basket. Between April and June 2019, the Indian basket was priced upwards of $70 a barrel, while between April and June 2020, the Indian basket peaked around $35 a barrel. So the import contraction in value terms would anyway have been far higher than the import contraction in volume terms. By all accounts, this is not a bad contraction. In the months to come, this category of imports should catch up in volume terms as economic activity expands, though it should be kept in mind that the Indian crude oil and petroleum imports will also see long term trend adjustment due to factors such as higher electrification and gasification of the economy. These factors will produce an opposite impact on the import demand in terms of the volume composition. The biggest percentage fall in imports was for the gold and silver category, which shrunk by 76%. As households focused on savings and social occasions such as marriages and festivals became austere, the shrinking of this import category was natural. In commonly accepted economic wisdom, gold and silver imports, and the Indian hoarding of these raw materials, have been long derided as foreign exchange guzzlers. In that sense, a fall in import in this category should actually be welcome news, albeit temporary. As social occasions open up in step with the opening of the economy, eventually, this demand will come back, perhaps attracting the opposite criticism then. The third category of non-crude oil and petroleum products and non-gold and silver imports saw a shrinking of 41%. This category, which formed 65% of the total imports in June 2019, shrunk by the narrowest margin in June 2020 among the three categories. These imports have elements such as capital goods, which signify industrial activity and demand as well as consumer goods, which signify consumption demand in India. Falling imports in this category do signify that the Indian domestic demand environment remained weak but in a lockdown, this was to be expected. In absolute terms, $8.6 billion of import difference just over 40% of the total fall of $20 billion between June 2020 and June 2019 came from crude and petroleum products and gold and silver. While these commodities are raw materials, their lesser imports here arent necessarily an adverse reflection on the economic situation. A further $1.5 billion reduction came from the decline in coal imports. While domestic coal production in both May and June 2020 came in at 41 million tonnes, at reduced levels over corresponding months last year, they were enough to account for the levels of economic activity. So about half of the year-on-year import decline in June was purely situational, and not necessarily a negative reduction. The Aatmanirbhar Bharat plan launched by the Narendra Modi government to propel the economy post the pandemic will also focus on non-crude oil and petroleum products and non-gold and silver imports to be localised, if not in entirety than in significant parts of the value chain. What will matter is how this category of imports evolves in the open economy part of the financial year and whether India succeeds in creating their local manufacturing alternatives. (Data for this piece is sourced from reports in Hindustan Times and Mint and the ministry of commerce) Aashish Chandorkar is a Pune-based public policy analyst The views expressed are personal Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are patiently waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic in actor Tyler Perry's opulent $18 million worth of Beverly Ridge Estate. One of the superfluous rooms has been allocated to the Duchess of Sussex's mother, Doria Ragland. It can be recalled that of Markle, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, relocated to California as an aftermath of their decision to renounce their roles as senior working members of the royal family in January. The Sussexes started residing in Los Angeles upon the city's enforcement of social distancing measures. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently settling into their new Los Angeles life through solo bike rides, bonding by the pool with Archie, and helping out local charities. Ragland is now living with Markle, Prince Harry, and Archie. "This has been the most time she has spent with her grandson since he was born," a source reported to "Us Weekly." Ragland is helping remarkably in taking care of Archie and is reportedly waking up early each morning to spend time with her grandson. The big move makes sense considering that we are in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic and numerous families have chosen to quarantine together, according to Cosmopolitan. The 63-year-old is one of the few relatives the duchess has maintained close contact with since marrying into the British royal family. Ragland has stayed steadfastly close to her Markle's side throughout her duration with the monarchy. Also Read: How COVID-19 Made Camilla From 'Most Hated Woman in Britain' to Favorite Royal Ragland previously traveled to the United Kingdom towards the concluding of Meghan's pregnancy and lived with Prince Harry and Markle during the early days following Archie's May 2019 birth, reported Honey. Ragland likes to read to Archie every morning and mother-daughter duo spends time together preparing Archie's "all-organic" food. It was not made clear how long has been the duration of her stay in the mansion. She has reportedly been a huge helping hand to the former royals. Considering the fact that they are living in Perry's home, rumors suggest that the Sussexes would like to purchase their own place and settle down in Los Angeles. According to a member of Markle's team, "Rather than hire a baby nurse, which is increasingly popular in the U.S., she relied on her mother, Doria, to help out during the first weeks. And instead of hiring a trainer to get back into shape, Meghan did yoga with Doria, already a certified yogi, who took a course in postnatal yoga." Having just flown from the UK where they undertook their final royal engagements, it was previously not an option to put Markle's mother at risk until the married pair had time to undergo lockdown in their own space. Markle was reportedly devastated upon first relocating to Los Angeles because she could not engage with Ragland in person. The Sussexes and baby Archie has been residing in Los Angeles since March. When the family is not helping out other people or inspiring the younger generation (See Meghan Markle's keynote speech for the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit.) the are chilling around their home with a limited staff. Related Article: Meghan Markle Shuts Down Prince Harry 'Aging' Comment in Video Call @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. But reason No. 2 was the bigger factor. And that was that as federal government employees, members of Congress, members of the judiciary system and the president did not pay into Social Security. They were covered by the same civil service retirement system as all other federal employees. And it was politically embarrassing for politicians to be making laws about a retirement program they were not a part of. This led to all kinds of conspiracy theories (which still exist to this day) that top members of government get fat and lucrative pensions while scattering crumbs to the peasants in the form of meager Social Security benefits. This was never true. But millions of Americans believed it. Anyway, by the 1980s, the political pressure to bring federal employees into the Social Security tent was too great. So, in 1983, a law was passed saying that all federal employees hired after Dec. 31, 1983, would be covered by the Social Security system. At the same time, the law decreed that effective Jan. 1, 1984, all members of Congress, the president, the vice president and federal judges would also start paying into Social Security. (So lets get rid of the myth that politicians are not covered by Social Security. Again, since 1984, they have been.) Sheriff: Man Called Dad Moments Before He Was Killed in Massacre Authorities in Florida said that three friends were killed on Friday night while fishing in what the sheriff described as a massacre, while saying that one of the victims called a family member before his death. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Saturday morning that Damion Tillman, 23; Keven Springfield, 30; and Brandon Rollins, 27, were shot and killed. Heres what the murderers didnt count on, Judd said in the news conference. One of our victims, Brandon Rollins, was able to call his father and say, Help. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaks in a new conference about a triple homicide near Lake Streety, Fla., on July 18, 2020. (Courtesy of Polk County Sheriffs Office) According to the sheriff, Rollinss father was asleep when his son called him for help, and in a rush to get to his son, forgot his cellphone at home. He arrived at the horrific scene, then went to a convenience store to call 911. When he returned back to the scene, the father found his son dead, Judd remarked. This is a horrific scene, Judd said. I have been to a lot of murder scenes in my life and this ranks up with the worst of them. They were viciously murdered. Judd said that the three victims were both beaten and shot, adding that its not clear if they were targeted. Its about as far out in the middle of the woods as you can get, Judd said. Its a peaceful area. Theres a beautiful lake where three very close friends were going fishing last night. No suspects have been named. The motive is also not clear. Judd said that anyone with information about the triple-homicide should call the sheriffs office at 863-298-6200, while Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 cash reward for information that leads to the arrests of the suspects responsible. The incident occurred in Lake Streety, officials said. Small business owners are worried about how to keep operating under restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Reinvention may be the most important idea. The U.S. Congress passed a measure that provided billions of dollars to small businesses to keep them from collapsing. But even with that assistance, many small companies are still struggling to reopen, and others will never reopen, said Tom Sullivan. He is the vice president for small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. There are 30 million small businesses in the United States and most have fewer than 75 employees. They need to reinvent themselves, Sullivan told VOA. Theres definitely a new normal, and I dont think companies can go back to the way they were before COVID-19. Markos Panas is the founder of the Bread and Water Company in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. He knows this very well. When the coronavirus kicked open the door, it was sink or swim, and we realized we had to make a lot of changes, he said. Like many small businesses, Bread and Water lost at least half of its revenue after the virus hit. The number of customers quickly went down to nearly none as people stayed home. Panas said a $10,000 CARES donation from congress has helped the bakery remain open.The money is meant to help small businesses keep workers on the job through the health crisis. Panas said the crisis actually forced his company to simplify its business. "Before we were trying to do too much, and just breaking even as a wholesaler, restaurant, and bakery, he said. We became a full-time, carry-out operation, with online ordering, something we hadnt done before, said Panas. He also learned that less can be more. We've reduced our bread and pastry offerings, and provided a better variety of other products, he said. Panas added that he trained his employees to do more than one job. The company is already making more money than we did before, Panas said. Companies that are not making changes are going to find it difficult to survive, said Joe Shamus. He is a former military pilot who is the co-owner of Flags of Valor in Ashburn, Virginia. The business employs combat veterans who handmake American flags from wood. Our company has had to change the way we do business, Shamus said. Like Bread and Water, Flags of Valor cut its retail sales and changed some of its products including: smaller, more affordable flags for the average consumer, he said. The NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care clinics in Houston, Texas, decided the internet was the way to go. The eight clinics are in shopping centers, so in a way, we run it like a retail business said Zawadi Bryant, the companys chief. After COVID-19 arrived, there was a major drop in the number of children we were seeing. As a result, he said, the company started to agree to see patients online. He said parents love it because it is easy. Couch Clarity provides mental health services in the Chicago suburbs. It also provides services online. Company president Melissa Bercier said her workers were trained almost overnight to provide teletherapy which they had never done before. Bread and Water Companys Panas said, changing is not easy, but now is the perfect time to reimagine what you can do. Im Susan Shand. VOAs Deborah Block reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr.was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story revenuen. the amount of money that is earned customern. a person who buys things wholesalern. someone who sells products to other retailers varietyn. several different items retailadj. a store that sells to the public affordableadj. something that is not costly clinicsn. small medical facilities The United Arab Emirates' Hope spacecraft launched Sunday on a journey to Mars. Why it matters: This mission, which launched on an H2-A rocket from Japan, marks the UAE's first mission to Mars. It kicks off the first of three missions to the Red Planet this summer, with China and the U.S. to follow in the coming weeks. Details: The Hope probe is designed to orbit Mars and gather data about the world's weather from above, filling in gaps in scientific knowledge left by previous missions. The probe's instruments will be able to track the day-to-night cycle of the planet's weather on a global scale. The UAE sees this homegrown mission as a way of fostering scientific and technical expertise in the country and in the Middle East as a whole. Hope will now fly through space until it reaches its orbit around Mars in about seven months. Background: The Hope probe isn't the UAE's first foray into space, and it isn't the end of its ambitions. In 2019, the first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa Al Mansoori, launched on a mission to the International Space Station. The UAE is also expected to launch a mission to the Moon in 2022. The big picture: Space has become a marker of geopolitical status in recent years. Smaller nations have been able to send their own satellites to orbit due to lowered launch and development costs. But even so, Mars missions are usually reserved for only those space agencies with the most resources and support. The Hope mission if it successfully orbits Mars vaults the UAE into that small, elite club. Go deeper: The summer of Mars Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo has tested negative for COVID-19 after treatment. He tested positive for the virus a couple of weeks ago. The Senior Minister asked the Information Minister to announce his COVID-19 status on July 7, after he tested positive for the virus. Mr Osafo-Maafo has since been under home management receiving medical care. At a media briefing in Accra to give update on Covid-19 Case Count and Management, on Sunday, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the Senior Minister's sample test last Thursday, July 16 turned out negative. "The Senior Minister thank well wishers and the Ghana Health Service team for their care," the Minister added. Meanwhile, Ghana's active cases of COVID-19 is 4,058 indicating a steep decline in the country's disease burden. Mr Oppong Nkrumah, therefore, cautioned the public not to use the improvement in the country's recovery rate to be reckless in observing the safety and preventive etiquettes. GNA ALBANY Kizzy Williams, the owner of Allie B's Cozy Kitchen, still remembers preparing to open her restaurant six years ago: She scrubbed the stove, stored food and relied on a network of customers and employees to keep her business afloat. Because of the pandemic, she now she feels like shes starting over. The Clinton Avenue restaurant, which has in-person dining but mainly provides catering for local colleges, has lost most of its customers because no one is hosting events. So she and her wife struggle to maintain the restaurant while caring for her 15-year-old son, whose school closed months ago. Small businesses across the U.S. have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. And minority and female owners, like Williams, have struggled more than their white competitors to receive federal aid, as reported in April by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. At a House Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion hearing last week, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress passed in April, have not provided enough financial relief for these businesses, which are already two times more likely to be considered in distress. Minority- and women-owned businesses face numerous, unique and disparate barriers to market entry, Beatty said at the hearing. Small businesses have experienced a 22% closure rate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from February to April of 2020 but the closure rate for minority-owned businesses is significantly higher, with 41% of Black-owned business, 32% of Latinx-owned businesses and 20% of Asian-owned businesses closed over the same period. Cheyenne Simmons, the owner of Great Exbaketations Bakery specializing in cakes, remembers calling, then meeting with a banker to apply for a loan in early March. In person, she was told the bank would only approve a loan for less than she was initially offered over the phone. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he realized I was a Black female, Simmons said. Maybe [he] had less confidence in me as a business owner because of that. Ho Kwan Cheung, a psychology professor at the University at Albany, has conducted research that supports Simmons contention. Psychologically, when we don't see that other people match with the [white male] prototype, we're less likely to have confidence in their success Cheung said. That has a lot of impact in terms of small businesses owned by minorities and women because it's difficult to even build that first step of a relationship. It is more difficult to get a loan from banks and its more difficult to secure a customer base. It's definitely harder for them to bridge collaborative relationships with other businesses that could be mutually beneficial. While some economists agree the CARES Act and PPP Loans are well-intentioned aid programs, its hard to deny business owners who have personal relationships with banks are at an advantage. The groups that are getting these PPP loans very quickly are firms that have a good relationship with big banks, said Yue Li, a macroeconomics professor at the University at Albany. Small businesses may not have gathered loans initially, but now in the second pool, they are receiving loans. Kristin Devoe, a spokewoman for Empire State Development, also recognized forming relationships with banks is an obstacle for minority and women entrepreneurs, but said the state is working with Community Development Financial Institutions to promote the availability of PPP loans. ESD also launched the New York Forward Loan Fund in May to support small businesses, nonprofits and landlords who did not receive federal aid. And while big companies' share of the federal funds dwarfs that of minority- and women-owned small businesses, those businesses appear to have collected PPP loans, either in the first or second round of distribution. Some owners, however, said the aid will not get their businesses and employees through the end of the pandemic. Ben Griffy, an economics professor at the University at Albany, said the needs of individual small businesses could be better met through direct conversation between businesses and banks. Minority-owned businesses tend to be sole proprietorships with very few additional employees so programs like PPP are going to be very helpful for them if they dont have the connections to banks they need to access these funds, Getty said. The principle of we're going to replace payrolls is a good idea, but there's no need to go through a financial intermediary. In June, Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act to reduce the amount of PPP money a business is required to put toward payroll from 75% to 60% and extend the covered period for loan forgiveness from eight weeks to 24 weeks. Despite applying for and receiving loans in early April, however, some minority and women entrepreneurs have already spent most of the money on loan forgiveness. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Melissa Hagan Renna, co-owner of Dutch Apple Cruises that offers food to its passengers on a boat, said her restaurant would have a different cash flow situation if she had known shed have more time to spend the money. We didnt find out [about the change] until the last week of the eight weeks, Renna said. If all of that information had been readily available in the beginning, it would have changed the course of how we chose to use the funds. COVID-19 has hit Dutch Apple Cruises especially hard. Rennas seasonal restaurant only serves passengers from April through October, and shes lost a third of that season already. Simmons, a Black female entrepreneur, said it is harder for minority- and women-business owners to get the latest information and resources because most people think of business owners as white men. When she talks to her white male neighbors, who are not necessarily in business, they tell her about loans or funding programs shes never heard of. I'm wondering how they are hearing about this, Simmons said. The biggest stumbling block is just having access and having people think of you first when it's time for programs. The City of Albany Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Program aims to offer exclusive opportunities to entrepreneurs who have been certified as legitimate MWBEs. However, the long procedure has stopped many business owners getting certification. Williams said it took her two years to get certified by the program. Simmons said minority- and women-owned businesses need more help from the government, which could include offering more programs designated for minorities or women only and informing them actively. They need to be the ones seeking out minority- and women-owned businesses, because it's not our job to do that, Simmons said. Honestly, we don't know where to look. Megan Sauer and Xurui Tan are reporters for the Medill News Service and journalism masters students at Northwestern University. WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will seek to craft rules limiting the concentration of foreign-owned media outlets well before the ruling nationalists finish their term in power, Poland's de facto leader said on Sunday, with parliamentary elections expected in 2023. Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has long said foreign-owned media outlets have meddled in Poland's affairs and that Polish-owned media should have a stronger place. The accusation was leveled again in the recent presidential campaign, during which incumbent and PiS ally Andrzej Duda repeatedly accused foreign media or foreign-owned media of misinforming the public. When asked if PiS would introduce reforms before the end of their term, party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Polish public radio on Sunday that he hopes the reforms will be carried out soon. "We will manage to do this much faster (than before the end of our term), at least on the legislative level, but this process' success is tied to many changes that we have to bring about in our country as well as international relationships," Kaczynski said. PiS has maintained that any new law would have to adhere to EU rules, which could hamper the party's political aim to substantially reduce the influence of foreign-owned outlets, such as Discovery-owned broadcaster TVN. But, in the wake of last week's presidential vote, where Duda won a second term in office, PiS has been emboldened in its criticism of the influence of foreign-owned media outlets in Poland. Kaczynski said any potential rules are still "being analyzed and there are discussions on the matter." Many options were being considered, a PiS official told Reuters earlier this week, adding that the purchase of regional newspapers, many of which are German-owned, was among the ideas that had come up, Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported last week. (Reporting by Joanna Plucinska and Alicja Ptak; Editing by Nick Zieminski) Slowly, life is returning to our high streets. It won't be quite the same as it was before lockdown, but most bars and restaurants have reopened and many shops are ticking along quite nicely despite restrictive (and understandable) social distancing rules. In my new home town of Wokingham in Royal Berkshire, the town centre is now livelier than it has been since March. The Saturday market is back in style although the fruit and vegetable seller complete with a foghorn for a voice has never been away. Business as usual for him and the town has backed him to the hilt. Yet there have been retail casualties. The Courtyard restaurant, situated in the town hall, is no more (I'll miss its spiced lamb kofta with yogurt) while the independently owned coffee shop Oslar is closed and up for sale. Hays Travel has also decided to close the branch it acquired from the receivers of Thomas Cook last year when it bought the collapsed travel company's entire property portfolio. Closing down: One interesting feature that has been apparent over the past couple of months is the strong demand for bank branch services One interesting feature that has been apparent over the past couple of months is the strong demand for bank branch services a fact most banks don't like to admit because they would prefer to close yet more branches and push us all online. I've yet to go into Wokingham during the day (weekend or during the working week) without seeing queues outside Barclays or Santander. The same goes for bank branches on Kensington High Street in London, my place of work. At times, the line of customers outside Barclays snakes down the high street like an anaconda. Of course, social distancing restricts the number of customers that banks allow into their branches at any one time. But the queues point to a continued demand for face-to-face service understandable given the financial pressure many households are under. Given this 'lockdown' demand for personal banking services, it is timely that the country's financial regulator has fired a warning shot across the bows of the big banks with regards to future branch closures and removal of free-to-use cash machines. A few days ago, the Financial Conduct Authority said banks would now have to inform it of their intention to shut branches or ATMs or convert cash machines to pay-to-use. It also said they must look at alternative arrangements to ensure continued access to cash such as cash delivery services, installing a free-to-use ATM (if a branch is shut) and most interestingly 'sharing services with other providers'. 'Access to cash is a priority for the FCA,' it added. This is music to the ears of The Mail on Sunday and many of our readers. With our 'Keep our Cash campaign, we have long banged the drum for continued access to cash a vital financial lifeline for many people and small businesses. We have also campaigned tirelessly for the banks to agree to sharing branches rather than closing them, in the process often leaving communities bankless. It was a concept we backed 21 years ago when it was first suggested by the indefatigable Derek French of the Campaign for Community Banking Services and it's an idea we support as vigorously today. So far, the banks have baulked at the idea of sharing branches, but maybe now with a little bit of pressure from the regulator its time has finally come. As my colleague Toby Walne reports opposite, some communities are desperate to see a shared bank branch open on their high street. Rest assured, we will not stop until such banks are as much a feature of our high streets as Costa Coffee outlets. ...................................................................................................................................... At last, a little bit of good cheer for savers. The Government has given National Savings & Investments the green light to attract billions of pounds of new money from savers. Siddhanta Mishra By NEW DELHI: The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have taken a heavy toll on businesses in the national capital which in turn has reduced jobs in the market. The AAP government, which has been aggressively reopening markets and industries, is now planning to start an online portal to help people get jobs. The portal would in a format of an online link, explaining the step-by-step process of applying for a job. The link will be given to the public by the government. Each applicant can choose the type of employment offered as per the eligibility criteria. This is currently in the planning stage but will formalise soon, said a government source. ALSO READ | Laid off due to COVID-19? Here's a free job portal that might help you According to the official, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is keeping an eye on the developments. The platform will be a kind of online job fair where companies will be invited and pick potential employees suited for their needs. The labour department, headed by labour minister Gopal Rai, and other concerned stakeholders are working on the project. It is yet to be decided whether a private company will be involved in the process. Since lockdown, a large section of labourers have relocated back to their native states, leaving factories and other small and medium business owners searching for workers. The AAP government has been trying to provide monetary relief to people in the financially backward section of the society but have lost jobs due to the lockdown. Many construction workers have received Rs 5,000 for two months as support after they lost the means to earn their livelihood. Similarly, after demands from the auto-rickshaw, e-rickshaw and other such public utility vehicle drivers, the government has decided to provide them financial relief also. New Delhi: The BSE Sensex dropped over 300 points, while the Nifty50 fell below crucial support of 8,450 level in the early trading session on Friday. Active selling was seen in index heavyweights such as HDFC, ITC and ICICI Bank. The stock markets fell sharply in early trade, following a sharp fall in Asian markets, rattled by surging US 10-year bond yields. The BSE Sensex had fallen 354.10 points to hit a low of 27,163.58, led by selling in banking, auto and FMCG stocks. HDFC tanked 3 per cent, followed by Coal India, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp which fell up to 2.5 per cent. Sun Pharma jumped 3 per cent after reporting a 90 per cent YoY rise in Q2 numbers. It was the only Sensex stock trading in the green. Real estate and jewellery stocks, Indiabulls Realty and PC Jeweller dropped up to 5 per cent. Some opposition members reject the proposals as they allow President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to remain in power. Regional mediators put forth a plan on Sunday that would require Malis embattled president to form a unity government but some opposition members immediately rejected the proposals as they allow him to stay in power. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who still has three years left in his final term, has faced demonstrations by tens of thousands seeking his resignation since early June in the West African nation. Those calls intensified after recent protests met a violent response from security forces. At least 11 people died over three days of unrest last week following an anti-Keita protest, in the worst political unrest the West African state has seen in years. The political tensions have created further unrest in a country already battling a range of armed groups. Protests were put on hold during talks with mediators from the 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS. Amid signs of an impasse, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara made plans to arrive on Monday in Malis capital of Bamako. Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, winner of two elections, has seen his popularity plunge as the countrys security situation deteriorated [Ludovic Marin/AFP] Unity govt proposed The mediators had proposed that the current ruling coalition make up 50 percent of a new unity government, while a proposed 30 percent should be members of the opposition and the remaining 20 percent from civil society groups. Also among the suggestions from the ECOWAS team were some already endorsed by Keita: resolving the dispute over 31 contested legislative races several months after Malis constitutional court issued official results. The president has dissolved the controversial court, one of the protesters key demands. Keita has said he is open to reholding the legislative election in those contested areas though no concrete plan has been laid out yet. The mediators, though, said their recommendations should be put into place this month. Some within the opposition quickly dismissed the ECOWAS teams recommendations, saying Malis president should leave entirely. Opposition leader Choguel Maiga said the ECOWAS plan does not reflect the goals of a movement supported by the overwhelming majority of the Malian people. However, ECOWAS does not see Keitas negotiated exit as a possibility, its president Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said. The resignation of the Malian president is a red line for us, but everything else is negotiable, he said on Sunday. Unlike some uprisings in West Africa, the crisis in Mali involves a president who was elected and then re-elected in elections deemed fair and transparent. Forcing the president to step down because of growing unpopularity could set a dangerous precedent for other leaders in the region. ECOWAS has a long history in mediating in Mali. It helped bring about a return to democracy in 2013, a year after a military coup deposed the president of a decade. Mahmoud Dicko is a key figure in the opposition movement [File: Michele Cattani/AFP] Increased insecurity Keita won the 2013 vote, but his popularity has fallen amid allegations of corruption and as Malis conflict has deepened under his leadership. France led a military operation to remove armed groups from northern Mali not long before Keita took office. In the years since, those groups have continued to launch attacks on Malian forces and UN peacekeepers. Armed groups also have gained a foothold in central Mali where their presence has inflamed tensions between ethnic groups, leading to further violence. Manu Lekunze of the University of Aberdeen, told Al Jazeera that the president understands the historical issues in the country but had few choices. It is very complicated. You have issues with Islamic groups, you have issues with tribes, you have issues with poverty. You have a government which simply does not have the means to control the entire country. You have a type of state which the people are now saying they do not want. People at the protests want a more Islamic politics, which does not quite suit what Boubacar Keita stands for, [which is] the kind of state that is accepted by the international community and he is there to more or less enforce it whether the people want it or not. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18 Trend: Appeal to CSTO is another manifestation of Armenias cowardice, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socio-economic development in the first quarter of 2020 and future objectives, Trend reports. I would like to draw the attention of the Azerbaijani public to one more issue. It lies in the fact that, as you know, after committing these dirty acts and receiving a worthy response from the Azerbaijani army, Armenia immediately turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and asked it for help, immediately raised a hue and cry, asking it not to let us strangle them, destroy them. What does the CSTO have to do with this? First, I want to say again that Azerbaijan did not violate the state border of Armenia, did not commit provocations and did not invade the territory of Armenia. In this case, what does the CSTO have to do with this? This is first. Secondly, this step demonstrates their helplessness and cowardice, said President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state said it shows that they cannot resist Azerbaijan on their own and they know that. We know this too. Their appeal to the CSTO is another manifestation of their cowardice. They have once again demonstrated their cowardice, the cowardice of their leadership. Okay, you have committed a provocation, a crime then answer for it. Answer! And they did answer in full! Now they are hiding the death toll but we have operational data, said President Ilham Aliyev. It was us who gave information about some of the killed Armenian servicemen, they were hiding it. They recognized it only after we revealed this. Just as they did during the April battles. This once again shows their helplessness, but on the other hand demonstrates their hypocritical policy. After all, how is it possible that you recently arrested the CSTO Secretary General without asking any of the participating countries? Is that even possible? This was a step that completely violated all the rules of international conduct. A person holding the post of the head of the CSTO was arrested. After pressure was put on them, he was released, but the criminal case has not yet been closed and still continues. The highest representative of an international organization was arrested. After that, they blocked this position for one year, vetoed the candidacy of the person who was supposed to become the next head of the CSTO, as this happens in alphabetical order. After Armenia, a representative of Belarus was supposed to become chairman and his candidacy was nominated. But he was not given the opportunity to start his activities for a whole year. Is this your attitude to the CSTO? Well, you have committed a provocation and got your head caved in, but why did you run to the CSTO for help! All CSTO members except for Armenia are our friends, said President Ilham Aliyev. Brazil's president has praised the work of his interim health minister, speaking in person for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. Jair Bolsonaro spoke to supporters on Saturday on the grounds of the presidential Alvorala Palace."The health minister is doing a fantastic job," he said, defending the work done by Interim Health Minister General Eduardo Pazuello. Pazuello, who is presiding over pandemic response, is untrained in the field. "Listen, when there's a problem I call the army," continued Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro also compared the virus crisis in Brazil to that in France, suggesting French President Emmanuel Macron replaced his health minister after identifying "mistakes" in the way he managed the pandemic. Bolsonaro then suggested that "unemployment, hunger, misery and depression kill more than the virus," which he said could destroy the economy. Experts blame denial of the virus' deadly potential by Bolsonaro and lack of national coordination combined with scattershot responses by city and state governments, with some reopening earlier than health experts recommended. Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed COVID-19s severity, saying strict social distancing measures that sacrifice jobs and income will ultimately be more harmful than the virus itself, and calling on supporters to encourage their local leaders to lift restrictions on activity. The president further pushed for supporters to use hydroxychloroquine in treating the virus, asking: "If by any chance your mother or your grandmother get it (COVID-19), will she take chloroquine or not?" On Saturday, British scientists announced that their research found the malaria drug to be unhelpful to people with only mild coronavirus symptoms. Bolsonaro announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on July 7. Brazil's nearly 2 million cases is second only to the United States and experts believe the number to be an under count due to widespread lack of testing. Falun Gong practitioners hold a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. The Chinese character in the foreground is "memorial." The sign held by those in the front row says, "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong." (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times) Washington Vigil: Mourning Death and Remaining True to Belief WASHINGTONFalun Gong practitioners gathered just outside the Chinese Embassy on July 17 to mourn those who have died in the persecution of their spiritual discipline and to celebrate staying true to their beliefs in the face of brutal attempts to silence them. The event marked the anniversary of the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong in China on July 20, 1999. In a parking lot just outside the embassys entrance, the practitioners listened to talks given by individuals who had suffered persecution in China. Then, as the summer light faded, they held a candlelight vigil. Sitting in long rows, each held two candles and had a picture of a deceased adherent propped against their body, as a sound system played solemn music composed and performed by practitioners. One of those who spoke was Wang Chunying. She recalled how, with the temperature outside in far northern Chinas Shenyang City just above zero degrees Fahrenheit, and with her barely heated prison cell not much warmer than that, she was soaked in sweat. Wang Chunying participates in a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times) There were two iron bunk beds in her cell. One of her hands was handcuffed to the upper rail of one bed, and her other hand handcuffed to the lower rail of the other bed. After she was cuffed, the guards would kick the beds to move them as far apart as possible. She was stretched to the limit, so that she felt her body was torn apart. She could neither stand nor kneel to relieve the strain. The cuffs cut into her wrists, and her hands swelled. Every once in a while, a guard would shake her handcuffs to make her pain even more intense. After 16 hours, the guards released her. Once, she was handcuffed for five days and five nights. The guards wanted to transform herto force her to sign a letter promising not to practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. Each month, they would demand she sign the letter; each month, they would torture her; and each month, she would refuse. This abuse took place at Masanjia Correctional Institution, whose name is a byword among Falun Gong practitioners for cruelty. She was detained there for a total of five years and three months. Chunying is 1 of 3 sisters who practice Falun Gong and have suffered under the persecution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang Chunrong participates in a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times) Each is accomplished. Chunying was a supervisory nurse at Dalian Central Hospital. Wang Chunrong was the chair of Dalian Xincheng certified public accountants and a senior accountant with 40 years of experience. Wang Chunyan ran a thriving export-import business in Dalian. Together, the three sisters served more than 16 years in prison because of their belief in Falun Dafa. Chunrong was the key person in an accounting firm that was widely respected. Because of her belief in Falun Gongs principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, she insisted the company conduct its business honestly. After her arrest, the business floundered, and 70 people lost their jobs. Chunyans husband was harassed by police because of his practice of Falun Gong; he died on Jan. 3, 2002, after being found at home unconscious with the gas turned on. The family considers his death suspicioushe was found with a head wound. Ten days later, Chunyan was arrested. A lawyer said she could be released if she gave up her practice of Falun Gong. She refused, was imprisoned, and her business equipment confiscated. After two imprisonments totaling seven years, her company was closed. Wang Chunyan participates in a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lisa Fan/The Epoch Times) 21 Years of Persecution The fates of the Wang sisters are simply one example of a national calamity the CCP has visited on China. Falun Gong is an ancient practice that was passed on in lineage fashion for centuries. It was first taught to the public by Li Hongzhi in May 1992 in Changchun in northern China. Falun Gong involves doing five meditative exercisesfour standing and one seatedand living according to teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The practice spread rapidly by word of mouth to all parts of China and to all classes and professions. Individuals reported experiencing improvements in health and morality, better relations with family and co-workers, and less stress. According to Chinese state reports in 1999, 100 million people in China1 in 13 Chinesewere practicing Falun Gong. The then-head of the CCP, Jiang Zemin, lay the groundwork for the persecution he would launch a few months later with a letter to the Politburothe highest Party organizationon the evening of April 25, 1999. A parade in Flushing, New York, on April 25, 2015. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times) Jiang expressed concern that Falun Gong was a kind of national organization, with many followers from the Communist Party, officials, scholars, soldiers, as well as workers and peasants. He feared what he perceived as the threat posed by Falun Gongs traditional moral teachings to the legitimacy of the CCPs ideology, which is based on atheism, materialism, and the idea of struggle. Jiang wrote: Can the Marxism, materialism, and atheism that our Communist Party members uphold not win the battle with what Falun Gong promotes? The letter continued: This is absolutely ridiculous! On July 20, Jiang brought the whole weight of the Party-state down on the heads of the practitioners. Hes reported to have given the order to destroy their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and eliminate their bodies. Jiang is said to have believed he would eradicate the practice of Falun Gong in three months, and, based on the experience the CCP has had in stamping out other groups, this expectation wasnt unrealistic. And the CCP has done its worst. The Falun Gong website En.Minghui.org, which serves as a clearinghouse for information about the persecution, confirms the deaths of 4,363 practitioners from torture and abuse. Due to the difficulty of getting information out of China, the actual number of such killings is undoubtedly many times higher. There also is a very large but unknown number killed through the practice of forced, live organ harvesting, which some researchers have classified as a cold genocide. Yet, 21 years after the persecution began, Freedom House estimates that up to 20 million people are still practicing Falun Gong in China, and the official Falun Gong website, FalunDafa.org, shows the practice has spread to 91 countries. Peacefully Opposing Persecution Mindy Ge, an actuary, helped organize the event. She explained in opening remarks why Jiangs persecution has failed to eliminate Falun Gong: Over the past 21 years, Falun Dafa disciples in mainland China and around the world have launched a feat of peacefully opposing persecutionin rational, wise, and peaceful actions they clarify the truth to the world, expose the persecution, and spread truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Mindy Ge speaks outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lynn Lin/Epoch Times) In fact, Ge explains that practitioners have changed the situation in China. As a result of their efforts, kind-hearted people have become more and more aware of the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party and have taken off its shackles. More than 360 million people have renounced any connection with the CCP or its youth organizations: the Young Pioneers and the Youth League. Ge, in an opinion commonly shared by practitioners gathered outside the embassy, believes the CCP and its persecution of Falun Gong will soon end. Erik Meltzer, an IT professional, spoke after the candlelight vigil about the significance of July 20: July 20 is the day that changed China forever. Since the CCP took rule of China in 1949, there have been so many brutal campaigns and so many innocent lives lost, but never before have we seen such a brutal persecution where it is not just life that is being taken but is as if the soul of China is being crushed. Erik Meltzer takes part in a candlelight vigil outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lynn Lin/Epoch Times) Yet, Meltzer sees the response of the Falun Gong practitioners as giving hope to China. I hope [July 20] can be a day where the people in China can say I wont believe the lies that I have been told by the CCP and [I will] take the right side so that [I] dont have any regret when things change in China. Bjorn Neumann, a small-business owner, said after the vigil that he believes that after the CCP ends, then the truth will be revealed about what the practitioners really did and endured. Neumann believes this will awaken people about the real nature of communism. While young people today are very naive about communism, he said, they will be given a chance to understand how evil it is. Bjorn Neumann outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on July 17, 2020. (Lynn Lin/Epoch Times) Hanging a Banner When Chunying was asked about the meaning of July 20, she smiled and chose to tell a story about how she hung a banner in the Masanjia prison. Her sentence at Masanjia was coming to a close, and before she left that hellish place, she wanted to tell everyone that Falun Gong is good. She devised a plan. Prisoners arent allowed to have any writing implements, but Chunying had talked at length about what Falun Gong is and how its persecution is wrongwhat practitioners refer to as clarifying the factswith a non-practitioner prisoner who was entrusted with using a brush pen. She agreed to give Chunying a brush pen and some red ink. Chunying had also clarified the facts to the non-practitioner prisoner who was responsible for monitoring her every movement. She became Chunyings accomplice in making the banner. Chunying then took a yellow sheet and tore it into a one-foot-wide, six-foot-long piece. Being caught with that, or with the brush pen, or the ink, would mean her sentence would be extended. So she had to find ways to hide everything, even though she never had any privacy. And she did so under extra pressure. Her daughter was six months pregnant. She had delayed having a wedding ceremony because she wanted Chunying there. And she wanted her mother to help care for her child after it was born. With her cellmates help, Chunying was, over 16 days, able to paint one character at a time on her banner. By July 20, it was ready, but then it rained heavily the whole day. Chunying woke up early on July 21, and the rain had stopped. Everything was quiet. She made her way to the restroom, which was on the fourth floor. She tied her banner to the window, and let it drop. Then, for more than 30 glorious minutes, everyone in Masanjia could see, in red ink on a yellow background: Falun Dafa Is Good/God Is Disintegrating the CCP/Quit the CCP to Make Certain of Your Safety. The guards scrambled to tear down the banner, and then began an intense, but quiet, investigation. Try as they might, they couldnt find who was responsible for the banner. Chunying was released on time, attended her daughters wedding, and was there for the childs birth. A parade in New York City on May 16, 2019. (Larry Dai/The Epoch Times) President Donald Trump says his reelection campaign will hold telephone town halls to speak to supporters as the coronavirus pandemic has made holding large, in-person campaign rallies more difficult, CNN reports. Trump held what was described as his "first ever TELE-Rally" on Friday, delivering 23 minutes of stream-of-consciousness remarks on a variety of topics, including his administration's Covid-19 response to criticisms of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. "I wanted to be with you, and this is really replacing our rallies that we all love so much," Trump told supporters dialed into a telephone call, noting that, given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, "we're doing really well with the therapeutics and vaccines, but until that gets solved it's going to be tough to have those big massive rallies, so I'm doing telephonic rallies, and we'll call them the Trump rallies, but we'll do it by telephone." The decision to hold a tele-rally comes on the heels of a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that saw depressed turnout and forced the campaign to scrap outdoor remarks from the President at the last minute when supporters failed to materialize. Another rally, scheduled for last weekend in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was canceled shortly before it was set to happen due to weather concerns, and it has yet to be officially rescheduled. Tulsa saw a surge in Covid-19 cases following the President's rally while several staffers were forced to quarantine after eight campaign staffers on the ground tested positive for coronavirus. (@FahadShabbir) Panama City, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jul, 2020 ) :Abigail Benzadon remembers perfectly the day 26 years ago when her husband Moshe Pardo left home to catch a flight to Panama City. He hadn't planned on flying but he had a medical appointment and decided to go anyway, she recalled. He and 21 others -- most of them Jewish -- never made it to their destination. Alas Chiricanas Airlines Flight 00901 exploded shortly after takeoff on July 19, 1994 from Colon, Panama in what Israel and the United States believe was an act of terrorism. Relatives of the victims are still awaiting resolution of the case. "Twenty-six years after the attack, I have absolutely no expectations from the justice system," Benzadon told AFP. "On the part of the Panamanian authorities, there is no great hope that something will happen." Alberto Levy, a member of the Living Conscience Committee, a group created in memory of the victims, said: "Just like any other crime, we believe it should be investigated to the end, so that the attack does not go unpunished." - 'Loose ends' - The Panamanian authorities have pursued two theories: that it could be a case of score-settling by drug traffickers, or that it was an anti-Semitic attack. In 1995, the United States offered $2 million for information related to the case, saying the attack might have been the work of a Lebanese Hezbollah suicide squad. "Everything indicates it was a terrorist attack, and there still are many questions and loose ends," Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik told AFP. In Panama, investigations have centered on a passenger named Ali Hawa Jamal, who is believed to have detonated a bomb concealed in a radio. An FBI statement said Jamal was the only person aboard whose body was never claimed. The FBI suspects Jamal belonged to the same Shiite Hezbollah group that, one day earlier, had detonated a car-bomb that killed 85 people and injured hundreds of people at the headquarters of a Jewish charity in Buenos Aires, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association. The group behind that attack "is suspected of involvement in the Flight 00901 bombing," an FBI wanted poster said. - 'An act without precedent' - "It was a criminal act without precedent in Panama," Juan Antonio Tejada, who was a senior prosecutor there at the time, told AFP. He said that because of Jamal's death, the case never went to trial. The case was reopened in 2018 after then-Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said he had been told by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli intelligence had confirmed the explosion was a "terrorist attack" by Hezbollah. The victims' families are now placing their hopes on bringing Jamal's possible accomplices to justice. But legal experts say information from intelligence sources is not always admitted in court. "We trust the authorities to do their work; we won't let our brothers be forgotten," Linda Cohen, the director of the Living Conscience Committee, told AFP. Ana Karina Smith remembers the day she lost her grandfather. She was 18 at the time and recalls the desperate and confused hours that followed the crash. "For many years we knew nothing about what happened -- nothing," she told AFP. "A few weeks later I went to the United States and, curiously, my Jewish friends at the university knew much more than I knew. "It was extremely painful. For me, it is essential that we make the facts known."But Abigail Benzadon is not holding her breath. "The case has gone unpunished," she said, "and it will remain unpunished." Boris Johnson has played down the prospect of a second national coronavirus lockdown, saying he did not want to use it any more than Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent. The Prime Minister said the authorities were getting better at identifying and isolating local outbreaks, although it was important that the power to order national action was held in reserve. 'I can't abandon that tool any more than I would abandon a nuclear deterrent. But it is like a nuclear deterrent, I certainly don't want to use it. And nor do I think we will be in that position again,' he told The Sunday Telegraph. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has played down the prospect of a second national lockdown His comments could lead to further tensions between ministers and their scientific experts after the chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned on Friday there was 'a risk' that national measures could be needed as winter approaches. Announcing another easing lockdown restrictions in England, Mr Johnson on Friday said he hoped there could be a 'significant return to normality' in time for Christmas. At the same time, he said the Government had given local authorities new powers to close specific premises, shut outdoor spaces and cancel events. Mr Johnson told the Telegraph: 'It's not just that we're getting much better at spotting the disease and isolating it locally, but we understand far more which groups it affects, how it works, how it's transmitted, so the possibility of different types of segmentation, of enhanced shielding for particular groups, is now there.' 'We're genuinely able now to look at what's happening in much closer to real time, to isolate outbreaks and to address them on the spot, and to work with local authorities to contain the problem locally and regionally if we have to.' As he approaches his first anniversary in office, Mr Johnson insisted his agenda for domestic reform and 'levelling up' the economy would not be blown off course by the pandemic. Johnson, pictured with fiancee Carrie Symonds and their son Wilfred, said the government was looking at isolating outbreaks in a bid to avoid another national lockdown 'We want to be a transformative Government, because there's a massive opportunity in this country to do things differently and to do things better,' he said. 'We've seen that really exemplified in what happened with coronavirus.' The Prime Minister confirmed that as part of that he was looking at reform of the Civil Service in the wake of the announcement the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill, is stepping down. 'Please don't think that I in any way underestimate the brilliance of the UK Civil Service, they are absolutely fantastic,' he said. 'But maybe there are ways in which we can all learn together to do things faster, to have a real spirit of 'can do'. I'm not saying that people don't have that, but there's an opportunity to learn from the crisis and to work faster. 'I think sometimes it's a question of confidence and belief.' Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has prepared a 160-bed Covid care centre at one of its facilities on Old Airport Road of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike here. The centre was handed over to municipal authorities on Sunday. In a statement, HAL said that it had converted its Ghatage Convention Centre into Covid care centre with the complete supporting infrastructure like washrooms, bathrooms. Notably, HAL has pledged Rs 20 crore from its CSR fund to the Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund while its employees have pledged their one day salary amounting to Rs 6.25 crore. Cumulatively it works out to Rs 26.25 crore. Donald Trump defended his performance in handling the coronavirus pandemic, his 2020 re-election prospects, people who fly Confederate flags and his own mental faculties in a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Sundays Chris Wallace. Mr Wallace won plaudits from other White House reporters and others for coming into the interview prepared with facts to rebut the presidents claims, which at times stretched the truth at best and defied it wholesale at worst. In the backdrop of Mr Trumps interview was polling from several outlets last week that mostly showed the president trailing his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, by anywhere from 8 to 15 percentage points, as the president continues to struggle among voters disaffected by his handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Heres what Mr Trump said on the issues that have dominated headlines in recent weeks: Downplaying coronavirus While the president admitted for a moment during the interview that he may have made some mistakes during his handling of the coronavirus crisis I guess everybody makes mistakes, he said he once again claimed the virus would disappear, without citing evidence for his assertion. Mr Trump has previously predicted, on multiple occasions, that the virus would quickly fade from the US, and also downplayed the severity of the crisis. He doubled down on Sunday, saying his prognostications would eventually be vindicated. "I will be right eventually. You know, I said, 'It's going to disappear.' I'll say it again. ... It's going to disappear, and I'll be right," Mr Trump said of a virus that has killed more than 140,000 Americans over the last five months. The US surpassed the grim milestone of 140,000 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday into Sunday, but Mr Trump has still insisted that the US has the lowest mortality rate in the world, which is not true. According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has the seventh-worst mortality rate due to the coronavirus. Countries like Russia and Brazil ranked lower in their own mortality rate, which Mr Wallace pointed out to the president to counter his statistics from a separate study that does not list Russias death rate and, even still, shows Brazil and South Korea have experienced a lower one. The president repeated his claim that the USs robust Covid-19 testing regime was responsible for inflating statistics about the severity of the crisis. "Testing is up 37 per cent," Mr Trump said. "Cases are up 194 per cent. It isn't just that testing has gone up, it's that the virus has spread," the Mr Wallace said in response. From 'no responsibility at all' to 'responsibility always' In a pivot away from remarks he made in March, Mr Trump acknowledged that he bears the burden of the USs coronavirus response as president. Look, I take responsibility always for everything because it's ultimately my job, too. I have to get everybody in line, the president said. In March, Mr Trump was indignant at a reporters question on whether he took responsibility for the countrys slow roll-out of a nationwide testing programme, which lagged behind those of several other advanced countries such as South Korea and Japan. I don't take responsibility at all, Mr Trump said at the time, vaguely alluding to a set of circumstances and rules, regulations and specifications from a different time. Worldwide death toll from coronavirus passes 600,000 He did not elaborate on what those inhibiting circumstances were at the time. In his interview that aired on Sunday, Mr Trump proclaimed that US testing for the virus was now the envy of the world as the federal government continues to provide assistance to states and local governments to increase capacity. Mr Trump said it was incumbent upon those leaders to execute good testing policy and administer the aid. Some governors have done well, some governors have done poorly, he said. Anthony Fauci As White House economic advisers continue their offensive on health official Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US government, Mr Trump appeared to defend him from the most incendiary of accusations. Well, I don't know that hes a leaker, the president said, answering a question from Mr Wallace about a cartoon previously shared by a Trump aide on Twitter accusing Mr Fauci of leaking negative things about the president to the press. But Mr Fauci is a little bit of an alarmist, Mr Trump said. That's OK. A little bit of an alarmist. Mr Trump said he and Mr Fauci have a great relationship, despite White House economic adviser Peter Navarro publishing an op-ed in USA Today last week smearing Mr Fauci as being wrong about everything with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. The president did agree with Mr Navarro, however, that Mr Fauci was wrong when he early during the pandemic when he opposed the presidents restrictions on travel to and from China, where Covid-19 is believed to have originated. Mr Fauci has since admitted the policy limiting travel which the Trump administration has inaccurately characterised as a ban was the correct call, an admission Mr Trump was quick to highlight. He then admitted that I was right, the president said. 2020 election Mr Trump reaffirmed his belief that Mr Biden lacks the energy and competence to be president, despite the former vice presidents decisive lead in the latest polling. Biden can't put two sentences together. They wheel him out. He goes up he repeats they ask him questions. He reads a teleprompter and then he goes back into his basement. You tell me the American people want to have that in an age where we're in trouble with other nations that are looking to do numbers on us? Mr Trump said. The president declined to weigh in on whether he believes Mr Biden is senile, an accusation Democrats and the Biden campaign have said is both false and extremely inappropriate. Mr Biden would be the oldest person to take the office by eight years. Mr Trump, at 70 years old on inauguration day in 2017, was the oldest person to become president. To be president, you have to be sharp and tough and so many other things. He doesn't even come out of his basement, Mr Trump said of Mr Biden, which is a false claim. (AFP via Getty Images (AFP via Getty Images) The former vice president has appeared at multiple campaign events in just the last several weeks. Joe doesn't know he's alive, OK? He doesn't know he's alive, Mr Trump insisted. When confronted with his poor public polling numbers, Mr Trump insisted his internal polling showed him doing a better than most media stories reflect. The president also accused Democrat-run states of not allowing him to hold rallies there over concerns about proper social distancing and the Covid-19 crisis. Health care At one point in the interview, Mr Wallace asked Mr Trump why his administration was seeking to roll back aspects of the 2010 health care law known as Obamacare right as the US is undergoing the largest health crisis in multiple generations. Mr Trump said his policy team had a plan that would soon be enacted to help Americans get coverage, though he did not provide specifics, and the White House has not presented an itemised health care policy proposal to Congress in months. "We're signing a health care plan within two weeks. A full and complete health care plan, Mr Trump said. That would be news to many lawmakers from both parties: Congress is not currently working on health care legislation, nor is the White House formulating a proposal to present to Congress that would have any chance of passing the Democratic-controlled House or the Senate, which would require bipartisan support to surmount its 60-vote threshold. Economic stimulus The president was noncommittal about refusing to sign coronavirus stimulus legislation if it does not include the White Houses stated priorities, such as his and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells desire to protect health care workers and businesses from liability lawsuits related to Covid-19 exposure. Well, were going to see, the president said about a fifth round of coronavirus aid that is expected to blow past the $1trn mark. We do need protections because businesses are going to get sued just because somebody walked in. You dont know where this virus comes from. Theyll sit down at a restaurant. Theyll sue the restaurant, the guys out of business, Mr Trump said. Party leaders in Congress are expected to begin hashing out a deal when both chambers return on Monday. Lawmakers want to strike a deal by the August recess, though Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she is willing to postpone the August district work period if it means obtaining a better deal on coronavirus relief. The parties remain far from a concrete compromise proposal that would also be well-received by Mr Trump. Democrats are arguing for stronger workplace protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), putting the party seemingly at odds over how much responsibility businesses ought to take for potentially exposing people to coronavirus on their property. Mr Trump also said in his Fox News interview that he would consider not signing any legislation if it did not include a payroll tax cut. Democrats have expressed a strong opposition to the payroll tax cut, instead insisting on renewing beefed-up unemployment benefits for people who have been laid off during the pandemic. Congress first passed the federal governments bolstered unemployment assistance programme in March. Confederate symbols As the racial tensions continue to simmer in the US after the deaths in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and others, Mr Trump defended people who fly Confederate flags as exercising their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. When people proudly have their Confederate flags, theyre not talking about racism, the president said. They love their flag. It represents the South. The Pentagon circumvented Mr Trump on the Confederate flag issue by announcing a new policy on Friday that would effectively ban anyone from flying it at a military base. The new policy lists the types of flags the US Defence Department will allow troops to fly on its bases across the world. The Confederate flag is not on the list of acceptable flags. Confederate flag merchandise is seen at a hut across the street from the Talladega Superspeedway prior to the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 on June 22, 2020 in Talladega, Alabama (Getty Images) "I dont care what the military says. I do Im supposed to make the decision," Mr Trump said of the flag policy. He added that he is opposed to renaming military bases named for Confederate officers, such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, whose namesake, Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general. "Fort Bragg is a big deal. We won two World Wars [with troops training there]. Nobody even knows General Bragg. We won two World Wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is, in a great state I love that state go to the community, say, How do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg? And then what are we going to name it? Were going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton?" Mr Trump said, referencing the American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and former Democratic presidential candidate. Biden and the police In perhaps the most heated exchange between interviewer and interviewee, Mr Wallace fact-checked Mr Trump in real-time over the presidents claims Mr Biden wants to defund the police. Sir, he does not, Mr Wallace said. Mr Trump responded that Mr Biden had signed a charter with Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders that called for the Democratic National Committee to adopt defund the police as its position on the official party platform. But the 110-page document of policy recommendations produced by six unity task forces of supporters of Mr Sanders and Mr Biden makes no such statement. "It says nothing about defunding the police," Mr Wallace said. The president pushed back, saying, "Oh really? It says abolish it says... Let's go, get me the charter, please." Mr Trump then flipped through the document, announcing several policies in it he disagreed with. But he could not find anything calling for police departments to be abolished. The document does, however, recommend significant police department reforms. The Biden-Sanders task force on criminal justice reform recommended diverting some federal funding from police departments in order to create a civilian corps of unarmed first responders such as social workers, EMTs, and trained mental health professionals who would handle nonviolent emergencies such as mental health emergencies or low-level conflicts. Such a corps of first responders would [free] police officers to concentrate on the most serious crimes, the task force states. By Express News Service KASARGOD: Nafeesa, 74, a native of Uppala in Mangalpady panchayat, died of Covid-triggered complications on Friday night, said district surveillance officer Dr A T Manoj. She tested positive on July 11. However, health officials and family members disagree on the source of infection. Nafeesa and her daughter-in-law were shifted to the district hospital in Kanhangad after testing positive. Nafeesa who developed pulmonary complication was shifted to Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram in Kannur, said Dr Manoj. She was also a diabetic patient.Later, swabs of all her family members were taken and eight of them, including her son who returned from Kuwait, tested positive on July 16. Health officials said he could have been the source of infection for the entire family. But the son denied it. He said he landed in Kannur airport on June 10 and went into quarantine in a vacant house for 15 days, and came home and stayed in room quarantine for another seven days till July 1. On June 16 he was told that his swab samples tested negative. Health officials said there could have been an error in the test or his sample was collected before the virus expressed itself in the body.Nafeesa was buried at Kunnil Juma Masjid in Uppala on Saturday. Her three sons, a daughter and two granddaughters aged 40 days and three years, are among the 10 members of the family who tested positive. They have been admitted to the Covid First-Line Treatment Centre at Vidyanagar. While Nafeesas body was being taken to Uppala in Mangalpady panchayat, the hearse stopped at Vidyanagar for the children to pay their last respects to their mother. The children wore personal protection equipment kits and followed the Covid protocol while bidding their mother goodbye. To be sure, the death of Nafeesa has not been officially recorded by the Directorate of Health Service and the chief minister did not mention the death in his evening briefing. The death was not mentioned in the daily press statement released by the District Information Office. Earlier, the death of B A Abdul Rahman, 55, of Mogral Puttur, was also not recorded by the state government saying he died in transit. Rahman arrived in an ambulance from Hubballi on July 7. His condition worsened after crossing the border and died before reaching the General Hospital. Tests found he was infected. An angry mob on Saturday set ablaze a Dangote truck for killing one motorcyclist and injuring three others. The incident happened around 8am on the old Ibadan Roundabout Road, Ago-Iwoye, in the Ijebu-North Local Government Area of Ogun State. The accident involved a Dangote truck and a motorcycle. The Public Relations Officer of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the incident. Akinbiyi said it occurred as a result of over speeding by the truck driver. He said the truck driver lost control and ran over a moving motorcycle, killing the rider and injuring three others. Irked by the incident, an angry mob besieged the road and set ablaze the truck while the driver was reportedly beaten to a pulp. The driver was later rescued by officers of TRACE, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps and the police. Akinbiyi, in a statement, explained that the Dangote truck driver was coming from Ago-Iwoye inward Ijebu-Ode when the incident happened. He said, The driver, due to overspeeding, could not control the vehicle as it approached Ibadan Roundabout and collided with a motorcycle rider who was trying to negotiate the roundabout at the time. The driver of the Dangote truck was later apprehended after making attempts to run away and was beaten to a pulp by the angry mob which also set the truck on fire. But for the intervention of men of TRACE, police, NSCDC and the FRSC, the driver would have been killed and the truck would have been completely burnt down. The driver and the motor boy have been arrested and taken to Igbeba Motor Traffic Division, Ijebu-Ode. He urged motorists to properly maintain their vehicles and avoid speeding especially when approaching a bend or roundabout. RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Rebekah Charney, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside, has received a five-year "Pathway to Independence" grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The career development grant will support Charney's research on the role of critical genes in human neural crest cell development and craniofacial pathologies while facilitating her transition to an independent faculty position. The award provides approximately $200,000 for a two-year mentored phase, followed by three years of support for Charney to establish her own independent research group. Charney, who joined UC Riverside in 2016 after receiving her doctoral degree at UC Irvine, explained that neural crest cells are an embryonic cell population that migrate extensively throughout the developing embryo. Among other derivatives, they contribute to most of the bone and connective tissue in the face. Improper development of the neural crest can lead to craniofacial birth defects. These craniofacial anomalies can occur on their own or as part of a broader syndrome. One such disorder, Mowat-Wilson syndrome, affects facial structures, the central nervous system, and the heart, among other tissues and organs. While considered rare, this disorder is being increasingly diagnosed as more awareness is drawn to the different manifestations of the syndrome. Charney's research aims to shed light on the mechanisms underlying Mowat-Wilson syndrome. "Mutations in critical genes involved in neural crest cell formation and differentiation are the cause of numerous birth defects," Charney said. "However, precisely how these mutations cause birth defects remain unknown." Using human pluripotent stem cells, Charney has been able to examine how the loss of these genes affects the earliest stages of human neural crest cell formation. With this grant, she will be able to establish translational models addressing neural crest-related disorders. Charney noted that the outcomes of this research will not only address key questions of human neural crest cell formation but can help lead to the identification of novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets. At UCR, Charney works in the laboratory of Martin Garcia-Castro, an associate professor of biomedical sciences. She is joined in this award by a team of advisors and collaborators at multiple institutions across the country who specialize in dental and craniofacial development and Mowat-Wilson syndrome. Charney is the recipient of a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship from the NIH and a K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities. At UCI, she received a U.S. Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need fellowship and an Edward Steinhaus Teaching Award; and was an NSF IGERT LifeChips trainee. ### The University of California, Riverside is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment is more than 24,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of almost $2 billion. To learn more, email news@ucr.edu. H undreds of people have gathered in Hyde Park in central London to protest against wearing masks. Crowds started congregating at about 1pm on Sunday ahead of an expected march organised by campaign group Keep Britain Free. They initially hovered around Marble Arch in the capital to listen to speeches for around two hours. People held placards reading "I will be not be masked, tested, tracked" and "no mask". During the coronavirus pandemic, masks have been made compulsory on public transport in the UK. Face coverings will also become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England from July 24. Those who fail to wear a mask face fine of up to 100. Anti-mask protest Hyde Park 1 /9 Anti-mask protest Hyde Park People attend the protest against the wearing of masks PA Crowds gathered in Hyde Park to protest wearing masks @gulag2020/Twitter People attend the protest against the wearing of masks PA People attend the protest against the wearing of masks PA A man takes a selfie at the protest PA A man wearing a plaque mask PA People attend the protest against the wearing of masks PA Keep Britain Free claims it sees the new regulations as an impingement of civil liberties. One of the organisers, Leah Butler-Smith, who was attending the protest said the group is not concerned about people who choose to wear a mask. "It is just the fact that people are being told they have no choice about wearing a mask," she told Sky News. "Because the Government started out saying 'there is absolutely no need for a mask', and many other important scientists have reportedly said the same, it did not make any sense why they suddenly said it was going to be mandated," she added. "If the Government really wants to protect the public and give them more confidence then they should stop trying to use the coercion strategy or to make people scared." Asked whether she believes other governments around the world which are advising wearing face masks to prevent transmission, Ms Butler-Smith said: "I would believe them if they did not keep changing their mind every five minutes." She also said that she had no intention of wearing a mask and would not accept a fine, because it would not be "valid". China has warned British businesses 'retaliation is coming' and they could be 'in the firing line' after the UK banned Huawei from the nation's 5G network. Ministers announced last week that the Chinese tech giant was being excluded from the infrastructure, with all of its equipment to be stripped out by 2027 over security concerns. The decision immediately prompted warnings from Beijing that it would strike back as relations between the UK and China became further strained. Today it emerged that Beijing could target British businesses operating in China in order to get revenge. Meanwhile, it was claimed the UK Government had told Huawei it was being banned from the 5G network at least in part because of mounting pressure from Donald Trump. The UK has banned Huawei from the 5G network with all of the firm's equipment to be stripped out by the end of 2027 over security concerns Boris Johnson announced in January that Huawei would be allowed to help build the UK's 5G network. The PM made the decision despite the US urging its allies not to use the firm's technology because of national security concerns - concerns Huawei has always rejected. The UK then changed its decision last week as it said recently imposed US sanctions on the company had changed the picture and that Britain could 'no longer be confident it will be able to guarantee the security of future Huawei 5G equipment'. But while the Government said publicly security concerns were the reason for excluding Huawei, the Observer reported Whitehall officials had suggested to the firm that 'geopolitical' considerations had also come into play. That gave the impression to the company that the decision could be revisited if Mr Trump fails to win reelection in November. However, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden insisted the ban on Huawei was 'irreversible' when he set out the decision last week. The UK's U-turn on the company's involvement prompted Mr Trump to take credit for the decision as he claimed he had persuaded Britain to change tack. Beijing had responded to the Huawei move by accusing the UK of behaving like 'America's dupe'. Downing Street is now braced to see exactly how the Chinese government will respond. Today it emerged the leaders of UK businesses in Beijing had been summoned to a meeting where they were apparently told by a Chinese government official that their operations could suffer because of growing tensions with Britain. A source told the Sunday Times: 'The message was that retaliation is coming and that British firms in China are in the firing line.' It is thought some of the UK's biggest companies on the world stage like Jaguar Land Rover, BP and GlaxoSmithKline could all be targeted. Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the UK, said last week that Chinese businesses could pull out of Britain following the Huawei decision. He said 'the way you treat Huawei will be followed very closely by other Chinese businesses' and that the decision had 'undermined the trust between the two countries'. The warning of retaliation came as it emerged that Chinese social media giant TikTok has reportedly shelved plans to build a global headquarters in the UK. TikTok's parent company ByteDance has been in discussions with officials from the Department for International Trade and No 10 to establish a worldwide base in Britain, creating 3,000 jobs. However, The Sunday Times reported ByteDance has made the decision to suspend those negotiations due to the 'wider geopolitical context'. Relations between Britain and Beijing have deteriorated in recent months because of the coronavirus crisis and China's imposition of a controversial national security law on Hong Kong. Paula C. Johnson is Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law. She directs the Cold Case Justice Initiative, which she co-founded with Professor Janis McDonald (emerita). It is almost inconceivable to know that Congressman John Lewis and Rev. Cordy Tindell C.T. Vivian two giants of the Civil Rights Movement both died on Friday, July 17, 2020. These are immeasurable losses for our country and world. Together and individually, they represented the highest ideals and hope for this nation to reach its promise of racial equality, universal voting rights and social justice for all people. Their principles and sacrifices that are embedded in our national consciousness. Both men were part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s inner cabinet. They were trusted and dedicated leaders in the movement for civil rights. Lewis, who was 80, began his activism at an early age. He recalled his effort as a child to obtain a library card in his rural Troy, Alabama, community. He was turned away upon being told that the library and all that it contained was for whites only. Undeterred, he determined to make the changes that would one day open American institutions to all people. Inspired by the passionate sermons and growing activist movement led by King and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, John Lewis wrote to King when he was 18 years old and asked to join the movement. This began a lasting bond to change the arc of Americas racist underpinnings. King affectionately nicknamed Lewis the Boy from Troy. Lewis never lost the humility of his rural beginnings in a family of sharecroppers, no matter how high he reached later to be called the conscience of the Congress. Lewis became a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which organized sit-ins and boycotts throughout the South. The images of Lewis being brutally beaten by white Alabama troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, Alabama, sear into our collective consciousness his commitment and sacrifice for the cause of civil rights and voting rights. The Bloody Sunday march from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965 was a turning point in the struggle for voting rights. With all of its brutality against the nonviolent protestors on display for the nation and world to see, the U.S. Congress finally rose to their constitutional mandate and passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965. Prior to passage of the VRA, Black voter participation was 2% to 6%t in Alabama and Mississippi due to racially discriminatory requirements and violent voter suppression. After passage of the act, Black voter turnout increased to 60%. Rev. C.T. Vivian, who was 95, was also an early adherent to nonviolent activism to bring about racial justice and social change. He was born in Boonville, Missouri, and later moved to Illinois with his family. In his youth, he participated in his first nonviolent sit-in at a lunch counter in Peoria, Illinois, in 1947. Vivians and Lewiss lives intersected when they both studied for the ministry at American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee. As stalwarts of the civil rights movement, Vivian, Lewis, Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, James Bevel and other members of American Baptist College, Fisk University and Tennessee State University organized some of the first nonviolent sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, in Nashville. Institutions and accommodations in Nashville were among the first to dismantle racial segregation due to Vivians and Nashs leadership and successful appeals to governing officials reason and morality. Thereafter, Vivian joined and founded organizations that focused on making fundamental changes to American society. He founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference, which was part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), one of Kings organizations. Vivian had numerous bloody encounters with racist Southern police despite the nonviolent nature of the protests and voter registration drives. As part of the Freedom Riders, he was severely beaten when their bus was fire-bombed in Anniston, Alabama. White mobs beat the riders, while law enforcement stood by and simply left. Vivian also was on the Edmund Pettus Bridge marching for voting rights in March 1965. In defiance of a local sheriff who told the marchers to stop, Vivian told him, We will register to vote because as citizens of the United States, we have the right to do it. He was then beaten bloody by the sheriff. The images of this brutality were transmitted around the world and were part of imperative that ensured passage of the Voting Rights Act. Vivian continued his activism by creating educational programs, anti-Klan watch organizations, and conducting workshops and leadership conferences for generations of justice advocates. He founded the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute, in his adopted home of Atlanta, Georgia. The faculty and students of the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI), at the Syracuse University College of Law, had the honor of working with Lewis and Vivian in our efforts to bring justice and accountability to victims families, and raise awareness of the continuing effects of racial violence and discrimination in U.S. society. We worked closely with Lewis and his staff to pass the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, to ensure that unsolved, racially motivated crimes would remain a priority for the nation. Vivian provided orientation training for our student volunteers in Atlanta. He also came to Syracuse University when we commemorated 50 years of the civil rights movement, in March 2014. The lives and legacies of these great men must not be forgotten. As recent events attest, it is now up to each of us to carry on their work and realize the guarantees of racial equality, voting rights and justice for all to which they devoted their entire lives. May they rest in peace and power. Related: Civil rights icon John Lewis dies at age 80 Tokyo: India and Japan on Friday signed a landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe, a move that will boost bilateral economic and security ties and facilitate US-based players to set up atomic plants in India. The two countries had reached a broad agreement for cooperation in civil nuclear energy sector during Abe's visit to India in December last year, but the deal was yet to be signed as some issues were yet to be worked out. "A landmark deal for a cleaner, greener world! PM @narendramodi and PM @AbeShinzo witness exchange of the landmark Civil Nuclear Agreement," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted on Friday. PM Narendra Modi and Japan PM Shinzo Abe witness exchange of the landmark Civil Nuclear Agreement pic.twitter.com/7Ut2LStKQi ANI (@ANI_news) November 11, 2016 PM: Our strategic partnership is not only for the good & security of our own societies. It also brings peace, stability & balance to region pic.twitter.com/FQK15boEDo ANI (@ANI_news) November 11, 2016 Highlights of India-Japan joint press statement- What PM Modi said: # Our strategic partnership will bring stability, peace and balance in both the countries. # We see japan as our natural partner, there is vast scope in combining our resources. # Our cooperation in this field (Civil Nuclear Agreement) will help us in tackling climate a change as well. # Dynamism and depth of our ties has increased with passage of time with continuing commitment to our partnership. # I wish to thank Prime Minister Abe for the support extended for Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. # We are also united in our resolve to combat the menace of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism. The deal would allow Japan to export nuclear technology to India, making it the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with Tokyo. It would also cement the bilateral economic and security ties as the two countries warm up to counter an assertive China. Also read: Indo-Japan civil nuclear deal signed: Here's why it matters for India There was political resistance in Japan - the only country to suffer atomic bombings during World War II - against a nuclear deal with India, particularly after the disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. Japan is a major player in the nuclear energy market and an atomic deal with it will make it easier for US-based nuclear plant makers Westinghouse Electric Corporation and GE Energy Inc to set up atomic plants in India as both these conglomerates have Japanese investments. Other nations who have signed civil nuclear deal with India include the US, Russia, South Korea, Mangolia, France, Namibia, Argentina, Canada, Kazakhstan and Australia. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The streets of Astoria in Queens, New York, were packed on Friday night with people partying without a single face mask in sight. Video shot and posted online shows throngs of revelers with drinks in hand and mingling closely with one another - with the coronavirus pandemic seemingly out of mind. Music was blasting with fireworks and flares at one point making the scene more akin to that of Miami Beach than a borough of New York City. Hundreds of people packed the streets in Astoria, Queens, New York on Friday night to party It didn't appear as though anyone was observing social distancing guidelines while out Astoria's main drag, Steinway Street, was so tightly packed that it was virtually impossible for an NYPD police car with its lights flashing and siren blaring to pass through the crowds. At one point the patrol car used its loudspeaker to instruct people to move out of the way but did little to stop one man clambering on top of an ice cream truck. The crowd responded by cheering and laughing before making a path for the cruiser to drive along. The maskless parties have been going on for around two weeks according to one resident. One man decided to jump on top of an ice cream truck, left. Crowds packed the sidewalk and spilled out into the road, right Although there were some tables set out for dining, most people were simply walking around the streets holding drinks in their hands They got stienway all the way litt son what #astoria pic.twitter.com/i21qM9wiIx WA CARTIER (@WaWacartier) July 18, 2020 Restaurants in the area recently reopened for outdoor dining under phase 3 of the reopening from coronavirus lockdown, but New York's Governor Cuomo is now restricting venues from serving just alcohol and explicitly requiring that food be served alongside. Restaurants that fail to comply with state rules will have a 'three strikes and you're closed' mandate. Such rules appeared to make little difference to those gathered on Friday night with many people managing to get their drinks from drivers selling booze out of the back of their cars. 'Anyone going to do anything about this?' asked one twitter user @vodkapond tagging Governor.Cuomo and New York's Mayor de Blasio. The scene appeared to more akin to Miami Beach than Astoria, Queens People are partying in the streets in massive crowds and selling booze out of the back of their cars on Steinway in #Astoria. Anyone going to do anything about this? @NYGovCuomo @NYCMayor @NYPD114Pct @NY1 pic.twitter.com/aidyp3flO3 KW (@vodkapond) July 18, 2020 NYPD officers were also seen standing on a street corner without any masks as people walked by. The NYPD told the New York Post that they were on scene by 12:30am and that 'officers issued multiple verbal orders for the crowd to disperse. The crowd cleared out without incident.' The Department said they issued 20 summonses for double parking and bus stop violations but no tickets were issues for breaking social distancing guidelines. 'Maybe they feel comfortable because no one's telling them to do anything. I don't know what they're thinking. I'm just trying to run a business,' said John Zorbas who runs Brik restaurant which had dozens of people standing outside its doors. New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that the scene will not be allowed to be repeated The streets of Astoria were completely packed until around 4am. The parties have been going on for weeks 'We can't control what hundreds of people are doing. We need some help. Where it's going to come from? I don't know.' William Crowley, a spokesperson with the State Liquor Authority said that it was clear that something needed to be done. 'We will take all action necessary to protect New Yorkers during this public health emergency.' 'The main responsibility for enforcing social distancing lies with the local government in this case New York City and they must ensure activity like this that risks transmission of COVID-19 are not allowed to take place,' Crowley said. Trash aftermath. Check out the mess left behind by large crowds partying in Astoria overnight. Hundreds were seen on video with no masks and no social-distancing. @NBCNewYork pic.twitter.com/AWpikXyJc4 Ken Buffa (@KenBuffa) July 18, 2020 The streets of Astoria were a complete mess first thing on Saturday morning after the party The streets were in need of a proper clean up after the all-night party along Steinway Street City Councilman Costa Constantinides, who is a member of District 22 representing Astoria, said he was furious about the incident. 'There's businesses who frankly I think need to be shut down,' Constantinides said to ABC7. 'I already spoke to the governor and the mayor's office today, and said that they've already used up their strikes.' On Saturday afternoon, Mayor de Blasio tweeted that the situation needed to change. 'This is unacceptable. New Yorkers have made too many sacrifices to fight COVID-19. We can't let up now. We'll be out in Astoria and across the city tonight to make sure restaurants are doing their part to keep their diners and their workers safe.' Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Governor Bello Mohammed (Matawallen Maradun) inherited a near total break of law and order in Zamfara state last year. Banditry and kidnappings, rape and robbery were vices attacking the fabrics of the society in the state in an alarming proportion. A very known and common problem of hearder/ farmer clashes grew into a new dimension of cattle rustling and later bigger criminality of murder, kidnappings and rape. That was the scenario he inherited from the previous administration. However, with a lot of wisdom, comportment, determination, commitment, resilience and honesty of purpose, God Almighty supported the young administration of Governor Bello Mohammed to circumvent all obstacles and bring about peace in the state within the first 100 days of the administration. In the last eight months, people have been going about their normal businesses as all markets have re-opened, all roads are now safe to ply and all farmers have gone back to their farms. This was achieved through a well articulated and honest peace initiative hinged on sulhu, a peace accord predicated upon mutual agreement to give and take as well as forgive. To maintain the peace achieved and to promote harmony amongst the populace, Governor Matawalle decided to find a way of settling those-bandits who accepted the peace accord which was the bedrock of the present achievement of enthroning peace amongst the people. He initiated the establishment of Rural Grazing Areas (RUGA), one in each of the three Senatorial zones of the state. These are not ordinary RUGA known to many, but modern settlements with all modern facilities to support a modern way of cattle rearing and diary products development and production. The first of the three is under construction and is nearing completion. It is situated a few kilometres away from the historical town of Maradun. Governor Matawalle yesterday, took the visiting Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to the site. It was a wonderful journey into a new world of excellence for rearers in the state, one of its kind in the whole of West Africa. It is a settlement being erected on a land mass of nearly 2,500 hecters with complete network of roads. It is housing a large but segmented grazing areas where all seasonal and nutritious grasses will be planted for all year round grazing. It is equipped with water systems supported by overhead tanks and underground reservoir that can store 2 million and 21 million liters of water respectively. The site is surrounded by water canals and earth dams. In order to make the settlement perfect for living, it has 57 prototype houses for the inhabitants who want to settle there to copy while a school is provided for them, a hospital, a veterinary clinic, a police outpost, a mini stadium for recreation as well as worshipping places. Governor Matawalle said the project will soon be completed and it will serve as a genuine indication of his administrations commitment to the fulfilment of his promise to settle down all repentant bandits and attract those who are into modern animal fattening and diary production business. This is just one of the many positive initiatives of fostering peace in post violence Zamfara State by Governor Bello Mohammed. Bappa writes from Gusau Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat over the phone to enquire about Covid-19 infected soldiers in the state and gave necessary directions to curb the spread of the virus in the state, officials said. The development came after CM Rawat on Saturday indicated that so far a total of 110 army personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state out of which about 100 cases have emerged in the past 3 to 4 days. According to an official in the state secretariat privy to the development, PM Modi spoke to CM Rawat in the afternoon in which he enquired about the health condition of the army personnel affected by Covid-19 virus. During the conversation he asked the CM to provide every possible help to the army personnel in terms of treatment with proper coordination between the state government and army, said the official. He said the CM assured the Prime Minister of providing all possible help to the Covid-19 affected army personnel and said, We are in constant touch with the army authorities and providing them with all the facilities required for treatment. On Saturday, the CM had said, Contact tracing of the infected army personnel is being done which will not be so difficult as their travel history is specified. During the conversation with PM Modi, he informed him that in the past few days the number of cases in the state have increased but the situation is under control. JC Pandey, public relations officer for the Uttarakhand health department said that the health department is tracing the contacts of army personnel who have tested positive to ensure the virus doesnt spread further among their families. Ten army personnel had tested positive on July 18, eight on July 1, one army staff tested positive on June 30 and two army personnel tested positive on June 13. In April, an army doctor had tested positive for Covid-19 from Chakrata area in Dehradun. Later on Sunday evening the CM informed about the measures being taken to curb the spread including increasing the number of tests and surveillance. The surveillance has been increased with the help of ASHA and Aanganwadi workers by moving house to house to check if anyone has any symptoms of the virus, he said. In Uttar Kashi district surveillance has been done four times. In other districts including Nainital, Rudraprayag, Almora, Chamoli and Tehri Garhwal, it has been completed three times while in Bageshwar, Champawat, Pauri Garhwal and US Nagar it has been done twice. In the remaining three districts of Dehradun, Haridwar and Pithoragarh, it has been done once, said Rawat. On increasing the number of tests in the state, he said, This week 2,487 samples were collected every day for testing in comparison to 1,660 samples taken per day last week. Also, our testing rate per million is 9,981 which is significant. Till Saturday, Uttarakhand reported 4,276 Covid-19 cases of which 3,081 people have recovered while 1,108 are still active. Total number of deaths due to Covid-19 is 52 in the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Is Phuket already on the path to recovery? The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching and unprecedented. The coronavirus quickly entered Phuket and wreaked havoc on public health and its tourism-fuelled economy. However, despite the concern surrounding Phukets future, Blue Horizon Developments CEO & founder, Andres Pira, firmly believes the island is already on the path to recovery. religioneconomicsCOVID-19 By Advertorial Sunday 19 July 2020, 10:00AM The Blue Horizon team (www.BlueHorizon-Thailand.com). Phuket has been through a lot, says Pira. When you look back at the financial crisis of 1997 or the tsunami of 2004, it is apparent that the island emerges from a crisis much stronger. COVID-19 will be no different. Before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the WHO, it was predicted that Thailand would see 350,000 infections and 7,000 deaths by mid-April 2020. To ensure that those figures remained pessimistic projections, the Thai government declared a state of emergency and took stringent measures to contain the virus. Borders were closed, most Thai provinces were placed under lockdown, and a nationwide curfew was imposed. Phuket underwent a more serious lockdown than other areas since the island had the highest number of coronavirus infections per capita in Thailand. Thus, businesses had to temporarily halt operations, including Blue Horizon Developments. With employees working remotely at limited capacity and its contractors unable to proceed with construction projects, the award-winning company suffered losses. The President of Phuket Chamber of Commerce, Thanusak Phungdet, recently stated that Phuket is the hardest hit province in Thailand. It has already lost 120 billion in income and is expected to lose another 160 billion by year-end if the situation does not improve. While many investors and developers wonder what the future holds, Pira is confident that the property market will improve by the first quarter of 2021. Thailand is among the few places in the world that have successfully kept the virus at bay, and Phuket is no exception, says the real estate tycoon, who praises the countrys leadership, community spirit and healthcare system in dealing with the pandemic. The economy and the property market will heal. This could be the longest and most painful recovery period to go through, but as with any crisis, COVID-19 offers opportunities for improvement. Blue Horizon Developments resumed its operations at the beginning of July and is back in full swing. Aside from honouring professional commitments, both the companys CEO and employees have been giving back to Phukets residents after being inspired by their sense of community, especially during times of hardship. Blue Horizon Developments has been showing its continued appreciation for Phuket by supporting over 700 underprivileged kids on the island through visa and work permit sponsorship for English teachers. The companys employees also distributed food and other necessities to nearby residents together with Andres Pira, who covered all the costs, to help those suffering from a loss of income. My team has taken it upon themselves to clean the beaches around Phuket to make them even more stunning than they already are, says Pira beaming with pride. We hope to share some of the love and kindness we have received over the years from the generous locals, help ease their struggles, and make the island a more liveable place for everyone here and anyone looking to make Phuket their home. We would like to play our part in Phukets recovery from COVID-19. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) vice-chairperson Raghav Chadha on Saturday visited northwest Delhis Palla region to inspect the boards project to install 200 tubewells to extract 25 MGD (million gallons per day) of water. This will be in addition to the existing 25 MGD extracted from the region. Senior officials of the Jal Board said the water augmentation project being carried in the region will be in line with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments vision to provide round-the-clock supply to all Delhi residents. Chadha said the additional 25MGD water can be extracted in a sustainable manner from this region, as the extracted groundwater will be recharged during the flood season. To bring about an overall improvement in the water management system of the DJB, this additional 25 MGD should be extracted and connected to the main supply to augment the distribution in north and northwest Delhi, Chadha said. He said it is estimated that the work on the installation of 200 tubewells to extract 25MGD water will be completed in the next two years. DJB officials said a 25-acre pond with a depth of 1.75 metres was also checked and 35 piezometers were installed around it to study the impact of water recharging during floods. Many technical committees, researchers and scientists were brought to the table and they have all agreed that this project has the potential to increase the groundwater level, which can be extracted during the lean season to augment the supply in the national capital. Currently, the pilot project is being executed on 25 acres, which will be expanded to cover 1,000 acres, Chadha said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 12:01:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A primary school student attends an online class meeting from home in Beijing, capital of China, April 13, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong) BEIJING, July 19 (Xinhua) -- A survey by China Youth Daily found that 86.3 percent of Chinese people who were interviewed by the paper have the experience of working from home due to the COVID-19 epidemic and 63.7 percent of them believe telecommuting is the future of work. Among the 2,002 respondents, the post-1980's generation accounted for 42.2 percent, followed by the post-1990's generation at 40.7 percent and the post-1970's generation at 9.7 percent. While some said remote working has many benefits, such as greater flexibility, others pointed out that flexible working practice may have downsides like distractions. According to the survey, 52 percent of the respondents think that telecommuting can improve the efficiency of remote workers, while 19 percent believe the opposite. Teleworking supporters said remote work not only saves them commuting time but also eases traffic congestion and reduces their carbon footprint, which is a good way to going green. Over half of the surveyed said working from home can help them better balance work and life. However, more than 50 percent of the respondents also pointed out that working from home may blur the lines between work and personal life. About 41 percent of the surveyed said they found it more difficult to communicate with colleagues while working remotely. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday had a telephonic conversation with the chief ministers of Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the respective states. With the highest single-day spike of 38,902 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally on Sunday reached 10,77,618 on Sunday. The death toll has gone up to 26,816 with 543 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. The Union health ministry said the total number of cases includes 3,73,379 active cases and 6,77,423 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. Some of these states like -- Assam and Bihar -- have been tackling the annual floods during the monsoon season. Modi assured all support to Assam in dealing with the flood havoc, which has claimed 81 lives so far this year. Discussing the flood situation with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone, Modi also enquired about the COVID-19 scenario and the ongoing efforts to douse the raging blaze at the Oil India's Baghjan gas well. All of these states have been witnessing a surge in coronavirus cases. While Tamil Nadu is among the worst-hit states in the country, Assam, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have seen massive growth lately. With inputs from PTI, agencies Bain & Company has announced three new partner promotions in the Middle East, which features four office locations and a team of 300+ professionals. Tom De Waele, who was named Managing Partner of Bain & Company Middle East effective January 1 2020, welcomed the new leadership team. The three newly promoted partners are Eric Guraieb, Sami Abdul Rahman and Anne-Laure Malauzat. Since joining Bain in 2003 in Brussels and later moving to the Middle East in 2008, De Waele has been renowned for his expertise across Financial Services in the GCC and Egypt, with emphasis on large-scale multi-year transformations and merger integrations for banks, insurance players and capital market actors. He has also actively served prominent financial investor and private equity clients across Europe and the Middle East both on the deal-side and on a number of large post-acquisition value creation programs. His main areas of expertise include growth strategy, mergers & acquisitions including post-merger integration, end-to-end digital transformation of sales and service, simplification and cost optimization as well as organisation. Eric Guraieb is an integral part of the firm's Energy & Natural Resources and Performance Improvement practices. His focus lies in R&D and innovation, economic development, as well as advising regional leaders in the Oil & Gas industry on national energy policies in the Middle East. He also has expertise in advising clients on new business ventures, strategy and operation performance improvement. He holds a broad base of consulting expertise acquired in North America and the Middle East, mainly in the industrial sector, where his mastery lies in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing. He holds an MBA from Insead and a Bachelors degree in industrial engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Sami Abdul Rahman is a core member of the firms Public Sector and Results Delivery practices with over 10 years of experience advising clients across key Middle Eastern Markets. He specialised in working with governments and ministries on critical topics such as national transformation, national and regional economic development, culture, tourism, sustainability and food security. He holds a BSc. in biology and bio-systems engineering from the American University of Beirut and a M Sc in water science from Auburn University, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. An Outback Steakhouse restaurant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province / Korea Times file By Park Jae-hyuk Bain Capital has been mentioned as one of the strongest candidates to acquire Outback Steakhouse Korea from SkyLake Investment, because the U.S. private equity firm (PEF) is seriously reviewing its plan to buy a controlling stake in the Australian-themed casual dining restaurant chain's Korean operation, according to industry sources, Sunday. Sources said Bain's Korean office is looking for a domestic partner for acquisition financing, since it has been shortlisted for the main bid and has finished a management presentation. Bain has never invested in restaurant chains here, but its global headquarters and Catterton Partners had jointly acquired Bloomin' Brands in 2007 and exited the U.S. owner of the Outback brand in 2015. Based on its global headquarters' understanding of the restaurant industry, Bain seems to be trying to achieve economies of scale here by acquiring Outback Korea and additional local food franchises. The lowered valuation of restaurant brands after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to help Bain accomplish the goal. Bain has expanded its presence in the Korean market, participating in various buyout deals. It joined hands with Goldman Sachs in 2016 to acquire a 60 percent stake in Carver Korea for 430 billion won ($357 million). They sold the cosmetics firm to Unilever for 2.27 billion euros ($2.6 billion) the following year, so Bain presumably earned 1.5 trillion won from the deal. It also took over a controlling stake in a botulinum toxin producer Hugel for 930 billion won in 2017. But some observers say it is still uncertain whether or not Bain would complete the Outback Korea takeover, considering it previously dropped out of several bids in Korea. The company dropped out of the bids for Nexon, Coway and Tailim takeovers last year. As for the Coway and Tailim deals, Bain withdrew from the bids after it was shortlisted for the main bids. During the Nexon deal, it was the first main bidder to drop out, among Kakao, Netmarble, MBK Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). If Bain fails to find a partner that wants to form a consortium with it and take Outback Korea at the time of Bain's exit, the PEF will not continue its efforts to acquire the brand, according to the observers. It is also expected to withdraw from the takeover bid for Outback Korea, if the seller demands a higher price than its estimation. The restaurant chain's enterprise value is estimated at around 260 billion won, as its sales and operating profit last year jumped to 254.3 billion won and 16.7 billion won, respectively, from 195.5 billion won and 2.5 billion won in 2016 when SkyLake took over the entire stake in Outback's Korean subsidiary from Bloomin' Brands International for 57 billion won. Closing underperforming stores and upgrading to a premium steak menu, SkyLake has reformed the brand that had suffered from the falling popularity of casual dining restaurants amid changing trends. After seeing the earnings improvement, the Korean PEF selected Credit Suisse as the financial adviser to the sale of Outback Korea and opened the preliminary bid in late May. Samil PwC and Kim & Chang are in charge of accounting and legal advice for the deal, respectively. According to industry sources, the preliminary bid attracted seven bidders, including Bain, Anchor Equity Partners, TA Associates and JP Morgan Asset Management. Both Anchor and TA have experience in acquiring food and beverage (F&B) franchises in Korea, as the foreign PEFs respectively took over A Twosome Place and Gong Cha Korea last year. The main bid will likely take place next month at the latest. The bidders have reportedly recognized Outback Korea for its delivery service it started in August last year, as it enabled the restaurant chain to see better-than-expected earnings in the first half despite COVID-19-triggered conditions. But there still exists skepticism about Outback Korea. An executive of one of Korea's leading PEFs said restaurant franchises are not attractive enough to make investments, because trends in the domestic F&B market are changing too quickly. Analysts also expect PEFs will face problems selling their food franchises because of rapid minimum wage hikes and the economic slowdown, both of which have reduced the attractiveness of investing in restaurant franchises. "Due to soaring rents, in addition to surging minimum wages and interest costs, restaurants have faced intensifying financial difficulties," Kiwoom Securities analyst Park Sang-joon said in a report. Morgan Stanley PE, which bought Nolboo for 120 billion won in 2011, has not been successful in making an exit from the Korean-style restaurant brand for eight years, which is far longer than the average exit period of three to five years. Affirma Capital, which was formerly Standard Chartered Private Equity, failed in its attempt to exit Mad for Garlic in 2018. Yes, the stock market will crash again. That's a 100% certainty. What isn't so certain is when it will happen. But you can bet on another market crash coming down the road, perhaps even this year. If you do take that bet, though, make sure you hold some cash to the side. Major market downturns create excellent buying opportunities. You can especially scoop up shares of dividend stocks at lower prices and lock in higher yields. Here are three fantastic dividend stocks to buy when the market crashes again. Brookfield Infrastructure You have a couple of alternatives with Brookfield Infrastructure. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE:BIP) is a limited partnership (LP) that offers a juicy dividend yield of close to 4.5%. Earlier this year, the company gave investors a gift by creating a new entity, Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE:BIPC). They're economically equivalent and pay the same dividend. But because of its share price, Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation's dividend yield stands at close to 4.1%. What's the difference between the two (aside from the small difference in dividend yields)? They have different tax implications. Also, some retirement accounts and indexes don't allow LPs. Otherwise, the same reasons for buying apply to both stocks. And there are plenty of reasons to invest in either Brookfield Infrastructure entity in addition to the attractive dividend yield. Brookfield Infrastructure is remarkably diversified. It owns infrastructure assets across multiple sectors -- data, energy, transport, and utilities. These assets are also diversified geographically across four regions, with no region generating more than 30% of total cash flow. This diversification makes the company resilient to macroeconomic headwinds. Don't think Brookfield Infrastructure is just a boring low-growth stock, though. The company continually reevaluates its assets, selling lower-performing ones and reinvesting in more promising ones. Whenever the market plunges again, an investment in either of the Brookfield Infrastructure stocks will give you solid long-term growth prospects plus a strong dividend, which should add up to market-beating total returns. Brookfield Renewable Partners Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE:BEP) is a sibling of Brookfield Infrastructure. The companies are managed by the same partner, Brookfield Asset Managers. Brookfield Renewable is also a limited partnership. And it pays a strong dividend that currently yields close to 4.1%. As its name hints, Brookfield Renewable focuses on renewable energy. It owns hydroelectric, solar, and wind power-generation facilities plus energy storage facilities. Roughly 75% of the company's funds from operations (FFO) has been made from generating hydroelectric power in the past. But Brookfield Renewable is beefing up its solar and wind assets through an acquisition of TerraForm. Fossil-fuel energy is going the way of the dinosaurs (which, by the way, didn't produce fossil fuels -- they come from dead plants). That's not happening only because of environmental concerns. Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are already more cost-effective than natural gas and other fossil fuels. Brookfield Renewable thinks that it can deliver average annual returns of at least 12% and up to 15%. If you get a chance to buy the stock at a discount during a market crash, your returns would likely be even higher. AbbVie At last, we have a great dividend stock to buy in the next market crash that isn't named Brookfield. AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) offers a dividend yield of 4.7% -- the highest of the group. It's also a Dividend Aristocrat with 47 consecutive years of dividend increases under its belt. I'll admit that AbbVie might seem like somewhat riskier than the Brookfield companies. The company relies heavily on immunology drug Humira. Within the next three years, Humira's sales will begin to fall significantly as biosimilar rivals enter the U.S. market. However, AbbVie seems to have a pretty good plan to cope with the anticipated sales decline for Humira. The company has built up an impressive roster with fast-rising stars including blood cancer drugs Imbruvica and Venclexta and new immunology drugs Rinvoq and Skyrizi. In addition, AbbVie's recent acquisition of Allergan gives it additional cash flow that makes it less dependent on Humira. Allergan's blockbuster Botox franchise is its crown jewel. AbbVie also picked up new products with great potential, including antipsychotic drug Vraylar. The pharma stock isn't likely to deliver tremendous growth over the next few years, but it's one that income-seeking investors might want to snag when the next market downturn comes. Police raised a purple flag warning citizens they may be breaching a recently passed National Security Order at a protest at a mall in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, on 19 July. Live video recorded by SocRec, an activist organisation that have been covering protests in Hong Kong for some time, shows people protesting in the Yoho Mall. Later footage shows police gathering and closing off a section of the mall outside a Dior store. Earlier that day protesters had been in Yuen Long station to mark the anniversary of the Yuen Long train station mob attack of July 2019. SocRec said that police were in the mall to intercept Yuen Long District Councillors for violating the 5GG Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation. Later a purple flag was raised by police. The flag warns people that they may be breaching the new National Security Order for Hong Kong and may be subject to arrest and prosecution, the South China Morning Post reported. Credit: SocREC via Storyful The official IRNA news agency has reported an explosion at a power plant in Iran's central Isfahan Province, but says there were no casualties. There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial facilities since late June. The managing director of the Isfahan power company told IRNA on July 19 the blast was caused by a worn-out transformer at the plant. It comes days after several vessels caught fire on July 15 at the Iranian port of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. Two explosions rocked the capital, Tehran, in late June, one near a military site and the other in a health center, the latter killing 19 people. A fire also broke out at the underground Natanz nuclear facility on July 2. Iran's top security body said on July 3 that the cause of the Natanz fire had been determined but would be announced at a later time. Some Iranian officials said it could have been a cyberattack, and one warned that Tehran would retaliate against any country carrying out such attacks. In an article in early July, IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly. Israel's defense minister said on July 5 his country was not "necessarily" behind every mysterious incident in Iran. Based on reporting by Reuters Longtime Trump ally, whose prison sentence was recently commuted by the president, denied using the derogatory term. Roger Stone, a political operative whose 40-month prison sentence was commuted earlier this month by United States President Donald Trump, his longtime friend, has used the racial slur Negro on-air while verbally sparring with a Black Los Angeles-based radio host. The exchange happened on Saturday on The MoKelly Show, whose host, Morris OKelly, grilled Stone on his conviction for lying to Congress, tampering with witnesses and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trumps campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election. During the interview, OKelly asserted that Stones commutation was because of his friendship with Trump. Stones voice then goes faint but he can be heard muttering that he was arguing with this Negro. OKelly then asks Stone to repeat the comment, but Stone goes momentarily silent. The first part of Stones statement was not entirely audible, but the radio programme transcribed the complete sentences as: I cant believe Im arguing with this Negro. OKelly persisted on having Stone respond. Im sorry youre arguing with whom? I thought we were just having a spirited conversation. What happened? OKelly said. You said something about Negro. Stone said he had not. Youre out of your mind, he said. OKelly said on his programmes website: Stone could have reached for any pejorative, but unfortunately went there, adding that Stone offered an unfiltered, unvarnished one-sentence expression of how he saw the journalist interviewing him. OKelly characterised Negro as the low-calorie version of the N-Word. Stones lawyer on Sunday said he was unaware of the broadcast and had no immediate comment. The Republican operative had been sentenced to 40 months in prison for charges that included witness tampering and lying to investigators probing alleged collusion between Russia and Trumps campaign for president in 2016. Trump, however, commuted his sentence on July 10, just days before Stone was to report for detention. During the programme, Stone said the president acted out of compassion and the jury that weighed his case was tainted. I did not get a fair trial, Stone said. My life was in imminent danger, Stone said, saying he was at risk of being infected by the coronavirus in prison. I think the president did this as an act of compassion. He did it as an act of mercy. At one time, Negro was common in the American vernacular to describe African Americans. By the late 1960s, the word was scorned by activists in favour of such descriptors as Black. These days, the antiquated word is widely viewed as derogatory. The 75-year-old required a tracheostomy a tube directly into the throat and on multiple occasions was presumed to have just hours left to live. So ravaged was his body that he had to relearn how to walk. His fight has become legendary in the corridors of Sunshine Hospital, where "reinvigorated" doctors and nurses know from Jim's experience that no matter how dire, "we can get people to the other side". Jim Fenech at his home in Melbourne West with son Jason. "It hits me hard when I talk about it, Im telling you," Jason says. Credit:Penny Stephens The rocknroll-loving former steel worker spent 45 days on a ventilator in Sunshine Hospital ICU and another 56 recovering in the COVID-19 and rehabilitation wards in what may be our most astonishing coronavirus comeback yet. On July 6, Jim walked from hospital to a world vastly changed from the one he left on March 28, when people were still waking up to the crisis to come. Unconscious through the worst of his stay, Jim is spared the memories of his near demise, but for his adult children, Jason and Susan, recounting the journey is enough to bring them to tears. "That was the worst six weeks of our lives, mate," Jason says of his father's time in ICU, when no one could visit. "The last conversation we had I said, Dad, youve always told us to be strong. Now its your turn. What you told me is what Im telling you.' "I said, 'I know youre struggling to talk, but I want you to listen: me and Susan, we want to thank you for everything youve done for us. We love you. We will always love you. But youve got to fight now. You make sure we see each other again.' Your browser does not support the audio element. From the first 'banh mi' store launched in Japan in October 2016, two Vietnamese brothers have successfully expanded their business model to two more locations in the East Asian country as of June this year, turning the iconic Vietnamese stuffed baguette into a local favorite. Bui Thanh Duy, 34, and Bui Thanh Tam, 29, are the two Vietnamese co-founders and owners of these Banh Mi Xin Chao (Hello Banh Mi) shops, selling 'banh mi' a world-famous Vietnamese dish consisting of a baguette typically stuffed with cold cuts, pate, vegetables, mayonnaise, and optional chilies. Their successful business has commanded the attention of many Japanese media outlets, including the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), whose reports ended up drawing an even bigger crowd to the brothers' stores. Duy and Tam have opened three Banh Mi Xin Chao stores in Japan as of June, including two in Tokyo and another franchise in Kobe City on Honshu Island, Hyogo Prefecture. "Funding is the biggest challenge we faced when launching more branches," Tam told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about the difficulties they encountered in the early days to expand their business in Japan. "A new store often costs a huge amount so we had to put a lot of effort into getting everything on track." Japanese actor Horii Arata (center) from the national broadcaster NHK poses with Vietnamese brothers Bui Thanh Tam and Bui Thanh Duy in front of one of the duo's Banh Mi Xin Chao stores in Tokyo, Japan in a supplied photo taken in early 2020. Photo: Duy Tam The brothers' latest success was the opening of their first franchised store in Kobe last month, which is already generating profit after less than a month of operation. It also realized Banh Mi Xin Chao's dream of expanding their business through franchising after three years. In fact, many partners have offered to become a franchisee since 2018 but until last month none of the negotiations had came to fruition. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic also had a very negative impact on the brothers' business during the early days of the outbreak in Japan. The most difficult days for Banh Mi Xin Chao came when Japan decided to close its borders and suspended international flights to curb the spread of COVID-19. Their latest store, which is located at a tourist attraction in Kobe with only a small population, faced a tough challenge when its revenue fell by 50 percent during the period, according to the owners. Amid the health crisis, the two young businessmen sat down to brainstorm what changes they must make in order for their business model to overcome the ravages of the global pandemic. The duo then launched various initiatives, such as serving take-away 'banh mi,' offering delivery, rolling out promo codes and coupons, and partnering with well-known local food delivery apps to maximize sales. Thanks to the quality of their food and these promptly adopted measures, Banh Mi Xin Chao ended up raking in revenues comparable to pre-pandemic levels, sometimes even higher, despite being at the epicenter in Tokyo. Apart from their own efforts, the two young men have received timely support from the Japanese government in the form of tax breaks and rental assistance programs. Bui Thanh Tam (right) and his wife stand in a Banh Mi Xin Chao store in Tokyo, Japan. Tam's wife is holding a glass of 'ca phe sua da,' or Vietnamese-style iced coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk). Photo: Cong Nhat / Tuoi Tre Diners visiting Banh Mi Xin Chao have the chance to not only enjoy its iconic stuffed baguette but also to taste many other Vietnamese specialties including Vietnamese-style coffee and 'mi Quang' (Quang-style noodle soup) a famous dish from central Vietnam. Duy and Tam have partnered with some companies that specialize in exporting coffee to Europe and the U.S. to produce a brand of Banh Mi Xin Chao coffee exclusively for the Japanese market. According to the brothers, this is a niche market that has enormous potential waiting to be leveraged. Banh Mi Xin Chao said it has built up a stable customer base for these products, 50 to 80 percent of whom are Japanese. Two Japanese diners hold up their drinks while sitting in front of their loaves of 'banh mi' at a Banh Mi Xin Chao store in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Cong Nhat / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday sharpened his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a three-pronged criticism of the government on a number of issues he has been raising already. Hours before, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted his criticism of the Centre over its handling of the face-off with China in eastern Ladakh last month, saying India will pay a huge price because of the governments cowardly actions. On Sunday, the former Congress president added the coronavirus pandemic, Indias economy and the border stand-off with China to his list yet again. BJP has institutionalised lies. 1. Covid19 by restricting testing and misreporting deaths. 2. GDP by using a new calculation method. 3. Chinese aggression by frightening the media, Gandhi posted. He also repeated his warning from Saturday. The illusion will break soon and India will pay the price, he said. The Wayanad lawmaker and his party have been raising these issues relentlessly and calling out the government over what they have said is the mishandling of the situations facing the country. Gandhi had issued a video on Twitter to talk about several aspects of the governments policies that he said the Centre has destroyed over the last six years and resulted in the present action by the Chinese. Since 2014, the PMs constant blunders and indiscretions have fundamentally weakened India and left us vulnerable. Empty words dont suffice in the world of geopolitics, Gandhi tweeted on Friday. That day he gave three reasons behind Chinas aggressive stance against India as both the neighbours have clashed on its border in eastern Ladakh in the last few months taking their ties to a new low. Will there be a second stimulus check? It's the question on everyone's mind as lawmakers have been debating the issue since May. Under the CARES Act, Americans were eligible for up to $1,200 per adult plus up to $500 per dependent in stimulus cash. The bulk of that money has already been disbursed, and it's fair to say that much of it has already been spent. In May, Democratic lawmakers introduced the HEROES Act, which calls for a comparable stimulus to the one that went out under the CARES Act. (In fact, it's a bit more generous because it calls for $1,200 for dependents, as well -- up to three per household.) But the HEROES Act has been stalled in the Senate, and Republican lawmakers have made it clear that they have no intension of voting it in. In fact, at one point, it seemed like Americans' chances of getting a second stimulus were pretty low. But here's why an additional round of payments could, indeed, come through. 1. The COVID-19 crisis is worsening In May, the COVID-19 outbreak was largely contained to the Northeast, and cases seemed to be going down, thanks to the lockdown measures that were implemented nationwide. But now, COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing, and during the course of July, the outbreak has worsened rather than gotten better. And while it's too soon to know if we'll be looking at a second extreme lockdown that mimics the first, we can't write off that possibility -- and that alone could push lawmakers to agree to a second stimulus check. 2. States are already imposing further restrictions Many states have paused their reopening plans in light of the uptick in COVID-19 cases, and some are already starting to impose additional restrictions. Louisiana is shutting down bars. In California, many counties have been forced to close indoor restaurants, movie theaters, and museums. And New Mexico is putting a ban on indoor dining, as well. All of this means one thing: Our economic recovery is unlikely to be smooth or quick, and as restrictions increase, more jobs are likely to be lost. And a higher jobless rate means added relief is certainly needed. 3. The unemployment rate is still very high Lawmakers have used May and June's lower jobless rates to fuel the argument that a second stimulus is unnecessary. But that's a weak argument in the face of double-digit unemployment. Before the pandemic, the unemployment rate was 3.5%. Based on June's jobs report, it's 11.1%. That's an unsettlingly high number even during a recession. Given the potential for added job loss due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, it's easy to make the argument that a second stimulus check is a must. 4. The confluence of flu and COVID-19 could result in additional shutdowns Though some health experts had initially hoped that warmer weather would slow the spread of COVID-19, that clearly hasn't happened. But dire as the situation may be now, let's think about what things might look like starting in October, when flu season traditionally kicks off. At that point, the double threat could be enough to prompt schools to close and additional businesses to shut down out of an abundance of caution. Once that happens, parents lose child care, which compromises their income, and workers risk layoffs. A second stimulus check could go a long way in mitigating financial stress in light of these scenarios. When the Senate reconvenes in the coming week, the topic of a second stimulus check will no doubt be on the agenda. It's too soon to say with certainty that Americans will be in line for a follow-up stimulus, but based on the factors above, there's a good chance some additional relief will be on the way. MEXICO CITY - Farmers once again clashed with Mexican military forces Sunday to protest releases of water from a dam to repay a water debt owed to the United States. Video posted by congressman Mario Mata Carrasco showed tear gas canisters being fired over the heads of protesters at the Las Virgines dam in in the northern border state of Chihuahua. A line of military police and National Guard trucks could be seen at the dam. Farmers in Chihuahua say they need the water for local crops, and the state government said it had reached an agreement to halt water releases from the dam until talks could be held Tuesday. But Mexicos National Water Commission said there was enough water for local crops like tree nuts, watermelons, chile, onions and alfalfa, and that the releases were ongoing. Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico owes the United States about 415,000 acre-feet (512 million cubic meters) yearly that must be paid by Oct. 24. Payment is made by releasing water from dams in Mexico. Mexico has fallen badly behind in payments from previous years and now has to quickly catch up on water transfers. Mexico receives more water than it gives to the U.S. under the treaty, which governs the flow of border and cross-border rivers including the Colorado to the west. The issue has resulted in clashes before. In March, protesters burned pickup trucks, blocked roads and demonstrated at the La Boquilla dam, also in Chihuahua. Earlier this year, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said there was enough water both for local farmers and payments to the United States. We do not want an international conflict, the president said. Treaties have to be lived up to. If we have signed a treaty, we have to comply with it. Bavaria was among Germany's hardest hit regions early on in the pandemic, partly because of residents coming back from ski holidays in coronavirus hotspots in Austria The German state of Bavaria will soon start offering free coronavirus tests at airports for people returning from holiday, state premier Markus Soeder said Sunday. Germany has fared better than many of its neighbours in suppressing the virus but concerns are mounting that travellers returning from abroad could bring a surge in new COVID-19 cases. "I think we really need to focus on these returning holidaymakers," Soeder told broadcaster ZDF. He said local authorities were working on installing testing centres at Bavarian airports "where anyone can be tested for free any time". The scheme is expected to be up and running within days. Bavaria is home to Munich airport, Germany's second-largest after Frankfurt, as well as several smaller airports. Frankfurt airport also has a coronavirus testing centre but the service there costs between 59 and 139 euros ($67-159). The southern state of Bavaria was among Germany's hardest hit regions early on in the pandemic, partly because of residents coming back from ski holidays in coronavirus hotspots in Austria. A beer festival in the Bavarian town of Mitterteich shortly before the March lockdown began has also been blamed for contributing to the spread. Since then however Bavarian state premier Soeder has won widespread praise for his handling of the crisis, including resisting calls for a premature easing of coronavirus restrictions. Soeder, who is also the leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian CSU sister party, has seen his poll ratings soar as a result. He is now Germans' preferred candidate to succeed Merkel after she steps down next yeareven though he is not officially in the running. Soeder has repeatedly said "my place is in Bavaria" but observers believe he may yet join the race. 2020 AFP Japan government would now pay companies to move factories out of China and establish them back at home or in other Southeast Asian countries. This move is part of a new programme to reduce dependence of manufacturing on China and to secure supply chains. According to a report in Bloomberg, 57 companies including facemask-maker Iris Ohyama Inc and Sharp Corp would receive 57.4 billion yen or $536 million in subsidies from the government. Thirty other firms would receive money to move factories to Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, stated the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It has not provided information on the compensation that would be extended to these companies. The Japanese government will spend 70 billion yen in this round. The payments would come from the 243.5 billion yen that was earmarked to reduce dependency on Chinese supply chains. Japan is not the only country to take such a decision. As US-China relations deteriorate, there have been discussions in the US and elsewhere to reduce dependency on China. Even Taiwan is aiming to bring back investment from China. Chinese companies in India have also faced backlash after the India-China border tensions. The government banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, Shein and more. The government has also rescinded several contracts to Chinese firms over security concerns. This move is also significant for Japan-China relations, as the latter is Japan's biggest trading partner. Japanese companies have massive investments in China. The coronavirus pandemic has soured ties between the two countries. Recently, Japan's annual defence review accused China of pushing its territorial claims amid the pandemic. It suspects Beijing of spreading propaganda and disinformation as it provides medical aid to nations battling the disease. China "is continuing to attempt to alter the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea," Japan said in the defence white paper, approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government. Also read: 'India engages China on more equal terms': Foreign Minister Jaishankar hits back at Rahul Gandhi Also read: US firms losing confidence in China, India rising as big competitor: Top WH official Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. 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Digital Editor The seeds of discord in Rajasthan, observers have noted, were not sown in July this year, nor during the Rajya Sabha bypolls last month. It was way back in 2018, when the Congress had managed to win the Assembly elections there. In a state that switches between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress every five years, the Grand Old Party had managed to win 100 seats to BJP's 73 in a 200-member Assembly. This was no hung election, and Congress had come out as a clear winner. Clarity, however, was lacking on the other front the chief ministerial candidate. The tussle, political experts had then said, was between the so-called 'young camp' and the 'old camp', represented by Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot respectively. Then, the debate had raged on about the opportunities or the lack thereof that the Congress offered to its young leaders, considered close to Rahul Gandhi, and the bias it showed towards those considered close to Sonia Gandhi. Eventually, however, the debate then, as it does now, boiled down to the fate of the party, and the path it wants to adopt in future. Would it hand over the reins to the 'young guns' Pilot (Rajasthan) and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh, thus signalling a change of times within the party? Or would it go with the experienced, family loyalist 'old guard', nodding towards a status quo? Sachin Pilot_Ashok Gehlot_Rahul Gandhi The party went with the latter, the much-maligned 'old guard'. In effect, Gehlot and Kamal Nath two seasoned politicians became the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh respectively. While Pilot was made Deputy CM, Scindia had turned down the position in MP. The sulking, according to reports, started then and has imploded now. In March, Scindia rebelled and joined the BJP, taking along with him his loyalists within Congress and the state government. Kamal Nath resigned, paving way for the BJP to form government in the state. Shivraj Singh Chouhan returned as the CM with substantial presence of Congress turncoats within his cabinet. Over four months since that rebellion, Pilot, the other Congress 'young turk', has followed a similar script. Except that Gehlot doesn't seem to be in any mood to resign, and has in fact proceeded to show his strength by marching over 109 legislators in his support. As with anything that is politics, however, things don't seem that simple and the crisis has not ended yet. How did it come to this? The power tussle between Pilot and Gehlot has been on for a long time, but it became increasingly visible before the 2018 Assembly polls, and continued after Congress clenched a victory. Ever since the party's win in Rajasthan, Pilot loyalists have said it is because of their leader's groundwork that Congress managed to win the state. However, they have repeatedly claimed that Pilot did not receive his due. The two camps have had a number of flashpoints ever since, including during the portfolio allocation and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when Gehlot wanted his son Vaibhav to be fielded. During the one-year celebration of the Gehlot government, Pilot claimed that the state government did not showcase the achievements of his ministry. The two camps also had a falling out over the infant deaths in Kota. Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot The recent point of contention, according to reports, was the issuance of notices by Rajasthan Police to Gehlot, Pilot and the government chief whip, seeking time from them to record their statements over an alleged bid to destabilise the state government. Reports suggest that this, for Pilot, was the last straw, but Congress leaders in the state and in Delhi have claimed that Pilot had been plotting the fall of Gehlot government way before this issue had surfaced. To substantiate their claims, the Gehlot camp reportedly released audio tapes of purported conversations between senior Congress leaders loyal to Pilot and leaders from the BJP discussing a bid to topple the state government. While the authenticity of the tapes is yet to be ascertained, Congress has gone on to say that the tapes are, in fact, "just a teaser". Two First Information Reports (FIRs) under Sections 124A and 120B have also been reportedly lodged by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan after the tapes emerged, and an investigation has been launched. Meanwhile, Congress moved to sack Pilot from his post as the deputy CM and president of the state unit of the party. The technical and the legal As with political crises such as these, things have also taken a technical and legal turn. First, the technical: after Pilot and 18 dissident MLAs failed to show up for the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting called by Gehlot, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi sent them a notice asking them why they cannot be disqualified. In its complaint to the Speaker, the Congress had sought action against Pilot and the other dissidents under paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The provision disqualifies MLAs if they voluntarily give up membership of the party which they represent in the House. Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot The Congress has claimed that this is the inference that can be drawn from the conduct of the MLAs. Pilot's camp, however, has argued that they have not defied any whip, since a whip can only be defied when Assembly is in session. The dissident camp then moved Rajasthan High Court, challenging the notice seeking their disqualification. In the writ petition, the MLAs said they continue to owe allegiance to the Congress and are not seeking to defect to any other party. But the petition made clear that they opposed the manner in which Gehlot functioned. The Pilot camp got a four-day breather on July 17 after the high court extended the hearing into their petition to next week. Until then, Speaker Joshi will not take any action on the disqualification notices. Who are the main players in the crisis and what do they stand to lose/gain? Sachin Pilot A former Union Minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Pilot had a measured response to Scindia's exit back in March. Terming it as "unfortunate", Pilot had said then he wished "things could have been resolved collaboratively within the party". According to a report by The Print, Pilot, in fact, had been planning his rebellion to be "synchronised" with Scindia's revolt. Reportedly, a hotel had also been booked to accommodate the dissident legislators in March, but the lockdown announced due to the COVID-19 outbreak in India put the plan on hold. But that is where the similarities between Scindia and Pilot end, according to experts. Pilot has the backing of the influential Gujjar caste in Rajasthan, unlike Scindia who did not have a caste base. Moreover, for Scindia, it was easier to take away his loyalists and engineer a fall of Kamal Nath government because Congress' majority in Madhya Pradesh was thin. Pilot, however, stares at a long road ahead, considering that Gehlot seems to have the required numbers, at least for now. While Pilot claims to have the support of 19 MLAs, that might not be enough to topple the Congress government, even with the backing of the BJP and its allies. Which is also why the BJP has not, so far, demanded a floor test even as Pilot claimed that the Gehlot government is in minority. The 42-year-old also reportedly had three demands that he put before the Congress high command. Pilot, according to a report by Hindustan Times, wanted to be declared the Chief Ministerial face in 2022, a year before Rajasthan goes to polls. He also wanted all of his loyalists, or the MLAs who had rebelled along with him, to be accommodated in the state cabinet. The third and final demand, according to the report, was for the removal of Avinash Pande, Congress' Rajasthan in-charge and a general secretary of the party. Senior leadership of the party, according to reports, turned down the demands, terming them as "blackmail". Ashok Gehlot Ashok Gehlot The magician-turned-politician can still, it seems, conjure up a charm when required. This Gehlot displayed when, even as it seemed his government was on a brink of collapse, the 69-year-old submitted a list of 104 MLAs supporting him and his government to the Governor. When the crisis started, Gehlot, who has been a party veteran and a Gandhi family loyalist, not just risked losing his chief ministerial position but also his standing within the party. But it wasn't as if he was unprepared. The rift between him and Pilot is well-known, and experts have suggested that Gehlot could have been preparing for such a crisis at some point, particularly after Scindia's rebellion. Gehlot has been known to be a mass leader in Rajasthan, and enjoys the support of a chunk of the party's legislators and leadership in the state. This showdown with Pilot, observers state, has worked in cementing his reputation within the party as someone who enjoys considerable support and can quell rebellion when required. With Pilot's dismissal as the deputy CM and state party chief, Gehlot has also eliminated an immediate threat to him within the party ranks. Vasundhara Raje Raje, who has served as the CM of the state twice, has been conspicuous by her absence during the crisis, and has maintained stoic silence over the issue. However, giving fodder to similar speculations doing the rounds, Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Hanuman Beniwal alleged that Raje was trying to save the Gehlot government. "Former CM Vasundhara Raje has been trying her best to save the Ashok Gehlot government, which is in minority. Many MLAs of the Congress were called up by her in this regard," Beniwal, who is a BJP ally in the state, claimed in a tweet. According to reports, Raje wields considerable influence within the state BJP and has support of most of the saffron party's MLAs in Rajasthan. She is also known to be at loggerheads with the central leadership of the party, particularly Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pilot has meanwhile alleged that Gehlot and his government have been protecting Raje. "Raje had allotted herself a government bungalow in Jaipur for life in 2017," Pilot alleged, according to reports. "The high court had cancelled this order by her government but instead of getting the bungalow vacated, the state government challenged the HC order in the Supreme Court," he added. So, what next? The Rajasthan High Court will resume the hearing on the disqualification notices at 10 am on July 20 and Speaker C P Joshi will not take any action on the disqualification notices till 5.30 pm on July 21. This has come as a breather for Pilot and the rebel MLAs. However, everything depends on how the numbers are currently stacked up, and against whom. For now, Gehlot has managed to show that he has the majority, but he is balancing on a thin line. Congress had won 100 seats during the 2018 Assembly polls. That was followed by another seat in a by-election, and the induction of six Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators, taking the overall tally to 107. Congress' current strength, minus the 19 dissident MLAs, stands at 88. New chief of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Govind Singh Dotasara with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. (Image: Twitter/@ashokgehlot51) For the state government to survive, it requires 101 legislators to vote for it and Gehlot has claimed that along with Congress' MLAs, Independents and members of smaller parties, it still crosses the magic number. The BJP, meanwhile, has the support of 75 MLAs. Of these, 72 are its own and three are from Beniwal-led Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). In the event of a trust vote, even if the 19 rebel MLAs decide to vote for BJP, its tally adds up to 94 seven short of the magic number. But then without the Independents and the smaller parties' support, the Congress government cannot stand on its own unless Gehlot has another trick hidden up his sleeve. Senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Sunday wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry, urging it to ensure that Air India withdraws its decision to send a section of its employees on leave without pay for up to five years. Terming it an "inhuman scheme" which is in sharp contrast to the Centre's earlier advisories, the TMC national spokesperson said the government has shown a complete lack of empathy and refusal to acknowledge the selfless service of Air India employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the letter to Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, he said that about 150 Air India employees have tested COVID-19 positive so far. "The scheme is in sharp contrast with the central government's earlier advisories directing all states to mandate that employers in all industries, shops and establishments must pay their workers without any deduction during the period of lockdown," he said. The leader of the TMC in the Rajya Sabha said that the compulsory leave without pay scheme is unprecedented in the history of public sector undertakings in India. Holding that the process of formulating the scheme "could not have been more undemocratic", he said that "no one was involved to advocate or argue or look out for the employees' interest during its formulation". He wrote that the scheme denies workers their right to life and livelihood and highly arbitrary in the present situation. Later, Hardeep Puri clarified that the scheme is 'voluntary'. An opposition MP wrote a letter to me describing a VOLUNTARY Leave Without Pay Scheme of an airline as inhuman! The 'cause' was also taken up either separately or in pursuance by another MP & a famous journalist who have their spouse/partner employed by the airline. pic.twitter.com/4WGjR052sJ Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) July 19, 2020 (With inputs from PTI) Washington, July 19 : The Attorney General for the US state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of "unlawfully detaining" protesters, the media reported on Sunday. The lawsuit filed by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum on Saturday came after the deployment of federal agents in Portland, which according to the government was in an effort to restore order in the city which have witnessed nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, reports the BBC. In the lawsuit, Rosenblum requested a restraining order to stop agents from the Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, US Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protection Service from making any more arrests in the city. "These tactics must stop," the BBC quoted Rosenblum as saying in a statement. "They not only make it impossible for people to assert their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully, they also create a more volatile situation on our streets." Their methods, she added, are "entirely unnecessary and out of character with the Oregon way", the Attorney General added. Besides the arrests, the federal agents, deployed by President Donald Trump, have also fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions into crowds of demonstrators. Late Saturday night, protesters were seen dismantling a fence around the federal courthouse, hours after it was put up. The US Attorney's office in Oregon said on Twitter that the fence aimed to "de-escalate tensions between protesters and law enforcement officials and asked people to leave it alone, the BBC reported. Officers declared a riot outside the Portland Police Association building in the north of the city. It was set on fire but the blaze has now been put out, police said. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has also accused federal agents of a "blatant abuse of power". Two members of Indian women's football team at AFC Asian Cup in Mumbai test positive for COVID-19, in isolation at medical care facility: AIFF. Portland, Oregon, police declared a gathering Saturday night a riot after hundreds of demonstrators who have been protesting in the city since the death of George Floyd broke into a building and set it ablaze and started dumpster fires. The protesters broke into the Portland Police Association at around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, police said, and "ignited a fire inside." That prompted police to declare the event a riot "due to the violent conduct of the large group creating a grave risk of public alarm." The fire inside the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later. "As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire," Portland Police said Sunday in a statement. "Portland Police did not use any CS gas," a commonly used term for tear gas. However, several reporters and bystanders shared photos and videos on social media that they said show police using tear gas to help clear the area. 'Secret police force': Feds reportedly pull Portland protesters into unmarked vehicles, stirring outrage Police chief resigns: Portland, Ore., police chief resigns after 6 months amid George Floyd protests Earlier Saturday night, a different group of demonstrators gathered by the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct and "taunted officers ... tampered with gates, broke patrol vehicle windows, and vandalized patrol vehicles," police said. After protesters regrouped later at an intersection in North Portland, police said they tried to move the crowd south, when some "threw rocks, gopher gassers, and launched paint filled balloons at officers." Police said some officers were injured but did not provide specific details. In a message posted to his Twitter account Sunday morning, President Donald Trump blamed local officials for the unrest. "We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it," Trump tweeted. "Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!" Story continues Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as lawless anarchists in a visit to the city on Thursday. The Trump administration has enlisted the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border to protect federal property. In response to the federal intervention, Democratic chairs of three House committees penned a joint letter that calls for the inspectors general for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to open an investigation on the use of force. In the letter, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney said the Trump administration appears to have "increasingly abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans exercising their right to peaceful assembly." The federal presence has been a point of tension for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local officials, who have bristled at the deployment of federal troops. Wheeler decried a small group of violent protesters for drowning out the message of peaceful protesters and said that the federal presence has aggravated an already-delicate climate in the city. Protesters gather during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, on July 16, 2020. Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city, Wheeler said Friday. On Friday, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court. The complaint claims that unidentified federal agents have taken people into custody "without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action." Rosenblum, who equated the tactics to "being kidnapped," is seeking a temporary restraining order to "immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians." Tensions also escalated after an officer with the Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protesters head on July 11, critically injuring him. I told Acting Secretary Wolf that the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets. His response showed me he is on a mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes. He is putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harms way. Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 16, 2020 On Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., issued a joint statement, criticizing the Trump administrations decision to deploy federal troops on protesters. "We live in a democracy, not a banana republic," the statement said. "We will not tolerate the use of Oregonians, Washingtonians or any other Americans as props in President Trumps political games. The House is committed to moving swiftly to curb these egregious abuses of power immediately." Saturday night's protest was just the latest incident in a weekend that had already been characterized by unrest. The protests are part of a larger nationwide movement for racial justice after Floyd's death May 25 while he was in police custody. On Friday night, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil outside the Justice Center, which is downtown and between two federal buildings. Dozens of protesters across the street entered two recently closed city parks by taking down a chain-link fence that had been restricting access. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that federal agents left a nearby office building and used impact munitions, stun grenades and tear gas to clear the area. The outlet said its journalists did not observe any incident that might have prompted the use of the weapons. Contributing: Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Portland police declare Saturday night protests as a riot Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 12:04:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, July 18 (Xinhua) -- China's support and medical supplies to Argentina have been of vital importance to its fight against the novel coronavirus, as the country has continued the battle since March, a senior official has said. "Thanks to this amount (of supplies) that we are receiving, we are going to start supplying all provincial and municipal hospitals soon," Maria Victoria Anadon, technical, legal and administrative deputy secretary of Health Ministry of the Buenos Aires Province, told Xinhua. Noting the arrival on Thursday of a second ship carrying masks, gloves and hygiene coveralls from Shanghai, Anadon said the medical supplies they received have guaranteed that they can provide personal protective equipment and respirators of the highest quality for all the people in Buenos Aires. The latest shipment is one of several batches of health supplies from China, and the next one is scheduled to arrive on July 27, the official added. Anadon also told Xinhua about cooperation between the two countries during the pandemic. Experts from east China's Zhejiang Province discussed the pandemic in the South American country and shared their experience in fighting the virus with Argentine health officials via video conference. As the most populated region of Argentina, the Buenos Aires Province registered a total of 66,206 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday morning, accounting for more than 55 percent of the national total, according to local authorities. Argentina registered its first COVID-19 case on March 3. As of Saturday, the country reported a total of 122,524 cases and 2,220 deaths. Enditem Britain Must Call out China Over Abuses in Xinjiang: UK Foreign Secretary The United Kingdom must call out the Chinese regime over its human rights abuses against Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on, which is why in Geneva at the U.N. we raised this with 27 partnersfirst time its been doneto call out the government of China for its human rights abuses of the Uyghurs, also of Hong Kong, Raab told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday. According to figures cited by the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the U.N., as many as 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are believed to be detained in Chinese reeducation facilities. Police officers patrol in Kashgar, western Xinjiang, China, on June 4, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images) Former Uyghurs detainees previously told The Epoch Times that they were subjected to torture, forced to denounce their faith, and forced to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while held for unknown reasons in often overcrowded facilities. Uyghur women, meanwhile, have been subjected to forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning, a recent report revealed. And on July 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that the agency had seized 13 tons of products which had originated from Xinjiang and appeared to be made of human hair. It is deeply, deeply troubling, said Raab. The human aspect of itfrom forced sterilization to re-education campsare reminiscent of something we have not seen for a long, long time. In fact, we want a positive relationship, he said, but we cannot, we cannot see behavior like that and not call it out, albeit of course, with our partners in the right way. Photo shows hair products shipped from China. U.S. Customs and Border Protection detains a shipment of hair products from China at the port of New York/Newark on July 1, 2020. (CBP) The United States has already imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses against Uyghurs, including the Xinjiang regions Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who is a member of the CCPs powerful Politburo. Earlier this month, Britain introduced new sanctions to target individuals involved in human rights abuses or organized crime. The opposition Labour party and some backbench lawmakers in Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservative Party have said the sanctions should be used to target Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the national security law for Hong Kong. Also speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, Lisa Nandy, the Labour partys shadow foreign secretary, called the abuses in Xinjiang astonishing, adding that the UK has a role to play in this. One very quick and simple thing that the UK government could and should be doing is to impose sanctions on Chinese officials who are involved in persecuting the Uyghur and they could do that tomorrow, she said. Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, speaks to the gathered crowd in Trafalgar Square as people celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year in central London, UK, on Feb. 18, 2018. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images) The Chinese regime has threatened to retaliate against any such measures. If UK government goes that far to impose sanctions on any individual in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it, said Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, during the BBC program. Youve seen what happens in the United Statesthey sanction Chinese officials, we sanction their senators, their officials. I do not want to see this tit-for-tat happen in China-UK relations, he said. In response, Dominic Raab denied that Britain would be too weak to challenge China through this channel. Raab said he and Home Secretary Priti Patel have concluded a review of the UKs extradition arrangements with Hong Kong, and he will update the House of Commons on the governments further measures on Hong Kong and China on Monday. Canada, Australia and the United States have already suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong in response to the national security law, which criminalizes individuals for any acts of subversion, secession, and collusion with foreign forces against the communist party state, with maximum penalties of life imprisonment. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the law, formally enacted on June 30, constitutes a clear and serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, as it violates Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and is in direct conflict with Hong Kong basic law. Reuters contributed to this report. According to Vice President Mike Pence, Democrat Joe Biden is also a trojan horse for the radical left. The turmoil caused by the coronavirus and recent events that had the support of the democrats is evident. He adds that Joe Biden playing straight because he is in league with the left-wingers who don't have America's best interests in mind, reported New York Post. During a campaign in Wisconsin, he stated that if voters chose Biden then he would be no better than an autopen president for the leftists.He mentioned that the term trojan horse means he will not be good for the White House. Just as Trump did in a recent verbal assault, Pence made it clearer that Biden will make it harder for Americans than ever. Citing that Biden would tax the hell on American taxpayers just to reach the $4 trillion mark. But he added that by voting Biden, who would rather defund the police, the criminals will have a field day. Worse is that Biden will make America weak with the onslaughts of China, mentioned Report Door. The vice president mentioned that Biden was equal to Bernie Sanders in the democrat draft for their presidentiable. But, then he has a unity platform in alignment with his co-Democrat. He added that if Biden did get chosen as the top choice, why does his agenda and programs have a striking similarity to Sanders? Pence trolled the other presidentiable and remarked that Biden is just getting it on with the radicals. Also read: Joe Biden's Family Record Show Drug Usage, Drunk Driving, and Other Charges But No One Was Jailed Still on the offensive about Biden, he said that the socialist Bernie Sanders is pushing Biden as the next elected president for one reason. That is because Biden will be a catalyst for change in America, also projected to be progressive in nearly a century. Otherwise selling Biden's bid for POTUS to voters who are willing to prop up another democrat president with the agenda of socialism that will eventually decline. Pence pointed out some things in the unity agenda that might have omitted free college with single-payer health insurance. These priorities were replaced by eliminating carbon emissions by 2035 and disallowing charter schools for profit. Recently, Trump fired off several campaign-style speeches in the White House that painted Biden as willing to have new rules. To do this, he will take away suburbs and prisons. Polls reveal that Trump is behind because of the pandemic, racial unrest, and higher unemployment men too. Biden's campaign Sources point out that Joe Biden's campaign has raised $ 242 million in cash, according to manager Jen O'Malley Dillon announced on Twitter. There's an increas in donations of $100 million in just three months. Most of the donations came from grassroots donors that amount to $141 million as well. The campaign of president trump has made about $131 million last June, which was less than Biden's. But sources from Trump's camp say that in July, about $295 million was in banks during campaigning and fundraisers. This leaves the conclusion that Trump's campaign has more cash on hand, noted CBS News. Related article: Joe Biden Thinks Pres.Trump Will Not Leave White House Willingly, May Be Escorted By Military @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The test detects virus in patients with low viral loads in 10-15 minutes, as compared to RT-PCR testing which typically takes 24-48 hours to detect the virus. Sona Nanotech Inc., a developer of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests, announced on 2 July 2020 that its rapid detection, COVID-19 antigen tests laboratory validation studies of performance levels have resulted in a test sensitivity of 96%, test specificity of 96% and a Limit of Detection (LOD) of 2.1 x 102 TCID50. Sales of the tests will now be permitted under a research use only label until full regulatory authority is granted, in relevant territories, at which time the research use only label requirement would be lifted, as discussed below. Technology transfer to manufacturers is currently underway to produce tests to meet current and expected demand. The Company will provide an update on sales progress and manufacturing delivery timetables in the coming weeks. MRIGlobal, using live COVID-19 viral cultures, determined the test to have a limit of detection of 2.1 x 102 TCID50 which corresponds to an ability to detect the virus in patients with low viral loads in 10-15 minutes, as compared to RT-PCR testing which typically takes 24-48 hours to detect the virus. Limit of detection is the minimum amount of target microorganisms that can be reliably detected under optimal conditions and is an essential step in determining the sensitivity of any assay. Current studies show positive COVID-19 patients presenting symptoms have viral loads in the 104 106 range. Validation studies were also conducted in-house to assess potential clinical performance of the test using 30 nasopharyngeal samples from healthy individuals who were presumed negative for COVID-19. Results from the study generated a specificity of 96% (29/30) and a sensitivity of 96% (28/29). All specimen samples tested generated negative results, except for one, generating the above result of 96%. To generate the sensitivity data, the remnants of each negative sample were spiked with gamma irradiated COVID-19 virus and the tests rerun to determine the positive results, generating the above result of 96%. Following consultation with MRIGlobal and the FDA, Sona will enter into independent clinical, in-field evaluation studies to generate the data to support its analytical and clinical data as part of the submission it will make to Health Canada and the FDA for emergency use authorization (EUA) approval. In-field collection of a minimum of 30 confirmed negative and 30 confirmed positive specimens and the associated data analysis is expected to be completed while technology transfer to manufacturers is still underway. To that end, the Company has engaged with a contract research organization (CRO) based in the U.S. to conduct one such study and a university-affiliated laboratory outside of the U.S. to conduct a second. The Company has been informed that the results of these field studies should be provided by the end of July, at which time it intends to make final submissions to regulatory authorities in multiple jurisdictions. During this time, technology transfer will continue and quality assurance manufacturing batches are expected to be run with manufacturing partners. The Company is committed to maintaining ongoing evaluations of its test in order to understand its performance in a wide range of testing environments. Darren Rowles, CEO of Sona Nanotech, commented, These excellent performance results are underpinned by our unique nanorod technology and completes a further milestone achieved for Sona along our path to bring a quality rapid test to market at scale. This will allow expansion of testing by governments, help ease the burden on healthcare systems, keep healthcare workers safe by allowing them to know their status on a daily basis and assist in softening restrictions by providing a quick and simple means to screen individuals. Our team have worked tirelessly to bring this product to this point in a record time and my thanks goes out to all involved in progressing the test this far. Rapid, point-of-care, antigen tests uses a nasopharyngeal swab to collect samples, which are then placed in a proprietary reagent solution and added to the sample port of the lateral flow test cassette. Blue colored lines will appear to indicate either a positive (2 lines) or negative result (1 line) within minutes. The Company cautions that its COVID-19 rapid antigen test is not yet approved by the FDA or other regulatory bodies and will update the market as appropriate. An area in Delhis North East district has been a containment zone for the last 100 days due to rising cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases and continues to be sealed off subject to stringent checks. Authorities have sealed all the routes passing through E Pocket of GTB Enclave, where 25 cases of Covid-19 have been reported so far, as a precautionary measure, according to HTs sister publication Hindustan. MM Tripathi, the general secretary of the Residents Welfare Association of Pocket E, said while speaking to Hindustan the area was declared as a containment zone on April 6. There are about 5,000 living in this area and there are 1,026 flats. Also read: India begins study on BCG vaccine impact on Covid-19 Tripathi said the World Health Organization (WHO) has organised a camp for the checkup of people in the area. The RWA also facilitated a camp by the ministry of AYUSH to distribute medicines to increase peoples immunity. Regular sanitisation of areas and roads where cases are being reported are also being done, he added. However, Tripathi said the rising number of Covid-19 cases is a matter of concern. Tripathi said the RWA has made sure that no resident faces any problem after the area was declared as a containment zone. He, along with the treasurer of the association, Yashpal Singh, is working closely with the administration and police. He said there is no restriction on peoples movement and medical, ration and milk shops are opening. But other shopkeepers say they are facing a lot of trouble. RN Shukla, a 50-year-old owner of a clothes shop, told Hindustan he has been facing financial problems as the shop has been closed for a long time and he cant take up any other job. Shukla said the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) has verbally allowed other shops to open but since there are no written directions, the police are not allowing him to open his. Officials of the RWA said they have written to the SDM and the issue will be resolved soon. Also read: How soon can the world get Covid-19 vaccine? A look at which country stands where According to the residents association, the number of coronavirus disease cases are higher among the employees of the hospitals in the area. There are five big hospitals in this area, including the GTB Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital, and Delhi State Cancer Hospital. The route to the GTB Hospital via the colony has been closed. Residents said the police, including station house officer Arun Kumar Singh, have been a big help and they have not faced any issues so far. GTB Enclaves Block E was among the first 23 containment zones announced by the Delhi government in April to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease in the city. There are four other areasblocks K and G in Jahangirpuri, Majlis Park in Adarsh Nagar and Hauz Raniwhich have remained containment zones for more than three months. The Centres orders say a containment zone can be de-sealed 28 days after the last Covid-19 case has recovered or tested negative. However, district officials have said there were still some major reasons because of which these zones have remained sealed for months. They said these include the presence of several medical professionals living in some zones, the 28-day rule for de-sealing a containment zone and continuous movement of people within the zone despite strict curbs. District administration officials said they have raised the matter with the Delhi government. Delhi has 120,107 cases of the viral disease and 3571 people have succumbed to Covid-19, according to the Union health ministry. It is true that Black perpetrators kill 90% of the Black murder victims; it is also true that white assailants kill 83% of white victims. Though the majority of crime is committed within racial groups, only Black-on-Black crime is given its own designated form of pathology. Theres no debating that the Black community is disproportionately impacted. Why is that? This is the portion of the conversation that America is uncomfortable engaging. It is much easier to remove Aunt Jemima from the pancake box or take the movie Gone with the Wind off the air for a week. What about structural change? A good place to start might be Ta-Nehisi Coates seminal 2014 essay in The Atlantic magazine, The Case for Reparations. What is the impact on wealth when the federal government passes the G.I. Bill, which I consider Americas greatest piece of domestic legislation, but local communities systematically imposes segregation in the form of redlining, prohibiting Blacks from buying homes in certain areas? Or denying vocational training and business loans that the bill guarantees? Is that something we can attribute to an unwillingness to work hard and play by the rules? Can this be remedied by offering, Slavery is over; move on!? When Amerika Blair drove past an empty pedestal where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee once stood, a smile stretched across her face as she felt a sense of liberation for herself and future children. The statue has loomed over the student population at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery for 60 years. That was until the night of June 1, when it was dismounted by the hands of protesters or as Blair calls them freedom fighters. As a Black student, Blair used to walk by the statue of a man who inherited hundreds of slaves until she graduated from the school in 2009. She doesnt want another student to have that experience. So Blair and other community members who are part of the Montgomery chapter of a social justice organization called Southerners on New Ground (SONG) led a campaign to change the names of Montgomery schools named after Confederate icons. The group rejoiced on Tuesday when the majority of the Montgomery County Board of Education agreed to change the name of Lee high, and the names of two other majority-Black high schools named after Confederate president Jefferson Davis and Confederate private and poet Sidney Lanier. The removal of the Lee monument encouraged her and other Lee alumni to create change, Blair said. The protesters didnt just topple a relic of the Confederacy, they also started the process of toppling the white supremacy that still exists in the education system, she said. I believe it was a slap in the face to have Black students immortalize and celebrate a man who did not believe in the humanity of Black people, who whipped Black people and owned slaves and didnt see a right for their citizenship, Blair said. We all saw a need to not necessarily erase the Confederate history, but to erase the immortalization of hate, bigotry and the instilling of Black inferiority on the predominantly-Black school body that occupies Lee now. Reclaiming a space of white power through education Amidst protests calling for racial justice following the officer-involved killing of George Floyd on May 25, many schools systems across the nation have removed Confederate names off school buildings. Floyds death, as well as other episodes of police brutality that have resulted in the lost of Black lives, has forced many Americans to face the countrys history of racial oppression and its ties to the Confederacy. An analysis from Education Week reports that 208 schools have been named after Confederate icons. Many of those schools are concentrated in seven states, including Alabama, which has 16 schools. Texas has the most with 47. These Confederate-name schools are part of a larger campaign started by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the same group that funded the majority of the Confederate monuments. Confederate monuments were installed during time periods when white superiority was threatened, Southern Poverty Law Centers Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks said. After the Confederacy lost the Civil War, the UDC started sponsoring monuments that perpetuated the Lost Cause narrative by calling Confederate troops brave and noble soldiers who fought against states rights and taxation instead of slavery. In its report titled Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy, which documents when and where the monuments were built, the SPLC discovered two peaks when it comes to the dedication of Confederate monuments and the use of Confederate names. The first peak was between 1900 until the late 1920s, when African Americans were facing discrimination, segregation and racial terrorism in the Jim Crow South. Much of the monuments built at that time were established on the lawns of courthouses or other government grounds. But not all Confederate monuments are carved from stone. Some are built with brick and mortar, Brooks explained. A second peak started after the U.S. Supreme Court forced schools to integrate in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and lasted until the late 1960s. The time frame matches up with the modern Civil Rights Movement. During the second peak, many schools, colleges and university buildings were being named after Confederate veterans. The schools in Montgomery follow this trend. Lee high opened a year after Brown v. Board to an all-white student population in 1955. Jefferson Davis was established in 1968. Brooks said these schools were established by white people to defy integration. They saw Brown v. Board as the first huge thing where the U. S. government and the supreme court stood up for the rights of Black people, Brooks said. One of the ways they sought to push back against that was to name schools after these Confederate soldiers or leaders as a way to reclaim a space of power. Lanier high, the oldest of the three schools, was established in 1910 before being moved to its current location in 1929. Unlike Davis and Lee, Lanier wasnt a big figure in the Civil War. He was a private who established a literary legacy after the war and who lived in Montgomery for a year. But Brooks said the UDC inflated Laniers role in the Confederacy in order to fit the organizations narrative that romanticizes the Civil War This is a perfect example of how the United Daughters of Confederacy turned people who did nothing into these major heroes, Brooks said. I dont want to take anything away from him as far as his literary talent. At the same time, the UDC continued to directly tie him to the Confederacy as a hero even though his climb to fame was after that. In fact, they called him the Poet of the Confederacy. The Confederacy wasnt the only one who gained something by creating these schools. Brooks said the federal government also had a desire to reunite the union. They appeased the former Confederate states and allowed these schools to be named after former Confederate leaders as a way to appease the South, Brooks said. But the activists in Montgomery wanted to change that legacy. The #DroptheNames Campaign Since June 29, five schools across the nation have changed their Confederate names. It may be a while before Lee, Davis and Lanier high schools join that list. The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017 forbids the removal or the renaming of historical structures that are 40 years old or older. That same law also includes schools. The law forces Montgomery school board members to decide between paying a $25,000 fine for each school or to send a waiver to the Committee on Alabama Monument Protection requesting the names to be changed. That committee doesnt meet until October and has already denied a wavier from the Madison County Commission requesting the relocation of a Confederate monument in Huntsville. But this is Montgomery. The city where laws rooted in white supremacy were broken to advance the civil rights of African Americans. Lee high alumni worked with SONG to do the same by helping Black students who are being educated under Confederate names. After the Lee statue was taken down, Blair and Marche Johnson, a 2003 Lee high graduate, started a campaign to drop the names of Lee, Davis and Lanier high schools. Johnson watched as the community came together and used their skills to help the cause. Some citizens conducted historical research about the schools. Others designed graphics for social media. As of Saturday afternoon, a Change.org petition to remove the Confederate titles off the schools has received almost 29,500 signatures since it started two months ago. While using the hashtags #DroptheName and #DroptheStatue, Blair, Johnson and other alumni encouraged supporters of the campaign to send emails, letters and make phone calls to school board members. They also published statements from other Lee high alumni of all ethnicities and races to explain the strain going to a school that immortalized the Confederacy would have on students and staff. A Jewish teacher compared the experience to attending a school named after Hitler. Wesley Thornton Breal, a 2009 Lee graduate, stated that holding on to the Confederate names shows that the students are undervalued at Lee. They ask us to chant, Go Generals. As in Go Confederate General, Breal wrote in his statement. What can be more demoralizing than that for a young Black athlete, scholar or artist? During the June 9th school board meeting, which was live streamed due to social distancing regulations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, SONG and other Montgomery citizens flooded the comment section with demands to rename the schools. After a few weeks of constant pressure, the board added the matter on the agenda for its July 14th meeting, which was when board members voted to start the renaming process. Johnson feels like a huge weight has fallen off her shoulders and the shoulders of her ancestors. Her grandmother fed protesters during the Selma to Montgomery March before participating in the demonstration for voting rights herself. She also remained active in the NAACP until she died at the age of 80. Johnson was following in her grandmothers footstep as she worked with her former classmates to change the name of her alma mater. I am standing on the shoulders of my ancestors and walking fully and proudly in doing what I can, Johnson continued. The protesters who knocked the statue down did that part. As for myself and the rest of the SONG team, everybody was using their voices and networks to see how we can change things current day. Teaching the racial hierarchy through history According to Education Week, the majority of the Confederate named schools are named after Robert E. Lee. Blair and Johnson were unaware of generals history while attending the school that carries his name. They said they were taught the Lost Cause version of history, which described Lee as a great patriot of Confederacy during the Civil War. A plaque near the entrance of the school condemns students from discrediting their beloved general, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. Everything the women learned about Lee and the what the Confederacy represented happened after they graduated from the school. Which was insulting for Blair. It wasnt nailed down for us to think, Hey, these people were wrong. Robert E lee inherited slaves. We didnt peel back the layers of history, Blair said. Its always been a controlled narrative of what they think we should know about American history to the point we actually had to go seek information, the truth of American history, ourselves. The matter isnt surprising for Kayla Vinson, a Montgomery resident who helped lead the campaign to get schools names changed. She saw this same reinvention of history during her four years as a history teacher in Philadelphia and New York. She said the proof is in the textbooks, where Black experiences are omitted to make room for white male leaders. A lot of people say that taking the names off the buildings is erasing history, but when you teach Black children only the positive things about Robert E Lee, only positive things about Jefferson Davis, only positive things about the Confederacy, this is actually erasing history, Vinson said. Youre not teaching them about Black peoples experiences in the United States thats not just experiences of violence and oppression, but also the stories of Black resistance the amazing ways Black people were determined to make freedom happen in a country that was trying to deny it from them. Teaching history this way can have consequences. According to Vinson, these types of teachings can cause children to see themselves as inferior and can affect their experiences inside the schools. When the only people children see in history textbooks and history classrooms are white men, you dont have to say there is racial hierarchy, Vinson said. You are teaching it to them through their textbooks that the only people who bravely made America what it is are white males. If we cant agree on such low-hanging fruit such as we shouldnt have a school named after Robert E. Lee, she continued. Then for me as a community member, I am deeply concerned about what happens to Black children inside of the schools. While both Blair and Johnson didnt have any traumatizing experiences at Lee, they could sense a shift in culture due to white flight. While the school is 82 percent Black now, both Johnson and Blair went to the school during the time it was majority white. Johnson remembers her white classmates leaving to be enrolled in private or magnet schools, but she didnt think anything of it at the time. I was just really walking blindly in it not knowing what was really happening until I reached adulthood and Im at the high school reunion like Oh, why arent my white classmates here? Whats going on? Johnson said. In general, Blair said Black students faced certain stereotypes and a level of criticism that their white peers did not experience. Black girls were more heavily policed on the dress code than white girls, she said. Blair experienced this herself as she was pulled to side by administrators who told her she couldnt wear a certain pair of bottoms, but watched as white girls were allowed to wear similar clothing. During a field trip, one of Blairs Black classmates was told to stop acting like yall are from Smiley Court, referring to a predominantly-Black housing project once known for its poverty and crime. That (statement) was a direct insult to the people who lived in Smiley Court, she said. The Other America Getting rid of the schools Confederate names solves only part of the problem, Johnson believes. After the names are changed, Blair and Johnson said they want a more inclusive atmosphere for Black students. For Johnson, that means creating a curriculum that includes more Black history. Its a problem she still sees while working with her 10th-grade son, who learned more about slavery during a family trip to New Orleans than he did in class, Johnson said. For Blair, it means educational equity that each child Black or white would be able to access the same opportunities as any other student. Throughout the campaign, she has been quoting the Rev. Martin Luther Kings The Other America speech, which he recited in 1967 at Stanford University. The speech highlighted the importance of both social and economical equality by illustrating two different Americas: one where opportunities to pursue the countrys ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness overflows, and the other America, where people are starved of those opportunities and where children are harmed the most. Forcing the names off the Confederate monument had to be done so that the community can start the process of achieving educational equity for all students, Blair said. Were still living in the other America where children are walking around with cloud of inferiority forming in their mental skies, and we where we are always made to believe that we are less than no matter what we do, she said, quoting parts of Kings speech, I want the students of Montgomery to grow up in an America where children grow up in the sunlight of opportunity, an America where we are flooded with seas of equity, and an America where we pledge allegiance to uphold true humanity and dignity for all. Sergio Troncoso demonstrates in the short-story collection A Peculiar Kind of Immigrants Son that hes a master storyteller but with a special bent. Troncoso, an El Paso-native, said in a phone interview that the 13 stories in this recent collection, as with most of his writings, are informed by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the philosophy called Perspectivism. Nietzsche, he said, was probably the first important philosopher to write about Perspectivism. The philosophy, Troncoso said, is that our sense of truth depends on your perspective, your history, your language, your class, your race. Everything. The first 12 stories are organized in sets of two or three, with the final story a stand-alone reflective piece. Each set contains its own narrator or central character whom the reader can understand from that characters own angles or perspectives. At the same, Troncoso said he encourages the reader to be conscious of inserting his/her own perspectives when reading a particular story. The two stories in the initial set are Rosary on the Border and New Englander. In Rosary, the unnamed narrator returns to his hometown of El Paso from his home in New England for his fathers funeral. He describes his shock at seeing his father in the casket: can that be my father, that shrunken, wax-like face? These idiots wouldnt put just anyones body in there. Troncoso shares with readers the male narrators unvarnished, detailed descriptions of the varied people (including himself) who show up at the funeral of his Mexican-born dad. Theres the immediate and extended family members on both sides of the border; for example, his sister Linda, in her late 50s, who the narrator describes as disorganized, wasteful with money, and still taking classes. He refers to the visitors from Chihuahua to Los Angeles. Los compadres y las comadres. Neighborhood hypocrites and hangers-on. The perspective in that opening story radically changes in the second story, New Englander, in which the narrator is identified as David Calderon. David, age 55, is breaking logs from a woodpile at home in Kent, Connecticut. Hes thinking about his family, his years growing up in El Pasos Ysleta barrio, later years attending Harvard. Those thoughts fly in his head before and after an armed intruder, a stranger, attacks him out of the blue. David eventually fights off the attacker with fateful consequences. Rosary on the Border won the Kay Cattarulla Award for Best Short Story from the Texas Institute of Letters, and last March Troncoso was elected president of the institute. He is a resident faculty member of the Yale Writers Workshop. The books title comes from a sentence in Rosary. At the conclusion of an introspective passage the narrator tells himself that I was, I am, and I will be, a peculiar kind of immigrants son. I got old and that made everything better, including me. This is Troncosos second short-story collection. The first was The Last Tortilla and other Stories, published in 1999. It won the Premio Aztlan Literary Prize for best book by a new Chicano/a writer. He has also published novels and essays. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, Troncoso is tentatively scheduled to read from and discuss A Peculiar Kind of Immigrants Son (Cinco Puntos Press) in the Salon Ortega of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 Fourth SW. The event is free and open to the public. Another recently published collection is The Roads Around Perdido: Stories (Sunstone Press) by Joseph M. Ferguson Jr. of Rio Rancho. Ferguson, who grew up in Albuquerque, taught English Composition at a number of colleges and then became a traveling salesman for textbook publishers in the Mountain West. In driving around the region, he became enamored with the llanos of northeast corner of New Mexico and its roads leading into southeast Colorado. It is so lonely and beautiful, and you drive and not see another car. Then you realize here was a ghost town of sorts! There are a lot of abandoned homesteads, Ferguson said. It is that area of New Mexico where he imagined the ghost town of Perdido, the subject of the title story in his linked 10-story collection. Human mortality is a constant theme throughout the collection. At the back of the book is a Readers Guide, helpful for any reader, even those not taking an English Composition class nor in a book club discussing the related tales. Fergusons short story Report on the Hadleyburg Renaissance won a Pleiades Prize for experimental fiction and Gleanings won a Glimmer Train prize for best short story. Both were previously published and are in the Perdido collection. Book of the week review Members of the Gehlot camp huddled at a resort outside Delhi, while the whereabouts of MLAs loyal to Pilot remained unknown Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday mopped up the support of two BTP MLAs, shoring up numbers for his shaky government, and his predecessor Vasundhara Raje finally broke her silence to lash out at a discordant Congress and assert that she stands by the BJPs ideology. As the question mark over the survival of the Congress-led government in the desert state loomed large, two audio clips remained at the centre of the Rajasthan political tangle with attention shifting, even if momentarily, from the Congress internecine Gehlot vs Sachin Pilot feud to its battle with the BJP. While Rajasthan Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the two clips of conversations purportedly regarding a "conspiracy" to topple Gehlots rule -- thrown into instability by rebel MLAs led by Pilot -- the BJP demanded a CBI probe and alleged that the government was indulging in phone tapping. The Centre on Saturday evening sought a report from the Rajasthan government on the allegations of phone tapping, an official said. In a communication, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajasthan chief secretary to provide the details of the incident, the official added. ACB Director General Alok Tripathi said it has registered an FIR on a complaint by Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi. The FIR mentions details of conversations of (rebel MLA) Bhanwarlal Sharma with Gajendra Singh (Congress claims it is a reference to Union minister Gajendra Singh) and a third man called Sanjay Jain. The Congress alleges that Jain, whose name had surfaced in the audio recording about horse trading of legislators to topple the Congress government, is a BJP leader but the saffron party rejects the allegation, saying it has no connection with him. Jain, who was arrested on Friday night, has been remanded to four days of police custody. In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan had resorted to "unconstitutional" methods to tap phones of politicians and demanded a CBI probe into what he called a "saga of illegalities and concocted lies". His counterpart in the Congress Pawan Khera hit back, telling reporters that the demand for a CBI probe into the audio tapes shows a conspiracy to topple the Gehlot government and amounts to an admission of guilt" by the BJP. It is now clear that the party was behind the rebellion by Pilot and others, the Congress said, adding that the fact its dissident legislators took shelter in hotels in BJP-ruled Haryana is further evidence of saffron party's involvement in "horse-trading". Back in the Rajasthan capital, Gehlot was quiet for much of the day but tweeted photographs of himself with the two Bharatiya Tribal Party legislators in the evening. Amid the brewing crisis in the Congress-ruled state, Gehlot also called on Governor Kalraj Mishra for what a Raj Bhavan spokesperson termed a courtesy meeting during which the coronavirus pandemic was discussed. Ending days of speculation, BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad said they will back the Gehlot government on the condition that demands related to development of the state are fulfilled. With the party split between Gehlot and Pilot, who was sacked as deputy chief minister earlier this week and has the support of 18 MLAs, each seat counts. In the house of 200, the Congress has 107 MLAs, including the 19 dissidents who have been issued notices of disqualification by the speaker and have challenged them in the high court. Congress has maintained the claim that the Gehlot government has the support of 109 MLAs, including the two BTP MLAs. The court resumes hearing on the disqualification notices on Monday and Speaker CP Joshi will not take any action on the issue till 5.30 pm on Tuesday. Breaking her silence on the raging political strife in the state, former chief minister and senior BJP leader Raje alleged that some people were trying to create confusion on the political developments and insisted she stands with her party and its ideology. Her remarks came in the backdrop of Nagaur MP and convenor of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, an NDA ally, Hanuman Beniwal accusing her of having an internal alliance with Gehlot, who is facing a rebellion from his former deputy Sachin Pilot. Raje, who has been conspicuous by her silence, said in a statement earlier in the day that it is unfortunate that the people of Rajasthan are paying for the discord within the Congress. "There is no point in trying to drag the BJP and the BJP leaders' names through the mud. It is the interest of our people that must remain paramount!" she said. Raje went on to list the many problems facing the people of Rajasthan. At a time when COVID-19 has claimed more than 500 lives and positive cases are close to 28,000 locusts are attacking farmers fields crimes against women are at an all-time high when there is a problem of electricity across the state And Im only naming a few of the problems faced by our people, she said. Think of the people!!!!! she ended the statement in which she took no names. As the political drama continued to escalate ahead of its denouement perhaps next week the legislators in Gehlots camp were sequestered at a resort on the Jaipur-Delhi highway. Images of them doing yoga, taking part in cooking lessons and watching Mughal-e-Azam did the rounds of television and social media, prompting the BJP to ask caustically about social distancing in corona times. There was little news of the Pilot camp. While the former PCC chief was silent, there was little information of the whereabouts of him or the MLAs who had mounted a rebellion with him. They had been in a resort in Haryana till Friday evening when the Rajasthan SOG reached for their voice samples but could not meet them. Some Congress leaders alleged they had been taken to another BJP-ruled state but no one was quite sure. BSP leader Mayawati also weighed in with her views and said the governor should take cognisance of the instability in the state and recommend President's Rule. Gehlot, she said, had openly violated the Anti-Defection law and cheated the BSP for a second time by getting its MLAs included in the Congress. "And it is also evident he did an illegal and unconstitutional thing by phone tapping," Mayawati said in a series of tweets in Hindi. All the problems, added veteran state BJP leader Kailash Chandra Meghwal, were because of the internal feud in the Congress. "Rajasthan politics has been derailed. It is unfortunate that attempts are being made to destabilise the government when the state faces the danger of COVID-19 pandemic and also unemployment among its poor. This is not appropriate. This is due to internal feud within the Congress," he told PTI. He said it was "condemnable" that people had resorted to "immoral tactics, ugly politics and horse-trading" to destabilise the government. JOHANNESBURG: Countries from the U.S. to South Africa to India were struggling to hold down rising rates of the coronavirus, as global deaths from COVID-19 surged past 600,000 in a sign of how far off the world remains from a return to normalcy. While the U.S. leads global infections, South Africa now ranks as the fifth worst-hit country in the pandemic with 350,879 cases roughly half of all those confirmed on the African continent. Its struggles are a sign of trouble to come for nations with even fewer health care resources. India on Sunday reported a 24-hour record surge of 38,902 new cases, taking the countrys total to 1,077,618. Elsewhere in Asia, China confirmed 13 new cases in the northwestern city of Urumqi while South Korea reported less than 40 additional cases for a second straight day. The Urumqi outbreak is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March. At least 30 people have been infected and authorities are conducting universal testing in communities where cases were discovered, later to be expanded to other parts of the city and major businesses. South Korean authorities are also struggling to suppress an uptick in local infections, with 34 additional cases, 21 of them domestic and 13 from overseas, raising the countrys total to 13,745 with 295 deaths. Both countries are mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all overseas arrivals. After a one-day respite, COVID-19 cases in the Australian state of Victoria rose again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell. Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in the past 24 hours. Two men and a woman in their 90s died, taking the national death toll from COVID-19 to 122. The World Health Organization on Saturday again reported a single-day record of new infections with 259,848. South Africa now trails the U.S., Brazil, India all far more populous countries in the number of infections, surpassing Peru, after health authorities announced 13,285 new cases. South Africas new coronavirus epicenter, Gauteng province, hosts the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and one-quarter of the countrys population of 57 million, with many poor people living in crowded conditions in the middle of a frosty Southern Hemisphere winter. Global COVID-19 deaths have hit 601,549, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The United States tops the list with 140,119 deaths, followed by 78,772 in Brazil and 45,358 in the United Kingdom and 38,888 in Mexico, where a surge in cases have frustrated plans to reopen the economy. The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, out of which 3.7 million are in the United States. There are over 2 million in Brazil and more than 1 million in India. Experts believe the true numbers around the world are higher because of testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations. 30-35 million Iranians likely to be exposed to coronavirus in coming months: President Rouhani ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Sat / 18 July 2020 / 14:14 Tehran (ISNA) Iran's President described using masks, observing physical distancing and avoiding gatherings along with strict observance of health protocols as a great contribution to the health of the society and the process of fighting coronavirus, and stressed that we will undoubtedly win this battle. Speaking on Saturday at the meeting of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus, Dr. Hassan Rouhani said, "At the same time, people should not be anxious. We should advise people to both the right and patience, but we should not create anxiety in them or make them overwhelmed. Winning against this disease may be a little difficult and time consuming, but we will definitely win and we must stand firm and know that victory is certain". "According to the Deputy of the Ministry of Health for Research Affairs, 30 to 35 million people are likely to be exposed to the disease in the coming months," the president said, adding that everyone should work together to strictly follow health protocols to break the chain of the disease. Reiterating the importance of full compliance with health protocols, Dr. Rouhani said, "According to the same report, out of every one thousand people who are infected with coronavirus, 500 are asymptomatic and these pose the greatest risk of transmitting coronavirus to others". In another part of his speech, the President said that coronavirus is a pandemic and universal disease, saying, "In such circumstances, any nation can rely only on its own strength, and this shows that the national strength of the country, especially in the fields of health, science and research, and economy must be to the extent that we can manage ourselves". Dr. Rouhani stated, "Capability, belief, national trust and not needing others are the main lessons that coronavirus has taught us". The President continued by emphasizing that along with the comprehensive fight against coronavirus, national and societal resilience in both health and economic sectors should increase, saying, "The process of production and employment must continue and, in this framework, it is necessary to follow health instructions strictly in production centres". Dr. Rouhani also reiterated his appreciation of the country's medical staff, saying, "It is necessary to maintain the health, motivation and calmness of the human resources of the health defence front". End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Head of the Ukraine-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Ukrainian parliament Artyom Dmitruk says the statement by his countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is unreasonable, AnalitikaUA.net reports. I view the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and statements on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict as absolutely unreasonable and indiscreet, Dmitruk declared on Instagram. The diplomatic ties, which have been built for decades, can be destroyed by just one statement by a certain official. It is necessary to be considerate before making such a statement. I would like to remind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about its primary objectives, that is, to maintain the image and reputation of Ukraine in the global market, as well as the need to build friendly and partnering ties with other countries. As already reported, earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine had issued a statement in support of Azerbaijans territorial integrity, in spite of the fact that the situation escalated as a result of the actions of Azerbaijan, and beyond the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at that. A black radio host accused Roger Stone of using a racial slur during a live broadcast Saturday while discussing whether President Donald Trump's longtime confidante deserved to have his prison sentence commuted. During the interview with Morris O'Kelly on KFI-AM (640) and iHeartRadio, while Stone was apparently having trouble hearing the host, a voice that sounds like Stone mutters about "arguing with this Negro." Stone denied using the word on the air, telling O'Kelly, "you're out of your mind." In a statement emailed to The Washington Post on Sunday, Stone suggested it was O'Kelly's "studio engineer" who used the word. He also argued that "negro" is not offensive. "The transmission as I recorded it is both garbled and replete with cross talk," Stone said. "Mr. O'Kelly needs a good peroxide cleaning of the wax in his ears because at no time did I call him a negro. That said, Mr. O'Kelly needs to spend a little more time studying black history and institutions. The word negro - even though I did not use it - is far from a slur." He pointed out that the word was once widely used, including in the name of some civil rights organizations. But it fell out of favor in the late 1960s. In a commentary posted on his website Saturday night, O'Kelly called the term "the low-calorie version of the N-Word." O'Kelly added, "He didn't see me as a journalist, not as a professional, not a radio host . . . but a 'Negro' first and foremost." The radio host had repeatedly challenged Stone's account of the circumstances that led to his conviction for lying to Congress and witness tampering, and of the reprieve he received, calling it "swampy as hell." When O'Kelly asked why Stone had used the word, the self-professed "dirty trickster" denied it. "I did not," Stone said. "You're out of your mind." Stone had bristled at O'Kelly's account of his trial in Washington federal court last year. O'Kelly pointed to the email and audio evidence presented at trial that showed Stone lied during his testimony in front of a House committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. "You're not being honest," O'Kelly said. Stone has used the word before. In 2012, he tweeted that prominent African American television commentator Roland Martin is "a stupid negro." Stone has said he regretted the comment. In 2017, Martin told The Post that Stone is a "superficial, petulant, racist child." The media, Martin said, tends to "say, 'Oh, he's a colorful character.' No, he's a racist, sexist individual." Stone has also sought to portray himself as a champion of African Americans, waging a campaign for a presidential pardon of black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey, who he calls one of his "political heroes." Later in the interview with O'Kelly, Stone touted that advocacy, as well as his support for less punitive drug laws, affirmative action and the Voting Rights Act. "One thing that aggravates me is when I'm constantly called a racist," he said. Sydneysiders were flocking in droves to popular Bondi Beach over the weekend despite NSW recording the highest daily cases of COVID-19 since April 18. As concerns grow of the pandemic reaching a "critical juncture", the promenade and grassy areas of Sydney's famous beach were overrun with walkers and swimmers on Sunday as the state recorded 18 new cases of the virus. Crowds at Luna Park on Saturday. Credit:Sarah Keoghan At the start of the pandemic, the eastern suburbs was quickly identified as a COVID-19 hotspot with a drive-through clinic set up at Bondi Pavilion in early April. As a result of rising cases, NSW Health Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jeremy McAnulty called on residents to redouble their efforts on Sunday to stop the virus spreading. Damascus, July 19 : Voting was underway on Sunday for Syria's parliamentary elections, the third since the start of the civil war in 2011 and also as President Bashar al-Assad marks 20 years in power. A total of 7,277 polling stations opened across the government-controlled areas on Sunday morning, reports Xinhua news agency. Voters can choose between a total of 1,656 candidates for the 250-seat parliament. Wearing masks, Assad and his wife cast their ballots at a polling centre in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. The elections, originally scheduled to be held in April, were postponed twice due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the 2016 polls, the Baath Party and its allies took 200 of the 250 Parliament seats, while the remaining went to independent candidates. The Syrian government now controls around 70 per cent of the country's territory while ultra-radical rebels control the Idlib province and the US-backed Kurdish militia of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control areas in northeastern Syria. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) The governments top lawyer is urging the Supreme Court to junk the petitions seeking a temporary restraining order against the Anti-Terrorism Act, whose constitutionality is being questioned. In a 223-page comment filed on Friday, Solicitor General Jose Calida reminded the high court that the judiciary must exercise utmost caution, prudence and judiciousness in the issuance of temporary restraining orders and injunctive writs. The writ should not be granted lightly or precipitately, but only when the court is fully satisfied that the law permits it and the emergency demands it, Calida said. He argued that all the eight consolidated petitions against the newly-signed anti-terrorism law failed to prove that its implementation would cause grave and irreparable injury to the petitioners constitutional rights. Calida said it is the public who would be at risk from terrorist attacks if the law is not enforced. Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 took effect on Saturday, according to the Department of Justice, even as some law experts argued that the start date should be July 22, or 15 days after the measure was published in a newspaper and not just the online Official Gazette. The implementing rules and regulations "will come in 90 days," National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told CNN Philippines, adding that the Anti-Terrorism Council has started working on it. On warrantless arrest and detention Among the hotly contested provisions is Section 29, which extends the time suspected terrorists can be arrested and detained without warrant, from three days under the previous law, to up to 24 days. READ: 3-day detention period for suspected terrorists more than enough, solon argues Calida stressed that although the term suspected was used in the law, it is not a license to arrest any person based on mere suspicion. Contrary to petitioners interpretation, therefore, the use of suspected in Section 29 does not at all signify an abandonment of probable cause as threshold in warrantless arrest under Section 5(b), Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Court, Calida said. He further argued that there is nothing in the Constitution that prohibits a period of detention longer than three days. What the law does not prohibit, it allows, he said. Guarding against abuse The Anti-Terrorism Act has been a target of local and international criticism, as experts say it relaxes safeguards on human rights and is open to abuse. Administration officials, as well as lawmakers who authored and sponsored the measure, deny the alleged unconstitutionality of the law. One of them is Senator Panfilo Lacson who said in a statement on Saturday that he will go the extra mile in guarding against possible abuse in its implementation. Now that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is in effect, the Filipino people are assured of a law that allows the Philippines to mount the needed strong response against the threat of terrorism, said Lacson, a former national police chief. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier defended the measure, saying it will not be used against law-abiding citizens, but stressed that communist rebels should be considered as terrorists because "I finally declared them to be one." Lacson said this may be a "personal opinion" of the President, but the governments petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army, as terrorists will have to be tried and approved by the Court of Appeals. CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario contributed to this report. The IAF chief and top commanders will have forward deployments in eastern Ladakh and operationalisation of the Rafale jets on the agenda New Delhi: Amid the ongoing tensions with China, top Air Force commanders will meet this week to discuss the situation on the Line of Actual Control with China in Eastern Ladakh and rapid operational station of the Rafale combat aircraft arriving later this month. The top commanders will meet this week for the two-days commanders' conference starting from 22 July where they will deliberate on a range of security issues, Indian Air Force officials told ANI. One of the main agenda points during the conference headed by Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and attended by all seven of his commanders-in-chief would be about the situation on the borders with China and the forward deployments done by the force in the Eastern Ladakh and northern borders, sources said. The Air Force has deployed its entire fleet of modern fighters like Mirage 2000, Sukhoi-30, and the MiG-29 fighters all along with the advanced and forward bases from where they have been carrying out both day and night operations. The advanced Apache attack helicopter has also been deployed in forward bases along the China border and are carrying out frequent sorties over the Eastern Ladakh region even during night time. The IAF brass will also discuss the rapid deployment and operationalisation of the Rafale fighter jets arriving in the country by end of this month from France. The most advanced jets of the South Asian region are going to give an edge to the Air Force over their adversaries as they are fitted with most advanced weapon systems, officials said. The India Specific Enhancements in the fighter jets along with the long-range weapons like the Meteor air to air missiles are going to give India an edge over China and Pakistan, they said. The Air Force is also working on the integration of the French fighters with the Russian-origin fleet and make them compatible in operations. The IAF chief played a significant role in concluding India's biggest ever defence deal as head of the Indian Negotiation Team for the project under which 36 Rafale jets worth around Rs 60,000 crore will be coming to India under emergency purchase route. The two squadrons of Rafale will also help India to stem the downfall in the number of fighting units in the force as well as strengthen its capabilities to carry out long-range attacks. A surge in the deadly attacks by Baloch separatists in Pakistan has increased the risks and costs of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road projects, including the CPEC, while its interests at the strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea are caught up in the proxy war between Islamabad and Tehran, according to a media report. Security risks and costs of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are rising amid a resurgence of the deadly attacks by separatists in the troubled Balochistan province, home to the Chinese-operated Gwadar Port, a report in Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said on Saturday. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. The CPEC is the flagship project of President Xi Jinpings ambitious BRI. In the third such attack since May, militants opened fire on a patrolling paramilitary convoy in Panjgur district on Tuesday, killing three soldiers and wounding eight others, including an army colonel. Militant ethnic Baloch factions have also recently expanded their range of operations to adjoining Sindh province and its provincial capital Karachi, according to the report. Beijings stakes in Sindh are as high as they are in resoure-rich Balochistan, it said. Chinas state-owned enterprises run container terminals at Karachi port and have invested in nuclear and coal power projects established both under the umbrella of the CPEC and in partnership with local corporations, it said. On June 29, four militants were killed by police commandos when they tried to shoot their way into the Karachi Stock Exchange, which is 40 per cent owned by a consortium of three Chinese bourses. Baloch groups have not only intensified their attacks but also expanded the outreach of their terrorist violence beyond Balochistan, but it is hard to predict whether this trend will persist, Mohammad Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank, told the Post. He said Baloch insurgent factions had historically preferred to conduct low-intensity attacks, while their high-intensity attacks had tended to come in waves lasting only for a few weeks. Rana said the CPEC projects and Chinese personnel remained well protected by the dedicated 13,700-strong Special Security Division, led by a two-star Pakistan Army general, established in 2017. Only low-intensity attacks have been reported around the CPEC project sites, but the financial cost of the security (to Pakistan) is high, he said. Beijings political risks are also escalating because of a renewed wave of public anger in many parts of Balochistan against human rights abuses by Pakistani troops deployed to crush the low-intensity insurgency in the province, the report said. In June, Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, parted ways with the ruling coalition led by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khans party, citing the governments failure to bring a halt to state-enforced disappearances. In a subsequent interview with the BBCs Urdu-language service, Mengal said more than 1,500 Baloch had disappeared since Prime Minister Khan took office in 2018 and claimed that he had personally secured the release of nearly 500 people from the custody of the security forces. Because of the political and security situation in Balochistan, Chinas CPEC investments in the province have hitherto been limited to the development of the Gwadar Port and a road linking it to the coastal highway to Karachi. The port is not yet fully operational and only recently handled its Afghan transhipment cargo. The city continues to suffer severe power and water shortages, the report said. Also, Chinese geopolitical interests at Gwadar, the Arabian Sea outlet of the corridor, running overland from Xinjiang, have become caught up in a web of espionage and proxy warfare involving Pakistan and Iran, it said. Iran is highly suspicious of Pakistan and its relationship with arch-rival Saudi Arabia, especially since Riyadh was invited in late 2018 to establish a USD 10 billion oil refinery and storage facility at Gwadar. The Iranians feel that Pakistan is not doing enough to secure the border on its side, said Seyed Mohammed Marandi, a professor of English literature and oriental studies at the University of Tehran and renowned political commentator. A lot of Saudi money has gone to extremist groups in this region and the Saudis have funded these [Jaish ul-Adl] terrorists, he told the Post. Similarly, Pakistan is deeply concerned about Indias involvement at Irans Chabahar Port, which is competing with Gwadar for transit cargoes heading to landlocked Afghanistan. Politicians have warned that popular resentment towards federal government policies in Balochistan is dangerously close to igniting a wider uprising, it said. Pakistans former president Asif Ali Zardari last month said the state needed to be more careful in Balochistan. Journalist Kiyya Baloch said Chinese security concerns would continue to drag on the pace at which the CPEC projects in Gwadar have been developed. Despite increasing diplomatic engagement, it is highly unlikely Beijing will make any significant further investment in Gwadar until security is improved, Baloch said. Pangilinan on nurses' salary hike: long awaited and well-deserved, especially during pandemic SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Sunday welcomed the government's decision to finally implement Section 32 of the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 which will raise the minimum monthly base pay of government nurses to Salary Grade 15 (SG-15), or P32,053 to P34,801. "This is a welcome development. Matagal nang batas ang Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, ngunit inabot ng 18 taon para maimplement ang pagtaas ng kanilang sahod. Isa sa mga pinakamahalagang frontliners natin ang ating mga nurses, at isa lamang ito sa maraming paraan na pinapakita natin ang suporta sa kanila ngayong pandemya," he said. Government nurses will jump four salary grades from SG-11 to SG-15, increasing their incomes by as much as P10,000 per month under the Salary Standardization Law. The said circular is effective no later than January 1, 2020. "Kailangan ding masigurong matanggap ng mga nurses ang back pay simula pa ng January. Delikado at nakakapagod ang serbisyong binibigay ngayon ng mga nurses dahil sa COVID. At ginagawa nila ito kahit maliit ang kita. Ginagawa nila ito dahil mahal nila ang bayan, ang kapwa Pilipino. Sila ay mga tunay na bayani," Pangilinan said. In an effort to recognize the rights of nurses to higher pay and better working conditions, Pangilinan has earlier filed Senate Bill 260 or the Comprehensive Nursing Act which will provide mechanisms toward relevant nursing practices, just and humane working conditions, and promotion of professional growth. The bill similarly provides that the salaries of entry-level government nurses shall not be lower than SG-15. No hearing has been conducted on SB 260 as of this time. BERLIN (Reuters) - The premiers of four German states have appealed to members of the U.S. Congress to block plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany, according to letters seen by Reuters on Sunday. President Donald Trump said last month he would cut the number of U.S. troops in Germany by 9,500 to 25,000, faulting the fellow NATO member for failing to meet the North Atlantic alliance's defence spending target and accusing it of taking advantage of America on trade. The prime ministers of the four southern states, all home to U.S. bases, addressed the letters to 13 members of Congress including senators Mitt Romney and Jim Inhofe. "We therefore ask you to support us as we strive not to sever the bond of friendship but to strengthen it, and to secure the U.S. presence in Germany and Europe in the future," wrote the premiers of Bavaria, Hesse, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin declined to comment. Last month, Washington said the move would "enhance Russian deterrence, strengthen NATO, reassure Allies". But the premiers wrote that the U.S. forces in their states "form the backbone of the U.S. presence in Europe and NATO's ability to act". (Reporting by Markus Wacker; additional reporting and writing by Tom Sims in Frankfurt; Editing by Kevin Liffey) The minister said Egypt has 'internal tools' to address any problems that might result from Ethiopias dam Egypts Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati told MPs on Sunday morning that the state will never stand idle in the face of the challenge posed by the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD). It is by no means an easy case and we have a lot of challenges in this respect, but we will never stand still or just stand as spectators, Abdel-Ati said, adding that Egypt has internal tools to address the problems that might be caused by the GERD. Abdel-Ati said Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is closely following the GERD negotiations. A mini African summit on the GERD will be held on Tuesday (21 July), he said. Abdel-Atis statements came during a meeting held by parliaments small and medium-scale enterprises committee to explore the possibility of offering loans to farmers who wish to modernise their irrigation systems. Abdel-Ati said the ministrys strategy focuses on rationalising the use of Nile water in agricultural projects. For example, the state is expanding on the use of sprinkling irrigation systems instead of the old-fashioned flood irrigation system which has been in use in Egypt since ancient times, he said, adding that the government is keen on helping farmers obtain soft-term loans to adopt modern irrigation systems that can save water. Kamal Marei, head of the small and medium enterprises committee, said the Egyptian people are following the progress of negotiations over Ethiopias dam because the Nile water is a matter of life and death. We have full confidence that the countrys political leadership is keen to have the GERD negotiations achieve the countrys supreme interests, Marie said. Search Keywords: Short link: Dana White UFC on ESPN+ 30 post-fight The UFC still has one more event on Fight Island before heading back to the UFC Apex, but company president Dana White is ready to go home. Though he couldn't heap enough praise on Abu Dhabi and how they've handled the UFC Fight Island events, White needs to get back to the U.S. and tie up several loose ends surrounding the next few months of fights. So he'll be heading home once he wraps up on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. Before getting ready to board a plane, White spoke with MMAWeekly.com and the other news outlets on hand on Yas Island. White addressed numerous topics, chief among them was his irritation at Paulo Costa's camp leaking a potential upcoming fight with Israel Adesanya. TRENDING > Deiveson Figueiredo becomes flyweight champ, puts Joe Benavidez to sleep at UFC on ESPN+ 30 (Video courtesy of UFC) Overnight reports from Jacksonville police: Madelynn E. Ganz, 19, of Arenzville was cited on a charge of following too closely after the vehicle she was driving and one being driven by Derek M. Edmonds, 38, of Jacksonville collided at 1:16 p.m. Friday at West Morton and Westgate avenues. Latonja B. Binion, 50, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of failing to yield after the vehicle she was driving and one being driven by Judith M. Taylor, 78, of Jacksonville collided at 5:23 p.m. Friday at South Church Street and Beecher Avenue. Tiffany L. Swarringin, 33, of 609 E. Independence Ave. was arrested at 7:50 p.m. Friday on charges of resisting a peace officer and unlawful use of a weapon and on warrants accusing her of failing to appear in court on a probation revocation, endangering the welfare of a child and theft of a motor vehicle. Support for British farmers has soared to a record high as a result of their efforts to keep the nation fed during the pandemic. A new survey reveals that 75 per cent of Britons have a positive view of the farming industry the highest figure since the Farmer Favourability Survey began in 2012. There has been a six-point leap since last year, with the majority of those questioned citing farmers' work over the past four months as the reason for their approval. A new survey reveals that 75 per cent of Britons have a positive view of the farming industry Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said: 'Like the rest of the nation, our farmers have had a challenging year and it's fantastic to see the British public has recognised the efforts of growers and producers in keeping us fed. As farmers, we must continue to show the public how much the UK farming sector delivers for the nation, the economy and the environment. Their support is going to be invaluable in the months and years ahead.' The results of the survey, conducted by OnePoll, comes as the Government's controversial Agriculture Bill returns to the House of Lords this week and MPs tomorrow debate a proposed Trade Bill covering the UK's post-Brexit trade deals. There are concerns the legislation could endanger the 120 billion industry, with campaigners warning that animal welfare, food safety and environmental protection standards will be at risk if safeguards are not enshrined in law. The Mail on Sunday has launched the Save Our Family Farms campaign to keep cheap, sub-standard US food off our supermarket shelves in the event of a trade deal between Britain and America. More than a million people have signed an NFU petition urging the Government to ensure that future agreements do not lead to food imports that would be illegal to produce here, such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef. Ms Batters said: 'This has sent a strong signal to Westminster on how highly British people value quality, sustainably produced British food.' OnePoll surveyed 2,000 adults in England and Wales, with 86 per cent agreeing that British farms should grow as much food as they can to provide national food security. The industry, which employs more than four million people in the UK, is regarded by 89 per cent of the public as being 'fairly or very important' to the economy. As farmers, we must continue to show the public how much the UK farming sector delivers for the nation, the economy and the environment Some 77 per cent believe farmers should continue to receive financial support post-Brexit a nine-point increase on the figure in 2017. The Government insists it will safeguard the quality of food on shelves and the farming industry. Under pressure, Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, last month announced a new Trade and Agriculture Commission to scrutinise and make recommendations on future trade deals. She has previously pledged: 'When it comes to food, we will never lower our standards in order to sign a trade deal.' However, Tory critics and environmental campaigners are demanding greater controls over how the Government agrees to post-Brexit trade deals. In tomorrow's Trade Bill debate, Tory MP Jonathan Djanogly will seek to add an amendment to 'give MPs a debate and vote on trade deals before and after negotiations'. Friends of the Earth trade campaigner Kierra Box also insisted Ministers must give 'people and our MPs a strong voice' on trade talks. Last night, Tory MP George Freeman, who is backing Mr Djanogly's amendment, insisted the Government must not give access to cheap food products from the US and other countries that do not have 'decent animal welfare or environmental standards'. Some 77 per cent believe farmers should continue to receive financial support post-Brexit He said: 'The risks of getting this wrong are huge. Our UK farm and food sector can never compete with overseas producers with lower standards. 'Do we really want to open up our food chain to a flood of cheap meat and processed food with no idea of where it's come from or what's in it? 'For UK farming, that would be the equivalent of the closure of our shipbuilding and steel industries in the 1980s.' We've stood up to Beijing on cyber security now let's stand up to Trump on food safety By Tory MP George Freeman The fact that the Covid pandemic started in the wet markets of Wuhan is a stark warning that globalisation carries the huge risk of opening the door to cheap food regardless of provenance. There is the danger, too, of unleashing a new era of plant, animal and human diseases, devastating habitats every bit as hard as climate change. Tory MP George Freeman says: 'We've stood up to Beijing on cyber security now let's stand up to Trump on food safety' We have already seen what carnage diseases such as BSE, Dutch Elm, ash die back, bluetongue, zika and Ebola do. In learning the lessons from Covid, we need to put food safety and supply chain security higher up the national agenda. While we don't want Covid to trigger to a decade of protectionism, we do want to ensure globalisation is a force for raising standards all around. Having made the right decision on Huawei, the Government must make the same principled stand on food and animal welfare standards. It must not give access to cheap food products from the US and other countries which don't have decent animal welfare or environmental standards. The risks of getting this wrong are huge. Our UK farm and food sector can never compete with overseas producers with lower standards. Do we really want to open up our food chain to a flood of cheap meat and processed food with no idea where it's come from or what's in it? For UK farming that would be the equivalent of the closure of our shipbuilding and steel industries in the 1980s. In those circumstances, without huge EU-like subsidies - which we are rightly getting away from - all but the biggest and most exclusive premium farm and food operations would go bust. Although I don't worry about the creation of tumbleweed prairies, I fear farms would be snapped up and fenced off by the global jet-set looking for safe-haven investment and private rural playgrounds. If that happened, another great UK industry would be thrown on the scrapheap. World-leading UK expertise and commercial muscle in agronomy, food standards, sustainable food production, agri-tech, nutraceuticals and plant and animal breeding would be lost forever. All for the short-term 'kick' of cheap food. In my constituency of Mid Norfolk - where the farming of pigs, poultry and food processing is the primary industry this would have a devastating impact. Do we really want to open up our food chain to a flood of cheap meat and processed food with no idea where it's come from or what's in it? Given that risk, I welcome the Government's agreement last week to the Food and Trade Commission. But it needs to be the first step. We must have a very clear commitment from Ministers that the post-Brexit freedom to negotiate our own trade deals will not be an excuse to abandon UK standards of production, animal welfare and environmental and workplace safety. We need to use our huge bargaining power as the world's fifth biggest market to insist on higher standards from trading partners. Let's not block imports but insist they are safe and match our own welfare standards. The Conservative election manifesto clearly committed us to protecting food and farming standards. But, until now, UK Trade negotiators have been sending out a mixed message. First, they said that the adoption of EU standards into UK law on Brexit day fulfilled the manifesto commitment (even if we subsequently negotiate them away). Second, that we cannot bind the hands of negotiators. Third, that World Trade Organisation rules do not allow the imposition of any welfare standards on imports. Fourth, that there's nothing wrong with allowing in cheap food produced below our standards. And, finally, they have tried to counterbalance fears that a US trade deal would allow cheap American food into the UK by highlighting that it will also allow premium UK food into the US. But access for a few top UK wine and cheese producers to Manhattan restaurants isn't a fair trade for the flooding of UK markets with cheap US meat. Food labelling is important to allow consumers to choose, but it's of no use for food provided through the catering industry, and of little comfort if free trade has put most UK producers out of business. The Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, has sensibly agreed to calls by the National Farmers' Union and The Mail on Sunday for much greater protections for UK food standards through a Commission to advise on the implications of trade deals. But UK negotiators must have a clear mandate from Parliament. This should be an exciting moment to 'take back control' and, as the Agriculture and Trade Bills are debated nest week, to allow Parliament the chance to help set out trading standards. Get this right and we can use our trade to support and champion UK welfare and good standards. Get it wrong and we will be the generation who abandoned UK food and farming to chicken chlorinators from Wisconsin and Wuhan. Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman MP is former UK Minister for AgriTech, Life Science and the UK Medicines Regulation, and former Chair of the No10 Policy Board The work resumption of enterprises in Beijing has returned to the level in early June, local authorities said on Saturday. As of Thursday, most of the major commercial buildings, construction sites, industrial enterprises and supermarkets in Beijing had resumed operation, Li Sufang, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference. The resumption of major restaurants had reached 91.1 percent, while that of offline stores, such as fruit and vegetable shops, convenience stores, and hair and beauty salons, had reached 91.9 percent. Beijing reported no new confirmed or suspected domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases on Friday, the municipal health commission said Saturday. This means that the city had reported no new confirmed domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for 12 consecutive days. The Market Surveillance Inspection Body of Armenia today monitored and paid repetitive visits in the Nor Nork Administrative District of Yerevan. The inspection body conducts monitoring for observance of the anti-epidemic norms at trade centers, fairs, construction material stores and retail trade outlets for liquid fuel, compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, in accordance with Decision No 63 of the Commandant dated May 3, 2020. The inspectors recorded shortcomings of several businesses of the Nor Nork Administrative District, and the companies fixed them on the spot. There was no book for registering temperatures, line-markings for maintaining social distancing and a special closed trashcan for face masks and gloves at a construction materials store. The inspection body draws up records on the observed violations and submits them to the Commandants Office. The inspection body continues to conduct monitoring across the country. Jung Chang-ok, third from left, enters Seoul Nambu District Court Sunday for questioning about throwing his shoe at President Moon Jae-in. / Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant on Sunday for a man who threw a shoe at President Moon Jae-in last Thursday at the National Assembly. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it requested the warrant to detain Jung Chang-ok, 57, on charges of obstructing justice and trespassing. Jung arrived for the arrest warrant interview later on Sunday. The incident happened when Moon left the Assembly building at 3:19 p.m., Thursday, after his 21st National Assembly opening speech. The shoe fell a distance from Moon, but police arrested Jung on the spot. Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said it filed a warrant for arrest the next day, saying "The matter is utterly serious." Jung reportedly said he threw the shoe because "President Moon makes people feel humiliated by calling for fake peace, and destroying the economy. He seems not be sorry to the people, so I threw my shoe to humiliate him." Although Jung said he was not a member of any organization, he is known to be the father of a candidate, also surnamed Jung, who stood for the Our Republican Party in the last election. He is said to have served as co-chairman of a North Korean human rights group. He also has a criminal record for arrests on sex crime charges against minors when he was a theater actor in 1995. Cho Won-jin, a former lawmaker and leader of the Our Republican Party, reportedly visited Jung in the detention facility of Yeongdeungpo Police Station on Sunday. In front of the police station, some conservatives staged a rally and called for rejection of the request for an arrest warrant against Jung. Scotland Yard has released body cam footage of a police operation to disrupt an unlicensed music event on Friday in which two officers were injured. Metropolitan Police said residents living near the Woodberry Down Estate in Finsbury Park alerted officers to the event from 11pm on Friday night. A dispersal zone was set up and trained public order officers entered the estate to try to disperse the group, but the Met said they were met with hostility and violence and two officers were injured after items including canisters, bottles and a bicycle were hurled at them. One was taken to hospital with bruising to his ribs and has since been discharged, and the other suffered a leg injury but was able complete the remainder of his duty. An 18-year-old was arrested for violent disorder and obstruction while a 19-year-old was also held for obstruction. The newly released footage shows officers being pelted with objects as they move in to disperse the gathered crowd. In a statement, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said police received upwards of 30 calls about the event from concerned residents asking for help. These residents were scared to leave their homes and scared about what they would face outside their front doors in the morning, she said. It is always an anxious moment for us as we deploy our officers into such situations but I draw confidence from my knowledge of the outstanding training they receive. Ms DOrsi added she wanted to share the footage in order to give people a glimpse into what officers experience in dealing with these situations. She said: I wanted to share with you the footage from a colleagues body worn camera which shows what they faced upon arrival, and I ask the question could you or would you want to do their job? Unlicensed music events have become a regular issue for police across England ever since lockdown restrictions were eased. Earlier on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a statement saying they had dismantled a planned illegal rave by engaging with audio equipment suppliers. GMP officers have prevented a large illegal rave from going ahead this evening. pic.twitter.com/p0Tr2d4Skn Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 18, 2020 The statement said: Following two large illegal raves that were held last month, GMP set up a dedicated operation to carefully monitor any planned future events. These raves pose significant risks as previous events have demonstrated and were committed to working with our partners to prevent further raves from taking place. These events are unacceptable, they put lives at risk and they will not be tolerated. National Communication Officer of the NDC has described as fake an arrest warrant issued for Samuel Adam Mahama. According to him, it is manipulated by the ruling government. An INTERPOL document dated July 10, 2020, announced an arrest warrant for Samuel Mahama in connection with his role in the Airbus bribery scandal. But Sammy Gyamfi, reacting to this on Neat FM's Me Man Nti's programme said a red notice is always found on the official website of INTERPOL; however upon several checks, 'it's not there'. "The document is fake and was not issued by Interpol . . . .in the first place the person should be a fugitive for a red notice to be issued, but the person we are talking about is not a fugitive and so why would a red notice be issued? Every red notice has a control number and it is published on their website but after checks, it's not there. So, if it's Akufo-Addo's branch of Interpol that issued the red notice they should let us know, he said. He said attempts to mar the image of the former President won't wash because "the bottom line is that President Mahama is incorruptible". Listen to him in the video below The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) issued an arrest warrant for Samuel Adam Foster who is also called Samuel Adam Mahama in connection with his role in the Airbus bribery scandal.He has been accused of allegedly accepting bribe to influence a public officer and acting in collaboration with a public officer for the public officers private gain.Interpol said he is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 25 years for the offence.The arrest warrant which was issued on July 10, said once Mr Adam Mahama is traced, assurances are given that an extradition will be sought upon the arrest of the person, in conformity with national laws and/or the applicable bilateral and multilateral treaties.Extradition will be sought upon the arrest of the person, in conformity with national laws and/or the applicable bilateral and multilateral treaties. 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 Prime Minister Scott Morrison should be thankful that most teenagers cannot vote. His recent announcement that the Australian government was monitoring the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok "very closely" and "won't be shy" about taking action against it over potential national security threats will have many young Australians worried. With more than 1.6 million local users according to Roy Morgan, the highly popular app lets users watch and share musical clips that range from karaoke to viral dances and political satire in 15-second bursts. The platform is owned by tech giant ByteDance, which was founded by Chinese digital entrepreneur Zhang Yiming in 2012 and is valued at more than $100 billion. With more than 1 billion active users globally, it is China's most successful app outside its borders. But such success has also brought with it a good amount of scrutiny. Australia is not alone in wanting to run a ruler over the platform's ties with the Chinese Communist Party and privacy concerns related to the enormous amount of user data the tech company is accumulating. While ByteDance is adamant that it is independent and committed to keeping data safe from prying eyes, it is a difficult argument to run when its Chinese operations are scrutinised. TikTok is not available in China, and has been withdrawn from Hong Kong since the new security laws were introduced. Instead, ByteDance runs a separate, highly censored version called Douyin in China. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ByteDance "collaborates" with public security bureaus across China to disseminate propaganda, including in Xinjiang, where Beijing is under scrutiny for its detention and surveillance of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups. Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan is not likely to rush to give his consent to the contentious three capitals bill sent to him by the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government on Saturday. Once bitten twice shy, Raj Bhavan is firm on following due process. It intends to take a decision that will stand judicial scrutiny, unlike the hurriedly issued ordinance curtailing the term of the then state election commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar, which was struck down by the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The Amaravati capital region development authority repeal bill was also sent for the governors consent. Official sources told Deccan Chronicle that the governor would wait for the para-wise remarks he sought from the Assembly Secretariat on complaints made to him separately by the Amaravati Sadhana Samithi and Telugu Desam Party senior leader, Y. Ramakrishnudu. As the bills originated from the administrative department, in this case municipal admin and urban development, they would be sent to the legal department as part of the procedure for vetting and numbering. Raj Bhavan sources did not rule out the governor asking for legal opinion before giving his consent. The state government, however, is confident that the procedure it adopted is constitutional. A senior official told Deccan Chronicle that speaker T. Seetharams decision to re-introduce the bill in the Assembly three months after the stalemate in the Legislative Council was as per Assembly rules. The government also took a stand that the council chairmans discretionary power, using which he announced referring the bills to a select committee, would come into effect only when the rules and conventions were silent. In this case, the council chairman did not even put the motion pressing for the select committee to vote, leave alone the upper house adopting it, the official pointed out. Both bills were dispatched on Saturday immediately after the end of the mandatory one- month cooling period from the day the state assembly passed them for the second time. The assembly passed the bills and sent them to the council where there was a stalemate on whether or not they should be sent to select committee. The speaker, however, allowed re-introduction of the bills three months later on the grounds that no motion was passed in the council to refer them to the select committee. The assembly passed the bills for the second time taking the Chief Minister closer to his dream of making Visakhapatnam the executive capital. ATM maker Diebold Nixdorf is warning banks a new ATM black box attack technique that was recently employed in cyber thefts in Europe. Black box attacks are a type of jackpotting attack aimed at forcing an ATM to dispense the cash by sending a command through a black box device. In this attack, a black box device, such as a mobile device or a Raspberry, is physically connected to the ATM and is used by the attackers to send commands to the machine. The ATM black box attacks are quite popular in the cybercrime underground and several threat actors offer the hardware equipment and malware that could be used to compromise the ATMs. This week, Diebold Nixdorf, a leading manufacturer of ATM machines, has issued an alert to customers warning all banks of a new variant of ATM black box or jackpotting attacks. The alert was issued after the Agenta Bank in Belgium was forced to shut down 143 ATMs after a jackpotting attack. All the compromised machines were Diebold Nixdorf ProCash 2050xe devices. This is the first time that Belgian authorities observe this criminal practice in the country. According to a security alert issued by Diebold Nixdorf, and obtained by ZDNet, the new variation of black box attacks has been used in certain countries across Europe. In the recent incidents, attackers are focusing on outdoor systems and are destroying parts of the fascia in order to gain physical access to the head compartment. reads the alert issued by the vendor. Next, the USB cable between the CMD-V4 dispenser and the special electronics, or the cable between special electronics and the ATM PC, was unplugged. This cable is connected to the black box of the attacker in order to send illegitimate dispense commands. Some incidents indicate that the black box contains individual parts of the software stack of the attacked ATM. The experts are still investigating how these portions of the stack code were obtained by the crooks, they speculated that attackers could have had offline access to an unencrypted hard disc. The alert includes recommendations for countermeasures, such as: Implement protection mechanisms for cash modules; Implement hardening of the software stack; Limit physical access to the ATM Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs hacking, black box) International Labour Organization says MT Gulf Sky was hijacked on July 5 and all 28 Indian crew disembarked in Iran. A United Nations agency has acknowledged that a US-sought oil tanker hijacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters. The International Labour Organization (ILO) on Sunday said the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked on July 5, citing its captain. That mirrors earlier reporting by The Associated Press news agency. The vessel was taken to Iran, the ILO said. All 28 Indian crew members disembarked in Iran and all but two of the crew without passports flew from Tehran to India on July 15, it added. The ILO cited the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network for its information. The agency earlier filed a report saying the vessel and its sailors had been abandoned by its owners without pay since March off Khorfakkan, a city on the eastern coast of the UAE. Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran. The United States government similarly has not commented. In May, the US Justice Department filed criminal charges against two Iranians, accusing them of trying to launder some $12m to buy the tanker, then named the MT Nautica, through a series of front companies. Mystery tanker Court documents allege the smuggling scheme involved the Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is its elite expeditionary unit, as well as Irans national oil and tanker companies. The two men charged, one of whom also has an Iraqi passport, remain at large. A US bank froze funds associated with the sale, causing the seller to launch a lawsuit in the UAE to repossess the vessel, the Justice Department said earlier. That civil action was believed to still be pending, raising questions of how the tanker sailed away from the Emirates after being seized by authorities there. As tensions between Iran and the US heated up last year, tankers plying the waters of the Middle East became targets, particularly near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Gulfs narrow mouth through which 20 percent of all oil passes. Suspected mine attacks the US blamed on Iran targeted several tankers. Iran denied any involvement. Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf last year after British forces seized an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. Both vessels were released after a months-long standoff. A flotilla of tankers carrying Iranian fuel for gasoline-starved Venezuela reached the US sanctions-hit nation in June. The shipments caused a diplomatic standoff between Iran and Venezuela and the US as both nations are under American sanctions. The US recently beefed up its naval presence in the Caribbean for what it said was an expanded anti-drug operation. In the first weeks of the Bay Areas coronavirus shutdown, callers flooded Santa Clara Countys hotline for reporting rule-breakers, with most complaints focused on businesses flouting the health order and staying open. But as time went by, health orders loosened and tightened. The complaints also evolved, growing to include parties, religious gatherings and more. The county set up an email address to accommodate the publics concerns. From March to mid-May, the county received 7,000 such grievances. We stopped counting at some point because we were like, Oh, forget it, said Angela Alvarado, a community prosecutor at the Santa Clara Countys district attorneys office who leads a team of seven attorneys and four investigators tasked with ensuring that county residents and businesses follow health orders. The entire Bay Area is wrestling with this difficult task, which grew even more complex last week when Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down businesses across the state in an attempt to tamp down the growing coronavirus surge. Whose job is it to enforce state and county regulations? The police? Health inspectors? Thats a work in a progress and counties are coming up with their own plans. It comes at a critical time. The pandemic in California has worsened significantly since June, with case counts and hospitalizations reaching new highs every few days. As of Saturday, there were 375,686 cases in California, including 7,620 deaths. On the Santa Clara County complaints line, residents reported graduation parties and July Fourth gatherings that appeared to violate restrictions around social distancing and large groups. They flagged Instagram posts promoting raves. They reported churches holding indoor services and gyms that allowed members to continue working out. Some complained that fellow shoppers at Costco were not wearing masks properly. It all fell to Alvarados team, which triages the complaint hotline, either sending out their investigators to businesses that are allegedly breaking the rules or notifying law enforcement to look into the matter. Officers have visited at least 1,000 retailers, luxury car dealerships, restaurants and other businesses flagged for alleged wrongdoing. The vast majority end up complying after officers issue warnings, Alvarado said. Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle When faced with business owners who refuse after repeated visits, the district attorney elevates the matter by writing a letter to the companys attorneys, citing violations of the health order a misdemeanor that could be criminally prosecuted. That usually does the trick, Alvarado said. The office has sent out fewer than 50 such letters, and has not filed any charges against any businesses. Their work underscores the challenge of controlling the pandemic from the top down. Officers cannot investigate every complaint, leaving much of the work of containing the virus up to individual responsibility. The social gatherings that public health officials say are driving the recent surge in cases are not happening in public, but rather in peoples homes and backyards and parks. These social interactions are not happening at the restaurant or bar or the nail salon, said Solano County Health Officer Bela Matyas. I dont have the power to change a persons behavior in their home. Its way outside my authority to do anything. Dozens of other counties and cities are crafting their own strategies to ensure that residents and businesses are following health orders. Generally, they try not to file charges or issue fines because most businesses comply before they need to. We dont want to exacerbate anything going on there by giving citations to people who are already struggling or take people to jail for business owners trying to take care of their family, said Sgt. Tya Modeste, public information officer for the Alameda County Sheriffs Office. Thats why we put our emphasis on education. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle The office has received about 4,200 complaints from residents reporting people and businesses they believe are not following health orders. The most from any single city, 1,100, involve activities in Oakland mostly large gatherings at Lake Merritt, which are up to the city to deal with, Modeste said. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf encouraged residents not to go to the lake because overcrowding could accelerate the spread of the virus. On weekends, the city has park ambassadors, firefighters and municipal code enforcers urge people to wear masks and stay 6 feet apart. The district attorneys office sends deputies to businesses in question in unincorporated areas of Alameda County. They have also been called by residents complaining about neighbors holding house parties. But the office has not issued any citations or fines, Modeste said. We will go out to the house having a house party and educate them on no large gatherings and make sure they understand what the guidance entails, Modeste said. In Contra Costa County, the district attorneys consumer protection unit which typically prosecutes consumer fraud cases is leading the charge. During the pandemic, the unit initially focused on coronavirus-related fraud, such as price gouging. But as the pandemic raged on, inspectors turned their attention to enforcing health orders at businesses. Some days we get no calls, other days we get seven or eight, said Scott Alonso, public information officer for the Contra Costa County district attorneys office, which has received about 200 complaints from the community about alleged health order violations. The office has not had to shut down any businesses. It does have the authority to bring criminal charges, seek a civil injunction to close a business or issue fines for unlawful business practices. Only one alleged violation has been referred to the district attorneys office a case where a Richmond church was cited for holding an indoor service for 40 parishioners. The office is investigating the matter and has not filed charges, Alonso said. Contra Costa County supervisors are also weighing an administrative fine for businesses that violate health orders, but they have yet to decide how much the fine would be. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. It would follow a similar move by Napa County supervisors, who last week approved fines of up to $5,000 for businesses that dont follow health orders, and fines of up to $500 for individuals who do not wear masks. The idea has the support of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, who said last week that people who dont wear masks should be fined, just like people who dont use seat belts. Marin County is creating a strike team similar to the states, asking residents to report violations of the shelter-in-place order by businesses via an email address. Officials will seek to pass an ordinance at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting that would allow violators to be punished with a fine. Counties have a lot at stake for getting enforcement right. Newsom has threatened to withhold $2.5 billion in financial relief from local governments in the upcoming state budget if they do not follow the guidelines that he says are necessary to tamp down the spike in coronavirus cases. State agencies have issued 88 citations since early July to businesses for violating health orders. Before Newsoms order Monday shutting down indoor dining and a host of other businesses statewide, reopening plans were changing constantly leaving residents and businesses with a bit of whiplash about what the rules were at any given time. Theres a lot of confusion because you have certain information coming from the state level, information coming from the county level, and they may not always match, Modeste said. But the order that has the stricter guidelines is the one that prevails. Bay Area restaurants, barbershops and gyms had gained permission to open or expand operations but are now facing renewed and possibly lengthy closures under health orders. In Santa Clara County, for instance, fitness centers and personal care businesses were allowed to reopen Monday. But hours later, they learned they had to shut down again by Wednesday. We were looking forward to it, said Vijay Bist, owner of Amber India Restaurant on Santana Row in San Jose, which was planning to reopen indoor dining and rehiring some employees, but now must put it on hold. But we understand that this is bigger than us. Chronicle staff writer Shwanika Narayan contributed to this report. Catherine Ho and Aidin Vaziri are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com, avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho ROANOKE Ballad Health said the pace is accelerating so rapidly for people becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 that if it goes unchecked, the health system will be overwhelmed. The warning came on the same day 30,000 fans were expected to pass through turnstiles at Bristol Motor Speedway for NASCARs All-Star Race. Until late June, cases of COVID-19 in Bristol and much of Virginias rural coalfields and in Tennessees Tri-Cities area were few, and under control. But just as in the Roanoke and Alleghany Health Districts, vacationers brought the virus home to Ballads service area. Ballad has since seen an overwhelming majority of its cases now tied to spread in its communities. Hospital admissions shot up from a handful at the beginning of the month to 60 on Wednesday. More troublesome is that the rate of admissions is doubling every few days. There is really no reason to think this continued growth in cases is going to stop anytime soon unless we, as the citizens of this region, start to think about how we can protect each other and take precautions and wear a mask, Chief Operating Officer Eric Deaton said during a news conference Wednesday. A cold sore sufferer who dreaded having the 'conversation' at the start of new relationships claims a balm made from liquorice has stopped them in their tracks. Nicola Freeman, 37, from Hampshire, who got her first cold sore aged 16, says at her worst, she had six large cold sores at the same time. 'My lips were swollen and felt like they were being stabbed by hot pins constantly,' she explained. 'Most recently I had a breakout just after Christmas where one of the four on my lips was the size of a 10p, spreading down my chin. It lasted two weeks and the scar can still be seen.' However, after trying every solution under the sun, the wedding planner finally found an unlikely answer in the form of 8.50 Lip Q Liquorice Balm - which she says helped to clear up her symptoms in days. Nicola Freeman, 37, from Hampshire, has suffered with cold sores since her teens but claims she has been cold sore free since she started using LipQ Liquorice Balm in February. Pictured, with a cold sore in November 2019 The wedding planner claims the balm has helped to stop the cold sores in their tracks. Pictured, recently, after applying the product The wedding planner says she probably caught the virus from her mum who has cold sores - even though she was always very cautious around her and her sister. 'It could not have been a worse age to get my first cold sore really,' she explained. 'It made me feel self-conscious and dented my confidence at a period of life when confidence is difficult anyway.' Nicola went on to explain that her cold sores got worse and worse over time - especially once she hit 30. 'The breakouts became more intense and more frequent, often every 4-6 weeks, lasting up to two weeks at a time,' she explained. Nicola has praised the 8.50 balm for helping her cold sores to disappear 'Having cold sores dramatically affects my confidence and always has,' she said. 'When I have a really bad breakout I will often feel physically ill at the same time with a cold-like feeling and general lethargy.' 'The physical pain is sometimes so bad it keeps me awake at night. If I had a cold sore I would often cancel social or business plans and avoid contact with others as I didn't want to be seen in public.' She continued: 'When I did go out in public with them I avoided eye contact and always found myself apologising for the "state" of my face. The 37-year-old says she's had guys in the past who have laughed at her and made negative comments that havent helped her insecurities about her cold sores. Pictured, before with cold sore on 2 November 2019 Nicola (pictured, cold-sore free) says that having the 'cold sore' conversation at the start of a new relationship was difficult 'My job involves a lot of face-to-face contact and I was finding that the cold sores were affecting my confidence at meetings with clients.' What causes cold sores and what are they like? Herpes viruses cause cold sores, which most commonly appear on the lips or genitals. Around seven in 10 people in the UK are infected with the viruses. However, only around one in three experience symptoms. Cold sores on the lips most commonly get passed on by being kissed by someone with an active cold sore. They begin as a small red patch that blisters before bursting, leaving a raw area that scabs. Cold sores that appear on the face are most commonly caused by the herpes simplex type 1 virus. Type 2 mainly affects the genitals. It is rare for cold sores to spread away from the site they first appeared in. Cold sores can reappear if triggered by stress, illness, alcohol or too much sunlight. This is because the virus stays in a nerve junction near the spinal cord. Many feel an itch, tingle or shooting pain before a cold sore reappears. Antiviral medication may be prescribed if someone frequently suffers from outbreaks. Keeping sores moisturised can stop them cracking and becoming painful. Source: Herpes Viruses Association Advertisement Nicola says that having the 'cold sore' conversation at the start of a new relationship was difficult. 'I have had guys in the past who have laughed at me and make negative comments that havent helped my insecurities about my cold sores,' she said. 'When you get cold sores on a regular basis it cant fail to have a negative effect on a relationship - especially a new one. 'Close physical contact has to stop, for sometimes up to two weeks. The fear of passing the virus on can be all-consuming at times.' She added: 'Luckily, my friends and family are used to them by now and always tell me it does not look as bad as I think. 'I have realised people who care will see past them. I have found that being open with people helps open up channels of communication and then people understand. 'I worked in an office once where 75% of us suffered from cold sores so we had a good support network.' Nicola went on to say that any major event is always a nightmare if you get cold sores. 'Birthdays, Christmas, holidays, family events, dates - I always fear getting an attack at these times,' she said. 'Every other holiday would be affected by a cold sore because of changes in temperature.' 'As I have got older, I have learnt that I cannot miss out on life because of my cold sores, especially as they were getting more and more frequent, but it does affect enjoyment of special events. 'I love taking photographs as capturing memories is so important to me, but having a cold sore breakout makes me feel ugly and not want to be in front of the camera. Nicola has never seen a doctor about her cold sores as she knows what they are and how she got them, and so over the years she has tried to self-medicate, knowing they would always be there. 'When I say self-medicate I mean I have literally tried everything,' she explained, 'Off the shelf topical ointments, lysine tablets, ice cubes, applying alcohol, patches, a very expensive light treatment machine and natural remedies of every kind. Nicola (pictured, cold-sore free) says she noticed the start of a bump on her lip, applied the balm overnight and the next day it had disappeared The wedding planner hasn't had actual breakouts since she started using the balm. Pictured, cold-sore free 'I have spent hours on Google and a lot of money on trying to find a cure.' However, about eight years ago Nicola found a balm in a market on a trip to Morocco which did help reduce her outbreaks all the while she used the balm. HOW DOES THE LIQUORICE BALM WORK? A lip balm containing a highly concentrated extract of liquorice helps protect lips from cold sores, according to a study carried out by the Herpes Virus Association. The key cold sore fighting ingredient in liquorice is glycyrrhizic acid (GA). GA specifically targets the genes that are required to maintain the virus in its latent state by interfering with the production of special proteins that feed the infected cells. Research published in the US Journal of Clinical Investigation has shown that liquorice has the ability to weaken the cold sore virus which lies dormant in the skin between outbreaks. Unlike conventional treatments, due to its naturally derived ingredients, the balm can be worn at all times without any negative side-effects, meaning that it could be used before and during festivals to prevent cold sore outbreaks. Advertisement 'I had only purchased one pot and didn't know what the ingredients were so could never purchase again,' she said. 'But all that changed when I discovered Lip Q Liquorice Balm in February this year.' 'My mum found out about it in a health article and purchased one for me after I had bad breakouts for over four months in a row. Nicola claims she noticed a difference straight away. 'I had a really bad breakout just after the product arrived so I used it at every stage of the cold sore and it did clear up much quicker than normal,' she said. 'I quickly purchased four more balms to ensure I had one in my car, one in my handbag, one in the lounge, one in the office and one in my bedroom.' 'I didnt realise quite how miraculous this balm was until I had the tingling of a second cold sore outbreak a few weeks later by this stage I was getting them every couple of weeks.' She continued: 'I felt the familiar tingle and burn that is the first warning of a nasty breakout. I noticed the start of a bump on my lip (the early stages of a cold sore) so lavished on the balm all night. By the next day it had disappeared! I couldn't believe it!' Nicola claims the product has succeeded in preventing her cold sores growing and bursting and turning into open sores that last two weeks or more before they clear up. 'Since using the balm and despite exposing myself to a lot of sun, going through a stressful period of lockdown, and working long hours, I have had no actual breakouts since I started using it,' she said. 'I have felt the tingle and a bump and then within 1-2 days its gone and it doesnt blister. 'This is unheard of for me and a first since my teens! I feel such a huge sense of relief.' 'I use the balm continuously throughout the day and ensure I increase the application if I feel the starting signs of a cold sore. For me its a totally life-changing product.' Leah Juarez is many things. Shes an accomplished entrepreneur, running several businesses in and around Casper. Shes a community advocate, helping a local movement to save Mills fire department last year after the mayor there threatened to defund it. Shes a proud Latina woman whos happy to talk about what her community means to her. Juarez is also a member of a demographic that has long been underrepresented in American politics: a Republican woman running for elected office. Traditionally, government at almost every level from state legislatures to U.S. Congress has been dominated by men. In Wyoming, just 14 of the 90 lawmakers in the statehouse are women. And when women do seek office, they usually run as Democrats. In the 2018 midterms, Democratic women ran for Congress at a rate three times higher than their Republican counterparts, according to the Center for American Women in Politics, while women continue to be chronically underrepresented in the statehouse. Its an acknowledged problem in state and national politics, enough so that U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and the Republican Party have committed to efforts to boost female representation throughout the GOP at the federal level through a mix of fundraisers, political events and candidate mentorship, according to Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler. Its an issue that Juarez, a Mills resident and House District 59 candidate, has encountered herself. On Wednesday, Juarez speaking at a candidate forum in Casper told audience members that someone on her campaigns Facebook page called her a traitor for running as a Republican and, in their view, turning her back on her community and womens issues because of her conservative beliefs. Juarez, however, sees her campaign as emblematic of the need for women to have an equal say in all levels of public life, whether they consider themselves a Republican or Democrat. I think its important for people to understand that I can be a minority and I can be a woman and still have Republican values to the core, she said in a Friday interview with the Star-Tribune. I just think its so important for people to step up and not be intimidated by the political platform. Even if youre running for city council, it shouldnt be something that looks a specific way. It should encompass everybody and represent many different types of people. Declining representation Wyoming has a proud history of women in politics. The birthplace of womens suffrage, Wyoming notably appointed the nations first female justice of the peace, had the first town in the country to be governed entirely by women and elected Americas first female governor. More recently, women held a number of key positions within the Wyoming Legislature in the 1980s and, within the past decade, both the House Minority and Majority Floor Leader positions within the Legislature were both occupied by women a rare feat for a state body long dominated by men. That legacy hasnt been reflected in Wyoming recently, however, where the states citizen legislature bears little resemblance to the composition of the citizenry it serves. According to a Star-Tribune analysis last year, state lawmakers are typically older and much more affluent than the citizens of their districts, while men outnumber women by a rate of more than 5:1 despite women making up 49 percent of the states population. It basically sends a message right out of the gate that you dont belong here, said Jen Simon, the executive director of the nonpartisan Wyoming Womens Action Network. This, in turn, has had a profound effect on policy: Conversations on womens issues and hot-button topics like child care access and abortion are dominated by men. Meanwhile, the Legislatures most powerful committees including the influential Joint Appropriations Committee have zero female members even as they discuss issues impacting all Wyomingites. Were in a budget crisis, Simon added. And when you turn on during appropriations, and there are 12 white men who are making those decisions. There is no way that can possibly accurately reflect the lived experience of a huge portion of our state. Working for change Stories like Juarezs are why Simon and other women around the state are working for change. Earlier this year, Simon announced a partnership with several other women in Wyoming politics to form the Cowgirl Run Fund, a nonpartisan political action committee committed to increasing the number of women represented in Wyoming politics, regardless of their party affiliation. The PAC which officially launched last Friday with a bipartisan list of 29 candidates it was supporting hopes to provide its candidates with the financial support and mentorship needed to overcome a number of the systemic disadvantages facing women running for office in Wyoming. Like with anything else, if theres something you want to get involved in but dont know anything about like if I really want to start trail running or I really want to start fly fishing, but dont know anything about it ... if there was a group that said, Come, well show you how to do this, it makes it manageable, JoAnn Skeim-True, a member of the Natrona County Republican Partys executive committee and a co-founder of the fund, said in an interview. It makes it a target that you can actually do. Simon hopes the groups efforts help draw attention to the many barriers to public office that women face not just in the Equality State, but around the country. On Thursday, Simon who also serves as a senior policy adviser with the Equality State Policy Center hosted a forum featuring a number of key figures helping to elect more women in politics. The panelists which included Vote at Home Institute founder Amber McReynolds and RepresentWomen CEO Cynthia Richie Terrell outlined a number of policy decisions that have impacted womens ability to run for and hold office across the country, some of which could feasibly be implemented in Wyoming. One solution, recommended by Richie Terrell, could be the return of multi-member districts, which allows voters to select numerous people to represent them in the Legislature, which could encourage voters to choose from a diverse field of candidates. These districts which were once prevalent in Wyoming before being ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in 1991 have been shown to increase the number of women holding elected office. Other reforms, like ranked-choice voting, have been shown to substantially increase the amount of women elected in the cities that use it. Then theres the financial side of the conversation, where the gatekeepers in state and national politics be it wealthy donors or political action committees tend to focus their attention on incumbents, reinforcing the often male-dominant status quo. By introducing organizations focused on electing women, like the Cowgirl Run Fund, women of all ages and incomes can participate on a more even playing field with male candidates who already benefit from the advantages that help elevate them to power, be that personal wealth, familial expectations or other factors. Searching for success Ultimately, the change that matters wont come until more women run for and are elected to public office. So far, that hasnt happened in Wyoming. However, its not for a lack of trying. This year, 39 women are running for the Wyoming Legislature, according to candidate filings with the Wyoming Secretary of State, slightly up from the 34 who ran in 2018 and the 36 who did in 2016. Ultimately getting past that barrier, Simon said, will take time, and making a conscious effort to get women engaged at all levels of leadership, from the city council to Cheyenne. Were trying to make sure that there are women in the pipeline, and that they are running for things like the (Laramie County Community College) board, said Simon. We need them running for these nonpartisan local offices so that there are women who understand the process, who have gotten the experience of running the campaign at a hyper local level, and are really building that base of women and creating a broader group of people who can not only rely on each other, but can also start to feed all those higher levels of office, too. By not doing so, the state loses something valuable, Juarez said: the ability to legislate for all people, not just with good intentions, but with an innate understanding of what they need. We really have to understand that women have a perspective on the world that is unique and should be valued, she said. Its not to say that men dont have our best interests in mind. But you know, when we walk through motherhood in pregnancy, thats just an experience that men unfortunately will never be able to understand. And so our views may differ slightly, but at the end of the day, we want the same goal. But you should be able to look at the House of Representatives and to see yourself there. I hope that I can be a representation for other minorities or other women to say, Well, if she did it, I can do it, she added. I want them to think I can make a change, too. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 COLUMBUS, Ohio Hundreds of maskless people gathered Saturday at the Ohio Statehouse to protest what they see as overreach by government officials and public health advocates desperate to stop the spread of the surging coronavirus. They said doctors urging them to cover up are wrong. They said infection and mortality data are being manipulated. They said through bullhorns and with signs and on T-shirts that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is a helicopter parent whos got it all wrong. Its not connecting to the science. Its propaganda, said Cherrelyn Pierson of Marysville, Ohio, who said she works in a health-related field and understands virus transmission. I trust myself, Pierson said. I am the science. Militia members and anti-mask protesters listen to speeches during a rally at the Ohio Statehouse on Saturday, July 18, 2020. Coronavirus updates: 16 states break records for new cases in one week, one-day global record also reported; ERs becoming flooded in US Various groups gathered at the statehouse under a blazing sun to rally for many causes Saturday, including militia members, supporters of President Donald Trump, prayer proponents and those who champion Black Lives Matter and civil rights organizations. Interactions between people with opposing views were mostly peaceful throughout the day, if strained. The crowd had mostly dissipated by mid-afternoon. I understand peoples rights. But this seems so silly, said Nicholas Two Feathers Gonzalez, who sat quietly on a bench wearing both a mask and a shirt expressing his displeasure with the 45th president. My brother just died of the virus last week. He was in a nursing home, Gonzalez said. How can these people be against masks? The numbers dont lie. Lia Ivko of Newark, Ohio, rallies anti-mask protesters after her speech at the statehouse. Case numbers surging According to Ohio Department of Health data, the state set a daily record for COVID-19 infections on Friday, with 1,679 new confirmed and probable cases reported. The daily tally declined some on Saturday, but still was the second-highest reported during the pandemic, with 1,542 new cases. There were 20 more deaths, bringing the states total to 3,132. Story continues DeWine has not imposed a statewide mask order, but the spike in cases has led to mandatory mask orders in several counties. What about breathing in your own carbon all day? said Lia Ivko of Newark, Ohio, who joined protesters at the statehouse. She said doctors, including the nations top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, wont admit that masks cause problems and arent effective. Why is it only the left that wears masks? Ivko said, adding that she does have compassion for vulnerable populations who are most at risk of dying from the virus. Theres a lot of things that dont make sense to me. Many of the protesters also said the earlier business shutdown has wrecked the economy, and that kids need to go back to school. Anti-mask protesters, from left, Jeanine Mardis, Robert Dickman and Cherrelyn Pierson listen to speeches at the Statehouse. Pierson said she works in a health-related field and understands virus transmission. Most air conditioning systems don't protect against the coronavirus: In some cases, they can actually facilitate spread Ramon Obey II, 22, described himself as a civil rights activist and said he went to the statehouse because he believes its important to hear other views. But he kept a distance from others and wore a mask. Its surprising and a little bit scary, he said. Follow reporter Rita Price on Twitter: @RitaPrice A 'huge moment' for police reform: Could reshape Black communities for generations There are two COVID Americas: One hopes for an extension of federal unemployment and stimulus. The other is saving and spending. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Coronavirus in Ohio: Anti-mask crowd rallies at statehouse in Columbus The approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for transfer of about $1.1billion oil revenues by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) to some government agencies has stoked a controversy with some experts saying the transfer without appropriation by the National Assembly is an impeachable offence. The Legal Director of Abuja-based Aspen Energy Limited, Israel Aye, and Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice (CENSOJ), Eze Onyekpere, spoke on Sunday in reaction to a leaked confidential document that circulated on social media last week about the controversial approval. READ ALSO: The documents bore the signature of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari. They conveyed details of a payment plan purportedly approved by President Buhari for NPDC to transfer about $1.099 billion to various government-owned agencies from concession rents in respect of oil mining lease (OML 11) that should have been paid to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). Details of the memo The memo No. SH/COS/24/A/8928 dated July 29, 2019, addressed to the Permanent Secretaries, Federal Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Finance as well as the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation was titled: Re-Consideration Payable by NPDC for Award of OML 11. It made reference to a letter No. MPR//PS/032/S.14/II/179 of July 15, 2019, which allegedly conveyed President Buharis approval for the payment of $1,099,655,792.20 by the NPDC as Goods and Valuable Consideration for the award of OML 11. In the memo, the president also approved a payment plan over six instalments to different government agencies between October 31, 2019, and April 30. DPR was directed to forward to the presidency periodically evidence of the transfer of the funds by the NPDC in the agreed instalments. Details of the approved payment plan showed the Budget Office of the Federation was directed to allocate, as the NPDC would make the transfer, about $200 million to the electricity distribution intervention project under the FGN/Siemens project by October 31, 2019. The amount to be captured in the 2020 Budget was to be credited to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to be set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance for the electricity distribution intervention project and managed by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. Similarly, $200 million each was to be paid by the NPDC by April 30, 2020, October 31, 2020, April 30, 2021, October 31, 2021, while $99,655,792.20 was to be paid by April 30, 2022. Specifically, about $270million was to be allocated to the NSIA in April and October 2020 for the Presidential Infrastructure Fund. The balance of $629.7million was also approved by the president to be used by the Budget Office to fund the regular 2020 budget in the period the funds would be received from the NPDC. Background to OML 11 The OML 11 previously belonged to SPDC. But, following the series of crises in Ogoniland in Rivers State, which impacted SPDC operations in the area, oil production from the oil block was stalled for over 30 years, as the company was denied entry to the area by the host communities. To restore oil production from the area, the federal government decided to transfer the oil block and the assets to the NPDC, which is the upstream subsidiary of the NNPC. Despite being a government-owned company, DPR demanded the payment of $1.099 billion as the signature bonus. Despite several reminders by the DPR, the minister said the NPDC failed to make the payment. He said the president intervened and approved that the payment be made in six installments to different agencies to fund different government commitments to ongoing projects. Apart from increasing the federal governments savings to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Fund, an official said the government wanted to use part of the money to support efforts to boost electricity distribution capacity in the country. Constitutional requirements Chapter 162 Section (1) of the 1999 Constitution states that The Federation shall maintain a special account to be called The Federation Account into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the government of the Federation, except the proceeds from the Personal Income Tax of the personnel of the armed forces of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry or Department of Government charged with responsibility for Foreign Affairs and the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The constitution identifies several revenue streams to government from the oil and gas sector, including those paid to the Federal Government through its agencies, and others paid directly to sub-national entities. Those paid directly to the Federal Government include proceeds from crude oil and gas sales, Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), Oil & Gas Royalty, Signature Bonuses, Licenses and Concession Rental, Gas Flared Penalties, Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Education Tax (EDT). Other revenue flows to sub-national entities include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Levy; Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) payments, and Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) fees. Serious constitutional violation But Mr Onyekere faulted the presidents directives, describing it as a serious criminal violation of the Constitution, which amounts to an impeachable offence. Any approval of funds belonging to the Federation Account should pass through the Council of States for an agreement on what to do with them, while funds belonging to the Federal Government should pass through the National Assembly for appropriation before allocation and disbursement. Its a very serious criminal offence to disburse federal government revenues without passing through appropriation by the National Assembly. Any allocation of revenues without the involvement of the National Assembly is a very serious criminal impeachable offence, as it amounts to the illegal usurpation of the role of the National Assembly in the constitution, Mr Onyekpere said. For Mr Aye, Those directed disbursements purportedly issued by the President violate the countrys constitutional structure that provides that all revenues due to the Federal Government on behalf of the Federation should be paid into the Federation Account and appropriated only via an Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly. Decision harmless But the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timpreye Sylva, defended the presidents action, saying it was a harmless decision to assist the NPDC in paying for the oil concession inherited from the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). Advertisements Mr Sylva described the leaked document as an attempt by mischief makers to twist the governments good intentions. People always circulate half-truths for mischievous reasons to give the government a bad name. Its a show of mischief or ignorance, or both, for anybody to think that kind of money could be shared the way the people behind the documents would want Nigerians to believe. That is not possible, Mr Sylva said. The minister said the $1.099billion was the signature bonus the NPDC was supposed to have paid to the DPR for OML 11 transferred to it by SPDC. The issue is very clear. NPDC is the upstream subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The money was supposed to have been paid to the DPR as signature bonus for the oil block. But, NPDC had no such money to pay at once. DPR sent several demand notices to the NPDC for the payment. So, the payment plan approved by the President, which is being mischievously circulated on social media, was a way to get the NPDC to make the payment in six different tranches, which was specified in the letter. By this year, the NPDC should have paid the second installment, the minister said. The minister said the approved allocation of the funds to the different agencies was not illegal, as utilisation of signature bonus paid to the federal government for oil blocks by licensees does not require any appropriation. He said because of the peculiar circumstance through which the NPDC got the oil block, the government considered the most convenient arrangement to enable the company to make the payment. Despite the arrangement, the minister said the NPDC has defaulted in the payment plan. As I speak, even with the arrangement, after the first payment, the NPDC defaulted in the payment plan. So, the $1.099billion has not been paid yet by the NPDC. So, that should disabuse the mischief-makers mindset of any money missing. In any case, mere approval did not mean actual payment. We (the Ministry) have written to the NPDC to remind them, the minister explained. In consideration of an growing number of Covid-19 outbreaks around the country, US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the city hall will replace his large-scale political rallies with teleponic rally until the "Covid-19 crisis" is resolved. In view of a surging number of Covid-19 infections across the states, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said telephonic town hall will be replacing his large in-person campaign rallies until the Covid-19 problem is solved, CNN reported. Speaking to his supporters in Wisconsin during what was described as his first Tele-Rally, the President said, I wanted to be with you, and this is really replacing our rallies that we all love so much, we had great rallies in Wisconsin and all over the country, and unfortunately until this gets solved, and were doing really well with the therapeutics and vaccines, but until that gets solved its going to be tough to have those big massive rallies, so Im doing telephonic rallies, and well call them the Trump Rallies, but well do it by telephone and we have a lot of people on the line and I appreciate it. The 22-minutes telephone rally marked a major backpedaling for the President who last month plowed ahead with his controversial rally in Tulsa, despite pleas from health experts and local officials to call it off. Also Read: Kanye West to hold first presidential campaign rally on Sunday The decision to go ahead was costly, with a top local health official admitting the rally more than likely triggered a surge in new cases of the deadly virus across Oklahoma. The President, meanwhile, also used the opportunity to hit out once again at China over its handling of the outbreak, referring to his popular name for COVID-19 as the China virus and blasting the country, stating that they could have stopped it. For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Airbus is expanding its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) operations, now including aircraft deliveries from its site in Hamburg, Germany. Air Transat took delivery of two brand new A321LR on lease from AerCap. Both used a 10 per cent sustainable aviation fuel blend to fly the aircraft from Hamburg to Montreal, Canada, non-stop. Airbus has already successfully established SAF flights out of Hamburg with its Beluga transport aircraft since December 2019. This commercial delivery is another milestone that underlines Airbus continuing commitment to minimizing air transportations environmental impact which includes becoming the first aircraft manufacturer offering customers the option of receiving new jetliners with sustainable fuel in their tanks. Such delivery flights have been available since 2016, starting from the Airbus headquarters production facility in Toulouse, France, followed by Mobile, Alabama, USA. Airbus offers this option as part of its strategy to promote the more regular use of sustainable fuels within the aviation industry. The fuel for Air Transats A321LR aircraft delivered from Hamburg was supplied by Air bp and produced by Neste. Airbus and Air Transat have a long history of cooperation on environmental affairs. Airbus supported the airline to launch its environmental programme 13 years ago and both have worked together on environmental projects such as fuel efficiency. Air Transat has been operating Airbus single-aisle and widebody aircraft since 1999. "Sustainability and efficiency are essential for our customers and for Airbus. Sustainable aviation fuel developments will play a key role in reducing the environmental footprint of the aviation industry. By using sustainable aviation fuels on delivery flights with partners like AerCap and Air Transat, who are flying the aircraft from Hamburg to their Canadian homebase nonstop, we take concrete action to contribute to a more sustainable aviation future, said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer Airbus. We are very pleased to be a part of this historic milestone, working together with our partners at Airbus and with our long-time customer, Air Transat, to help them meet their sustainable growth ambitions, said Philip Scruggs, President and Chief Commercial Officer of AerCap. AerCap is committed to facilitating the move towards more sustainable air travel underpinned by its target to transition its fleet to approximately two-thirds new technology aircraft by 2021. It is an honour for us and a sign of confidence from Airbus to be its first customer to take advantage of this new delivery option at its Hamburg plant, said Jean-Francois Lemay, President and General Manager, Air Transat. This initiative is part of our commitment to reducing our own carbon footprint while contributing to the achievement of the airline industrys ambitious decarbonization targets. Both today and tomorrows delivery flights will be carbon-neutral because the kerosene fossil fuel portion will be offset by the purchase of carbon credits. We are proud to be the first Canadian carrier to operate carbon-neutral flights, and we will continue to pursue our commitment to providing our passengers with a travel experience that takes account of our environmental footprint, Lemay added. TradeArabia News Service Beijing says UK should have its own independent foreign policy, rather than dance to the tune of the Americans. The United Kingdom and China issued new salvos of criticism against each other on Sunday with the British foreign secretary hinting he may suspend the UKs extradition arrangements with Hong Kong over Chinas moves against the city-state. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also accused Beijing of gross and egregious human rights abuses against its Uighur population in Chinas western province of Xinjiang. In response, the Chinese ambassador to the UK warned China will deliver a resolute response to any move by the UK to sanction officials over the alleged rights abuses. The comments were the latest signs of sharply increased tensions between the UK and China. Issues include Chinas treatment of its Muslim Uighur minority and a new, sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong, a self-governing territory that Britain handed over to China in 1997. The UKs recent decision to prohibit Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from being involved in the UKs superfast 5G mobile network has further frayed bilateral relations. Fake accusations Raab said on Sunday the British government has reviewed its extradition arrangements with Hong Kong and he plans to make a statement on Monday in Parliament on the topic. Earlier this month, Australia suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to Chinas imposition of security legislation on the territory. Critics see the new law as a further erosion of the rule of law and freedoms that Hong Kong was promised when it reverted to Chinese rule. Raab added while the UK wants good relations with China, it could not stand by amid reports of forced sterilisation and mass education camps targeting the Uighur population in Xinjiang. It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on. We are working with our international partners on this. It is deeply, deeply troubling, he told the BBC. Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese ambassador, denied there were concentration camps in Xinjiang during an interview with the BBC and insisted there are no so-called restriction of the population. When confronted with drone footage that appeared to show Uighurs being blindfolded and led onto trains, Liu claimed there are many fake accusations against China. Beijing was ready to respond in kind should the UK impose sanctions on Chinese officials, Liu added. If the UK goes that far to impose sanctions on any individuals in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it, he said. You have seen what happened between China [and] the United States I do not want to see this tit-for-tat between China-US happen in China-UK relations. Liu also said the UK should have its own independent foreign policy, rather than dance to the tune of the Americans like what happened to Huawei. The criticism echoed comments this week by a Chinese government spokeswoman who accused the UK of colluding with Washington to hurt Huawei and discriminate, suppress and exclude Chinese companies. Ugly face Relations have seriously soured between the United States and China in recent months. Chinas embassy in Myanmar on Sunday accused the US of outrageously smearing the country and driving a wedge with its Southeast Asian neighbours over the contested South China Sea and Hong Kong. The Chinese embassy said US agencies abroad were doing disgusting things to contain China and showed a selfish, hypocritical, contemptible, and ugly face. The US last week hardened its position on the South China Sea, saying it would back countries in the region that challenge Beijings claim to about 90 percent of the strategic waterway. In a statement on Saturday, the US embassy in Yangon called Chinas actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong part of a larger pattern to undermine the sovereignty of its neighbours. China said the statement was another farce on a global tour by the US authorities to shift the attention on domestic problems and seek selfish political gains. The US should first look in the mirror to see whether it still looks like a major country now, it said. A sea of purple greeted footy's true return to Western Australia ahead of the 4.35pm bouncedown to Western Derby 51. Despite the first AFL fixture in WA featuring home teams being a Dockers home game, supporters of both clubs were out in force early on Sunday afternoon. Spectators seated in every second row to observe social distancing policies during the Fremantle and West Coast derby on Sunday. Transperth WA services began dropping a mass of football fans to the stadium precinct from 2pm, a stream that turned sardines at the stadium's neighbouring The Camfield by 3pm. The southern hemisphere's biggest pub at 5000 capacity, was capped at 1400 under the WA Government's phase four coronavirus guidelines, but had easily hit that peak 90 minutes from bouncedown. A police helicopter and the dog squad were called in to catch some 60 revellers who breached COVID-19 restrictions at a wild houseparty on Saturday. NSW Police say they plan to fine 60 revellers who gathered at a home on Nottingham Street, Schofields, about 11.30pm after neighbours complained about the noise. Inside the home officers discovered more than 60 people had gathered - triple the number of people permitted to gather under COVID-19 safety rules. The first responding police unit called in assistance from five neighbouring commands, as well as the Police airwing, PolAir, a team from the Dog Unit, and OSG officers to manage the crowd - many of whom police said 'were intoxicated'. Police will fine 60 revellers caught found breaching COVID-19 gathering restrictions at a party (pictured) Nottingham Street, Schofields, on Saturday night Police said pepper spay was used when a brawl broke out inside the home involving 15 of the party goers. Three males were taken to Blacktown Hospital, two for minor injuries sustained in the brawl and a third for the effects of alcohol. Thirty people were arrested after refusing to leave, and 15 were taken to Riverstone Police Station, police said. Those 30 people will also be issued with a separate TINS for failing to comply with a move-on direction. Police also intend to issue up to 60 people with COVID-19-related Penalty Infringement Notices of $1000. Police have been told the house had been booked via an online rental company. Inquiries are continuing and anyone with information about the incident has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers. Under the COVID-19 Public Health Order, only 20 people are allowed to gather in a group outdoors and there is a 20-person limit on home visitors. NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller warned at a press conference this week (pictured) officers will be cracking down on those caught breaching COVID-19 safety regulations The incident comes after NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller pledged to crackdown on those breaking the rules, in a bid to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 spreading through the state. The police boss said those caught flouting restrictions would no longer be let off with warnings, as authorities desperately scramble to avoid a Victorian-style crises. 'We have done our best to work with the community, as we always do, but I am not going to let NSW slip backwards because of selfish people,' he said on Wednesday. 'While I have been asking police to work with the community and show a high level of discretion, that time is over now. I am saying to police: have the confidence, take the action.' Last week, police were forced to shutdown several parties across the city's eastern suburbs with hundreds of revellers. Although attendees were caught breaching restrictions, people were moved on and no fines were issued. The Congress demanded Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's resignation on Sunday for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the Asok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. Party leader and former Union minister Ajay Maken said the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Rajasthan police has registered a case in connection with the audio tapes of a purported conversation between Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, Shekhawat and one Sanjay Jain. "If Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is claiming that it is not his voice and the reference in the audio clip is of some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving voice samples?" Maken asked. He said Shekhawat has no moral authority to continue as a Union minister and should resign so that the investigation is not influenced. Maken also alleged that the police in Haryana and Delhi are giving protection to rebel Congress MLAs from Rajasthan. He said the Centre is threatening in the name of CBI because it wants to stop the probe into the conspiracy. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a Central Military Commission meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Saturday in this photo provided by the Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a Central Military Commission meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and discussed "the key issues of further bolstering a war deterrent of the country," state media reported Sunday. The meeting held on Saturday also examined the "strategic mission" of major military units for coping with the "military situation around the Korean Peninsula" and approved "major key munitions production plan indices," according to the Korean Central News Agency. "The enlarged meeting discussed issues of intensifying the party's education and guidance of commanders and political officials of the people's army" and "stressed the need to thoroughly arm the young commanding officers," the KCNA said. The meeting held on Saturday also examined the "strategic mission" of major military units for coping with the "military situation around the Korean Peninsula." Yonhap Kim also approved "major key munitions production plan indices," according to the Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap Yangon: A large metal cylinder thought to be from a Chinese satellite or aircraft fell from the sky and slammed into a jade mining area in northern Myanmar, state media reported on Friday. The large barrel-shaped object, 4.5 metres long and just over a metre in diameter, crashed onto property owned by a jade mining company in Kachin States Hpakant township yesterday, reported the Global New Light of Myanmar. Another smaller piece of metal bearing Chinese writing tore through the roof of a house in a nearby village at the same time, the paper said. No one was injured. The metal objects are assumed to be part of a satellite or the engine parts of a plane or missile, the Global New Light said, adding that authorities were still trying to confirm their origin. Pictures circulated on social media showed what appeared to be pieces of technological equipment and wiring attached to the inside of the vast cylinder. Local residents reported hearing a loud bang before the hunk of metal landed and then proceeded to bounce some 50 metres across the mining area before coming to rest in the mud. The bizarre events came the same day Chinese state media reported Beijing had recently launched a satellite into space. It could not be confirmed whether the launch of the satellite and the metal objects found in Kachin state were related, the Global New Light said. Hpakant is the centre of Myanmars murky multi-billion dollar jade industry, which feeds a voracious demand for the stone in neighbouring China. A string of deadly landslides in the mine-pocketed area have killed scores over the past year. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Irish nationalists were "sold a pup" when they agreed to the Good Friday Agreement, according to a Sinn Fein MP. Francie Molloy posted on Twitter that there has been no commitment from Dublin or Westminster to deliver for nationalists or republicans, describing the deal as "just a bluff". Mr Molloy told this newspaper the comments were written "out of frustration" after Taoiseach Micheal Martin dismissed the idea of a border poll. Speaking during his first trip to Northern Ireland since taking up the post, Mr Martin last week said he does not believe a border poll is a possibility within the lifetime of the current government. "But what I would like to see is significant work under way in terms of what a shared island would look like," he said. "Rhetoric is easy, statements are easy, we can all speak to our base. "But there's a hell of a lot of work and a lot of practical stuff can get done." Expand Close Micheal Martin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Micheal Martin However, Mr Molloy has hit out at the position and said he believes the time is right for a border poll. The Mid Ulster MP said he believes any reticence about holding a referendum on the issue is down to a fear that a majority of people will vote in favour of a united Ireland. "I do think that after Brexit, the governments do actually realise that it could happen," he said. "My comments are down to the fact that the Irish Government are signatories to the Good Friday Agreement, yet they aren't doing anything to implement the border poll. "Both Dublin and Westminster signed up to the Good Friday Agreement, they're both guarantors, yet Micheal Martin is dismissing the idea of asking for a referendum for Irish unity. "I think that it's more than the right time for a poll because of the referendum on Brexit. On that occasion, 11 out of 18 constituencies voted to remain in the European Union and the only way that can happen now is through an all-Ireland structure. "I am one of the people who was involved in the Good Friday Agreement and I'm totally committed to it but at the moment, there is a failure by both governments to ensure that it has been fully implemented. "There is a sense of frustration from a republican and nationalist point of view that they put faith put in the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago and it still hasn't been delivered. "It's very clear that Northern Ireland is being left behind by Fianna Fail who claim to be a republican party." However, the DUP's Gordon Lyons has rejected the suggestion that it is the correct time for a referendum on a united Ireland. The East Antrim MLA said a border boll would be "divisive and would take Northern Ireland backwards". He continued: "Our focus needs to be on moving forward, getting out of the pandemic and protecting lives and livelihoods rather than spending time chasing a border poll that would be detrimental to stability and recovery. "Being part of the UK is hugely beneficial to everyone in Northern Ireland and that has been especially apparent during this pandemic. "Whether it was our NHS saving lives or the job retention scheme or other economic measures saving livelihoods, being part of the UK was critical for Northern Ireland." During his visit to Belfast, Mr Martin met the First and Deputy First Ministers, Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill, and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis. January's 'New Decade, New Approach' deal pledged to "turbo-charge" connections between Dublin and Belfast and Mr Martin said he would work towards getting the "over the line". A member of Martin Luther King, Jr.s inner circle during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and one of the longest-serving representatives in the House of Representatives, John Lewis died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer. While Lewis served as the U.S. Rep. for the Fifth District of Georgia since 1987, he also had an outsized impact in Springfield as well. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, was a close friend of Lewiss and sat next to him on the House Ways and Means Committee for more than 25 years. Neal said at a press conference Saturday that Lewis earned his nickname, The Conscience of the House. He lived out his religious convictions, Neal said. He was very passionate about his politics but very kind and gentle. He always felt that if you can successfully recruit, you should recruit. He brought an awful lot of people around to his side of the issues with his quiet demeanor. He was extraordinarily well regarded and not just in the House of Representatives. I have lost a good friend. Fellow Congressman, First District U.S. Rep. James McGovern called Lewis a great man, but more importantly, he was a very good man. I will (never) forget Johns unshakable optimism and hopefulness during these challenging times. John often spoke of a struggle that lasts beyond a single day, week, month or year. He called it a struggle of a lifetime but it was never his fight alone. He called on all of us to rise to the occasion and do what is right, even when it is not easy. Lewis is the last of the speakers at the 1968 Lincoln Memorial demonstration at which Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. His contemporary C.J. Vivian, who also spoke at the demonstration, died earlier Friday. Lewis was the youngest of Kings tight circle during the demonstrations and marches of the Civil Rights Era and was one of hundreds injured during what has become known as Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. Several hundred Voting Rights Marchers approached the outskirts was Selma, Alabama that Sunday morning and as marchers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge Alabama State Troopers brutalized marchers, including many children, beating them with batons, spraying them with water cannons and using vicious dogs to bite and rip, to try to prevent the march from continuing. Neal said Lewis suffered a severe skull fracture in the beatings and later was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Even after that, Neal said Lewis never lost his kindness. John was known for his compassion and kindness. When it came to nonviolence and kindness, John Lewis was the real deal. Anthony Cignoli met Lewis several times, including when he came to Springfield to speak at the 2015 Elms College commencement. Cignoli sat on the Board of Trustees at the college and was instrumental in arranging the visit. I had met John at several conferences and on other campaigns, Cignoli said. I was amazed that he would come here and speak on the day that was the 50th Anniversary of the Selma March. Of all the places where John Lewis could have spoken that day, he came to Springfield. He told me he wanted to come here to be able to say thank you to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Members of the order were at the Pettus Bridge that day and provided medical help for people. John swore his life was saved by those nuns. Ben Swan was involved with the Civil Rights movement and marched with King and Lewis in the south. He was with Lewis right after the Pettus Bridge police riot and said Lewis knew what could happen when the marchers crossed the bridge. He had faith but not much choice. In order to be a full citizen, you have to pay the dues. John and a lot of people were tremendous human beings. He gave more than a whole bunch of people. Henry Thomas was involved in the Civil Rights movement in Springfield and knew Lewis through conferences and meetings. He said he feels an emptiness with Lewiss passing. There is a void where someone like him who is bigger than life in terms of the impact he had on the nation is no longer with us, Thomas said. I am sure he would disagree with me about that. He was about going forward and getting it done. He always said, If you see something or hear something that is not right, do something. Dont let it go unchallenged. He always followed up with, and dont ever give up. John left us a template for what needs to be done and how to do it. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno met Lewis at an event in the Old First Church on Court Square several years ago. He remembered Lewis as humble but resolute. Congressman Lewis was genuine, humble and powerful in his works of respect and unity. His legacy of, If something is not right, just and fair speak out, will live on. Senator Edward Markey called Lewis the North Star America needs to look to as it confronts its moral reckoning. Congressman John Lewis knew better than anyone how to build and lead a movement and modeled the kind of world we want to create. his spirit flowed through every single protester on Americas streets chanting Black Lives Matter and making good trouble. State Rep. Bud Williams said Lewis had an indefinable quality about him that you knew he would not stop until he completed his task. He had so much courage, Williams said. I think he also had grit, that thing that gets things done. He was intelligent and tenacious. With his grit he got things done. He was about voting rights, the most precious thing we have. We are out there saying Black Lives Matter, and he would agree, but he would also say Black Votes Matter as well. He was a giant in the Civil Rights Movement for racial equality and for racial justice. Francesca Allen has been spotted cozying up to a new man during a boozy night out in London. The Love Island star, 24, looked to be on cloud nine as she got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, the vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday, on Friday. The TV personality put on a very affectionate display with her apparent new beau who was previously been linked to TOWIE's Amber Turner. Flawless: Francesca Allen, 24, looked to be on cloud nine as she headed out to a restaurant with pals on Friday Francesca nailed summer chic in a blue and white striped T-shirt mini dress, which boasted long sleeves and was delicately cinched in at the waist. She let her lengthy brunette tresses flow loosely and she finished the look with a pair of white trainers as she headed out to a restaurant in the capital. The star beamed as she sat on the hunk's lap, walked hand-in-hand and even wandered off for a private chat with a glass of wine in hand. Fashionista: She nailed summer chic in a blue and white striped T-shirt mini dress which boasted long sleeves and was delicately cinched in at the waist New flame? The Love Island star got up close and personal with Edward Crossan, the vice chairman of London-based waste management company Powerday Cheeky: The businessman, who cut an equally casually figure, also appeared to place his hand on Francesca's pert derriere The hunk later appeared to place his hand on Francesca's pert derriere before leaning in for a kiss. In May last year, Edward was seen enjoying a jaunt on a yacht in Ibiza with TOWIE star Amber Turner, 24. The accomplished businessman was named vice chairman of his father's company in January and is featured on the company's website. His working title is described on the website as: 'Edward joined the family business in 2007, starting as a machine driver and has worked in various roles within the company to now being a director overseeing the development of the business.' Francesca's representatives have been approached for comment. Cuddles: Francesca sat on his lap, walked hand-in-hand and even wandered off for a private chat with a glass of wine in hand Stylish: Francesca let her lengthy brunette tresses flow loosely and she finished the look with a pair of white trainers Enthusiastic: The pair looked to be having an animated conversation as they sat around the dinner table Earlier this year Francesca was involved in an explosive row with another woman, reportedly over a man, leading to police intervention. The reality star and the other woman, flouted social distancing rules as they got close to each other's faces and shouted at one another outside the King Oak pub in High Beech, Epping Forest. In a clip of the confrontation, Francesca can be seen waving her hands in the face of a woman standing in front of her, who in turn, is shrieking at her. The starlet aggressively points her fingers and shouts: 'You're not going to do anything, you're not going to. Why come over here then!' Meanwhile the other woman grows increasingly angry and loses her temper. Understated: The tattooed man, who was previously linked with TOWIE star Amber Turner, looked equally causal in a blue polo shirt, white shorts and trainers Happy: Francesca beamed as she affectionately wrapped her arm around Edward's neck Affectionate: The pair appeared to return to their pals hand in hand after leaving the dinner table for a private chat The woman, whose friend holds onto her hand in an apparent bid to quell the situation, then lunges forward and repeatedly yells at Francesca. Within a matter of seconds, Francesca bites back and shouts in her face with her fist clenched, in the shocking footage. Another bystander, who appears to be friends with them, barges forward and tries to act as a mediator. Light-hearted: The pair looked to be in good spirits as they looked back and joked with their friends sitting at the table Intense: Francesca took a break from the dinner outing as she paused momentarily to stare intently at her phone Tactile: Francesca rested her hand on Edward's shoulder and gazed directly at him during an animated conversation She struggles to contain her frustration and repeatedly says 'Woah'. Francesca puts her hand in the air to block the woman out. The pair then break away from the group and square up to each other as groups of stunned onlookers watch on. Seconds later, the screaming gets louder and a police officer is seen dragging Francesca's nemesis away. Potential: The pair appeared to be enjoying each other's company as they stepped away from the rest of the group for a one-on-one chat Britain is making plans to distribute millions of free coronavirus antibody tests after a version backed by the UK government successfully passed its first major trials, The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday. The finger-prick tests, which can tell within 20 minutes if a person has ever been exposed to the coronavirus, were found to be 98.6% accurate in secret human trials held in June, involving nearly 300 people and conducted by scientists at Ulster University, the newspaper reported. It added that the test was developed by the UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), a partnership between Oxford University and leading UK diagnostics firms. Britains only antibody tests approved thus far have involved blood samples being sent to laboratories for analysis, which can take days, The Telegraph said. Anticipating a regulatory approval in the coming weeks, tens of thousands of prototypes have already been manufactured in factories across the United Kingdom, the report added. Ministers are hoping that the AbC-19 lateral flow test will be available for use in a mass screening programme before the end of the year, the newspaper reported. It was found to be 98.6% accurate, and thats very good news, Chris Hand, the leader of the UK-RTC, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. The tests are likely to be free and would be ordered online instead of being sold in supermarkets, according to plans cited by the newspaper. While these tests will help us better understand how coronavirus is spreading across the country, we do not yet know whether antibodies indicate immunity from reinfection or transmission, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman was quoted as telling the newspaper. Britain has so far reported more than 295,000 Covid-19 cases and at least 45,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rouhani urges massive efforts to break chain of COVID-19 spread IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, July 18, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday urged massive efforts by both the public and the Government to break the chain of COVID-19 spread by observing precautionary measures and personal care. It is for five months that the campaign against the dangerous coronavirus is underway and there are still concerns inside the country and in the international community over resurgence of the pandemic, Rouhani said in his remarks to the special committee on campaign against the epidemic. It has been reiterated that there is no vaccine or drug for this disease, so that immunity against the pandemic is impossible, though the Government is carrying out regular campaign to disinfect the environment, he added. He noted that half of the infected cases have no symptoms meaning that from among each 1,000 people who are infected, 500 of them have no symptoms. Rouhani hailed the efforts made by Iranian Health ministry and knowledge-based companies for producing disinfectants and protective supplies including gowns and face masks. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MEA said 'targeting and persecution' of minority community members by terrorists at behest of external supporters remains a grave concern. New Delhi: Nidan Singh Sachdeva, a Sikh community leader of Afghanistan who was kidnapped in Paktia province last month, was released from captivity on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs said. "We convey our appreciation to the government of Afghanistan and tribal elders from the area, whose efforts secured the return of Nidan Singh," it said. In a statement, the MEA said the "targeting and persecution" of minority community members by terrorists at the behest of their external supporters remains a matter of grave concern. "In a recent decision, India has decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India," it said. Sachdeva, a leader of the Hindu and Sikh Community of Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Chamkani district of Paktia province on June 22. A controversial Chinese social-media firms plans to establish its global headquarters in the UK have been thrown into doubt amid growing concern about Beijings influence in Britain. TikTok, a viral video app that is hugely popular among teenagers, had earmarked London as a possible location for its HQ as part of an attempt to distance itself from the Chinese Communist Party. The app, which has 800 million users, planned to invest as much as 3 billion on making the UK its home outside China, sources said. TikTok's plans to establish its global headquarters in the UK have been thrown into doubt amid growing concern about Beijings influence in Britain But concerns about national security and a clampdown in the US have threatened to scupper the plans before they have even got off the ground. Washington is considering placing TikToks Beijing-based owner ByteDance on its blacklist, effectively barring Americans from downloading and using it. White House officials are also weighing alternative plans, including allowing TikTok to continue operating as long as the company splits from its Chinese parent and sets up its headquarters in the US and not the UK. Sources familiar with the matter said London was still being considered as an option for the HQ. However, they warned that the company would need to consider the impact of the US governments plans and how it would affect the companys operations. The viral video app earmarked London as a possible location for its HQ as part of an attempt to distance itself from the Chinese Communist Party Banning the app in the US, where it has almost 50 million users, would be a major blow to the company. It has forced TikTok to put its plans for a UK base on hold until there is more clarity on the restrictions. Tomorrow a fierce critic of the company, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, arrives in London to meet Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss issues including China and the coronavirus pandemic. There is mounting speculation that he will use the opportunity to single out the firm as a tool of the Chinese state. When asked on Fox News earlier this month whether US citizens should download TikTok, Mr Pompeo said: Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party. He also threatened to ban ByteDance by placing it on the USs so-called entity list. Officials have said a decision could come within weeks. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured), who opposes the app, will arrive in London to meet Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss issues including China London, Singapore and Dublin were among the locations being considered by TikTok, reports suggested in December. No American cities made the shortlist. But now, TikTok may be forced to establish a major base in the US to salvage its business there. TikTok does not currently have official headquarters, although its most senior executive is based in Shanghai. Senior Ministers are already understood to be pushing for TikTok to be banned in the UK over its links with the Chinese state. TikTok denies it is a security risk. It says it has never given user data to the Chinese government and it would refuse to do so if asked. But critics of the company say that Chinas intelligence laws compel internet companies such as TikTok to provide data to the Communist government if it demands it. It comes days after Britain decided to ban Huawei from operating large swathes of its 5G network, with mobile operators banned from buying any more 5G equipment from the Chinese company from December 31. The Government has set 2027 as the deadline by which to remove all of Huaweis kit. Like TikTok, Huawei is a private company, but its founder is a former member of the Peoples Liberation Army and there are fears the Chinese government could use its power to demand access to sensitive information. Britain decided to ban Huawei from operating large swathes of its 5G network this week, with the Government setting 2027 as the deadline by which to remove all of Huaweis kit TikTok has attempted to allay concerns about its links to the Chinese state by hiring an American chief executive, former Disney executive Kevin Meyer. It has also been beefing up its policy team in recent months to combat the mounting political row over the companys ties to China. Among those recruited was Theo Bertram, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Other measures include pulling out of Hong Kong in the wake of the controversial security laws granting more power to Beijing. The company has also tried to differentiate the Western app TikTok from the Chinese version, which is known as Douyin. India banned Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok and WeChat at the end of last month amid similar concerns about data being leaked to the Chinese Communist Party. Australia is also weighing a ban. Since launching in the UK in 2017, TikTok has exploded in popularity and is tipped to have more than ten million users by next year. TikTok has exploded in popularity since its inception in 2017 and is tipped to have more than ten million users by next year The company has been on a hiring spree in London, which has quietly become its largest office in Europe. Its biggest office is in Los Angeles and it also has bases in Paris, Dublin and Berlin. A ByteDance spokesman said: The UK is one of our most important markets globally, with a talented and diverse team in London, including senior leadership. UK employees have quadrupled over the past year and we expect continued strong growth. We remain fully committed to investing in London and inspiring creativity and bringing joy to our users around the world through our products and platforms. The poll found that at least 3 in 10 rural Nebraskans surveyed reported minor or major impacts from the extreme weather events in the following areas: having to drive extra miles for shopping, damage to their house, and increased levels of anxiety and stress. The personal effects of extreme weather differed by community size, region and various demographic characteristics, according to the poll findings. Those living in or near smaller communities, the poll found, were more likely to report having to drive extra miles for work, school, shopping or health care. For example, 45% of respondents living in or near the smallest communities those with 500 or fewer residents reported having to drive extra miles for shopping because of extreme weather. By comparison, 16% of people living in or near the largest communities those with 10,000 or more residents said they had to drive extra miles for shopping. Residents of smaller communities, according to the poll, were also more likely to report receiving damage or losing economic activity to a non-farm business 17% of people living in or near the smallest communities compared to about 6% of people living in or near communities with populations of 5,000 or more. 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 WASHINGTON - The U.S. flag flew at half-staff, a woman hung her head over a cardboard placard, and on a street corner, a man shouted, "This is for you, John Lewis," before singing "Stand By Me." Nearly six weeks after the civil rights icon stepped foot onto Black Lives Matter Plaza in what would become his last public appearance, the area blossomed into a memorial of music, reflection and gratitude for Lewis on Saturday in the wake of his death. In small groups and alone, people gathered to reflect on Lewis's march for justice, which began with sit-ins at lunch counters and ended, fittingly, with a visit to the plaza, which has become a symbol of the nation's fight for racial justice. "It is only because of John Lewis that we can be here today," said Kelley Gipson, 43, who drove to the District from Philadelphia with her mom and daughter. Gipson had long planned the trip to Washington, she said, but it felt especially poignant after the world lost two civil rights leaders: Lewis and C.T. Vivian, an early adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Vivian died Friday at 95. The three generations of women stood side-by-side as they walked down H Street NW, passing pictures of Breonna Taylor and a whiteboard that outlined "Protesters Rights." They stopped at a small placard that rested against barbed wire. Beneath Lewis's name and birth and death dates, it held a message from the late activist and congressman: "I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get into trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble." Nae'mah Roane, Gipson's 12-year-old daughter, learned about Lewis's "good trouble" for the first time Saturday. Her mom explained that the civil rights leader had been focused on young people, urging them to fight for justice, even if it meant disrupting the status quo. "It was pretty inspiring," she said, adjusting a mask that stuck to her face in the scorching heat. "This, right here, this is the time of good trouble," Gipson said to Nae'mah before they turned away from the fence and walked down Black Lives Matter Plaza, lingering near where Lewis posed for a picture June 7 with D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser. Bowser, who named the street near the White House "Black Lives Matter Plaza," expressed gratitude and reverence for Lewis. "The fearlessness with which he sought justice and fairness must serve as a constant reminder that we should each be much more afraid to do nothing when we know we must do something," she said on Twitter. Bowser also shared a picture from last month showing Lewis standing tall with a cane and a mask atop the black-and-yellow asphalt. At that same plaza Saturday, Tony Mathis, 65, of Florida, was determined to help carry the torch of the movement that Lewis inspired. "We can't stop the fight because of the people like him who started it," he said as he gazed through the fence to the White House, where the U.S. flag billowed at half-mast. "Because of John Lewis, I can vote without any happenstance or hindrance." In his 47 years of voter eligibility, Mathis said he has never missed an election. His wife, Mary Mathis, 62, said she felt chills shoot through her spine when she realized Lewis had recently seen Black Lives Matter Plaza. "This is what he lived for, without a doubt," she said, gesturing to the yellow letters on the pavement. "And because of him, I was able to give my kids the best education." As leaders across the country shared tributes to Lewis, street musician Tony Covay had his own idea of how to honor him. Positioned beneath a bus stop on H Street, Covay reached for his microphone and began to sing. "Darling, darling, stand by me," he belted in a voice that cut through the muggy air, catching the attention of people on bicycles who pulled their phones out to record. "Stand by me, stand for justice," he continued. As he stood near the plaza, throwing peace signs in the air, Covay thought of the moment a few years ago when he sang the same tune outside Nationals Park. He had looked around mid-song, and to his surprise, he said he made eye contact with Lewis. "He looked at me, and he smiled," Covay said. "So now, I am singing this song for him. And I am singing it for justice and for peace, and I am singing it for love." Some travellers undergoing mandatory quarantine in Queensland hotels are not being tested for COVID-19 even when they ask for a test. The concerns come as case numbers in Victoria continue to explode, after initial outbreaks linked to gaps in that states hotel quarantine regime. Guests of Queensland's hotel quarantine say they were not tested for COVID-19 even when they asked to be tested. Credit:Toby Crockford Dane Lam is an internationally renowned orchestral conductor, and is currently the principal conductor of Chinas Xian Symphony Orchestra, having previously worked with both the Queensland and Sydney symphony orchestras. Originally from Brisbane, Mr Lam and his partner felt it would be safest to return home to stay with family during the pandemic. Police are searching for a woman who allegedly shot her boyfriend and left him critical condition when he refused to argue with her in Louisiana. A warrant has been issued for Jenalisha Lawrence, 29, who has been charged with attempted second-degree murder in the shooting that took place early Saturday morning in the Caddo Heights neighborhood of Shreveport. The shooting unfolded around 7.30am in the 1400 block of Grigsby Street. Police have issued a warrant for 29-year-old Jenalisha Lawrence, who is accused of shooting her boyfriend because he allegedly refused to argue with her around 7.30 Saturday morning in Shreveport, Louisiana Officers with the Shreveport Police Department said they were called to the home about reports of a shooting and when they arrived they found a 34-year-old man on the sidewalk suffering a gunshot wound to the body. He was taken to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport with life-threatening injuries and he is still listed as in critical condition, according to KXAN. Investigators arrived to the scene and following interviews with witnesses said Lawrence shot the victim following an interaction in which the man refused to argue with her. Police say that Lawrence was the man's 'estranged' girlfriend. The shooting unfolded around 7.30am in the 1400 block of Grigsby Street. Investigators believe Lawrence may have fled to Dallas, Texas, where she's from. She fled the scene in a green Honda Accord She fled the scene in a green Honda Accord with a primer on the left passengers side front door. Police are now searching for her and say she has two addresses in Shreveport but investigators believe she likely fled to the Dallas, Texas area where she is from. Her bond is set at $150,000. Police are asking anyone with information as to Lawrences whereabouts to contact them at 318-673-7300 option #3. Those who wish to remain anonymous are asked to call Shreveport Caddo Crime Stoppers at 318-673-7373 or via their app P3Tips Unemployment among young workers has been a problem in Europe following the 2008-2009 international financial crisis. Yet early signs show it is getting worse today with the coronavirus pandemic. Dunia Skaunicova is one example of how the crisis has hurt young people. After Skaunicova completed her studies at Pragues Metropolitan University, she quickly found a job at a company in the Czech capital. The 24-year-old speaks Czech, English and French. Months later, she lost her job when the pandemic hit. This time, she is having problems finding one. I have been to five or six interviews in person during the last two monthsthere are so many people, said Skaunicova. Dennis Tamesberger follows youth unemployment for the Chamber of Labor in Linz, Austria. He believes the youth unemployment rate in the Czech Republic could go as high as 16 percent in 2020. Before the pandemic, the rate was at 5 percent. In May, the total European Union, or EU unemployment rate was 6.7 percent. But the unemployment rate among the under-25 age group was about 15.7 percent. Youth unemployment across Europe took years to recover from the financial crisis. In countries such as Spain and Greece, the rate of unemployment remains at 30 percent. And experts believe that number could increase to 45 percent. Effect on young workers Tamesberger says when people are young, even short periods of time without a job can hurt a persons long-term earnings. He points to a study from the London-based Centre for Economic Policy Research. It shows that one month of unemployment at ages 18 to 20 causes income loss of 2 percent over a lifetime. The effect of youth unemployment, he warns, could last for a generation. Kathleen Henehan is with the Resolution Foundation. She told Reuters, The corona class of 2020 could face years of reduced pay and limited job prospects, long after the current economic storm has passed, unless additional support is provided fast. Part of the problem is that young workers in Europe are often the first to lose their jobs. In addition, parts of the economy that have been hurt by the pandemic are mostly in retail and hospitality. Those are places where young people often get their first jobs. The EU is urging governments to create jobs and training programs for young workers. In Britain, the finance minister recently announced a $2.5 billion program to create six-month work placement jobs for unemployed people between 16 and 24 years old. It also supports more government job training programs. Those looking for jobs find that the competition is fierce. Some companies ignore job searchers. Others tell young workers not to expect much in wages or benefits. Blake Wittman helps people find jobs through Goodcall. He said one company in Prague told him that as many as 50-100 people applied for a job opening. Before the pandemic, there were just 5 to 10. Any job that opens is gold, he said. I'm John Russell. Michael Kahn reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pandemic -- n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world interview n. a formal meeting with someone who is being considered for a job or other position youth -- n. young people; the time of life when someone is young income -- n. money that is earned from work, investments, business, etc. lifetime -- n. the time during which a person is alive prospect -- n. the possibility that something will happen in the future retail -- n. the business of selling things directly to customers for their own use hospitality -- n. the activity of providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are the guests or customers of an organization benefit -- n. something extra (such as vacation time or health insurance) that is given by an employer to workers in addition to their regular pay Chinese social media giant TikTok has reportedly shelved plans to build a global headquarters in London amid growing concern about Beijing's influence in Britain. TikTok, a viral video app which is popular among teenagers, had been in discussions with the Department for International Trade and No 10 to establish a worldwide base in the capital. The app, which has 800 million users, planned to invest as much as 3 billion on making the UK its home outside China and would have created around 3,000 jobs, sources claimed. TikTok's parent company ByteDance has now made the decision to suspend those negotiations due to the 'wider geographical context,' the Sunday Times reported. Chinese social media giant TikTok has reportedly shelved plans to build a global headquarters in Britain amid growing concern about Beijing's influence in Britain The move comes amid increasing tensions between London and Beijing, stemming from the Government's criticism of the Hong Kong security law and a recent decision to ban Huawei from Britain's 5G network. An unnamed source reportedly told the paper the plans could be revived should relations between China and the UK improve, however they added a decision would not be coming 'any time soon'. A statement from TikTok said: 'We remain fully committed to investing in London and inspiring creativity and bringing joy to our users around the world.' Meanwhile, a Government spokesperson added: 'ByteDance's decision on the location of their global HQ is a commercial decision for the company. 'The UK is a fair and open market for investment where it supports UK growth and jobs.' Elsewhere, Washington is considering placing TikTok's Beijing-based owner ByteDance on its blacklist, effectively barring Americans from downloading and using the app. The viral video app had earmarked London as a possible location for its HQ as part of an apparent attempt to distance itself from the Chinese Communist Party US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pictured), who opposes the app, will arrive in London to meet Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss issues including China White House officials are also weighing alternative plans, including allowing TikTok to continue operating as long as the company splits from its Chinese parent and sets up its headquarters in the US and not the UK. Sources familiar with the matter last night said London was still being considered as an option for the HQ. However, they warned that the company would need to consider the impact of the US government's plans and how it would affect the company's operations. Banning the app in the US, where it has almost 50 million users, would be a major blow to the company. Tomorrow a fierce critic of the company, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, will arrive in London to meet Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss issues including China and the coronavirus pandemic. There is mounting speculation that he will use the opportunity to single out the firm as a tool of the Chinese state. When asked on Fox News earlier this month whether US citizens should download TikTok, Mr Pompeo said: 'Only if you want your private information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.' He also threatened to ban ByteDance by placing it on the US's so-called 'entity list'. Officials have said a decision could come within weeks. London, Singapore and Dublin were among the locations being considered by TikTok, reports suggested in December. No US cities made the shortlist. But now, TikTok may be forced to establish a major base in the US to salvage its business there. Britain decided to ban Huawei from operating large swathes of its 5G network this week, with the Government setting 2027 as the deadline by which to remove all of Huawei's kit TikTok does not currently have an official headquarters, although its most senior executive is based in Shanghai. Senior Ministers are already understood to be pushing for TikTok to be banned in the UK over its links with the Chinese state. TikTok denies it is a security risk. It says it has never given user data to the Chinese government and it would refuse to do so if asked. But critics of the company say that China's intelligence laws compel internet companies such as TikTok to provide data to the Communist government if it demands it. It comes days after Britain decided to ban Huawei from operating large swathes of its 5G network, with mobile operators banned from buying any more 5G equipment from the Chinese company from December 31. The Government has set 2027 as the deadline by which to remove all of Huawei's kit. Like TikTok, Huawei is a private company, but its founder is a former member of the People's Liberation Army and there are fears the Chinese government could use its power to demand access to sensitive information. TikTok has attempted to allay concerns about its links to the Chinese state by hiring an American chief executive, former Disney executive Kevin Meyer. It has also been beefing up its policy team in recent months to combat the mounting political row over the company's ties to China. Among those recruited was Theo Bertram, a former adviser to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. TikTok has exploded in popularity since its inception in 2017 and is tipped to have more than ten million users by next year Other measures include pulling out of Hong Kong in the wake of the controversial security laws granting more power to Beijing. The company has also tried to differentiate the Western app TikTok from the Chinese version, which is known as Douyin. India banned Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok and WeChat at the end of last month amid similar concerns about data being leaked to the Chinese Communist Party. Australia is also weighing a ban. Since launching in the UK in 2017, TikTok has exploded in popularity and is tipped to have more than ten million users by next year. The company has been on a hiring spree in London, which has quietly become its largest office in Europe. Its biggest office is in Los Angeles and it also has bases in Paris, Dublin and Berlin. A ByteDance spokesman said: 'The UK is one of our most important markets globally, with a talented and diverse team in London, including senior leadership. 'UK employees have quadrupled over the past year and we expect continued strong growth. 'We remain fully committed to investing in London and inspiring creativity and bringing joy to our users around the world through our products and platforms.' Rutte has long been known as a European bridge builder, but this weekend his tough negotiating stance is being blamed for holding up a deal. He and his allies are pushing for labor market and pension reforms to be linked to EU handouts and a brake enabling EU nations to monitor and, if necessary, halt projects that are being paid for by the recovery fund. Rahul Gandhi accused the Centre of behaving like Neville Chamberlain, the ex-British PM considered a weak leader by many New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Centre of behaving like former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who was considered as a weak leader by many with regard to the tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). He also went on to accuse the Centre of being cowardly. "China has taken our land and the Government Of India is behaving like Chamberlain. This will further embolden China. India is going to pay a huge price because of GOI's cowardly actions," tweeted the former Congress president. The former Congress president also shared a video of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's interaction with the Indian Army and ITBP personnel at Lukung. "Talks are underway to resolve the border dispute but to what extent it can be resolved I cannot guarantee. I can assure you, not one inch of our land can be taken by any power in the world," Rajnath Singh said. On 15 June, 20 Indian soldiers sacrificed their lives during combat with the Chinese forces in the Galwan valley, leading to tensions between both nations. Chinese soldiers subsequently started moving back following dialogues between the two countries. The police sought the reasons behind termination of the contract between Rajput and the production house The Mumbai police on Saturday recorded statement of Aditya Chopra, chairman of Yash Raj Films (YRF), which is under the scanner in connection with the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput (34). The police grilled Chopra for four hours in connection with his association with the production house. The questioning comes in the light of Rajputs friend and actor Rhea Chakraborty Tweeting to Union home minister demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) led investigation into the suicide. The Bandra police recorded the statement of Chopra at the Versova police station. The police sought the reasons behind termination of the contract between Rajput and the production house. The officials said that the questioning was based on the details shared by the production houses casting director Shanoo Sharma and the contract documents that were seized following the suicide. The police have not revealed the specifics of the contract till date or if there were any draconian clauses that could have any bearing on the extreme step taken by Rajput. Statement of Aditya Chopra was recorded and the probe will diversify further based on the details shared. At least 37 persons have been questioned in connection with the incident, said a police officer. The probe has not hinted towards foul play as yet and the officials said that alleged abetment angle is being probed in light of professional rivalry and similar reasons. While Chakraborty demanded for a CBI probe, state home minister Anil Deshmukh dismissed the need for the same adding that the Mumbai police are capable of investigating the incident. Former Barcelona defender Dani Alves' claims Lionel Messi's frustrations are a result of receiving little to no support from his team-mates. The Argentine gave a fiery interview after Barcelona's 2-1 defeat to Osasuna on Thursday evening, which came on the same day as arch rivals Real Madrid wrapped up their first LaLiga title since 2017. Messi told reporters: 'Roma, Liverpool... the fans are running out of patience because we're not giving them anything. If we want to fight for the Champions League, a lot has to change. Like this, we will lose to Napoli.' Dani Alves says Lionel Messi is frustrated because of the lack of support around him The Barcelona star gave a furious interview after his side's 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna But Alves, the Barcelona star's former team-mate at Camp Nou, believes the club's over-reliance on Messi to deliver in every single game is no longer tenable. 'He's a born winner, he doesn't like to lose and it's normal to get angry,' Alves told Catalunya Radio regarding Messi's outburst. 'He wants to win every time, like me. He's been doing it for so long that you can tell when your team is giving [that feeling] and when it's not. 'That's why he said it, he's been at Barcelona for many years and he's aware of what he needs to be able to win and aspire to great things. But Messi's former team-mate at the Camp Nou Alves said he sympathised with his frustrations 'He sees, what I feel, and that's a lack of support. Messi was the main course, but we were the perfect ingredients [in the past]. 'He always wants to be on top and you need people to build that. The feeling now is that he always has to be doing everything for the team and he's only human.' However, the 37-year-old Sao Paulo right-back does not believe Messi will look for a move away in due course 'No, I don't think so. He's the face of this club, of this team and it would be the biggest mistake the club would ever make [if he left],' Alves continued. The Brazilian believes Messi is not being helped in the same way as he was when he was there 'It would be a mistake for such a player not to retire there and change the name of Camp Nou to Leo Messi.' In 41 games across all competitions during the current campaign, Messi has scored 28 goals and assisted another 25 strikes. But his sensational efforts may yet go unrewarded in terms of silverware, with the Catalan giants' hopes of a trophy now lying with the Champions League title. But they head into their Round of 16 tie with Napoli on level terms with the Serie A side after a 1-1 draw in Italy. By William Schwartz | Published on 2020/07/18 Director Kang Kil-yong is a legend when it comes to martial arts choreography, having worked on a ridiculously large number of famous South Korean films over the years. "The Prisoner" is his first attempt leading a movie production as director though, and the results are about what you'd expect. The acting, the script, and the set design is all pretty cheap and even cheesy. But those fight scenes! With very little to work with, Kang Kil-yong pulls off some outrageously kinetic hand-to-hand fisticuff duels. Advertisement Seven of them, to be exact. See, the backdrop of "The Prisoner" is this big jailhouse tournament that has something to do with VR movies. Save for some moments of comic relief this is never really important. Ostensibly the more in-focus plot is of detective Se-do (played by Oh Ji-ho), who goes rogue and by apparent coincidence finds his archnemesis In-gwi (played by Jo Woon) to be one of his tournament rivals. Exposition regarding this relationship is slowly explained via flashback throughout the movie. Oh Ji-ho's performance as the pained detective is, frankly speaking, not very good. In a weird way his lackluster performance here actually improves "The Nightmare" from earlier this year. In both movies Oh Ji-ho drifts about with a slightly bewildered expression on his face, lending a surreal feeling to his interpretation of the world around him. Such acting is brilliant for a movie that's deliberately ambiguous about known reality as we know it, but is rather less appropriate for a movie about violent prisoners punching each other really hard. And boy, what they lack in acting chops, the eight principals in "The Prisoner" compensate for with sheer homoerotic musculature. They throw themselves into the roles here, knowing full well that a chance to work with director Kang Kil-yong to hone their physique and action screen presence is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The stage punches in "The Prisoner" are so good I found myself worrying about whether any of these guys managed to seriously hurt each other. Somewhat counterintuitively the first round of the fighting tournament ends up being the strongest one, if only because we see the combatants at maximum variety. Jake (played by Julien Kang) is highly aggressive and speaks entirely in English swear words. Doo-man (played by Ha Je-yong) is so thoroughly built like a tank his fight is mainly about finding the right weak spot. Woo-ri (played by Seo In-gul) is very young, and Kwang-do (played by Wang Hwi) is very gangster. All the actors effectively channel the personalities of their characters through their fighting styles, which is impressive given how little their needlessly complicated backstories have to actually do with the plot. "The Prisoner" is pure pulpy, punchy goodness that more than makes up for its many shortcomings with powerful enthusiasm and dedication to the core concept. At only eighty minutes of length, it's hard to feel like I was shortchanged in any way. I was promised the opportunity to watch a bunch of beefy men throwdown, and that's exactly what I got. Review by William Schwartz ___________ "The Prisoner" is directed by Yang Kil-yong, and features Oh Ji-ho, Jo Woon, Lee Jae-yong-I, Jung Chan, Son Sung-yoon, Jang Young-jin. Release date in Korea: 2020/07/23. Algiers, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2020 ) :Algeria said Saturday that the coronavirus crisis on top of falling oil prices have caused unprecedented damage to its economy, including over $1 billion in losses in the public sector alone. "Algeria is facing an unprecedented difficult economic situation," said Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad, quoted by the official APS news agency. This was due to "the structural crisis inherited from the former government, the fall in hydrocarbon prices and finally, the health crisis" of the novel coronavirus. The premier was speaking at a meeting at which Finance Minister Aymen Benabderahmane announced public company losses totalled more than $1 billion, affecting mainly the transport and energy sectors. The government decided in early May to slash the state budget by half because of the global collapse in oil prices and coronavirus lockdowns. The North African nation is heavily dependent on oil production, which generates over 90 percent of its export revenues. The International Monetary Fund forecasts Algeria's economy will shrink by 5.2 percent this year, and it will have among the highest budget deficits in the region. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ruled out approaching the IMF for loans, saying, "accumulating debt harms national sovereignty". A commission tasked with assessing the impact of the pandemic on the national economy was set up Saturday, according to APS. Algeria has reported several record daily tallies of COVID-19 cases in the past week, with 601 new infections confirmed Saturday. The worst-affected country in North Africa, Algeria has officially reported a total of more than 22,500 cases of the COVID-19, including 1,068 deaths. I actually really like her entire look. The flowers are beautiful. Reply Thread Link Not sure how I feel about the sleeves on the dress, but I don't totally hate what she was going for Reply Thread Link i like her wearing a vintage dress the Queen must have warehouses full of amazing dresses Reply Thread Link Edited at 2020-07-18 10:50 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link oooh I definitely prefer it without sleeves! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i personally think the sleeves are a good addition. it gives it a nice daytime look and makes the dress less formal. i also love what the tailor did with the skirt. Reply Parent Thread Link i wonder if there's a reason she couldn't wear the same tiara as in the second pic. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link God, the Queen's waist is so tiny in these pictures. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link imagine having a dad so awful that he can't be on the official pictures Reply Thread Link I feel bad for Beatrice and Eugenie. Theyve had to be embarrassed by their parents bad behavior their entire lives. I hope they have found happiness. Reply Parent Thread Link QM's Fringe is not a great fringe, but if you're talking fringe tiaras, I like the Baden Fringe and Madeline's Modern Fringe. BUT.... for a wedding QM's Fringe gets points for sentimentality. Reply Parent Thread Link omg i googled the Westminster kokoshnik tiara and it's sooo pretty - does no one ever wear it? Reply Parent Thread Link No. It was never in the main line of the royal family. It was owned by aristocracy and it was sold at auction. Probably to pay estate taxes. Reply Parent Thread Link The Westminster kokoshnik is amazing. Reply Parent Thread Link I think the dress is cute sans the sleeves, but they aren't the worst considering the whole shoulders covered in church thing. I detest the fringe tiara though, always have. I feel like it's very QEII to reuse dresses during a hard time. The queen looks lovely in mint, but the corpse on her right just needs to let go. Reply Thread Link I actually like it a lot. The vintage dress is really unique and the flowers are stunning Reply Thread Link the flowers are so pretty and look really great with the filter they used Reply Parent Thread Link i am OBSESSED with her dress. the first royal wedding look ive really loved Reply Thread Link Why even have your pedo dad there. I know he's Queenie's fave or whatever but just...elope. Do it quietly. Lay low. Ew. Reply Thread Link She always looks like a willy wonka character to me Reply Thread Link she's a beautiful woman but it is just crazy to me how BIG her eyes and smile are! Reply Parent Thread Link She looks exactly like Queen Victoria. She got all the Hanover traits. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link The dress (minus the sleeves) is actually really beautiful. More Royal weddings should be low key. Reply Thread Link I'm such a hoe for huge flower arrangements, that is gorgeous. I really like her dress from what we can see of it. I wanna see it without the bouquet in front. I wish she had chosen/been given a different tiara, it's pretty but doesn't really match the style of the dress imo. Imagine this with the strathmore rose tiara, if they even still own that one. All in all, a small private ceremony seems much preferable to a huge one broadcast for the world to see. Reply Thread Link yeah I feel like the veil and tiara are not complimentary to the dress at all and really take your focus away from it Reply Parent Thread Link The veil seems to be a totally different shade of white from the dress....although it might be the color balancing on the photos. May be less noticeable IRL? I don't mind the tiara though, it mimics the form language of the beading on the dress, which seems like a legit choice. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think it's been confirmed that they DO still own the Strathmore Rose (it appeared in some book about the Queen's jewels), but it might not be in great shape? I think the tiara choice was purely sentimental which, I guess. But why go for sentimental when you could pick one of the lovely tiaras we haven't seen in years? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link my mom is a florist so i get so hype any time i see beautiful large flower arrangements like this omg its so aesthetically pleasing. Reply Parent Thread Link No one cares about her wedding anyway so she made the sensible choice. Reply Parent Thread Link i think the dress is really cute sleeves and all. if i ever got married i'd love to wear a vintage dress. Reply Thread Link they all look nice and those flowers are beautiful. i appreciate seeing even a member of the royal family can scale down a wedding for these times. other people need to take cue. Reply Thread Link i appreciate seeing even a member of the royal family can scale down a wedding for these times. other people need to take cue. This. Reply Parent Thread Link a girl from my education cohort in college got married last month and she had this full on wedding, posting pics of her bridal party of like 20 people packed in the back of a limo, like sis we're in the middle of a pandemic, how tf did you think this was a good idea??? Reply Parent Thread Link wow, i can't face palm hard enough over the amount of stupid from all of them. Reply Parent Thread Link Video reporting by Jacquie Cosgrove One man set out on a journey to break down barriers and start intimate conversations with strangers around the world just by asking the simple question: Are you happy? Now, hes sharing what hes learned about the human condition through his travels and the people he met along the way with a documentary series gaining viral attention on social media. Atdhe Trepca tells Yahoo Life that he has long been interested in filmmaking, leading him to study it in school and pursue opportunities at Viacom and Warner Bros. Studio where he met creators in the field whom he looked up to. But it was a French documentary from 1961 called Chronicle of a Summer that inspired his latest project. Two nonfilmmakers go into the streets of Paris in an attempt to get an honest, real conversation on camera, he explains, noting that those conversations were started with the very question he asks his subjects. I thought it'd be really cool to get that idea and just go around the world with it, immerse myself in different cultures of people all around the world. In February 2019, Trepca did just that when he got into his car and made his way from Los Angeles to New York, stopping to chat with strangers along the way. Every state I would pass through, every person I ran across, I would ask them all the same question: Are you happy? he explains. And I didn't realize it then, but the question really serves as a window to the soul. The impact of the project struck Trepca immediately as he met a man in the Sand Hollow reservoir in Utah early on in the journey who invited the filmmaker into his world in a unique way. We ended up riding through the dunes together on his ATV. And then after we finished riding, he's like, You know, if you really want to know what makes me happy, I'd like to invite you back to my house, Trepca recalls. And then all my learnings, everything my parents ever taught me was ringing off my head, Don't go, don't go. But, you know, I trusted this guy and I trusted in this documentary. Story continues The experience ended up being one of the filmmakers most memorable as it was one of the first times that he got to know a stranger so well from approaching him and asking a singular question. From there, Trepca went on to trust a number of other people he met throughout the U.S. and then India, which was his next destination. Although it wasnt always that easy or comfortable with each person he came into contact with, Trepca explains that nearly every interaction ended up being fascinatingly vulnerable and honest. When you approach a stranger with that question immediately, all their personal stories, their entire life experience comes to the forefront and they start reflecting on everything that they've done, he says. The flood gates open up and you just have to give people a chance to speak. And I promise you that they will tell you their true and honest story. Some of Trepcas most viral videos prove just that, as a woman from India now known as the sunrise girl quickly shared that she had run away from home, while another young woman in Connecticut opened up about having recently gone through a brain surgery two things that a stranger likely wouldnt find out about a person in a matter of minutes. Although these two videos in particular seem to showcase stories seemingly worthy of the viral attention that theyve received on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, Trepca is sure that everybodys stories are worthy of that same recognition. This documentary is basically endless. I think there are seven and a half billion stories available, he says. I truly believe that everyone has a story. Not only an interesting story, but everyone has a story worthy of an Oscar-winning film or a viral video. Most importantly, he shares, that the happiest people I've met have not had the happiest lives, which now serves as a reminder for people around the world dealing with hardships during the unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic. It's so easy to get caught up in everything that's happening in the world. But at the end of the day, the world is way too heavy for our shoulders. It's not ours to carry, he says. These world issues are very important, but if you were to add up every single good thing that happened today around the world and every single bad thing that happened around the world, the good would far outweigh the bad. The world is a beautiful place. Video Produced by Jacquie Cosgrove Spread The Good is a series shining a light on individuals spreading positivity during the pandemic. Know someone who has been helping spread the good? Share in the comments! Read more from Yahoo Life Want daily lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Britain is set to tear up its extradition agreement with Hong Kong today as Dominic Raab warns the country must be very careful in its dealings with China. In a move that will further escalate tensions, the Foreign Secretary is expected to announce that the Government will no longer hand over suspects to the former British colony. It follows Beijings imposition of a repressive security law in the territory that effectively outlaws public protest. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured) has warned the UK must be very careful in its dealings with China following a variety of rows between the two countries Relations between China and Britain have become increasingly strained as they have clashed over coronavirus, Hong Kong, human rights and Chinese telecoms firm Huawei. Liu Xiaoming, Beijings ambassador to the UK, yesterday accused the Government of dancing to the tune of the Americans over its decision last week to ban Huawei from its 5G network. UK mobile providers will not be allowed to buy Huawei 5G equipment after the end of this year and will have to remove all of its 5G kit from their networks by 2027. Mr Liu said China was still evaluating the consequences as he warned the UK had missed the opportunity to be a leading country through its decision. He accused the Government of purging the firm under the pressure of the United States. Liu Xiaoming (pictured), Beijings ambassador to the UK, yesterday accused the Government of dancing to the tune of the Americans after the decision to ban Huawei from the country's 5G network Today in the Commons Mr Raab will announce he is suspending the countrys extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to Beijings enactment of a national security law there. The contentious legislation criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces but also curtails rights to protest and freedom of speech. The rules apply outside the borders of China. This has stoked fears that Beijing could try to use the extradition mechanism to drag any overseas residents involved in pro-democracy activism back to Hong Kong. The UK does not have an extradition treaty with China. In response to the law, the Government earlier this month offered around three million Hong Kong residents the right to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship but ministers have faced pressure from their own backbenchers to go further. Mr Raab told Sky News (pictured) on Sunday that there wont be business as usual with China after the coronavirus crisis A group of 17 Tory MPs, including former Cabinet ministers David Davis and Damian Green, signed a letter urging the Foreign Secretary to follow allies including Canada, the US and Australia that have already moved to suspend extradition arrangements with Hong Kong. Others such as New Zealand are also reviewing their relations. Mr Raab said yesterday there wont be business as usual with China after the coronavirus pandemic and urged caution. Appearing on Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, he said: I think we need to be very careful in our dealings... We have said there wont be business as usual after Covid-19 and we are working with our international partners to get a proper independent review of what happened but we also want to make sure that were not slipping into some outdated dogmatic approach with China. Shaun Bailey, the Tory candidate for London mayor, last night called for the capital to be no longer twinned with Beijing. He said: London is a global city, and the world is watching us and the example we set. But what kind of signal are we sending when we continue a relationship with a government that is seeking to curtail human rights with new security laws in Hong Kong, while overseeing the cruel persecution of its Uighur Muslims? London must send a message that Chinas behaviour is unacceptable. He added: That is why, as mayor, I would end our capitals twinned status with Beijing. Dissident leader who fled to Britain tells the Mail...this is such good news - now they won't be able to drag me back Interview by Frances Hardy for the Daily Mail Earnest, bespectacled, boy- ish, Nathan Law, 27, has a gentle, scholarly air that belies the fierceness of his convictions. Speaking to me from a small apartment in London he will not disclose the location the fear that drove him to flee his native Hong Kong is tangible. Wherever I am in the world, Im still a target, he says. I cant stay in the same place for more than a month. Ill be constantly moving. The fear that drove Nathan Law, 27, (pictured right) to flee his native Hong Kong is tangible But when I told him that the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was to announce that the UK planned to terminate its extradition agreement with Hong Kong, he was visibly relieved. Thats such good news because it means that Britain recognises that Hong Kongs rule of law does not exist, he says. For me, its important that they cant extradite me back to Hong Kong. It was a couple of weeks ago that Law the timeline is intentionally vague crammed a few possessions into a backpack and fled the former British colony for the relative safety of the British capital. I was worried that Id be stopped when I got to the border which is why Id made the painful decision to leave so much behind: letters Id received in prison that meant so much to me, he says. And when I put my ID card in the machine I was shaking with fear, worried that it would pop up that I was a blacklisted person. In the event he got through unchallenged. A political activist, he was propelled to leave by the threat of imprisonment by the Chinese government that on July 1 imposed a draconian new security law on the city whose democratic freedoms he will defend until his last breath. Mr Law (pictured middle) is a political activist and was was propelled to leave by the threat of imprisonment by the Chinese government Law would certainly have been in Beijings crosshairs. He was just 23 when he became Hong Kongs youngest ever legislator and he achieved instant notoriety by using his swearing-in ceremony as a platform for his campaign. In his opening statement he argued that the oath ceremony itself had become a political tool of the regime. He also added a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that included the words: You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind. Just over a year later he had been disqualified from holding office and within a month of that ruling he was arrested for taking part in a protest deemed illegal by the authorities. He was detained at the Tong Fuk Correctional Institution on Hong Kongs Lantau Island and served two-and-a-half months before being granted bail. We lived 20 to a cell. The conditions werent good, he says with studied understatement. The food was bad and there was no privacy. But I felt lucky. If Id been sent, as other protesters were, to a prison in mainland China I would have been tortured. Following the introduction of the new law, he felt he had no option but to leave. Following the introduction of the new law, which has prompted many protests such as this one in a Hong Kong shopping mall, he felt he had no option but to leave (pictured) I left Hong Kong with tears in my eyes. It was very emotional for me and it was a difficult choice to go. But if I stayed and challenged its community to hold China accountable, that would have led to years if not lifelong imprisonment. The threat is imminent. If the Chinese government wants to prosecute now, it is equipped with the legal weapons to do it. Ordinary citizens are deleting Facebook accounts if theyve posted anything in support of the democracy movement. They are afraid it will be used as evidence to prosecute them. They are not chanting slogans like free Hong Kong any more. This is the effect of the white terror. And the most chilling thing? That the new security law has banned subversion and inciting hatred of the Chinese government but has not defined what they are. Chinas wide-ranging new security law not only makes it easier to punish protesters but makes inciting hatred of the Chinese Communist Party illegal. It also permits secret trials and phone tapping of suspects and allows them to be tried on mainland China where they face torture. Laws mission in the UK is to continue doing what he can no longer do in his birthplace. He issues a rallying cry to the Government to stand up to the diktats of Beijing. Britain must form a coherent, united front with other western democracies to protect the democratic and liberal values we share, he urges. I am here to share my story, to advocate for democracy in Hong Kong, to urge the UK and Western democracies to form an alliance to combat the authoritarian expansion of China and to ensure human rights are prioritised over trade in their dealings with them. But he is still constantly looking over his shoulder. The tentacles of the CCP stretch far and wide. The [security] law applies anywhere in the world, he says. I cannot go back to Hong Kong and thats heart-breaking, but this is about more than personal choice. I have a duty, a responsibility, to speak out on behalf of the people of Hong Kong and I am willing to sacrifice a long period of my life, maybe decades until there is democracy there. Mr Law doesn't know when he will return to Hong Kong (pictured) which is currently facing protests over national security laws Asked if he fears for the safety of his Chinese-born parents, still in Hong Kong, he says: I prefer not to talk about them. The more I talk, the more I endanger them. I worry that my father is under surveillance, that he could be arrested. I dont know whether these things could happen. He adds: I dont know when I will go back. I am not optimistic in the short term. I will continue to fight until democracy is won. I came to the UK because it has a very special relationship with Hong Kong, a historical obligation and ties with it. I hope Britain continues to take this relationship seriously. China must be held accountable for its human rights violations. By Trend United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has put forward an initiative to battle inequality - a New Global Deal that will aim to create a fairer model of global governance, Guterres said on Saturday in his lecture commemorating Nelson Mandela, Trend reports citing TASS. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought home the tragic disconnect between self-interest and the common interest; and the huge gaps in governance structures and ethical frameworks," he said. "To close these gaps, and to make the New Social Contract possible, we need a New Global Deal to ensure that power, wealth and opportunities are shared more broadly and fairly at the international level," Guterres stressed. At this point in the narrative, the question of whether the media can or should ignore West is almost irrelevant. The 43-year-old music and fashion mogul is one of the most famous people on the planet right now. Millions buy his shoes, listen to his music, hang on his every tweet. He has one of the loudest bullhorns on the globe. Add to that Kim Kardashian-Wests own political muscle in criminal justice reform. Add to that her familys collective social media influence. And Wests reach goes even further. NEW HAVEN Thousands of calls were made to the state Department of Housing this week from residents looking to tap into the rental assistance program being underwritten by federal CARES funds, with fewer than 400 completing the first step in the process. The state has put aside $10 million, which advocates say is too little to meet the needs of residents who are having problems paying their rent after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new program went live Wednesday, but a coalition of legal aid groups, as well as the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, said residents continue to have difficulty getting through. The assistance through the Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority aims to address rental housing stability and to prevent evictions. Aaron Turner of the Department of Housing on Thursday said there had been more than 2,200 callers to the phone number Wednesday and Thursday. He said the state has been made aware that many people were calling in simultaneously from more than one phone, so that when they connected, they hung the other lines up. Also, there were also a fairly large number of calls that did not reach a call center operator and were voluntarily disconnected after learning of their ineligibility through the automated portion of the call or that did not have their 2019 income information when they first called, and subsequently called back. On Friday, Turner released statistics on participation: On Wednesday they received 688 calls, of which 269 were homeowners and 419 renters. Of this, 203 threshold applications were completed 180 for renters and 23 for homeowners. On Thursday, 490 called in, 255 of them homeowners and 235 from renters. Of those, 157 renters completed the threshold application as did 21 homeowners. There are four more steps after passing the threshold level before an application is complete. Applicants are reminded to have their 2019 income tax information when calling. The number to call is 860-785-3111. Attorney Amy Eppler-Epstein, who works at New Haven Legal Assistance, said the call center appears to be overwhelmed. Despite having 12 people answering lines and a system with a 50-person hold/call wait capacity, everyone we have heard from seems to be encountering a busy signal. Over the past 3 days since it opened, I tried a dozen times myself at random times, and only once got beyond the busy signal to muzak, she said. Eppler-Epstein said the opening message is only in English, so even though apparently they have Spanish language speakers for callers to talk to, all the instructions on what to press are just in English. She said it is imperative that the U.S. Senate pass the $3 trillion HEROES Act that would provide $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. It was adopted by the House, but the Senate took no action before it went on recess. It is back in session next week. The overwhelming response to the first three days of the rental assistance program in Connecticut makes clear that the $10 million allocated will not be enough, and more federal assistance is desperately needed, she said. Lisa McCray was one of the residents who tried to get through. You cant imagine how excited I was to see your announcement for rental help. I have been calling since I saw it two days ago, so far, and everytime I called and finally got to the area I needed, it gives you a busy signal and hangs up on me. ... I got frustrated and gave up. It is very discouraging to see a possibility of some renters help, but you cant get through to the agency, she wrote in an email to the NHLAA. Through July 28, first priority for processing is for eligible households denied unemployment benefits and/or denied Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, with at least one minor household member, and income of not more than 60 percent of Average Median Income based on 2019. From July 29 through Aug. 11, the priority will be eligible households denied unemployment benefits and/or denied Pandemic Unemployment Assistance with income of not more than 80 percent of AMI based on 2019. From Aug. 12 through the duration of the program, all other eligible households with income of not more than 80 percent of AMI in 2019 are the priority. Erin Kemple, executive director of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, said she received similar complaints that residents were either put on hold for long periods of time, could not get through or the line would disconnect. Eligible households may receive up to $4,000 in total assistance over the twelve-month period for rent due beginning March 1, 2020, with a limit of $1,000 per month. Payments are made directly to the landlord with residents mandated to pay a minimum of 30 percent of their gross income toward the rent based on their lowest consecutive 30-day income during March, April and May. If they dont pay the 30 percent they are disqualified for assistance. Gov. Ned Lamont recently extended the moratorium on landlords filing for evictions from July 1 until Aug. 25, a decision the New Haven Legal Assistance Association said it was grateful for. Kemple was concerned that once the $600 additional weekly federal money coming to the unemployed expires on July 31, it will further disrupt tenants ability to pay for rent, food and other necessities. With 650,000 people seeking unemployment compensation since March, advocates dont see how $10 million for rental assistance will be enough. The New Haven Board of Alders has authorized using additional funding from the CARES Act Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security for its own tenant assistance program that will be finalized later in the month and overseen by the Livable City Initiative, Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said. Kemple said large cities and some other states have been much more generous with the amount of CARES funds set aside for rental assistance to forestall evictions and foreclosures for homeowners. She said the city of Houston has a population that is 75 percent of Connecticuts, but it is setting aside 33 percent more in assistance. Allocations by other states include: New Jersey, $100 million; Illinois, $396 million; Pennsylvania, $175 million; Montana, $50 million. Kemple said she finds the prediction by the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston alarming. Jeffrey Thompson, an economist and director of the New England Public Policy Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in May projected that 11% percent of Connecticut homeowners and 36% of the states renters are vulnerable to missing at least one rent or mortgage payment, according to CT Mirror. While Lamonts executive orders give extensions on rent payments for several months since March, the catch-up will be cumulative. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 Nothing kinks a pipeline like a judges gavel. In a spatter of blistering court decisions this month, federal judges dealt blows to both the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines. Dakota Access was ordered shut down and drained of oil while a thorough environmental impact statement is being done this after already being in operation for three years. Keystone XL was blocked from crucial permitting allowing it to cross beneath rivers and streams. DAPLs oil still flows, riding a legal seesaw of orders and stays of orders. The overall trend for court decisions on pipelines, however, have favored the plaintiffs arguing successfully that the federal government has done a slapdash job of environmental review as it fulfills President Donald Trumps energy dominance executive order, of which granting permits for Dakota Access and Keystone XL was a priority. The U.S. Supreme Court, with two Trump appointees in its conservative majority, issued the Keystone ruling. Theres disagreement about what those legal setbacks indicate for the future of pipeline development. It used to be easier to do a sloppy EIS and get away with it, 10 years ago it would have been easier. Twenty years ago, completely easy, said Suzanne Mattei, energy policy analyst for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The environmental impact statement process requires the consideration of alternatives. It says No. 1, you have to determine what the potential environmental impacts are. Thats something there can be all kinds of debate on. The second thing is, you have to look at whether or not the project is needed and whether or not theres a feasible and prudent alternative. What has changed, Mattei said, is that meeting EIS requirements has become more difficult for industry as environmental advocacy groups have become better at producing detailed, science-based arguments about the environment and well researched arguments about the economy. Courts are recognizing those arguments, even as the government agencies issuing permits dont. The pipeline industry is treating the court losses as distractions, while expecting consumer demand for the fossil fuels to determine the future. We have certainly seen some recent, high-profile examples of some groups trying to use the courts to delay individual projects and gain attention for themselves or their causes, said John Stoody of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines. However, the biggest impact on future pipeline construction will continue to be consumer demand for lower-cost energy. The American public needs and wants affordable energy to make ends meet and lead their daily lives. Both Dakota Access Pipeline owner Energy Transfer and Keystone Owner TC Energy are members of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines. The COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily reduced the demand for oil, Stoody said, but the pipeline industrys expectation is the demand will bounce back and with it a need for pipelines. Oils recovery might not be as easy as shaking the pandemic. The annual average closing price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil, a U.S. oil pricing bench mark, has surpassed $60 a barrel only once in the last six years. Before a 2014 crash, driven by over supply, annual average closing prices were greater than $90 a barrel for four straight years. The earlier prices are what drove the oil boom in North Dakota, Wyoming, and Alberta, where the price of extracting oil and getting it to market is high. The expense of the getting Northern Tier oil out of the ground has dropped considerably, allowing business to continue following a purge of over-leveraged oil operators. But the break-even point is still challenging. In Alberta, where oil trapped in the Canadian tar sands is mined by dragline and truck, the wait for the Keystone XL pipeline, dating back to 2008, spans the boom and bust of North American crude. The current West Texas Intermediate price of $40 a barrel wont cover the costs of producing most of Albertas crude, according to energy researcher Rystad Energy. As reported by The Economist this week, Rystad estimates that 42% of Canadas oil can be produced at $60 a barrel based on the global benchmark set by Brent Crude, which is usually a few dollars better than the West Texas Intermediate rate. At $40 a barrel, the amount of Canadian oil that can be produced without losing money drops to 16%, according Rystad. In March, it was Alberta, not private investors, that committed $1.5 billion to Keystone XL construction, along with a $6 billion loan guarantee, to backstop the pipelines construction. Albertas economy was already in a five-year slump tied to the late 2014 end of the oil boom Our economy is undergoing the largest contraction since the Great Depression, with hundreds of thousands of layoffs. And on top of it all, our biggest industry has been hammered by the lowest energy prices in decades, thanks in part to the OPEC-Russia price war, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, explained when announcing the Keystone subsidy in March. We are coping with these enormous economic challenges after five years of stagnation. Without Dakota Access in North Dakota, the price buyers are willing to pay for Bakken crude would decrease as the cost of getting get oil to market went up. Already Bakken oil sells for about $8 less than the $40 per barrel West Texas Intermediate price, says that local rule of thumb. State officials expect another $5 reduction if DAPL goes offline. Up to 570,000 barrels of oil courses through DAPL daily and would need a way to market. With Dakota Access, pipelines have the capacity to carry 1.3 million barrels per day of oil out of the Bakken. Without Dakota Access, pipelines have the capacity to carry just 700,000 barrels per day out of the Bakken. Those figures are from the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, a state agency. The environmental impact statement ordered by U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg is expected to take at least 13 months. And theres the possibility the results of the EIS could go against the pipeline. Boasbergs original order to shut down and drain the pipeline is on hold. North Dakota grain groups have expressed concern about rail congestion, should the number of 100-plus oil car unit trains increase; BNSF says the concern is unwarranted. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which has fought the pipeline in court for four years, hailed the judges ruling as a significant victory. The line crosses under the Missouri River in North Dakota just north of the tribes reservation, and tribal members worry a spill could devastate their water supply. Dakota Access Pipeline owner, Energy Transfer said in an email that the Dakota Access Pipeline has not had any incidents on its 1,200 miles of mainline pipe that is underground. There have been a few incidents, the largest less than 2 barrels, that have occurred on our property that were immediately contained and fully remediated. These environmental impact statements, court ordered and done after permits are issued, and in DAPLs case, after the pipeline has been built and put to use, are not just perfunctory, said Cecilia Segel, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Segel who has worked extensively on the Keystone XL pipeline litigation, said the court-ordered EIS should be taken seriously. In 2017, NRDC was part of a group of plaintiffs that sued over a Keystone XL environmental impact statement done by the State Department, then overseen by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The State Department had ignored requirements of the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, skipping several required steps. The State Department, papered over the errors in its first EIS in its response to the court, Segel said. Consequently, plaintiffs this week sued again. Segel disagrees with observers who credit better arguments for the legal success of groups like NRDC in pipeline lawsuits. Whats increased are the number of legally required steps being disregarded by the federal government agencies rushing to permit projects. That increase is directly tied to the Trump Administration, she said. Weve certainly seen a higher frequency of agencies cutting corners, which I think is reflective of President Trump coming in and, within a week of taking office, announcing that he wants to streamline approvals and reviews for both Keystone XL and Dakota Access," Segel said. "(Trump) has taken a few other steps throughout the past three and a half years to indicate that it's a priority for him to be speeding these and other projects through the system. And, that's why the approach is "backfiring," she said. "because the agencies are cutting corners. Theyre hell bent on rushing these reviews through the system and then what happens is we see these shoddy assessments that just dont hold up in court." And, that's why environmental groups keep winning the decisions, she added. "For NRDC, our win rate for the cases that have been resolved to date against the Trump Administration is hovering around 90%, Segel said. Thats a pretty unprecedented rate against the federal government. Bismarck Tribune reporter Amy R. Sisk contributed to this report. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-20 01:31:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi Sunday vowed to apply strict measures against the violators of the health restrictions after the health authorities decided earlier to ease some restrictions. "Health and awareness teams from the Health Ministry will follow up the implementation of preventive measures during easing of the restrictions approved by the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, and there will be strict measures against those who violate these decisions," al-Tamimi said in a press release. On July 16, the committee, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided to reduce the hours of the partial curfew, except for the full curfew on days of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It 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's 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. Al-Tamimi called on the citizens to abide by the health instructions to keep social distancing and refrain from gatherings, asserting that the number of testing capacity has increased in the country to 17,000 per day, and will increase more gradually. His comments came as the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 2,310 COVID-19 cases during the day, bringing the total nationwide infections to 92,530. The ministry reported 90 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 3,781. It also said that 2,036 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 60,528. 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 Feng Yi, 26, a homestay project planner in Zhengzhou, Henan province I had little understanding of homestays until I went to Taiwan on a one-year student exchange in 2015. I became interested in the industry and was introduced to a magical new world. In 2016, when I graduated from Henan Normal University, I was lucky enough to meet a designer who was starting a homestay project in Moganshan, a leisure tourism and summer resort in Zhejiang province. I participated in the construction and decoration of the homestay, which allowed me to learn how to start a project from scratch and the skills needed to run the business. More than 60 houses of different design styles, including Nordic and Japanese, were constructed on land that lay idle and we also renovated an abandoned factorywe transformed the plant's sewage tank into a swimming pool. During the reconstruction period, I came to realize that a homestay is not just about building houses or providing accommodations, but also a way of innovating and creating a tourist culture. I fell in love with the industry at that time. The following year, I used some savings to open my own homestay in Wuzhen, an ancient water township in Zhejiang. It was a way of putting what I had learned into practice, broadening my horizons and learning more about the industry. Later, I returned to Zhengzhou, my hometown, and joined a tourism and culture company as a homestay project planner. As a result, I have traveled around the country in the past two years. By making full use of the environmental and geographical resources in different villages, including those by lakes, in valleys or by the coast, the company has opened different themed homestays nationwide in recent years. For example, the homestay in Hainan province is our major seaside project to fill the gaps in the industry during winter. Although Hainan has outstanding natural views and tourism resources, the quality of service in provincial village homestays is not good enough and the supporting infrastructure, such as expressway gas stations and the catering in villages, also needs to be improved. I have figured out that the best way to improve the homestay industry and boost village revitalization is to strike a balance between residents, village authorities and investors or developers, such as my company. Sometimes, it is easy to find a village to transform into a homestay locationthe big difficulty is convincing the residents that they will benefit from the business and encourage the authorities to integrate and use idle land. Usually, when the three parties join hands and reach agreement, a village homestay project is close to becoming a reality. Feng Yi spoke with Cao Yin. Coverage of the protests in the United States against police brutality and systemic racism has received widespread attention across Germany, encouraging immigrant groups here to speak up against what they say are years of being stopped by officers at random, based solely on their appearance or skin color. Police in Germany have long been widely respected by a majority of the public, but have come under sharper criticism and more frequent attacks since the protests that have swept the United States. Asked what he thought was behind the violence, Chief Bereswill said several elements had come together, including an aggressive mood fueled by alcohol, but also the public debate in Germany over racial profiling by police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by an officer in Minneapolis in May. At least some of the 39 people initially detained in the melee came from a migrant background, the police said, without offering further details. The accusation of racial profiling that is very present in society right now, he said, adding that the issue of police violence in the United States has spilled over to Germany and the German police are falsely being compared to the U.S. police. Roger Stone walks out of a federal courthouse following a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 25, 2019. (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press) To the editor: Columnist Jonah Goldberg omits President George H.W. Bush's pardons, not merely commutations, of six defendants relating to the Iran-Contra scandal, four of whom were already convicted or had pleaded guilty. ("It's Roger Stone's Republican Party now," Opinion, July 13). Lawrence Walsh, the special prosecutor, said: "It demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office deliberately abusing the public trust without consequence." Those pardons effectively closed any further investigation, which likely included Bush's own role in the scandal. And, just like President Trump, William Barr was Bush's attorney general at the time. So no, this isn't Roger Stone's party. This is, and has been, the Republican Party. Alice P. Neuhauser, Manhattan Beach .. To the editor: I am not a conspiracy theorist. I know we did land on the moon, and that Hillary Clinton was not running a child sex ring in a Washington pizza parlor. However, I question why Trump is toadying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and giving Stone a "get out of jail free" card. Since we know that our president has no discernible foreign policy and is clearly devoid of compassion, what can explain his actions? Barbara H. Bergen, Los Angeles There has been a rash of arson and vandalism directed against European churches, most notably in France. The London Times reports: Recent incidents have included a fire in Saint-Sulpice church in Paris, human excrement smeared on the wall in Notre-Dame-des-Enfants church in Nimes, southern France, and vandalism of the organ at Saint-Denis basilica outside Paris, where all but three of Frances kings are buried. *** Figures released by French police showed that 875 of Frances 42,258 churches were vandalised last year. Thefts were reported in a further 129. The interior ministry said that 59 cemeteries were also vandalised. And the Times doesnt mention the arson that threatened to destroy Nantes Cathedral. HappilyI guessFrance still hasnt approached the record set in 2017, of 1,045 acts of vandalism against churches. The same thing is going on in the United States: A week of vandalism and arson have left churches in the United States damaged but Church leaders and parishioners prayerful. Statues of Jesus and Mary were beheaded or spray-painted, doors were covered with graffiti, and churches were burned, one quite clearly an act of arson. The linked article goes on to describe acts of vandalism against Christian churches in Queens, New York; Ocala, Florida; Los Angeles; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Boston; New Haven, Connecticut; and Calgary, Alberta. What is going on here? The most straightforward explanation is that the forces of anarchism, socialism and anti-Americanism that have been unleashed in recent months are literally demonic. A recent case of the Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal's Mumbai bench has come to light, which brought the confirmation of an undisclosed income of Rs 196 crore in a Swiss bank account in the hands of an elderly taxpayer, who was its 'beneficial' owner . According to a Times of India report, the senior citizen now has to pay tax plus penalties on this unaccounted income. The woman, Renu Tharani, who case was heard by ITAT, is in her eighties. The report mentions that she is the sole-discretionary-beneficiary of the Swiss bank account which is held by the Tharani family trust in HSBC Geneva. The account was opened in July 2004 in the name of GWU Investments which is an entity based in Cayman Islands. This company, in its capacity as the settlor, had transferred funds to the family trust. Also read: Package With Gold Bars Worth Rs 1.5 Crore Found On Swiss Train, Authorities Search For Owner Reuters According to a few I-T officials who spoke to TOI, "Beneficiaries of overseas trusts deny foreign bank accounts. Secondly, taxpayers change their tax status to that of a non-resident, as NRIs do not pay tax in India on overseas income. In this case, the I-T officer submitted to ITAT that unaccounted money is deposited in Swiss bank accounts through a complex web of overseas trusts, entities and use of nominee directors. The I-T departments investigation wing had got a base note that Tharani was a beneficial owner of a Swiss bank account that had been opened in July 2004, and as this was not disclosed in her accounts or I-T return for the financial year 2005-06, the matter was re-opened. A notice for re-opening was served on October 31, 2014. ITAT concurred with this course of action." Also read: Section 192 Of Income Tax Act : Heres Everything You Need To Know Tharani submitted an affidavit that she did not have any bank account with HSBC Geneva and was also not a shareholder or a director in GWU Investments. She also claimed to be a non-resident and contested the alleged income, and that it cannot be taxed in her hands. The ITAT bench comprised of Pramod Kumar who is the vice-president and Amarjit Singh who is a judicial member, made several pertinent observations in the detailed 55-page order. TOI Back in 2005-06, Tharani had declared a meagre income of Rs 1.7 lakh. She provided a Bengaluru address and had shown her status as that of a tax resident in India. The bench acknowledged the residential status as shown in the I-T return was not 'non-resident'. However, she now submitted that this was the first year of her 'non-residential' status. Even if one goes by this submission, it is unrealistic to assume in a short period of a year, nearly Rs 200 crore at her disposal in the Swiss Bank account, reflects income earned outside India. Based on her previous income declaration, it would have taken her more than 11,500 years to earn the amount stashed in the Swiss bank account. Also read: How These Three Infosys Techies Got Busted For 'Taking Bribe' To Clear Income Tax Returns TOI The taxpayer is not a public personality like Mother Teresa, that some person with complete anonymity will settle a trust to give her $ 4 million and in any case, Cayman Islands (where GWU Investments was set up) is not known for philanthropists operating from there. If Cayman Islands is known for anything relevant, it is known for an atmosphere conducive to hiding unaccounted wealth and money laundering and that does not advance the case of the taxpayer, noted ITAT. The ITAT further noted the taxpayer did not sign the consent waiver form, which would have enabled the I-T department to seek relevant information from the overseas bank. Thus, she cannot decline the correctness of the details obtained by the I-T officer. Victorian state premier Daniel Andrews will deliver bad news at a COVID-19 press conference if he is wearing a suit, according to conspiracy theories. Some social media users claim they can tell if the latest coronavirus updates will be good or bad based on Mr Andrew's attire or even the time of the press conference. Mr Andrews addresses the public daily to provide the latest number of coronavirus cases in the state. One theorist claims a suit indicates Mr Andrews will deliver 'bad news' while wearing a black North Face jacket indicates 'not so bad news'. Victorian state premier Daniel Andrews will deliver bad news at a COVID-19 press conference if he is wearing a suit, according to conspiracy theories One theorist claims a suit indicates Mr Andrews will deliver 'bad news' while a north face jacket indicates 'not so bad news' 'I've cracked the code...' the post proudly read on Twitter, before explaining what he believes the difference between the suit and jacket meant. Another person commented: 'So that means if he wears a tie we are stuffed.' Others have stepped in to defend Mr Andrews and shoot down the conspiracy. 'The North Face comes out on weekends,' one person said. Another one added: 'I think we have bigger issues than the fashion rotations of the Premier.' One person chose to make light of the situation with a tongue-in-cheek response. 'If he turns up in his pyjamas... I think it means we are LOCKED DOWN for real... as in this is NOT a drill.' Other conspiracy theorists claim the time of day is an indication of the type of news Mr Andrews will deliver to the public. When the second wave was beginning in Victoria, Mr Andrews moved his daily media updates to the afternoon instead of the regular 11am timeslot. 'We've been trying to crack the code at work for a few weeks,' one person commented. 'Before lunch ... Bad ish news. After lunch s*** gets serious and we fear the worst. Now this ads [sic] another layer to it.' Another one added: 'Any presser after 2pm. Ain't good news.' Online trolls are doing the rounds on social media claiming they can tell if the latest coronavirus updates will be good or bad based on Mr Andrew's attire or even the time of the press conference Victoria has recorded 363 fresh COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, prompting a move to make face masks mandatory in coming days. Two men and a woman, aged in their 90s, with the virus have died, taking the state's death toll to 38, Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday. The national toll is now 122. There are 2837 active cases across the state, with 130 people in hospital, of those 28 are in intensive care. Thirty-six of the new cases are linked to outbreaks and 327 cases are under investigation. Mr Andrews announced face masks will be mandatory for people who leave their homes in metropolitan Melbourne and in the Mitchell Shire from 11.59pm on Wednesday, with fines of $200 for non-compliance. he Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote back thanking him for the gesture Prince Harry has thanked an author who sent him a book aimed to help children deal with the heartache of losing a parent. UK-based writer Mark Lemon penned 'The Magical Wood' after his own father James was murdered 28 years ago. The dad-of-two posted a copy of the kids book to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after admiring how Prince Harry and William had coped with the death of their mother. Mark, 41, was just 12 when his dad was stabbed to death - the same age as Harry was when Princess Diana died in 1997. Prince Harry lost his mother Dianna in a car crash at the age of 12 - the same aged Mr Lenon was when his father was murdered. Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Commonwealth Day Service on March 09, 2020 in London Author Mark Lemon received a royal thanks after posting a copy of his child bereavement book to Prince Harry. Pictured with wife Simone, 43 and their children Otis, nine and Thea, five The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's representative replied to the author stating that the royal couple were 'very grateful' that he had thought of them (pictured) He was chuffed when he received a letter back from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - whose son Archie is now one. He said: 'As someone affected by grief and trauma as a child, I felt compelled to send a copy of my children's bereavement title The Magical Wood to them. 'I have a huge amount of admiration for the way that both Prince William and Harry have coped with their grief throughout their lives. 'It felt strange writing to them, I wasn't expecting a reply due to how busy they are.' The dad-of-two posted a copy of the kids book (pictured) to the royal couple after admiring how he and Prince William had coped with the death of their mother Mr Lemon of Bristol added: 'I remember the knock at the door to be greeted by the postman. 'The postman asked me to sign for a delivery and when I looked at the letter I saw the royal crest, it gave me immediate goosebumps. 'I never expected to receive a reply, so to hold a letter in my hands from Kensington Palace was an incredible feeling.' Mr Lemon - married to Simone, 43 and dad to Otis, nine and Thea, five, added: 'It fills me with a huge amount of pride to know that The Magical Wood is on their bookshelves. 'You never know how, or where, an idea will end up and this is why I am so proud to have received a letter of reply from them.' Mark, 41, was just 12 when his dad was stabbed to death (pictured with his dad) - the same age as Harry when Princess Diana died in 1997 Mr Lemon posted the letter from the royal couple on Instagram with the caption, stating that he felt the book had made 'ripples across the lake' The letter received back from the royal couple read: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have asked me to write and thank you for your letter, kindly enclosing a copy of your book, 'The Magical Wood', which was written to help children suffering from the bereavement of a parent or loved one. 'Their Royal Highnesses were grateful to you for thinking to send them a copy of this book and to know that you are donating proceeds from each copy sold to the childrens' bereavement charity, 'Winston's Wish' 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have me send you their best wishes.' Mr Lemon posted the letter on Instagram. He said: 'A letter of reply from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. At the start of writing The Magical Wood I pictured myself standing at the edge of a lake holding a stone. 'I threw the stone into the water and it created a ripple effect. The stone continued to skim across the water, creating more ripples across the lake. 'Each ripple represents an individual that The Magical Wood has touched along the way.' We cant keep telling men of the cloth, over and over again that there is a long-standing invitation for all political parties to join dialogue, the parameters of which have been established. What we seem to be getting from the persistent calls from the church as represented by Mtata and company is not so much to get national dialogue but one of trying to broker bilateral interaction between two political players, but more critically, when you look at the other side of the bilateral meeting and the problems they have, you are tempted to conclude that this is in fact a rescue package to a stressedpolitical party that is wrapped under the cloth of lofty good intentions for a national dialogue. Schools in England are set to receive a 2.2billion boost as Boris Johnson promises all children a superb education. Most state school pupils will have an increase in Government funding of at least 3 per cent next year. Mr Johnson said secondary schools will get at least 5,150 per pupil up from 5,000 this year while primaries will receive a minimum 4,000, up from 3,750. Boris Johnson has promised all children in England 'a superb education' as schools are set to receive a 2.2billion boost in Government funding Schools in historically well-funded London will see slightly smaller increases per pupil than in other regions as part of ministers ambitions to level up the Midlands and North. Smaller schools and those in remote rural areas will enjoy extra cash after the formula was changed to redress underfunding. The Prime Minister said: Every child deserves a superb education regardless of which school they attend or where they happened to grow up. That is why we are providing additional funding now and for the future for every school, with those historically underfunded receiving the greatest increase. The Department for Education (DfE) said schools would also benefit from the Governments 1billion Covid-19 catch-up package to make up for lost teaching time during the pandemic. A secondary school with 1,000 pupils will receive 80,000 while a 200-pupil primary will get 16,000. The funding increase is the second instalment of a three-year settlement up to 2022 which will see annual spending rise by 7.1billion over the period. Mr Johnson will today visit a school in the South East to promote the funding boost. The Department for Education said schools will also benefit from the Governments 1billion Covid-19 catch-up package to make up for lost teaching time due to the global pandemic Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: We are pleased the Government is delivering on its promise to improve school funding with this second year of its three-year plan for extra investment. But we are disappointed that it has so far failed to recognise the impending financial impact on schools of safely bringing back pupils from September. He stressed that these seemingly enormous sums are spread across more than 21,000 schools and eight million pupils. Labour education spokesman Kate Green said: The fact is schools will still be worse off in 2023 than they were in 2010 under these plans as a direct result of the Conservatives decision to cut budgets. Far more must be done for every child to have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The new financial plans come after ministers announced thousands of school places would be created for children with special needs and disabilities. The DfE said 35 special free schools, opening from September 2022, will provide children with tailored support and specialist equipment. Its a good thing there was photographic evidence establishing that acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf actually visited Portland last week. Because based on his florid statement about our city under siege, a reasonable person would assume the entire city is in flames and no one can go outside safely at night. In Wolfs Portland, a mob that escalates violence day after day has been terrorizing the city. He paints a picture of the Wild West or a future dystopia where lawlessness abounds, and local authorities sanction criminality. And in go-for-broke hyperbole, Wolf equates vandalism of the federal courthouse with an attack on America itself. Yes, parts of downtown have been trashed. Many public and private buildings have been shuttered to protect them from further damage. But lets call Wolfs visit what it is: A political play by a Trump appointee using Portland as the backdrop. He is seizing the opportunity to create a false narrative of the federal government saving the day. In truth, federal intervention has only made things worse. Its telling that in Wolfs extensive listing of incidents over the past several weeks, he neglects to mention the most violent act of these protests a deputy U.S. marshals shooting of Donavan La Bella in the face with an impact munition. Video shows nothing suggesting that La Bella, 26, who was standing across the street from the federal courthouse holding a speaker over his head, was a threat to anyone. Yet a federal law enforcement officer fired, fracturing La Bellas skull and critically injuring him. That Wolf would fail to even acknowledge such a severe injury exposes how suspect his definition of violence is. But while state and local officials are right to demand that federal officers stand down, they also must take responsibility for allowing turmoil in downtown Portlands conflict zone to persist as long as it has. While the apocalyptic picture described by Wolf belongs in a novel, four blocks in the citys core shows the scars of the after-hours destruction that has followed protests over the past several weeks. Elsewhere, plywood now covers storefronts and office buildings, casting a pall of desertion over our normally vibrant downtown. And the protests, now in their eighth week, have taken their toll on a police force vital to the community in ways ranging from stopping reckless drivers to responding to a spate of shootings in recent weeks. Portland needs its leaders the city council, county leaders, Portland-area state legislators and the governor to say with a unified voice that protests that devolve into destruction have no place in our city. Unfortunately, its been easier for most of them to keep silent, weighing in only to condemn police tactics as opposed to embracing their responsibility as leaders to bring the community together. Its understandable why politicians would prefer to duck the issue or leave it to Mayor Ted Wheeler, as police commissioner, and City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, as a longtime police reformer, to address. Policing protests particularly demonstrations in which police themselves are the entity being protested is an exceedingly difficult responsibility to execute and a politically fraught issue to navigate. The nationwide scourge of police brutality, particularly against Black people, is entrenched and abhorrent. And the shared certainty that something, somehow must change makes it politically risky to stand for any semblance real or perceived of supporting the status quo. But leadership requires bridging gaps and pulling the community together toward common goals: racial justice, community harmony and economic prosperity. Those are not mutually exclusive. But instead of articulating that vision, our elected leaders are either staying silent, like Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, or adding fuel to the fire, like House Speaker Tina Kotek in her criticism of police based on erroneous information. Gov. Kate Brown, too, has sporadically issued detached statements that seem to treat Portland as an island unto itself as opposed to the states largest city and her longtime home. Instead, the people who have stepped into the breach have been leaders in the Black community, like education activist Ron Herndon, former state Sen. Avel Gordly and Kairos PDX executive director Kali Thorne Ladd. They have called out the presence of white individuals who use the Black Lives Matter movement as cover for their own agendas. They have spoken up against destruction of businesses, noting some have also damaged Black-owned stores. And despite unwavering insistence on police reform, they have also supported police officers and the role they play in protecting public safety. Protest is fundamentally an act of patriotism. It reflects a belief that our community can and must do better to live up to the principles on which our country was founded. It provides a dramatic show of support for making those changes and has been the impetus for many of the gains our country has made. But we must also recognize that protest, by itself, doesnt secure permanent change. Its effectiveness depends on a groundswell of community support for leaders to adopt, legislate and invest in systemic reforms that persist and change how people live, learn, work and thrive. Unfortunately, protests that turn destructive invite the greater community to turn away or allow opportunists the backdrop on which to impose their own narrative of what is happening. Its not enough to tell the federal government to butt out. Our elected leaders and the community must all step in. -The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board Subscribe to our free weekly Oregon Opinion newsletter. Email: Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police have arrested a man who tricked poor people into selling their kidneys for a small sum and then hawking them for a huge premium to people requiring dialysis. Investigation of this racket has led the police to four hospitals in Sri Lanka and Turkey. The Banjara Hills police named the man as Dogiparthi Shanmukha Pavan Srinivas, 25, once upon a time an aircraft maintenance engineer. He came to police notice when a woman B. Bharathi lodged a written complaint at the Banjara Hills police station stating that her husband Nagaraj was cheated out of Rs 34 lakh by this man. Bharathi said she and her husband got aquainted with Srinivas at the dialysis treatment facility of a private hospital. In due course, Srinivas said he could arrange a kidney donor through his sources in Sri Lanka or Turkey. He said it would cost Rs 34 lakh. Police have found that Srinivass donors were in face poor people whom he would bait on social media and persuade them to donate their kidneys for a small sum of money. Joint commissioner of police A.R. Srinivas said the tout is suspected of striking some 30 such deals, in nine of which he was directly involved. In one case, the recipient died during the operation. Investigations also found that Dogiparthi Shanmukha Pavan Srinivas was detained for two and a half years in Sri Lanka for illegal stay, and was deported to India in April 2018. Prior to becoming a kidney tout, he used to work as in aircraft maintenance. He invested his money in the stock market and lost it. He told the police he wanted to kill himself then. But then in 2013 he came in contact with a person on social media who persuaded him to donate his kidney for Rs 6 lakh. With that amount he cleared all his debts. Impressed by the money he could make, he decided to enter the racket himself. He now faces charges under Sections 406 of IPC (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 IPC (cheating case). He is now in judicial custody. Islamabads acting envoy to New Delhi, Syed Haider Shah, was on Saturday summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), where senior officials lodged a strong protest over unprovoked violation of ceasefire by Pakistan Army resulting in the death of children and two other Indian citizens. A child and two other Indians were killed and another child was injured when the Pakistan Army opened fire flouting the truce along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati Sector in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The deceased persons belonged to the same family. India condemns, in the strongest terms, the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by Pakistan forces, the MEA stated in a press release. Twenty-one Indians have been killed and 94 injured in over 2,711 unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistani Army personnel and the border guards. India also protested Pakistans continued support to cross border terrorist infiltration into India, including supporting cover fire provided by Pakistani Army on the LoC. Over the weeks since the pandemic took the world over, the narratives around the disease, including the availability of a vaccine, the mortality rate of the disease, the virus being air-borne versus otherwise, etc. have tweaked as per newer revelations. Adding to the list of narratives is also an analysis that was recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, stating that people with COVID-19 are as infectious before they develop symptoms as they are when infected with the disease. The article also reiterates that people who are 60 years and above are most susceptible to infection. One thing that has, however, remained a constant in all this is the possibility of slowing the virus by maintaining social distancing and the proper use of masks and hygiene in public places. Initially, when the COVID-19 pandemic had just set in, the WHO had framed certain guidelines to tackle the spread of the disease. Defining social distancing, it recommended three to six meters as an adequate distance between two people. However, as India gradually emerges from a three-month lockdown with the COVID-19 numbers continuing to skyrocket, the alarming trend among Indias richestgathering private parties at homes etc.threatens to catalyse the further spread of the contagion. Dont stand so close While experts understand that practising social distancing could get tricky in large groups, experts share concerns and warnings about the risky in inviting even close friends and relations home especially in the current situation. Especially because 40 per cent of those infected with COVID-19 do not display any signs or symptoms of infection, there is a silent spread of the disease, which is becoming most dangerous, Dr Guru N Reddy, founder promoter and director of Continental Hospitals. Health experts across the world have been recommending group sizes of not more than ten to twenty individuals, depending on the circumstances. In India, too, a group of 10 might seem rather reasonable and implementable. Unfortunately, however, it appears that even this is becoming a huge challenge for many. Intuitively, it is difficult to measure the right distance between two people or a group of people. So while signs, cartoons and directions can visually help for people to understand and follow, unless every citizen nurtures social distancing as a concept from their heart, mind and soul, we cannot prevent the further spread of COVID-19. On the other hand, if we strictly follow social distancing, this silent spread can be enormously curtailed and reduce the spread of infection. Self-regulatory Dr A.V. Gurava Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, Sunshine Hospitals, is unapologetic while sharing his concerns on the trend. If the rich behave like spoilt kids, my prayers are with them, says Dr Gurava Reddy. If you choose to get even 50-100 of your close friends for pubbing at home and they mingle and dance with each other there, it can be dangerous. But the question is who will regulate these mini gatherings. And this is not about the rich or the poor it is the individual sense of social responsibility among citizens, which deters our countrys battle against the pandemic. In most so-called advanced countries, it is not the so-called riches but the social responsibility that every citizen feels that has deterred the pandemic, something that seems to be missing in India. Be a hero; wear a mask A greater part of the risk of acquiring the COVID-19 infection seems to be from socially interacting with even known family members or friends who could be asymptomatic. However, Dr Guru N Reddy thinks one can mitigate this risk significantly by wearing a mask. Most family members interact with the external world and sundry delivery services and domestic workers etc. every day, and can certainly become a cause for the virus to spread, he explains. Hence, in this situation, if someone shows symptoms, he/she should get tested and do a quick contact tracing and implement standard isolation practices. Also, the virus is airborne and viral particles remain suspended in air as droplets for a certain number of hours particularly after a strong cough or sneeze. And even prolonged periods of particularly loud talking can entail risk of transmitting the virus in spite of wearing a mask. So also, it is important to remember that the risk of COVID-19 transmission is not mitigated even among a small group of friends or family, although by wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing, you can certainly reduce it significantly. Cleaning & disinfecting While agreeing that there is nothing like a hundred per cent in this world particularly when dealing with a pandemic, Dr Guru N Reddy reminds us the various standard disinfectant procedures recommended for cleaning ones areas of living, working including your desks, computers, etc. do help. The universal importance of hygiene cannot be undermined for anyone either at home or their workplace. For the most part, standard sanitizing and disinfectant procedures with simple chemicals are sufficiently adequate, the doctor adds. The major game changer for an individual is proper hand washing and use of recommended antiseptic solutions for hand hygiene. One should also not become paranoid and obsessed with constant cleaning and using unnecessary chemicalsthis will not only be a futile exercise but also can cause damage to objects and be injurious to ones health. Risk of COVID-19 from surface tops According to a study published in the City and Environment Interaction journal, the lack of adequate ventilation in homes and offices increases the risk of airborne spread of the novel coronavirus. The study also states that preventing such transmissions should be the next front of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Adding to the perspective, Dr AV Gurava Reddy states that infection from virus on surfaces is rare and one doesnt have to be much concerned about it. There are much fewer chances of catching the viruses present on door handles, laptops and surfaces than it is to contract them via airborne transmission, he explains. Touching contaminated objects with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. If all those in a room wear masks and stay at least six feet apart from each other, the chance of transmission is less than three percent even if one of them is a corona positive. That is how important masks and social distancing are. US federal law enforcement officers are coming down on protesters in Portland under the Trump administrations new executive order to protect monuments in the country. There are several videos online that highlight the brutality of police, showing officers without clear identification badges using force on protesters. Unmarked vehicles have also been used to transport arrested protesters. Current situation in Portland According to reports, a US Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said, on July 17 agents were deployed to Portland to support a newly launched US Department of Homeland Security unit. This unit was launched with the aim of enforcing last months executive order from President Donald Trump to protect federal monuments and buildings. She added, these agents have been trained for operations in chaotic environments. Read: US: 'Black Lives Matter' Mural Outside Trump Tower Defaced Again All of this started after the killing of a 45 year old African American man, named, George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25. Since then, protesters gather daily outside the US federal building to protest against police brutality and racism. Reports suggest that the crowd at times exceed the mark of 10,000. There haven been instances of the police using tear gas on protesters drawing graffiti on walls. This stopped when Governor Brown banned its use except in riots during early July. Read: Tear Gas Fired At Rally Against Police Brutality And Injustice One of the videos posted online shows an officer manhandling a protester into a dark minivan. To this, the CBS spokeswoman said that the agency had information that the person was suspected of assaults against federal agents and was also involved in destruction of federal property. Another video shows an officer shoving away medics to aid someone. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers have also been helping DHSs Federal Protective Service. Media reports suggest federal agents had arrested 13 people, however there has been no immediate confirmation from the authorities. Read: George Floyd Death: Major Police Reforms Put In Motion Across United States Also Read: George Floyd's Death: 'Tell My Kids, I Love Them,' Transcript Reveals His Last Moments (Image Credits: Pixabay) Iran's foreign minister has held a series of meetings with top officials in Baghdad as Iraq's new prime minister seeks to balance complex regional ties. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on July 19 met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Salih, the head of Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council, Faeq Zeidan, and the leaders of some parliamentary blocs. Zarif will also travel to Irbil to meet with officials in the autonomous Kurdish region. Several hours after Zarif landed in Baghdad, three mortar shells struck the heavily fortified Green Zone, where Iraq's government and many foreign embassies are located. No casualties were reported. The high-level Iranian visit to Baghdad comes as Kadhimi heads to Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, on July 20, followed a day later by an official visit to Tehran. In Saudi Arabia, Kadhimi will meet Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to work on expanding economic cooperation, while in Iran he is expected to meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The trips have heightened speculation that Iraq may seek a mediating role to sooth regional tensions between Tehran and Riyadh in a bid to avoid their rivalry playing out in Iraq. Iraq is walking a tricky tightrope trying to balance its close economic, political, and security ties with Iran, while expanding relations with Tehran's rival gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia. "Iraq seeks to assert its balanced and positive role in making peace and progress in the region," Kadhimi tweeted after the meeting with Zarif. After meeting with Foreign Minister Hussein, Zarif said a strong and peaceful Iraq is inseparable from the security of Iran. "For us, a strong Iraq, a peaceful and tranquil Iraq, and an Iraq with good and constructive relations with all of its neighbors is a synonym to our own strength, tranquility, stability, and peace," Zarif said. The former chief of Iraqi intelligence, Kadhimi emerged as a compromise candidate for the premiership in May with the tacit support of Tehran, Washington, and Riyadh. He came to the premiership after his predecessor was forced to resign under the pressure of months of mass protests against corruption, poor services, and Iranian influence in the country. Iraq also seeks to avoid becoming a battleground in escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, which has some 5,000 troops based in the country. The U.S. troops have supported Iraq's fight against the Islamic State extremist group but are viewed by Iran as a threat. Iraq's concerns about becoming a proxy battlefield have been heightened since a U.S. drone strike in January in Baghdad killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the leader of the Iran-backed Kataib Hizbullah militia and deputy head of Iraq's state-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Units. That drone strike led Iran to retaliate by firing missiles at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops and came close to unleashing a full-blown war between Iran and the United States. Since taking up office in May, Kadhimi has struggled to fulfill a promise to rein in Iran-backed paramilitary groups, which are accused of carrying out rocket attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic facilities. In late June, Iraqi security forces detained 14 members of Kataib Hizbullah during a raid in Baghdad, saying that they were planning attacks on U.S. interests. Under pressure, the government released all but one of the militia members days later, in a sign of how difficult it will be for the state to control paramilitary groups. Kadhimi is also set to visit Washington in the coming weeks. In addition to addressing their security relationship, the United States is urging Iraq to develop its diplomatic and economic ties to its Persian Gulf neighbors. In particular, the United States has pressured Iraq to end its electricity dependence on Iran by expanding energy ties with Gulf Cooperation Council members. With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters Robots that can cook are in growing demand in the United States. The increased demand comes at a time when eateries are trying to put some distance between their workers and customers during the coronavirus health crisis. In a few weeks, White Castle restaurants will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and other foods. The robot, called Flippy, is a product of Miso Robotics, a company based in Pasadena, California. White Castle and Miso have been discussing a partnership for about a year. Those talks intensified when COVID-19 arrived, said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson. Richardson said the robot can free up employees for other jobs like cleaning tables or taking food delivery orders. A touch-free environment is also increasingly important to customers, he said. The world has just reshaped in terms of thoughts around food safety, Richardson said. Flippy currently costs $30,000, with an additional $1,500 required for monthly service. By the middle of next year, Miso hopes to offer the robot to restaurant operators for free but require a higher monthly fee. Robot food service was becoming popular even before the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals, college dining areas and other places tried to meet demand for food while keeping labor costs low. Robot chefs appeared at places like Creator, a restaurant in San Francisco. Now, some say, robots may become necessary for the food service industry. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the risk of getting COVID-19 from touching or eating food outside the home is low. Yet there have been several outbreaks of disease reported among restaurant employees and customers. Vipin Jain is the co-founder and head of Blendid, a Silicon Valley startup company. I expect in the next two years you will see pretty significant robotic adoption in the food space because of COVID, Jain said. Max Elder is research director of the Food Futures Lab at the California-based Institute for the Future. Elder wonders about the future of robots once the pandemic has eased. Food is so personal, and it needs to involve humans, he said. Elder also worries about other problems in the food system - like outbreaks among meat industry workers or workers collecting fruit and vegetables. He also talked about the limits of automation the process of replacing human workers with robot workers. We cant automate our way out of the pandemic because the pandemic affects much more than what can be automated, Elder said. Automated food companies say that they are not trying to replace human workers. At White Castle, Richardson says Flippy will give restaurants the ability to move workers to drive-thru lanes or redeploy them if other employees call in sick. But, some observers say, robots can lower the demand for labor. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, cafe workers used to spend six hours per day making salads, notes Tonya Johnson, the schools director of nutrition services. But two years ago, the university added a Sally, a kind of robot that now makes around 40 salads per day. By adding Sally, the school was able to remove a job opening in its cooking staff, Johnson said. I think the pandemic has made us realize how much we need more equipment like Sally, Johnson said. Miso Robotics co-founder and chief Buck Jordan said fast food restaurants are already having trouble finding workers, partly as a result of a shrinking population of young workers. Jordan added that his companys position is that automation is not a choice. He added, You must automate in order to survive the future. I'm John Russell. Dee-Ann Durbin and Terence Chea reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted their story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story customer n. someone who purchases a product or service table n. a flat surface supported by three or more legs delivery n. the act of taking something to a person or place fee n. a fixed payment or charge for a service pandemic n. a disease that affects a large number of people over a wide area significant adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect adoption n. the act or process of beginning to use something new or different drive-thru lane n. a passageway designed so that customers can be served while remaining in their vehicles salad n. a cold dish or meal made up of cooked or uncooked vegetables, usually with oil or other dressing We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Glee co-stars and fans are heartbroken over the recent passing of Naya Rivera. As an entertainer, she touched many lives and left a lasting mark through her work. With that in mind, here are a few words in memoriam of Rivera from former Glee co-stars who since moved on to the Arrowverse shows, The Flash and Supergirl. Naya Rivera | David Livingston/Getty Images Naya Rivera, 1987 2020 California native, Rivera, was best known as Santana Lopez on Glee. Her explosive vocals and standout performances made her a fan favorite. Aside from her work on the FOX musical, Rivera boasted a long list of credits dating back to the early 90s. TV buffs may remember her guest spots on sitcoms, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, and The Bernie Mac Show. After Glee, Rivera landed several gigs, including a stint on the musical drama, Step Up: High Water. Rivera went missing at Lake Piru in California, as reported by CNN. Several days later, a body was discovered and identified as Rivera. She was 33 at the time of her death. Since the tragic news broke, friends and colleagues of the star have taken to social media to memorialize Rivera. The Flash star, Grant Gustin, paid tribute to Rivera on Instagram RELATED: How Naya Riveras 2019 Instagram Post Foreshadowed the Haunting Final Act That Saved Her Son Before The Flash, Grant Gustin played the part of Sebastian Smythe on Glee. Upon hearing of Riveras passing, the actor posted a snapshot of his fellow Glee alum with her son. In the caption, Gustin wrote the following message, praising Riveras talent and grace: This loss is truly unimaginable. As many people have stated, Naya was a force. I was intimidated by her talent and presence on set, but she was always so kind and welcoming to me. So many of my Glee memories on and off set have Naya in them. She was one of a kind. My heart breaks for her family and friends. Ill always keep Naya in my heart and remember her for the strong, talented and compassionate person she was to me in the brief time I got to spend with her. Sending so much strength and love to her family and everyone whose heart is breaking over this tragic loss. Supergirl star, Melissa Benoist, honored Rivera on social media Glee Cast | FOX Image Collection via Getty Images Supergirl fans may remember that before Melissa Benoist put on the cape, she portrayed Marley Rose on Glee. She recently composed an Instagram post in remembrance of her former co-star. Like Gustin, Benoist pointed out Riveras kindness and creative genius. Benoist wrote this in the caption: TechMet Chairman & CEO Brian Menell IPO Edge, in partnership with The Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association, a Florida trade association for financial professionals, will host a Webinar on Tuesday, July 21 at 12pm EST with TechMet Ltd Investing in Metals to Fuel the Technology of the Future. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER The Webinar will feature TechMet Chairman & CEO Brian Menell, who will discuss how so-called technology metals have become the oil of the 21st Century as they facilitate wide adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles. TechMet has operations in Europe, Africa, and the Americas that produce and recycle technology metals including lithium, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, tin, tungsten, along with rare earth elements. Electric vehicles made by the likes of Tesla, Inc. and Nikola Corporation, which could contain TechMets metals, have become increasingly important in the investment community. Corporate conference call mentions, global search volume and Google Trends for electric vehicle are near all-time highs and Teslas market capitalization is higher than Ford and General Motors combined, according to Sentieo, an AI-enabled research platform. All of these are evidence that EVs are moving front and center in corporate conversations, consumer conversations, and in the markets, said Nick Mazing, Director of Research at Sentieo. TechMet is not an investor in unproven mines, but rather an operator of five companies each poised to generate revenue and positive cash flow in the near term. By 2024, TechMet forecasts $107 million of Ebitda, based on conservative metal prices and production forecasts. The company is in the process of completing an $80 million equity fundraising. It has already secured commitments of $45 million, including $20 million that has already closed and $25 million from the U.S. government through the U.S. International Development Finance Corp. that is expected to close this summer. TechMet is backed by a world class team of management and senior advisors. The companys Advisory Board Chairman is Admiral Michael Mullen, former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff under U.S. Presidents Bush and Obama, who is also on the boards General Motors and Sprint Nextel Corp. Story continues Mr. Menell will discuss: The need to diversify sources of metals away from China Demand for electric vehicles requiring technology metals The impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues on metal demand Future accretive acquisitions The path to liquidity for investors by 2024 About Brian Menell: Mr. Menell has over 25 years of owning, developing and operating natural resource and mining projects across 18 sub-Saharan countries, the CIS, and Canada. The Menell family company, the Anglovaal Group, has been an important player in the African mining and industrial scene for 80 years. His experience includes: CEO of the Kemet Group developing natural resource projects across sub-Saharan Africa and advising various African Governments on mining policy and M&A activity. Executive Director of Anglovaal Mining developed the Chambishi Cobalt smelter and refinery, and the Nkomati Nickel Mine together with numerous other metals projects. Sold the company to Anglo American in 2001. DeBeers executive positions in London, Antwerp, Windhoek, and Johannesburg. A (Hon.) Political Science & Economics, University of Pennsylvania (1984-1988). Contact: John Jannarone, Editor-in-Chief editor@IPO-Edge.com www.IPO-Edge.com Editor@IPO-Edge.com Twitter: @IPOEdge Instagram: @IPOEdge National's roading plan could accelerate the development of an inter-city four-lane motorway through the Waikato Nationals pledge to sink $31 billion into New Zealand transport projects could propel the Waikato to become the powerhouse economy of the country. The multi-billion dollar transport package was announced by Nationals new leader Judith Collins in a pre-election promise which included $17.5b for projects in the North Island. At the top of the list is a four-lane motorway from Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton to Tauranga, via a new tunnel under the Kaimai Range. Collins said the countrys motorway network was essential for technology advancing zero-carbon, electric and hydrogen cars and trucks. State Highway 29 near Te Poi, looking towards the Kaimai Range in the Waikato, where National plans to construct a tunnel for traffic to travel to Tauranga.Photo: Dominico Zapata/Stuff She said desktop work on the four-lane road would start immediately upon us forming a Government but specific timeline and funding details were light. It would be an intergenerational approach and the New Zealand Transport Agency would be allowed to borrow more to pay for the projects. Hamilton East MP David Bennett said the motorway would open up a freight and trade route to create an economic triangle comparable to similar commercial zones around Melbourne and Sydney. Its a huge investment and will set up the future of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty for our next generation. You add into that the connection with Whangarei and you will create a powerhouse economy in that zone. National also promised to build the Hamilton Southern Links project and another four-lane motorway between Tauranga and Katikati. Electrifying the rail line to Pokeno in Waikato was also on the list. Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said the golden triangle trade route between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga was something the Hamilton City Council had advocated for in the past. The four-lane motorway would be important to serve ports in Auckland, Tauranga, and three inland ports around Hamilton. But what I would like to see is a programme to complement a mode shift, to get people out of their cars and into other transport options like buses and bikes. We know New Zealanders will always rely on their private cars but with our commitment to climate change, we believe we need to be more aggressive in the way we provide alternative transport options. Waikato Regional Councils Transport Committee Chairman Hugh Vercoe said rail needed to fit into the picture. Rail is a significant player in public transport for the Hamilton to Auckland corridor and were talking to the Government at the moment about electrification of the rail line down to Hamilton. Vercoe said a passenger rail route from Huntly to Ngaruawahia, Te Awamutu and Hamilton through to Morrinsville had been floated by KiwiRail. All of the tracks and stations are still there, so theres no capital needed. He agreed the transport package did tick a lot of boxes for the committee, including the Cambridge to Piarere route, which would be upgraded if the four-lane motorway went through to Tauranga. Our number two priority is the Southern Links to deal with all of the freight traffic coming up from Taranaki, on State Highway 3, and heading over to Tauranga. Tauranga Mayor Tenby Powell said the Western Bay of Plenty needed a big vision like this to address a host of transport problems. Weve got an increase of heavy traffic and there could be more if Ports of Auckland move. Weve got train infrastructure, weve got an airport and the road from Tauranga to Katikati, now our main route north, is in desperate need for an upgrade. Powell said road and rail options needed to be considered together, especially around options for a new Kaimai tunnel. Do we build another tunnel for rail or do we build one for vehicles? Or could we have a tunnel just for heavy freight vehicles and let the passenger traffic go over the top? First-time Green Party election hopeful Rimu Bhooi said building more roads would not resolve the countrys transport problems. We need alternative transport options to ease the congestion on our roads and a great way to do that is rail. Bhooi will contest the Hamilton East seat held by incumbent David Bennett and said transport would be a major election issue for the Waikato. Bennett said a passenger rail service around the Waikato didnt stack up. That would be hugely expensive and ineffective. We need to look at what is the best option for our region and that is a link from Hamilton to Tauranga. It will get real use and it is the right choice rather than a costly rail network. He said Labour had three years to set up a rail service from Hamilton to Auckland but it had failed to deliver. Lawrence Gullery/Stuff. Darynda Jones A Bad Day for Sunshine is a fun, yet ultimately frustrating, book to read, and one I cannot wholeheartedly recommend. First, the fun: Jones is a New Mexico author, and she places A Bad Day for Sunshine in the fictional town of Del Sol, in the mountains between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. The details of Del Sol its size, location, quirky architecture and quaint coffee shop resemble Madrid. As I read the book, I used Madrid as a focal point, and I enjoyed that. I also appreciated Jones ability to bring the peculiarities of New Mexico to life. Jones relies on epigraphs from the Del Sol police blotter to illustrate the towns peculiarities and, by extension, those of New Mexico. For example, at the beginning of Chapter 19, Jones writes: Deputy Salazar responded to a report of a woman stopping at mailboxes and going through residents mail. Upon further investigation, it was the mail carrier. Del Sol Police Blotter. Such details such made me laugh out loud. Jones pokes fun at her characters and the town, without disparagement, and I loved that. Now, the frustration: A Bad Day for Sunshine, according to the authors website, will be the first in a series featuring Sunshine Vicram and supporting characters. Sunshine is a 30-something woman returning to her hometown of Del Sol, having been elected sheriff after her parents nominated her as a candidate. Sunshine speculates as to how she could have won when she hadnt known she was running. I wanted Jones to tell us how that happened. She never does. For me, the plot point is unnecessary and should never have been included if it wasnt going to be resolved. Sunshine returns to Del Sol with her 15-year-old daughter, Aurora Dawn, nicknamed Auri, who tried to kill herself as a 7-year-old. That story in itself would have made a novel. However, that isnt the main story, which is the kidnapping of Sybil St. Aubin. Finding Sybil would also be enough for a novel, but that isnt what Jones does. Instead, she includes Sybils writing of her own kidnapping from the time she was a 7-year-old, which could also have been a novel. How did Sybil know shed be kidnapped? Interesting question, which is never answered. Additionally, Sunshine was abducted as a teenager, and Jones devotes a large portion of the book to the uncovering of details related to that abduction. A third of the way into the story, the reader is expected to keep track of all that information, along with a prized rooster that may or may not have been stolen, an escaped fugitive and a detective that nobody seems to know. Plus, there are scenes with more than two characters talking, and the dialogue isnt tagged, which was confusing. A scene where Sunshine and her daughter are having nearly identical, simultaneous experiences was even more problematic. Too many subplots, too few dialogue tags, combined with Jones failure to resolve who abducted Sunshine, make it difficult to recommend A Bad Day for Sunshine. (Maureen Cooke has been writing, editing and teaching others to write for the past 30 years. Currently, shes working on a mystery novel and a memoir. Shes a member of the Corrales Writers Group.) BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 19 Trend: The Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) adopted a communique on July 18, 2020 on the military provocation of the Armenian armed forces on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend. In accordance with the communique, the NAM member-states strongly condemned the Armenian armed forces attack on the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces along the international border of the two countries by using artillery. The incident caused military tension in the region and resulted in numerous casualties, the communique said. The NAM Coordinating Bureau reaffirmed its support for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the UN Security Councils resolutions. While expressing their unequivocal support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the member-states expressed their solidarity with the efforts of the Republic of Azerbaijan to restore its territorial integrity. Thus, 120 member-states of the UN Security Council expressed their position based on the principles of justice and international law on the recent military provocation of the Armenian armed forces on the border between the two countries and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. New Delhi, July 19 : Days after India blocked a Russian portal used by pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to propagate its anti-India agenda, the banned group on Sunday launched a Canadian portal to register 'Referendum 2020' votes to demand Khalistan, a separate homeland for Sikhs in Punjab. A major security alert was sounded here by agencies as the group this time targeted the national capital for voter registration regarding 'Referendum 2020' unlike its previous attempt to pick Punjab for its illegal agenda. The group took the step after India on July 4 blocked the Russian website www.punjabfree.ru, which was used by SFJ for online voter registration for 'Referendum 2020' in Punjab. The SFJ had launched its much-publicised online voter registration for 'Referendum 2020' for people in Punjab through the Russian portal in memory of Sikhs killed during the 1955 attack at Darbar Sahib. The Ministry of Home Affairs had in July last year banned the SFJ for advocating Referendum 2020, an online campaign to demand Khalistan. Citing information, sources in the intelligence wing said, the SFJ launched Canadian portal 'DelhiBanayGaKhalistan.ca' from Canada to register 'Referendum 2020' votes here in Delhi, forcing the security agencies to sound an alert to concerned departments to foil the second such attempt of the group within a month. Banking on Canada's commitment to freedom of speech for pro-Khalistan campaigns, the secessionist group launched www.DelhiBanayGaKhalistan.ca -- the Canadian portal-- for voter registration for Referendum 2020. Experts in internal security say as Delhi was the epicenter of the November 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the SFJ chose it for its 'Referendum 2020' voter registration agenda. After the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards, anti-Sikh riots erupted the following day. The riots continued in some areas for several days, killing more than 3,000 Sikhs in New Delhi and an estimated 8,000 to 17,000 or more Sikhs were killed in 40 cities across India. Displaying the Canadian flag on top of the home page, the portal provides information and voter registration forms in Punjabi and English languages. Designated US-based terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had made the voter registration announcement in Delhi, sending Delhi Police as well as central security agencies into a tizzy. SFJ's 'Referendum 2020' coordinator in Canada, Hardip Singh Nijjar, played a major role in launching the portal. The SFJ's lead campaigners Pannun and Nijjar were on July 1, 2020 declared terrorists by the central government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for trying to revive militancy in Punjab through anti-national activities and involvement in the Khalistan movement. In 2016 Canada denied India's request to arrest and extradite Nijjar on the basis that India's allegations against him are not supported by any evidence. The radical group SFJ is supported by Pakistan-based handlers to provide money and logistical support to radical Sikh elements in Punjab to carry out subversive activities. The SFJ is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who have started advocating Khalistan as well as the online secessionist campaign for Referendum 2020. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) Pune, July 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Ophthalmic Devices Market is predicted to surpass USD 67 Billion by 2026. Ophthalmic devices are medical devices used in the identification and treatment of ocular defects or deficiencies and eye disorders. The ophthalmic devices are designed for diagnostics, surgical, and vision correction purposes. These devices are continuously gaining increased importance and adoption due to high prevalence of various ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, and other vision related issues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO): Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed. Therefore, increasing number of eye related disorders propel demand for vision care devices, which in turn propels growth of the ophthalmic devices market. However, the elements such as the high cost of ophthalmic devices and dearth of skilled professionals with expertise in ophthalmic surgery are projected to hamper the growth of the market. Request a Sample Copy to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on Ophthalmic Devices Market @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/request-covid19/15914505 By Application Segment - Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast On the basis of application, the vision care segment dominated the overall ophthalmic devices market. Surgical instruments devices held second highest share of the overall ophthalmic devices market, while the diagnostic & monitoring devices segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. Diagnosis is an indispensable process in the treatment of eye disorders and is responsible for contributing towards the diagnostics & monitoring segments growth. By Products - Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast On product basis, contact lens held largest share of the ophthalmic devices market, while, cataract surgery devices accounted for second highest share of the total ophthalmic devices market. Retinal surgery devices is the third largest product segment of the ophthalmic devices market in 2019. The global market for fundus camera is predicted to exceed USD 775 Million by 2026. The optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become the standard of care for the assessment and treatment of most retinal diseases. Introduction of hybrid techniques such as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can open up new pathways for the market. Glaucoma surgery is currently evolving with introduction of several new devices and those in pipeline have continued to address the focus on safety of glaucoma surgery. The global cataract surgery devices market is projected to surpass USD 9 Billion mark by 2026. Get a Sample PDF of Report @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/request-sample/15914505 By End Users - Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast Consumers segment accounted for highest share of the global ophthalmic devices market, as majority of the ophthalmic products such as vision care products are used by the common consumers. Hospitals and ophthalmic clinics & centers captured 2nd and 3rd largest share of the overall ophthalmic devices market respectively in 2019. Ambulatory surgical centers are likely to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period, as these centers provide cost-effective services and a convenient environment that is less stressful than what many hospitals can offer. By Region - Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast North America dominated the global ophthalmic devices market in 2019. In North America, United States captures highest share of the total ophthalmic devices market. Europe represents a major market for ophthalmic devices, owing to rising chronic eye diseases among geriatric population. In Europe, Germany and United Kingdom are the major market for ophthalmic devices. Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period due to the presence of untapped opportunities in the emerging economies such as China and India. Japan ophthalmic devices market dominated the Asia Pacific region, while China accounted for over 4% share of the global ophthalmic devices market in 2019. By Applications, Products, End Users, Regions), Major Deals, Trends, Key Players Analysis, Recent Developments - Global Forecast to 2026 provides a comprehensive analysis of the Global Ophthalmic Devices Market. This 254 Page report with 109 Figures and 11 Tables has been analyzed from 11 View Points: 1) Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 2) Global Ophthalmic Devices Market Share and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 3) By Application Segment Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 4) Global Ophthalmic Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 5) Global Ophthalmic Surgical Instruments Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 6) Global Ophthalmic Vision Care Products Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 7) By End Users - Global Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 8) By Region - Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 9) Country Analysis - Ophthalmic Devices Market and Forecast (2012 - 2026) 10) Global Ophthalmic Devices Market Key Players Sales Analysis (2012 - 2026) 11) Global Ophthalmic Devices Market - Growth Drivers & Challenges Inquire more and share questions if any before the purchase on this report @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/15914505 Global Ophthalmic Devices Market By Application Segments 1. Diagnostics & Monitoring Devices Fundus Camera Optical Coherence Tomography Scanner Tonometer Others 2. Surgical Instruments Devices Refractive Error Surgery Devices Glaucoma Surgery Devices Cataract Surgery Devices Retinal Surgery Devices 3. Vision Care Contact Lens Others Global Ophthalmic Devices Market By End Users 1. Hospitals 2. Ophthalmic Clinics and Centers 3. Ambulatory Surgical Centers 4. Consumers 5. Others Purchase this report (Price 2090 USD for a single-user license) @ https://www.360marketupdates.com/purchase/15914505 Global Ophthalmic Devices Market Regional Analysis 1. North America United States Canada 2. Europe United Kingdom Germany France Italy Spain Rest of Europe 3. Asia Pacific Japan China India South Korea Australia Rest of Asia Pacific 4. Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America 5. Middle East and Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Rest of Middle East and Africa Global Ophthalmic Devices Market Company Profiles 1. Alcon, Inc. 2. Carl Zeiss Meditec AG 3. Topcon Corporation 4. Bausch Health Companies Inc. (Formerly Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.) 5. Iridex Corporation 6. Ellex Medical Lasers 7. Escalon Medical 8. Second Sight Medical Products Inc. 9. Lumenis 10. Nidek Co., Ltd. Research Methodologies Primary Research Methodologies: Questionnaires, Surveys, Interviews with Individuals, Small Groups, Telephonic Interview, etc. Secondary Research Methodologies: Printable and Non-printable sources, Newspaper, Magazine and Journal Content, Government and NGO Statistics, white Papers, Information on the Web, Information from Agencies Such as Industry Bodies, Companies Annual Report, Government Agencies, Libraries and Local Councils and a large number of Paid Databases. Continued. About 360 Market Updates: 360 Market Updates is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. At 360 Market Updates, our objective is providing a platform for many top-notch market research firms worldwide to publish their research reports, as well as helping the decision makers in finding most suitable market research solutions under one roof. Our aim is to provide the best solution that matches the exact customer requirements. This drives us to provide you with custom or syndicated research reports. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 14:45:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Huang Fumei had to leave her money and valuable items at home due to the fast-rising water level of the Yangtze River, China's longest, which has been plagued by severe flooding. "There was only limited time allowed for transferring. A lot of people were evacuated in a rush," said Huang, who lives by the Yangtze in Sanzhou Village of Susong County, east China's Anhui Province. Some villagers sought help and accommodation with their relatives, while others, like Huang, have been relocated to local schools. Local authorities have organized rescue teams and boats to help villagers get back home and fetch necessary belongings. Huang said she had 20,000 yuan (around 2,860 U.S. dollars) in cash at home, but forgot to take it during the evacuation. "I was quite worried," she said, adding that the money was saved for the medical treatment of her sick father. Huang waited two hours before she embarked on a speed boat that would take her home, about 1 km away from the current river bank. Waters of the Yangtze breached the bank near her village on the evening of July 11. More than 1,900 villagers from her village and a neighboring one have been safely evacuated by the local government. "We can take six villagers each time. They need to put on life jackets before we go," said Huang Hong, vice captain of the Susong Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) team. "There is also a lifeguard on each boat in case someone falls into the water," said the 52-year-old local civil servant, who has permission from his office to participate in the flood-relief work at this time. BSR is a non-profit organization whose primary tasks are search-and-rescue, information screening, and medical assistance during natural disasters or epidemics. The rescue team has set up 31 branches around China. More than 30,000 volunteers from all walks of life nationwide have been registered and trained professionally. Private rescue teams, like BSR, could respond quickly to disasters since they come from local communities. Professional private rescue teams have been a reliable supplement for the government in this year's flood relief and rescue work. Waters reached the top of road lamps in the village. Huang Hong had to turn off the engine and start to row when the boat got too close to houses. Although Huang Fumei's house is on high ground, the first floor was flooded up to her calf. She opened the door and quickly located the money, but she was reluctant to leave her house when she saw the fridge was soaked in water. The BSR members helped her move the fridge to a higher place before they left for another house. "We are glad when villagers can retrieve their money. Their smiles are our best reward," said Chen Labao, captain of the Susong BSR team, also the owner of a clothing shop. Four boats have been arranged by BSR to help send villagers back home, while other boats have been patrolling in the waters around flooded villages. Heavy rain has affected over 2.8 million people in Anhui Province, with the water levels of the Yangtze River in the province staying above warning levels. A total of 543,000 residents have been evacuated as of Wednesday noon, according to the provincial disaster reduction and relief committee. "We also saved a dog yesterday. It was on top of a door lamp when we found it. It couldn't escape since it was chained to the lamp post," Huang Hong said. "The dog chased after us for a long distance after we brought it back to land, as if expressing thanks to us," Huang said. Enditem The Others, Hell Or High Water, The Losers. Take your pick from thrillers, action fantasies and adventures as TopFilmTip brings you the best films on TV for Sunday 19 July. Some films may require a Sky subscription. Two grudging brother-in-laws' family holiday descends into bear baiting, lol-racooning chaos in John Hughes' The Great Outdoors 10:40am ITV4 Accidentally heroic, monologuing journal junky frontiersman befriends Sioux in sweeping ballad of mutual respect Dances With Wolves 12:00pm Sony Movies Petty con artist helps fraudster couple go on run amid luscious locales of Greek antiquities in taut thriller The Two Faces of January 12:45pm Film 4 Ungrateful girl enters androgynous wizard's monstrous maze in swamp-stenching, head-swapping consummate fantasy wonder Labyrinth 2:25pm Channel 5 Skeptical girl discovers miniature forest civilisation facing putrid apocalypse in exhilarating hummingbird riding fantasy Epic 2:40pm Film4 Boer war veteran faces clash between his duty and conscience after capturing accused and innocent Maori man in grizzled Kiw-estern Tracker 4:10pm Sony Movies Jerry O'Connell, River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, and Corey Feldman are gathered around together in a scene from the film 'Stand By Me', 1986. (Photo by Columbia Pictures/Getty Images) Four friends brave brutal bullies & vomitus vengeance tale on search for dead body in fully realised, nostalgic wonder Stand by Me 4:25pm Channel 5 Stirring score and cinematography as Sly Stallone, Michael Caine and Pele team up for career interrupting gem Escape to Victory 4:45pm ITV4 Captain yells in storms at friends underlings, Frenchmen and himself as he prepares for war in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World 6:15pm Sony Movies Tetchy toxophilite becomes face of revolution, survives mutt mauling and berates her poor innocent cat in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 6:15pm E4 Elderly expats pursue expansionist British dream of turning more Indian land into vibrant cash cow The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 6:35pm Film 4 Framed and left for dead, Special Ops team exact punchy-shooty vengeance against preposterous bad guy in top action-comedy The Losers 8:00pm ITV4 Story continues Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in a scene from the film 'Pretty Woman', 1990. (Photo by Buena Vista/Getty Images) Map reading street prostitute falls for big money businessman, learns to use cutlery, grows qualms in unlikely romcom Pretty Woman 9:00pm Comedy Central Framed for brother's death, driven driver thunders cross-country to clear name in grass-hopping, muscle car mayhem Need for Speed 9:00pm SyFy Spine shivering, atypical and intelligent haunted house psychological horror as Nicole Kidman fears for her creepy kids The Others 9:00pm 5 Star Patient/impulsive Texan brothers rob banks threatening foreclosure in characterful and charismatic low key thriller Hell or High Water 9:00pm Film4 Time-tripping Berserker mentors morose mutant to prevent genocidal Apocalypse in character arcing Marvel X-Men: Days of Future Past 10:00pm Channel 4 Young catholic farm girl finds growing romantic attraction to middle-aged marred writer in lyrical bitter-sweet slice of life Girl With Green Eyes 10:05pm Talking Pictures Grieving widower makes contact with supernatural psychic, nuisance-calling disaster predictor in creepfest The Mothman Prophecies 11:10pm 5 Star Having been forcibly sucked dry by James McAvoy, Daniel Radcliffe reanimates chimp-homunculi in glorious fun Victor Frankenstein 00:35am Channel 4 Parallel narratives interweave present day food blogger with influential '50s French cookery guru in the delectable Julie & Julia 3:20am Sony Movies Everything new on streaming in July New on Netflix in July New on Sky Cinema and NOW TV in July New on Disney+ in July New on Amazon Prime Video in July Saudi Arabia pledged to protect its economy while ramping up international cooperation as G20 policymakers face growing pressure to mitigate the impact of the deepest global recession in decades. "The world is still living through COVID-19 and there is a lot of uncertainty around, but I am optimistic as always," Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at the conclusion of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting on Saturday. "Saudi has weathered an even worse oil crisis in the past and worse geopolitical situation in the past," he said. "We recovered strongly, as this is not going to be an exception." G20 finance and central bank chiefs met Saturday and pledged to "use all available policy tools to safeguard people's lives, jobs and incomes" as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the global economy. "We are watching what's happening in the world," Al Jadaan said, highlighting that the G20 group is prioritizing its efforts to support the global economic recovery and enhance the resilience of the financial system. "People are pushing for reopening, but we need to be cautious and careful because at the end of the day, people's lives and peoples livelihoods is what matters," he added. Saudi Arabia's economy, the largest in the Middle East, was forecast to shrink by 6.8% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. It's a sharper decline than the 2.3% contraction estimated in April. "In 2020, like every country around the world, we are likely to see negative growth," Al Jadaan said, adding that he expects the contraction in the Saudi economy to be "much less" than the IMF forecasts. "We are seeing a very healthy pickup, but we are remaining vigilant and we want to see how things develop throughout the third quarter," he said. "We will weather this and we will come out stronger." In October 2016, Fox News Chris Wallace asked then-candidate Donald Trump whether he would accept the results come Election Day, even if that meant a loss to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I will look at it at the time, Trump said, with Clinton grinning as the exchange played out. Trump claimed the media had poisoned the minds of the voters. Wallace then noted the longstanding American tradition in which the loser of a presidential race concedes to the winner and the country comes together, in part for the good of the country. Wallace pressed Trump again on whether hed accept the results no matter what. I will tell you at the time, Trump said. I will keep you in suspense. Clinton called Trumps response horrifying. She argued that anytime Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is is rigged against him. When he won weeks later, Trump accepted the Electoral College results but not the popular vote count, where Clinton maintained a nearly 3 million vote advantage. Trump alleged without evidence that there were millions of fraudulent votes for Clinton. In a Fox News interview airing Sunday, Trump faced the same question from Wallace. In keeping with his thinking four years ago and with the president and his allies for months claiming that mail-in voting represented a threat to the republic at a time when several polls favor former Vice President Joe Biden Trump left the anchor and the nation in suspense yet again, refusing to commit to accepting the outcome on Election Day. President Trump reacts to Mary Trump's new book. Plus, he answers whether or not he will accept the 2020 election results. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/KmmGdgzcVY FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 19, 2020 Im not a good loser. I dont like to lose, Trump acknowledged. I think mail-in voting is going to rig the election. I have to see. Im not going to just say, Yes,' (to accepting the election results), and I didnt last time either. Trump was adamant with Wallace that he didnt expect to lose to Biden anyway. He claimed the former Delaware senator would be on the ground crying for mommy if he tried to face an interviewer like Wallace, and alleged Biden and the radical left want to ruin our country. Wallace noted that his team had asked the Biden campaign for an interview. In late May, the president asserted without evidence that mail-in voting was tied to widespread voter fraud, tweeting unspecified threats of financial cuts to a pair of battleground states using coronavirus relief to make voting easier during the pandemic. Twitter for the first time placed a label on Trumps tweets, steering users to links with the facts about mail-in ballots, a move that the president claimed stifled his free speech. Trump asked for a mail ballot for Floridas Republican primary earlier this year, and has used absentee ballots in the past. But the president, his re-election campaign and his allies have argued against statewide issuance of mail-in ballots, saying theyre ripe opportunities for fraudsters. Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trumps re-election campaign, said in a statement that Democrats want to eliminate protections for election integrity, such as mailing a ballot to every registered voter, whether they asked for one or not. They also want to eliminate signature matching and clear the way for ballot harvesting, which are also wide open opportunities for fraud, Murtaugh added. We already see widespread problems with mail-in voting, including in New York and New Jersey, with even a cat thats been dead more than a decade receiving a ballot. Against this backdrop, we dont know what kind of shenanigans Democrats will try leading up to November. If someone had asked George W. Bush and Al Gore this same question in 2000, would they have been able to foresee the drawn out fight over Florida? The central point remains clear: in a free and fair election, President Trump will win. Political science and government professors and election experts recently told USA Today the idea large numbers of dead people were casting votes was a myth. There could be a short period of time in which if you took a snapshot of a (voter registration) list there might be some names of people on there who have died yesterday or died last week, Lorraine Minnite, a Rutgers University professor and author of The Myth of Voter Fraud, told USA Today. It takes election officials a little bit of time to sort those things out. Election officials regularly clear registration lists of dead people, and some states do it more quickly and more often than others, Minnite said. But the name of a dead person on a list doesnt mean that person cast a vote, she argued, though she noted some cases where an elderly person votes by mail and dies a week before Election Day, an instance that is not threatening to the integrity of an election, USA Today reported. A pair of studies by Arizona State University in 2012 and 2016 found negligible rates of impersonation fraud, according to the The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute. The studies showed just 10 cases of voter impersonation fraud from 2000 to 2012, and zero prosecutions of such fraud in a handful of states where politicians claimed it was a serious issue. The election fraud database at the conservative think tank the The Heritage Foundation shows about 200 cases of fraudulent use of absentee ballots over the last 29 years, Roll Call reported last month. In the five states with all-mail voting, Hawaii and Utah reported zero, Oregon reported two, Colorado reported five and Washington six. Related Content: The Delhi Police have arrested a man from Madhya Pradesh for allegedly posing as the personal secretary of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and asking the staff of the ministry of road, transport and highways to modify the transfer order of an official in Gwalior. The accused has been identified as Abhishek Dwivedi, a resident of Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh, they said. On July 3, a man posing as the personal secretary of the home minister called the road, transport and highways ministry and requested the personal staff of the Union transport minister to make a modification in the transfer order of a 'parivahan nirikshak' (transport inspector), posted at Parivahan Ayukt Karyalaya in Gwalior, police said. The staff immediately informed the Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari as well as the personal secretary to the Union home minister. Shah's personal secretary filed a complaint, following which the investigation was taken up, they said. During investigation, the location of the user of the suspected mobile number was found in Mumbai. Kolambeli, Khargar, Belapur and Taloja areas of Navi Mumbai were searched but Dwivedi fled from Mumbai, police said. Later, his location was tracked to Indore, Madhya Pradesh and he was arrested on Thursday. The mobile phone and SIM card used in making calls were seized, police said. Interrogation revealed that Dwivedi's childhood friend Vinay Singh Baghel, a resident of Rewa, had requested him to get his transfer order cancelled, they said. Dwivedi was involved in several criminal cases in Rewa, police said, adding that he was produced in the court and taken on four days transit remand. But some of the costs are already becoming apparent, beginning with the devastation the crisis will wreak on the global workforce. With climate change also threatening to hurt the worlds most vulnerable workers, the need for a holistic crisis response that emphasises both justice and sustainability could not be greater. The numbers paint a grim picture. The International Labour Organisation warns that 1.6bn workers in the informal economy almost half the global workforce are in immediate danger of having their livelihoods destroyed. The African Union reports that, in Africa alone, nearly 20m jobs, in both the formal and informal sectors, are at risk. In the United States, the New York Times estimates that, despite a headline unemployment rate of 13.3% already higher than in any previous postwar recession actual unemployment is closer to 27%. In Ireland, unemployment is expected to average 7.4% this year, up from around 5% last year, and stay at the relatively elevated level of 7% through next year. Clearly, governments must act to protect workers from the Covid-19 shock. But if such efforts are to put economies and their workers on a stronger footing beyond the current crisis, they must also advance the goals encompassed in the 2015 Paris climate agreement including the vision of a just transition that it articulates. This means not only shifting to sustainable patterns of development, but also safeguarding workers rights and livelihoods in the process. Too often, it is assumed that progress on sustainability must come at the expense of economic growth and employment. Former mining towns and villages in Britain still have not recovered from the coal industrys demise in the late 20th century. Yet this outcome is far from inevitable. The International Renewable Energy Agency predicts that, with more investment in renewables, jobs in the sector could reach 42m globally by 2050 (four times their current level). Energy efficiency measures would create 21m additional jobs, and system flexibility 15m more. Simply put, with sufficient investment in the green economy, there will be enough jobs. Yet ensuring that this leaves workers better off will also require a concerted effort to guarantee that the new jobs are good jobs, and facilitate a smooth transition for workers displaced from other industries (such as fossil fuels). The only way to achieve this is by adopting a truly integrated approach, in which governments, companies, trade unions, and investors all work to guarantee that climate initiatives take into account workers needs. In recent years, environmental, social, and governance considerations have been gaining traction in business, investment, and policy circles. Yet too often a siloed approach has predominated, with actors tackling these critical dimensions of long-term performance separately. This will not suffice. Just as unbridled climate change will do serious damage to the economy and its workers not least by exacerbating natural disasters and contributing to pandemics so, too, will failure to improve human-capital management and safeguard workers wellbeing. Energy efficiency measures would create 21m additional jobs, and system flexibility 15m more. Simply put, with sufficient investment in the green economy, there will be enough jobs. To avoid that outcome, shareholder engagement must be used to push companies not only to implement a just-transition strategy, but also to bolster transparency through public disclosures. More than two-thirds of the engagement initiatives currently being pursued by Candriam (of which one of us, Abou-Jaoude, is chief executive) directly address the energy transition, fair work conditions, and business ethics pillars of a just transition. Moreover, investors should encourage companies to deploy capital such as through a new generation of investments and bond issuance to support renewal and diversification in communities affected by the transition. Investors and companies should work with governments to ensure that a just transition is placed at the heart of policymaking, not least in terms of Covid-19 recovery planning, so that stimulus funds can help build the clean, inclusive economy of the future. Never before have our societies, including governments, public bodies, investors, and companies, been as committed to sustainability as they are today. Not only have the worlds governments committed to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; over 11,000 companies across 157 countries have also committed their support. But this is only the first step; these actors must now follow through on their climate commitments and make sure that their efforts advance, rather than undermine, social imperatives. This is not only the ethical choice; it is the best way to ensure future economic dynamism. Only by integrating environmental and social imperatives into our business models and economic policies can we secure long-term growth and prosperity and build the resilience we need to weather future shocks. * Naim Abou-Jaoude is CEO of Candriam and Chairman of New York Life Investments International. Nick Robins is Professor in Practice for Sustainable Finance at the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. While school boards across Canada are quietly developing plans for bringing students back to class in September, the largest such organization in the country has taken things one step further by laying out a variety of scenarios in stark, costly detail. Some of the models under consideration at the Toronto District School Board involve changing the way certain subjects are taught, while others raise public health and safety concerns among industry observers who fear COVID-19 will continue to present an imminent threat in the months ahead. Heres a look at how things could play out for Toronto students and parents in the fall: What has the provincial government requested? The Ministry of Education has asked all 72 of Ontarios school boards to prepare plans for three possible scenarios a full-time return to in-person learning, virtual classes for all, or a hybrid model that combines the two. Boards must submit plans for all scenarios by early August, which will then be subject to government approval before they can be implemented. Education Minser Stephen Lecce originally said hybrid learning was the governments preference, but has since indicated a preference to see all students back in class full-time. So how is the Toronto board planning to comply with the provinces preference? Officials have mapped out different models for each of the three scenarios required by the government, board spokesman Ryan Bird said in an interview. The most complex of these, he said, come about when considering a full-time return to classroom learning for students between kindergarten and Grade 8. And each of them comes with a price tag, some heftier than others. Option 1: Regular-length school days with no more than 15 students per class across the board. Bird says this option would cost the most, with the board needing $249 million to hire about 2,500 extra teachers. Bird described this approach as not that financially feasible. Option 2: Same class sizes, but with the school day shortened by 48 minutes to allow teachers to have some prep time at the end of the day. Bird said this model would lower the cost to $98 million. Option 3: A full-day model with two different sizes of class cohorts a maximum of 15 for students in kindergarten to Grade 3 and cohorts of 20 for Grade 4 and up. Bird estimates the board would need to hire 1,900 teachers at a cost of $190 million if this plan goes ahead. Option 4: Same mixed class sizes, but with the school day shortened by 48 minutes. Bird pegs the cost of hiring 200 teachers to support this approach at about $20 million. Option 5: Resuming pre-pandemic class sizes, but with additional, unspecified health and safety protocols. Bird said this approach is the one the board currently favours. We want all of our students back, and if we can do it in regular class sizes, we think that is ideal just from a mental health and well-being and learning aspect, he said. Having said that, we know that the health and safety of our students and staff is the number one priority, so we have to make sure that whatever option is implemented ... is safe to do so. Assuming the government approves something other than Option 5, does that mean classes will be taught as usual but in smaller numbers? No. Bird said several subjects will have to be delivered differently than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief among these is French, he said, noting there arent currently enough qualified teachers to staff a higher number of smaller classes. But that doesnt mean the course would disappear, he stressed, noting the board is looking at options such as virtual lessons delivered to in-person classes. The same principles apply to courses such as music, art and physical education, he said. What do the experts think? Charles Pascal, a former Ontario deputy minister of education and current professor at the University of Torontos Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, praised the board for laying out their proposals and projections for public discussion. But he said none of the ideas currently on the table strike him as wise, noting school buildings and staffing levels will make it difficult to implement the models that are most closely aligned with public health protocols such as physical distancing and small indoor gatherings. He said the province should have directed school boards to start contemplating these issues months ago, adding doing so would have allowed them more time to be creative and even apply models tailored to individual schools rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. This is a time to experiment, to do this thoughtfully, Pascal said. But the leadership is going to have to come from the system, and the system is going to have to be very transparent about what its going to do and why its going to do it. Pascal said the Toronto board projections clearly demonstrate the need for significantly higher government funding, a view shared by the head of a labour group representing the citys elementary school teachers. Jennifer Brown, president of the local chapter of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said every proposal comes with obvious drawbacks. But she said she would personally support the one that best protects students and staff alike, even if it means shifting courses like French to virtual models that are generally less effective. Theres shields up at banks, grocery stores, any service area, Brown said. With our youngest and most vulnerable, we dont seem to have that same type of intentionality when it comes to safety. Yes, children are resilient and were sending them in healthy. I want to ensure that everybodys getting sent home healthy as well. The Ontario Ministry of Education declined to comment on the Toronto boards specific projections, but said the organization would be receiving $55 million in additional funding. What about high schools? Bird said the board is currently focusing on a hybrid model, noting student numbers at some schools will make a return to pre-pandemic norms all but impossible. We have some high schools with up to 1,800 students. So to have that many students in the building at the same time was the reason we looked at the cohort model, he said. One approach under consideration, he said, would see the high-school academic year divided into quadmesters or four sections of two courses apiece. Such a model, he said, would limit movement throughout school buildings and make it easier to trace contacts if COVID-19 cases crop up in classrooms. New Delhi, July 19 : In temporary relief to a suspended IAS official, the Delhi High Court has passed interim orders directing internet search giant Google and social media platforms Facebook and Instagram to take down some objectionable posts and tweets by a woman who had levelled allegations against him. "Considering the nature of posts put against the plaintiff, Google LLC is directed to take down the posts or links from the country domain, Twitter Inc is also directed to take down/disable the tweets from the country domain," said a single judge bench of Justice Mukta Gupta. "Facebook Inc in the meantime, is also directed to take down the posts from the Facebook within one week from the date of intimation of the order," the court added. The court was hearing an appeal by the suspended IAS official who knocked the doors of the high court seeking damages from the woman for defaming him and also praying for permanent and mandatory injunction. As per the plaint of the bureaucrat, he had come in contact with this woman, who was married, via social media platform Facebook in the year 2017 while he was in Mexico on a delegation tour of the Indian government following which the woman sent him numerous friend requests on the said social media platform. He further said that he told her that he was already married, however, they both met at a hotel where he was staying. The plaint claimed that in early months of 2018, the woman started requesting him for money. "The plaintiff gave with the sole intention of bailing out a friend in troubled times, however, it was realised that the defendant No 1 was using all the tricks including verbal abuse, physical assault and threatened the plaintiff of committing suicide," the plaint said adding that she also demanded Rs 20 crore, asked him to buy a flat in Delhi for her and transfer his home in Ahmedabad in her name. The man has alleged that the woman filed a complaint with the Crimes against Women Cell and National Human Rights Commission which were all investigated and nothing was found against him. "Because of the online campaign conducted by the defendant No 1, different articles and posts on social media platforms have been published and the plaintiff seeks directions from this court to take down the said posts/articles," the plaintiff prayed. Following which the court restrained the woman from publishing or disseminating any news relating to the man in any manner on any website/ newspaper/ TV channels including YouTube/ Facebook/Instagram till further orders. "Considering the averments made in the plaint (by the man) and the application as also the documents filed therewith, this court finds that the plaintiff (man) has made out a prima facie case in his favour and in case no ad-interim ex parte injunction is granted, the plaintiff would suffer an irreparable loss. The balance of convenience also lies in favour of the plaintiff," Justice Mukta Gupta said in an order passed on July 15. The court has now kept the matter for further hearing on August 31 while issuing summons to the woman, along with Facebook, Twitter and Google. "Issue summons in the suit and notice in the application to the defendants," the bench said. The Delhi government is set to add at least another 600 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in three Covid-dedicated hospitals by the end of this month as part of its healthcare augmentation plan, a senior government official said on Sunday. A detailed plan has been drafted for adding more than 600 ICU beds in Covid hospitals under the Delhi government by July 31, said the senior government official. As of Sunday, Delhi had 2,166 ICU beds in Covid dedicated hospitals both private (115 hospitals) and government (11). Of the total ICU beds, at least 555 were in three Delhi government hospitals --- Lok Nayak Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. The capacity of ICU beds will be increased in these hospitals. Once the new beds are added, the total ICU beds in these three Delhi government hospitals will be more than 1,155, the official said. On June 8, Delhi hospitals both private and government -- collectively offered a total of 582 ICU beds. The numbers have more than tripled since then, as the government roped in more private hospitals for Covid management and increased ICU beds in existing hospitals. Gagan D Bharti, manager of Charity Beds, a non-profit organisation that has been helping people in Delhi avail beds during the pandemic, said: Delhi needs more ICU beds because only severe Covid cases are landing in the hospitals and a large number of them would potentially need ICU. Dr Puneet Misra, professor in the community medicines department of AIIMS-Delhi, said: At this juncture, the government should focus on reducing the Covid-19 mortality rate. For that, supportive treatment is necessary. ICU counts as supportive treatment. But it is essential to ensure that there is adequate number of trained doctors and healthcare workers who work in the ICUs. Handling patients in ICUs need special training. In Delhi, there was always a shortage of ICUs. The augmentation should be permanent in nature not just to handle Covid. It should be extended for regular medical emergencies also. Desai, for her part, said it would be inaccurate to say the initiative changes the law on repetitive offenders. Supporters of the measure instead see the language as simply saying what can and cannot be used as what it calls a historical prior felony conviction to allow for enhanced sentences. And Desai said there is nothing misleading about simply saying in the description that the initiative removes a requirement for eligibility under the earned release credit program. The problem with that, Johnson said, is that the removed requirement is functional literacy at the eighth grade level. He said that is something that signers would want to know. No date has been set for a hearing. But the case needs to make it through the trial court and the likely Supreme Court appeal before the third week in August when ballots for the general election are set to go to the printer. Other than LaWall, who is retiring at the end of the year, other plaintiffs are: Heather Grossman, a survivor of domestic violence who was left paralyzed when she was shot by someone hired by her former husband; Beckie Miller, whose son was robbed and murdered in 1991, prior to the truth in sentencing provisions. The lawsuit said none of the three perpetrators served more than three years in prison; and John Gillis, a former police officer, whose 23-year-old daughter was murdered in 1979 by a gang member who killed her as part of his initiation. The heads of the three media bodies in charge of monitoring the performance of all audio, visual and written media outlets in Egypt took their constitutional oath before parliament July 5 to begin their work for the coming four years. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had issued a decree reshuffling the media bodies June 22. Under Articles 211, 212 and 213 of the 2014 Egyptian Constitution, television, radio, print media and online digital media are regulated by three commissions: the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), the National Press Authority (NPA) and the National Media Authority. As per the presidential decree, Sisi dismissed seasoned journalist Makram Mohammad Ahmad as head of the SCMR and replaced him with Karam Jaber, who was the chairman of the NPA. Abdel-Sadek el-Shorbagy replaced Jaber as head of the NPA. Sisi kept Hussein Zein as head of the National Media Authority. The reshuffle of the three media bodies should have been carried out in 2018, when the Law on the Organization of the Press took effect. Yet still, the bodies kept operating, with no amendments, until Sisi announced the reshuffle June 22. The three media bodies were formed in April 2017 under a presidential decree. Since then, the bodies have been involved in a campaign undermining press and media freedom in the country. Most recently, on June 16, the National Media Authority issued a decision banning the media from covering sensitive issues. The SCMR, then headed by Ahmad, issued a statement saying, The Supreme Council for Media Regulation confirms the need for all media and social media sites, in all their forms, to abide by data issued by official sources when broadcasting information regarding Libya, the Renaissance Dam and the military operations in Sinai against terrorism. Meanwhile for the past three years, the SCMR has blocked hundreds of news sites, imposed fines on press institutions and banned reporters from appearing on TV. The council has also blocked hundreds of blogs and accounts on social media, under a law that gives it the power to block and legally pursue any blog or account that has more than 5,000 followers and is accused of publishing false news. Ahmad, who headed the SCMR for the past years, was thus considered a tool for the state to tighten its grip on the media. However, the situation changed in December 2019 when Sisi ordered the formation of a Ministry of State for Information Affairs, as part of a Cabinet reshuffle. Osama Haikal was appointed Minister of State for Information Affairs, and was tasked with coordinating between the various media bodies and drafting the states media policies and following up on their implementation. The Ministry of Information, which had been present in Egypt since 1952, was closed on June 16, 2014, following calls to ease the restrictions imposed on the media and allow a wider space for freedom of expression. Haikals appointment sparked the anger of Ahmad, who accused Haikal of taking over his powers. In a TV interview on Sada al-Balad in February, Ahmad criticized what he considered undermining the freedom of expression in Egypt and called on the regime to give a platform to the opposition for the sake of diversity of opinions and to allow some space for openness without constraints. Egypt has been witnessing a campaign of oppression and a crackdown on freedom of expression since Sisi took office in 2014. More voices have been silenced recently when journalists blamed the fragile health system that failed to counter the coronavirus crisis. According to Amnesty International, at least 37 journalists are currently languishing in Egyptian prisons. Egypt recorded a drop in the global index for journalistic freedom that Reporters Without Borders issued in 2020, ranking 166 in a list of 180 countries. It seems the Egyptian government is steering a plan to tighten its grip on TV channels. It has also established WhatsApp groups to issue instructions regarding what the media can publish. Perhaps the news coverage of the death of late President Mohammed Morsi, who died during a trial session on June 17, 2019, is the best example of the governments intervention in media content; Morsi's death was summarized with 42 words in Arabic on all media outlets TV, radio and printed media and it was not given much importance. Justin Shilad, a senior researcher on Middle East and North Africa affairs at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said that ever since Sisi took office, the Egyptian authorities have been exercising total control on the media, at all cost. He added, The government has gone to extremes in imposing its control over critical journalism. Shilad told Al-Monitor via email his criticism of the Egyptian authorities clampdown on journalists and the media by imposing restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression. Security forces arrested journalist Mohamed Monir on June 15, and Nora Younis, who is also editor-in-chief of the Al-Manassa news website, was arrested on June 24. She was later released. Monir, 65, died in a government hospital, on July 13 after he was infected with the coronavirus while in detention. Earlier, on May 17, Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the independent Mada Masr news website, was arrested by security forces while she was interviewing the mother of detainee Alaa Abdul Fattah, a prominent anti-government activist. Shilad noted that any possible change in the governments inclinations toward the media depends on the international community and the pressure it can exert on the Egyptian government regarding the freedom of press and the media. However, the hopes of media employees in Egypt of the states possible change of heart in the media issue were rekindled when media reports revealed early July the return of prominent media and press figures to TV screens after being absent or excluded, perhaps intentionally. The main returning faces to the screen include Ibrahim Issa, a critic of Sisis regime, in addition to Magdy al-Jallad and Khairi Ramadan, among others, who will appear in a talk show on the private Al Kahera wal Nas channel (Cairo and the People) owned by Tarek Nour, owner of prominent Tarek Nour Advertising company. The program is set to be launched in August, according to Shorouk newspaper. Issas last political program on an Egyptian channel was stopped in January 2017 due to security pressure for constantly criticizing Sisis policies. In the wake of the escalating clampdown on freedom of speech and expression with Sisis rise to power, prominent journalists and correspondents forsook political programs and opted for social or artistic shows to avoid finding themselves unemployed. A former editor-in-chief of a talk show told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that changing the media map, which is currently unilateral and pro-government, might contribute to encouraging Egyptian viewers to watch local channels again, while they had taken to following foreign media because the content of all local channels was similar and identical to the states narrative. However, the editor-in-chief who had worked for several satellite channels linked the return of viewers trust in local satellite channels to the varied media content and wider space for freedom of expression through these shows. Five patients succumbed to Covid-19 in Haryana on Sunday, while 617 fresh cases emerged in 20 districts in the last 24 hours, taking the states patient tally to 26,164. According to the state health bulletin, two patients died in Gurugram, and one each in Yamunanagar, Ambala and Faridabad. Until Sunday evening, Haryana had 6,022 active cases with maximum 1,194 in Faridabad, followed by Gurugram (1,028), Sonepat (718), Rewari (393), Hisar (300) and Panipat (290). As per the bulletin, 475 patients got recovered/discharged on Sunday, increasing the tally of those cured of Covid to 19,793. Haryana has so far tested over 4.47 lakh people and as of Sunday, the state was conducting 17,647 tests per million. The states doubling rate has climbed to 22 days. Gurugram on Sunday registered 154 new cases, while Faridabad saw 115 fresh infections followed by Panipat (72), Sonepat (42), Ambala (40), Hisar (35), Karnal (28), Jhajjar (26), Kurukshetra (22), Rohtak (19), Palwal (14), Mahendergarh (13), Nuh (12), Panchkula and Charkhi Dadri (7 each), Sirsa (5), Yamunanagar and Kaithal (2 each), Jind and Fatehabad (1 each). Among the fresh cases in Karnal included five cops. Health officials said in-charge of Nigdhu police station reportedly contracted the virus from a murder accused, who was arrested two days ago and tested positive on Friday. Samples of all 11 policemen posted in Nigdhu police station were sent for Covid-19 tests, five of which turned out positive, said Karnal SP Surender Singh Bhoria. He said the police station has been sealed for next 48 hours. Meanwhile, health minister Anil Vij has urged the recovered patients to donate plasma to help those struggling from the infection. He has said that the state was in process to set up plasma banks in Panchkula, Faridabad, Gurugram and Rohtak. Sudan has lifted the death penalty and flogging as punishment for gay sex after almost four decades of hardline Islamist rule. Despite 'offenders' still facing life imprisonment for their 'crime,' with sentences starting at five years, many in conservative Sudan were outraged by the reforms and took to the streets in protest. The transitional government announced a raft of reforms over the weekend, including scrapping punishments for apostasy, allowing consumption of alcohol, banning female genital mutilation (FGM) and lifting restrictions on female dress. The new government has pledged to lead the country to democracy after last year's toppling of Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who had reigned since 1989. Protesters march with banners in support of maintaining Islamic Sharia as a part of the draft constitution during a demonstration along al-Siteen Street (Sixty) in the Khartoum East district of Sudan's capital on July 17, 2020 'These amendments are still not enough but they're a great first step for the transitional government that's trying to implement changes,' Noor Sultan, founder of Bedayaa, an LGBT+ group in Egypt and Sudan, said on Thursday. 'We see this as a positive change on the path to reform.' Same-sex relations are criminalised in most of Africa and the Middle East. Sudan was one of six countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia, that imposed the death penalty for gay sex, according to the LGBT+ rights group ILGA. Under Sudan's old sodomy law, gay men faced 100 lashes for the first offence, five years in jail for the second and the death penalty the third time around. The punishments have been reduced to prison terms, ranging from five years to life. The legal amendment was part of several reforms announced by the justice minister on Saturday, including plans to decriminalise apostasy - the abandonment of a religion - and to permit non-Muslims to consume alcohol. Sudan will also ban female genital mutilation, which typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia of girls and women, and allow women to travel with their children without a permit from a male relative, he said. Sultan said the government was discreet about dropping the death penalty for gay sex and its amendment document did not detail what Article 148 - the sodomy law - was about. Protesters chant slogans in support of maintaining Islamic Sharia as a part of the draft constitution as they march during a demonstration along al-Siteen Street (Sixty) in the Khartoum East district of Sudan's capital on July 17, 2020 'I think society is still reluctant to accept such changes but I hope that the government will continue in its path toward reform,' she said. Others criticised the justice ministry's reform agenda. 'Congrats to the immoral people who achieved their misguided demands over female genital mutilation, legitimising sodomy, drinking alcohol, and opening bars and night clubs,' said one Twitter user with the handle @marwanbsas1980. Fabo Elbaradei, an LGBT+ activist based in the capital Khartoum, welcomed the surprise move to lift the death penalty but said it would not change life much for gay people in Sudan. 'We are subjected to social discrimination and we face a prison sentence ... for simply being who we are,' he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in emailed comments. 'We are still deprived (of) our right to live like any other members of society.' Government officials did not respond to requests for comment. A man in Andhra Pradeshs Kurnool district had to dump his stillborn child into an irrigation canal after villagers allegedly refused to let him bury her in the local graveyard over fears that she might have contracted the coronavirus disease, the police said on Sunday. According to police, Shamsha Vali, a resident of Kotapadu village of Sirivella block, took his pregnant wife, Madar Bee, to Nandyal government general hospital on Friday. She gave birth to a stillborn girl on Saturday morning. The couple wanted to bury the body after returning to their village, Nandyal rural police inspector Sudhakar Reddy said. However, the villagers refused to allow the body into the village fearing the risk coronavirus infection, Reddy said. Many Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment at the Nandyal hospital. Following this, Vali was forced to dump the infants body in Kurnool-Cuddapah Canal at Chabolu village on his way to his native village. Some locals later found the body floating in the canal and informed the police, who fished the out body. From a tag on the infants body, the police were able to track the parents. The police were able to convince the villagers to let the couple give a proper burial to the infant in the village graveyard. We have not booked any case in this regard, Reddy said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Union ministry for health and family welfare on Friday released guidelines for gated colonies across the country to create facilities for the patients of coronavirus disease as the number of total cases in India touched 1,076,479 with 26,812 succumbing to the viral infection. Facilities created by the colony managements would be more acceptable to the residents and help reduce the burden on existing facilities. The facilities created in these colonies can be utilised to quarantine suspected cases or isolate those who are asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, or mildly symptomatic. The facilities are not meant for people over the age of 65 and the children below the age of 10, the guidelines stated. Also read: India added last quarter million Covid-19 cases in just 8 days, 3 states added 55.7% patients Pregnant or lactating mothers, persons with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer or other illnesses and those who use drugs that compromise the immune system will also not be allowed to stay at these centres, the guidelines added. India is now the third country in the world to have more than a million confirmed Covid-19 cases. India has conducted about 13.1 million tests, behind only the United States and Russia. Neighbourhood Covid Care Centres were to be operationalised with minimal support from the government in case the number of cases soared and the requirement for beds went up. Besides the creation of Covid care centres in the colonies, the government has also been holding training programmes under the Swasthya Doot project to prepare community volunteers in basic health care techniques. Also read: COVID-19 Statistics for India The ministry guidelines stated that community centre or common utility areas can be used for setting up these centres. Vacant flats that are isolated from occupied ones may also be used. The centre must have a separate entrance and exit gate, follow hand hygiene and thermally scan all persons who enter. Within the centres, the beds have to be placed at a distance of 3 feet and adequate natural ventilation has to be ensured. The air conditioning system should follow the government guidelines of maintaining the temperature between 24C to 30C and relative humidity between 40% and 70%, avoid re-circulation of air, and ensure as much intake of fresh air as possible. These centres will be linked to surveillance teams and an ambulance service. They will be staffed by doctors from either within the community or those provided by NGOs. They have to undergo training on a government portal. Support for clinical assessment, sample collection, and transportation will be provided, the guidelines stated. The guidelines also stated that continuous monitoring of the centre (by guards or via video feed) is needed to ensure that patients do not go out. To engage the community in the prevention of the infection, Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) should encourage people above the age of 65, pregnant women, and children to stay at home and keep contact with visitors to a minimum, the ministry stated in another document. The guidelines also called for creating awareness on preventive measures, need for early reporting on the disease and fight the stigma If a colony is declared a containment area then the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) must facilitate house-to-house screening, ensure daily surveillance, shift suspected cases to the nearest Covid-19 facility, and identify volunteers to ensure the supply of essential services, the guidelines stated. The involvement of the community is essential when it comes to preventing and managing this infection. The government should have taken steps to involve people from the start. In places such as Delhi and Mumbai, the number of cases has started stabilisinginvolving the community in setting up Covid care centres in these places would have been helpful. This can be implemented in maybe Bengaluru, Chennai and their outskirts, and some places in Telangana where the number of cases is still quite high or is rising. Other than that, most cities and towns are not too well-planned and have very few gated colonies that can implement this, said Dr Jugal Kishore, the head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. In a quiet, nondescript business park on the outskirts of Dublin a senior team manager at the Irish office of a big multinational tech company was recently looking at buying more desks. A regional office elsewhere in the world was to be shut down and the expectation was that new positions would be created back at the EMEA head office in Dublin to take up the slack. But then came the surprising news. The furniture order was put on ice. The positions would not be relocated to Dublin after all, but to a much lower-cost operation in southern Europe. "They basically found somewhere cheaper," said the manager. "It used to be that everything had to go into Ireland because that is how you saved your tax, but companies like ours are now looking for low-cost locations again." This apparent diminution of the Irish operation was a direct consequence of the big global clampdown on tax strategies that companies such as his routinely used when selling their wares. "When the Double Irish [one such tax strategy] went away, suddenly you didn't need to be in Ireland to do certain orders. Our office in Ireland isn't really important from a tax perspective any more. So we can transact orders here in Ireland for the US, but our teams in Asia and in Eastern Europe can now also do this. It doesn't matter where you are sitting any more. It's all just gone completely flexible." It's a story that is playing out in many different ways. Apple and Ireland hit the global headlines with their victory last week over the European Commission, which had failed to prove any fault in another Irish tax strategy from the past. There were celebrations in Dublin, but nervousness too. Ireland's taxation policies were once again global news. It remains to be seen whether the Commission will appeal the result but, either way, few believe the win at the General Court of the European Union is the end of the affair. Thousands of well-paid multinational staff will have felt the ground rumbling beneath their feet in recent times. There is nervousness that Ireland's industrial policy has too many golden eggs in one weakening basket. Multinationals are an incredibly important part of our economy. A new study from the OECD revealed Ireland is a very long way in the lead globally when it comes to the amount of our corporate tax take that comes from foreign multinational corporations, with 65pc of the almost 4bn in corporation tax take coming from that source. No other country comes close to being so dependent on big foreign companies. But, of course, no other country comes close when it comes to the relative amount of jobs foreign companies have brought either, with almost 245,000 employed by the sector. And trade figures from the CSO also underlined just how important multinational exports are to the Irish economy at a difficult time. The figures indicated that indigenous industries are taking a big Covid hit. Food and beverage exports, along with others, are down. By contrast, the medical and pharmaceutical sector, largely the preserve of huge Irish-based arms of American, British and other multinational firms, was up 11.3pc. Indeed, that sector accounted for 66pc of exports in the first five months of the year. "Our export sector is still primarily driven by multinationals and if we didn't have them we really would be in a serious bind," said economist Jim Power. But he believes the Apple case victory will not end the focus on our tax system. "Corporate tax is a massive issue at a global level now. The problem for Ireland is that despite the positive ruling, the perception, rightly or wrongly, is still widespread, in certain key countries, that Ireland is basically using its corporate tax policy to steal tax revenues from other countries. And that feeling would not have disappeared as a result of the Apple decision. Over the last few years we have been put up as the poster boy for this and this decision will not remove that tag." Most commentators believe that growing international pressure for a digital tax to make sure multinationals pay tax in the jurisdiction that the economic activity really occurs, not where the balance sheet resides, is inevitable. The Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB), long resisted by Irish governments, is also being driven by the European Commission. At OECD level the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project (or BEPS Project), set up to combat tax avoidance by multinational enterprises, is bringing change. And if Irish Government ministers and the IDA were wondering if the now infamous Apple case might draw a line under Europe's assault on Ireland's tax policies, they need only have read the Financial Times just days before that decision to help dampen the celebratory mood. That report indicated Europe is already considering using a new line of attack by using an old treaty to circumvent the need for unanimity in certain tax matters. The report will have been read by some as signs of desperation on the part of zealots on a crusade to take on low-tax countries. To others it will have come as a statement of intent from Europe: the beatings will continue until morale improves. "Any ripple about tax that hits the headlines in the Financial Times or on the other side of the Atlantic will always generate a lot of concern in c-suite in the US," said Lucinda Creighton, former Minister of State for European Affairs whose Vulcan Consulting advises multinational clients in Dublin, Brussels and the US. "The Apple result will have been a huge relief for the Government and the IDA and will be noted in every single boardroom that's relevant to Ireland in the context of existing FDI and potential prospective FDI. So it is massively important, really positive," she said. She agrees issues such as the proposed digital tax will have big implications for Irish-based tech companies and the growing number of financial service firms that have moved here since the Brexit referendum. "But the idea of using an instrument in the European treaties to obviate the unanimity requirements on tax issues around corporate tax I think is very tenuous. I mean, if it was possible, it would have been done before now." But not everyone believes that the Irish Government and industrial authorities can continue to hold off the force of international opinion. Tom McDonnell, co-director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute, believes Ireland is not going to be able to continue winning huge amounts of foreign direct investment. "We've dramatically punched above our weight. We have to realise that while it will continue to be enormously successful, it's not going to be the driver of economic growth that we've seen in particular over the last 10 years. We dramatically benefited from this after 2008 because essentially, it was cocooned from the rest of the economy because it sold to people in other countries. That protected us during the austerity years in a way that Greece wasn't protected, for example," he said. Nevertheless, McDonnell believes Ireland's multinational boom - much like the huge oil fields that countries such as Norway have enjoyed - is finite. "We should be treating these excess corporation tax receipts effectively as oil receipts," he said. "We should have been putting this into a wealth fund, but we didn't. Now we're going to have to use that money to deal with the coronavirus crisis. It's great we have it there, albeit temporarily, but we have to assume that it's not going to be there forever." Political and economic realities in countries such as France and Germany mean that it is no longer sustainable that multinationals pay tiny amounts of tax there while citizens of those countries pay potentially increasing amounts of tax, he said. "We've seen a rise in populism and anti-globalisation sentiment around the world and part of that is because multinationals pay such small amounts of tax. That means low-tax countries like Ireland and the Netherlands are very much at the forefront of the firing squad." Grant Thornton tax partner Peter Vale agrees that the advent of a digital tax would present challenges to the sector in Ireland. "It is inevitable that an element of it will get sucked away and the next few years will be a challenge," he said. But, he argued, some of the global changes that have taken place in recent times around intellectual property (IP) and other issues have "actually played into Irish hands". Companies have moved vast amounts of IP out of tax havens and into low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland, meaning that the profits connected to this IP are taxable here even though they generally benefit from tax allowances. "In due course the allowances will run out. So all things being equal, in seven years time or so you're going to see an almighty hike in corporate tax receipts in Ireland. Now seven years is a long time in the tax world and so many things could happen between now and then. But there may well be a surge in future years as tax allowances on that IP come to an end. Do I think that suddenly we will have five times the tax revenues or whatever? No, I don't. But there will be an increase in tax revenues once those allowances run out," said Vale. "So all is good right now. Ireland, I think, will still remain the most compelling place to do business from the tax perspective, and hopefully other perspectives too." But Vale does believe it is crucial the economy lessens its reliance on the sector. "I think we certainly should be looking to hedge our bets. And in fairness, that is what we've tried to do by incentivising our own SMEs, with FDI often helping to spawn SMEs here." Power feels efforts to create a strong domestic counterpoint to Ireland's hugely successful multinational sector have fallen short. "We really need to build up the indigenous SME sector here. The SME sector has been the poor relation," he said. Power recently authored a report for the Local Jobs Alliance in which he suggested that an IDA or Enterprise Ireland-type agency was needed for the SME sector. "I think with the lack of imagination in our political system, particularly at the permanent government level, the idea is unlikely to get anywhere. But just because something is unlikely doesn't mean that it is not correct or that we shouldn't push it. I hope we can maintain a very strong multinational model. It's good. It's important. But we definitely should not have all of our eggs in the one basket and I think we pretty much do at the moment." Tom McDonnell agreed and said he believes that the indigenous sector has done "pretty poorly" in Ireland relative to other countries. "But part of the reason for that is that we suck in so much talent into the multinationals," he said. "They're very secure jobs, they're very attractive jobs. And that means that a lot of the cohort of people that would otherwise become entrepreneurs end up working for multinationals, which is a much safer option." The manager at the Dublin office of the big tech firm has seen change come to a job that most would see as rock solid. But he agrees that insecurity is a relative thing. Take the pandemic for example, which has not spread its pain equally. "Our share price dropped a bit when the lockdown happened but over the last few weeks it has doubled and gone to its highest point ever," he said. "Tech is a safe haven. People will just keep using more and more of it even if they are never let leave their house again." Before the pandemic the company had "a few million dollars of a hole" in its operational budget. Within a month of the pandemic that hole had been filled because there was no more spending on travel or associated costs. "The company is obviously not delighted with the pandemic but it is delighted with the drop in costs. I enjoyed the odd business trip, maybe four or five a year, but we'll never go back to the way we were. We've been told worldwide by the company that, for example, no matter what your government says, you're staying at home to work until the end of the fiscal year and they will review it then. I think when we do go back to being allowed into the office it will only be for prearranged meetings. It's hard to know what this all means for the offices that ourselves and other multinationals have here in Ireland." If thousands of remote working multinational tech employees were never to return to their office desks it could be bleak indeed for property owners, not to mention shops and cafes that rely on these workers for their custom. It would, in its own way, underscore the problems of being overly dependent on one sector to keep an economy purring. "Before the pandemic our landlord was looking to double our rent," said the manager. "The landlord won't be as cocky now." Ireland's numbers 65pc: The percentage of Irelands corporation tax receipts that come from multinational companies, according to a new report last week from the OECD. The next highest percentage on the list was the United States at 56pc, but in the US case the bulk of the multinationals paying corporation tax were also US companies. The percentage for other EU countries ranged between 17pc and 55pc. 245,096: The total number employed in the multinational sector in Ireland in 2019. It reached a record high last year. 21,844: The number of new jobs created by foreign direct investment last year. The jobs were created across 250 separate projects but with job losses measuring 7,977 that meant net jobs growth in the sector of 13,867 in 2019. That was a slight decrease on 2018s net growth of 14,040 jobs. 10.5pc: The proportion of Irish jobs that are accounted for by IDA clients. 21.5bn: Total expenditure by IDA clients in the wider Irish economy in 2019. 218.7bn: The total value of FDI exports in 2019. That was an increase of 14pc on the previous year and meant that the sector accounted for 68pc of national exports. ATLANTA>> John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, has died. He was 80. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis passing late Friday night, calling him one of the greatest heroes of American history. All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague, and are heartbroken by his passing, Pelosi said. May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make good trouble, necessary trouble.' The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles. Lewiss announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now, he said inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle, and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era. The announcement of his death came just hours after the passing of the Rev. C.T. Vivian, another civil rights leader who died early Friday at 95. Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that had the greatest impact on the movement. He was best known for leading some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. At age 25 walking at the head of the march with his hands tucked in the pockets of his tan overcoat Lewis was knocked to the ground and beaten by police. His skull was fractured, and nationally televised images of the brutality forced the countrys attention on racial oppression in the South. Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson soon was pressing Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. The bill became law later that year, removing barriers that had barred Blacks from voting. He loved this country so much that he risked his life and its blood so that it might live up to its promise, President Barack Obama said after Lewis death. Early on, he embraced the principles of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as the means to bring about real change in this country. Lewis joined King and four other civil rights leaders in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. He spoke to the vast crowd just before King delivered his epochal I Have a Dream speech. A 23-year-old firebrand, Lewis toned down his intended remarks at the insistence of others, dropping a reference to a scorched earth march through the South and scaling back criticisms of President John Kennedy. It was a potent speech nonetheless, in which he vowed: By the forces of our demands, our determination and our numbers, we shall splinter the segregated South into a thousand pieces and put them together in an image of God and democracy. It was almost immediately, and forever, overshadowed by the words of King, the man who had inspired him to activism. Lewis was born on Feb. 21, 1940, outside the town of Troy, in Pike County, Alabama. He grew up on his familys farm and attended segregated public schools. As a boy, he wanted to be a minister, and practiced his oratory on the family chickens. Denied a library card because of the color of his skin, he became an avid reader, and could cite obscure historical dates and details even in his later years. He was a teenager when he first heard King preaching on the radio. They met when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabamas segregated Troy State University. He ultimately attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He began organizing sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider, enduring beatings and arrests while traveling around the South to challenge segregation. Lewis helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was named its chairman in 1963, making him one of the Big Six at a tender age. The others, in addition to King, were Whitney Young of the National Urban League; A. Philip Randolph of the Negro American Labor Council; James L. Farmer Jr., of the Congress of Racial Equality; and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP. All six met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York to plan and announce the March on Washington. The huge demonstration galvanized the movement, but success didnt come quickly. After extensive training in nonviolent protest, Lewis and the Rev. Hosea Williams led demonstrators on a planned march of more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Selma to Montgomery, Alabamas capital, on March 7, 1965. A phalanx of police blocked their exit from the Selma bridge. Authorities shoved, then swung their truncheons, fired tear gas and charged on horseback, sending many to the hospital and horrifying much of the nation. King returned with thousands, completing the march to Montgomery before the end of the month. Lewis turned to politics in 1981, when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. He won his seat in Congress in 1986 and spent much of his career in the minority. After Democrats won control of the House in 2006, Lewis became his partys senior deputy whip, a behind-the-scenes leadership post in which he helped keep the party unified. In an early setback for Barack Obamas 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Lewis endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the nomination. Lewis switched when it became clear Obama had overwhelming Black support. Obama later honored Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and they marched hand in hand in Selma on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday praised Lewis as a giant who became the conscience of the nation. Lewis also worked for 15 years to gain approval for the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture. Humble and unfailingly friendly, Lewis was revered on Capitol Hill but as one of the most liberal members of Congress, he often lost policy battles, from his effort to stop the Iraq War to his defense of young immigrants. He met bipartisan success in Congress in 2006 when he led efforts to renew the Voting Rights Act, but the Supreme Court later invalidated much of the law, and it became once again what it was in his youth, a work in progress. Later, when the presidency of Donald Trump challenged his civil rights legacy, Lewis made no effort to hide his pain. Lewis refused to attend Trumps inauguration, saying he didnt consider him a legitimate president because Russians had conspired to get him elected. When Trump later complained about immigrants from shole countries, Lewis declared, I think he is a racist we have to try to stand up and speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug. Lewis said hed been arrested 40 times in the 1960s, five more as a congressman. At 78, he told a rally hed do it again to help reunite immigrant families separated by the Trump administration. There cannot be any peace in America until these young children are returned to their parents and set all of our people free, Lewis said in June, recalling the good trouble he got into protesting segregation as a young man. If we fail to do it, history will not be kind to us, he shouted. I will go to the border. Ill get arrested again. If necessary, Im prepared to go to jail. In a speech the day of the House impeachment vote of Trump, Lewis explained the importance of that vote. When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something. Our children and their children will ask us what did you do? what did you say? While the vote would be hard for some, he said: We have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history. Lewis wife of four decades, Lillian Miles, died in 2012. They had one son, John Miles Lewis. ___ Woodward reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Michael Warren contributed to this report. Drummer Chris Frantz has criticised the former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne in his new memoir, calling his bandmate cold and dyspeptic. Talking Heads was formed in 1975 by Byrne, Frantz, bassist Tina Weymouth and keyboard and guitar player Jerry Harrison. With their restless punk sound, they became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 1980s, releasing eight albums before they eventually split in 1991. In his new book, Frantz, who married Weymouth in 1977, accuses Byrne of taking too much of the credit for the bands songwriting over the years. The drummer claims he wrote the lyrics to their 1978 track Warning Sign, which was initially credited to Byrne alone. It appears that he had forgotten that I wrote those words writes Frantz. Frantz alleges that Byrne often failed to recognise the contributions of his bandmates, claiming he couldnt acknowledge where he stopped and other people began and that the more successful Talking Heads became, the more cold and dyspeptic David became. The story that there was one songwriter in Talking Heads is a myth, he writes, adding: You could say that Tina and I were the team who made David Byrne famous. We were very good at shining the spotlight on him. He also tells a story about a time he took Byrne to dinner with his parents and the frontman was painfully gauche, writing: At one point, he lined up a row of peas on his knife and let them roll into his mouth. Then he did it again. Frantz states that, in 1991, Byrne sneaked out of Talking Heads. At the time of the bands spit, the drummer had said: "We were shocked to find out about [Byrne's departure] via the Los Angeles Times. As far as we're concerned, the band never really broke up. David just decided to leave." The memoir is complimentary of Byrne at times, too, with Frantz writing that he was a superb rhythm guitarist. He was also very willing to make an unexpected move, both musically and physically, says Frantz. He got into music to get out of himself. The Independent has contact Byrne's representatives for comment. Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina by Chris Frantz is published by White Rabbit. Rouhani Says 35 Million More People In Iran Could Become Infected With Coronavirus Radio Farda July 18, 2020 Iran's President Hassan Rouhani citing a health ministry report said on Saturday that 30-35 million more Iranians, out of a population of 82 million, could become infected with the coronavirus. Speaking at the national coronavirus taskforce headquarters, Rouhani also said the health ministry estimates up to 25 million people in Iran have already been infected since February when the government announced the first cases of COVID-19, but 30-35 million more could get the virus. The official number of confirmed cases stands at around 270,000, although some official sources and many social influencers have been saying that the government is under-reporting infection and death numbers. This is the first time Rouhani has mentioned such a large number of possible infections in the country since the pandemic began and a huge number of possible future cases. All along, Rouhani has tried to keep the economy open and restrictions imposed in the country have been slow to come, short-lived and haphazard. The rate of infection and deaths slowed in May but with a quick return to normalcy, a second wave began in June. He also disclosed that more than 200,000 patients have been hospitalized since February and nearly 14,000 have died. Given the high number of hospitalizations mentioned by Rouhani, the official number of 270,000 infections so far may well be an underestimation by the government. Hospitalization of those testing positive for the coronavirus around the world is estimated to be up to 20 percent of positive cases. Iran has administered around two million tests so far. Iran's president also added that the health ministry estimates the hospitalization of around 400,000 in the coming months if the prediction of 30-35 million more infections comes true. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/rouhani-says-35- million-people-in-iran-could-become-infected -with-coronavirus/30734496.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 The appointment of OP Dhankar as Haryana BJP chief is being seen as an attempt by the central leadership to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats. By giving the baton to Dhankar, the BJP bosses have sent a conciliatory message to the politically boisterous Jat community that has been nursing a plethora of grouses against the BJP after 2016 violent Jat quota agitation. The Jat community constitutes about 25 % of the states population, making them a singular dominant vote-bank. The BJP has maintained a status quo on the delicate issue of caste by replacing Barala (a Jat) with Dhankar. But, the move primarily points towards BJP attempting to woo the Jat community ahead of the bypoll in the Jat-dominated Baroda assembly segment. According to Prof Ashutosh Kumar, department of political science, Panjab University, the Jats of Haryana will back outspoken Dhankar more than non-performer and controversial Barala. Dhankars elevation should also be seen in the light of growing perception that the central BJP leadership ignores the dominant caste, he says. The BJP has been cutting down to size the leaders of the dominant caste. Thats the perception... Its a kind of status quo, but Dhankar is a dynamic leader, certainly a better choice than Barala. There are no immediate electoral challenges before Dhankar, barring Baroda bypoll. Political analysts say electoral calculation is not what alone appears to have catapulted the former minister to the top post. Khattar was backing some other leaders, a Haryana watcher said. The key task before Dhankar will be to expand the base of the party and bridge the gap between the government and the people at the grassroots level even as he will have to maintain a delicate balance between the party and the state government. Unlike his predecessor, who was unpopular even in his own constituency of Tohana, Dhankar is tactful a trait that could come in handy to make inroads into the hearts of the Jats in the hinterland. Dhankar, a crowd-puller Inside the Vidhan Sabha, Dhankar, a former agriculture minister, often came across as an aggressive speaker who would hit back at the opposition with biting remarks. Outside the assembly, Dhankar is known for regaling the crowd by singing Haryanvi ragni (a traditional folk song) from public platforms. Before jumping into the active politics, people close to him say, Dhankar had served as a geography teacher in Bhiwani for over a decade. Born in Dhakla village of Jhajjar district in 1961, Dhankhar did his postgraduation and MEd from the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Subhash Barala BARALAS EXIT WAS ON THE CARDS The ouster of Subhash Barala as the Haryana BJP chief was on the cards. Somehow, he managed to not only complete his term, but also stay at the helm of affairs despite the BJPs inability to cross the halfway mark in the October 2019 assembly elections, forcing the party to form a coalition government. Baralas political troubles began with the alleged stalking case involving his son, who was then a law student at Kurukshetra University. The BJP backed him despite the raging controversy. A close aide of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Barala, 52, a Jat leader, went up the ladder quite quickly. He won his first-ever election in 2014 after losing twice. Barala remained the state BJP chief from December 2014, when he replaced Ram Bilas Sharma, who became a cabinet minister in the previous Khattar government. As Jats, the largest and very volatile vote bank of Haryana, were angry with the BJP, the task before Barala was to woo them in the October 2019 assembly polls. But the BJP, which was aiming at a lofty Abki Baar 75 Paar (this time, it will be over 75 seats), fell short of a simple majority (46 seats) in the 90-member state assembly, securing just 40 seats. The BJP had swept the Lok Sabha polls in May. Barala himself lost the assembly polls from the Tohana segment by 52,302 votes. Since then, the knives were out demanding his ouster. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who took a review of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, met the soldiers of 16 Bihar, who fought aggression of Xinjiang military district troops at Galwan Y nullah on June 15, during his two-day visit. In a video tweeted by the defence ministers office on Sunday, Singh is seen interacting with the soldiers in Lukung base camp near Pangong Tso in Ladakh. He also shook hands of the battalion officers and men while praising them for their bravery against all odds. Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met the soldiers from Bihar Regiment at Lukung during his visit to forward areas in Ladakh. He had a brief interaction with them. pic.twitter.com/81YS0T960a / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) July 19, 2020 It was this Bihar unit which faced the Chinese troops during the clashes in Ladakhs Galwan Valley on June 15. An attack on the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Colonel Santosh Babu was reported to be the trigger for the bloody scuffle. With both sides now involved in dis-engagement at Galwan sector, 16 Bihar and the PLA unit from Sichuan it faced on June 15 have been taken out of the frontline as it could spark of conflagration again. India and China have been engaged in talks to east the month-long tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Officials of both the countries have held a series of meetings. During one such meeting on June 6, it was decided that China will move its observation post near the junction of Shyok and Galwan rivers. During a routine patrol on June 15, the Indian soldiers found the tents were still there, according to people aware of what unfolded at the border that day. The Chinese observation post was manned by 10-12 soldiers who were told by the Indian patrol to go away. The Chinese refused to do so even as the Indian patrol returned to their unit to inform them about the development. This was when the Indian troops with around 50 people and 16 Bihar Commanding Officer Colonel Santosh Babu in the lead, went on to tell the Chinese to go back further in their territory as they were on Indian soil. Meanwhile, by the time the first Indian patrol returned from the site, the Chinese had called for reinforcements from their rear positions in the Galwan river valley who came with around 300-350 people. As the Indian patrol reached, the sources said, the Chinese had already built up troops on higher ground around the observation post and kept the stones and weapons ready for launching an attack on the Indian troops. As the two sides started talking, the discussion turned into a heated one and the Indian side started uprooting their tents and equipment. The Chinese, who had already prepared themselves for aggression against Indian troops, attacked the Indian side in which their first attack was on the 16 Bihar CO and Havildar Palani. After the CO went down, the Biharis lost control and started attacking the Chinese ferociously despite being heavily outnumbered and stones raining from the higher ground. Twenty Indian soldiers, including Colonel Babu, were killed in the clashes. China also suffered casualties but never announced the exact number. When the current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected for the first time in 2014, the aura of his personality spread like ripples in the Indian subcontinent and was felt in Nepal also. And, when he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Nepal after 17 years and addressed Parliament in his early days at his office, the political figures and the general public in Nepal were amazed by the potential of his leadership: he was considered a genuine contender to lead South Asia to development. The political commentators of both countries were hopeful that this visit would rekindle the Nepal-India relationships at new heights in both political and social spheres. However, the commoners in Nepal were disappointed when Modis tact felt like that of a populist leader, who would just look to appease the mass he was addressing. But, as things developed, Modi, who has become one of the most powerful leaders in the contemporary world, became rather infamous in Nepal by the time of his second stint. The Nepal-India relationships hit rock bottom, and Modis foreign policy is failing even today. Today, we look at seven related-to-each-other reasons why Modis image in Nepal is tarnished. 1. Big brother attitude When Modi addressed the Nepali Parliament in his first visit, he labelled India as a friend rather than the traditional big brother of Nepal and the Nepali people: that India would always look after them. Although this was welcomed widely during the time, many criticised the bullish nature shown by the Indian government at the time of promulgation of Nepals new constitution. The events that followed proved that Modis India still wanted to retain its big brother image for Nepal. 2. Political interference During his speech in the Nepali Parliament, Modi had stressed that India respected Nepal as an independent and sovereign nation and that it was not the duty of the Indian government to interfere in the political spheres of Nepal. However, such was not the case as Modi sent the then Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who is now the Indian External Affairs Minister, as his special envoy to request a delay in promulgation of the constitution. 3. Economic blockade When Nepali leaders defied Modis interest in the constitution and enacted the new constitution, Modis government became harsher towards Nepal and enforced an economic blockade. Nepal was looking to raise itself from a calamity in the 2015 earthquake, but the economic blockade affected the country dearly. 4. Old and frequently reignited Indophobia Nepali people already had anti-Indian feelings for a few decades due to King Mahendras tactics and the 13-month long 1989 economic blockade. And, as Modis speech was promising and raised hope that the relationships between Nepal and India would be better, the economic blockade, coupled by Nepal getting closer to China, only reignited the Indophobic feelings in the Nepali Pahadiya people. 5. Trade dependency Due to the easily accessible roads and open borders, the landlocked state of Nepal relied heavily on India for trade for decades. Most imports and exports were conducted through the India-Nepal border, and the 2015 economic blockade, which lasted around five months, meant Nepal, affected by the massive earthquake, faced unprecedented economic and humanitarian crises. Modi visited Nepal three times during his first tenure: in 2014, 2016, and 2018. By the time of his third visit, Modis popularity was on a decline. Nepalis took to Twitter to express their sufferings and discontent during the third visit. 6. Lipulekh/Kalapani despute Fast forward to November 2019, when India published a new political map that addressed their recent development on Kashmir and Ladakh, it included the disputed region of Lipulekh-Kalapani in the map. India took the step without any agreements between the countries regarding the issue. Nepal, saddened and angered by Indias step, published its own map including the region in May 2020. India did not respond to the move well, and the relationships between the countries were further damaged. 7. Godi media As people of both countries were expressive on the social media to show their nationalisms, many Indian Godi media presented a rather war-mongering antique towards Nepal and did not leave even a small space for a healthy discussion. One particular television channel went so low (ethically and morally) that it aired news which claimed Nepali Prime Minister KP Oli having an illicit affair with the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi. In response, the cable operators of Nepal resorted to blocking the broadcasts of the several news channels (and later resumed). These latest developments meant that the relationships between Nepal and India hit an all-time low, and Modi became further unpopular in Nepal. Months after the virus stabilized in mainland France, it grew in French Guiana. For weeks in June and early July, about a quarter of new daily infections reported in all of France were in French Guiana, which has just 0.5% of the French population. More than 6,500 cases have been recorded in the territory, although officials fear the number of infections is estimated to be much higher. Written by Jacque Havelka Published: 31 August 2017 Willow Creek Elementary School served as a temporary supply and meal station after Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 35 inches of rain on the community, flooding many out of their homes. Harvey's drenching rain on Tuesday and Wednesday pushed local residents of Kings Point and Foster's Mill subdivisions from their residences. Willow Creek Principal Scott Duncan led the effort. They were able to find 50 to 60 host families for people who needed host homes and served hundreds of meals. Duncan said, "We put out a call to the community and got a tremendous response. Within 20 minutes , people were bringing in supplies and crockpots full of hot meals." Read more ... A forensic psychologist has slammed grown men for crowing on social media about how they 'wish' their female teachers seduced them when they were teenage boys. There has been a recent spate of Australian convictions and high-profile court cases where male and female teachers have had sex with their students. The indiscretions have occurred at both prestigious institutions and poorly funded public schools - and have sparked a familiar refrain from some on social media. Experts said stories about teachers having sex with students often leads to joke comments online such as 'where were all these teachers when I was at school?' Those people have been slammed as having 'no clue' by forensic psychologist of 42 years' experience Tim Watson-Munro. Mr Watson-Munro - who has interviewed more than 30,000 victims, accused persons and convicted criminals over his career - explained to Daily Mail Australia the pain teachers can cause with sexual relationships with their students, and what drives those offenders he has met. Jailed: Former Sydney Grammar teacher Bronwen Williams, 36, has served a jail sentence for repeated sex with a 17-year-old boy at her apartment and at school Speaking in general terms, the former Parramatta Gaol psychologist said predatory teachers often possess a willingness to abuse their authority - as well as psychological flaws. 'They're immature, they enjoy the power, and I think for some of them - and I say it with great respect to the victims - it's like shooting a trout in a barrel,' he said. 'They (the students) are captives for the day. 'Children, adolescents, teenagers, look up to teachers for a source of knowledge and authority.' Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro has stared into the eyes of more than 30,000 persons of interest, victims, accused and convicted criminals An English teacher from $36,000-a-year Sydney Grammar, Bronwen Williams, and several public school teachers, such as Sutherland's Cameron Peter White, are among those convicted in recent years. But much of the public attention has fallen on the crimes of female teachers - with recent arrests sparking social media comments from some men who publicly 'wish' their own teachers seduced them at school. Mr Watson-Munro said: 'People who make these comments really don't have a clue. 'To them, they see it as some sort of conquest of a power figure. It's a great fantasy. 'The reality is quite different. 'If you survive being sexually abused by a teacher, whatever the gender, you feel betrayed, humiliated and exploited.' Mr Munro said survivors were often groomed by offenders so they thought they were 'in love' with them - and were left feeling devastated and betrayed afterwards. As for how sex offender teachers react after they have been caught, Mr Watson-Munro said he has often found them in denial. 'Some of them victim-shame - claim that they were seduced,' he said. 'Others say they were remorseful. But if you look at the pattern of conduct, it's often gone on in different schools for years, and the remorse I think is more driven by punishment than the genuine insight of the victim. 'A number of people that I see are emotionally immature. They're people that can't really establish adult relationships with others. They can be quite sexually naive.' But it is the victims left suffering the consequences, he said - as some of these recent cases to hit the headlines make clear. BRONWEN WILLIAMS Williams (above) gave birth to a baby girl while behind bars Bronwen Williams was an English and drama teacher at Sydney Grammar School, one of the city's most prestigious schools. Over three months in 2016, Williams had sex with a 17-year-old boy in spare classrooms, storage rooms and after chowing down ice cream in her home. The then-33-year-old told the New South Wales District Court on sentencing in 2018 that she had thought it was a 'very mutual love affair'. But the victim told the court he felt 'harassed, stalked and dominated' by his needy teacher. Williams bombarded the boy with texts after he broke it off, panicking that the story of their trysts would come out. She asked if she was going to jail, described herself as a 'f***ing monster' and suggested she could take her own life. 'I loved you so much it is killing me,' she said. Another text was sent on behalf of her pet dog, who 'would like to say hello and ask how you are. 'He knows it's over between us, but he still cares about you. He hopes you won't stay angry too long and that maybe we can talk before school goes back.' Williams was jailed for seven months after pleading guilty to five counts of sexual intercourse with a person in her care. She gave birth to a baby - her husband's - behind bars and served out her prison sentence. Meanwhile, the school last year published a formal apology to the victim. Sydney Grammar praised his 'enormous bravery', saying he had ensured 'other students were kept safe from Williams'. 'The abuse of male students by female teachers is just as serious, and damaging, as the abuse of female students by male teacher,' the statement said. CAMERON PETER WHITE Jailed: Cameron Peter White, from Sutherland in Sydney's south, was jailed for at least six years for 19 sex crimes against three students - a boy and two girls Geography teacher Cameron Peter White would train schoolboys at the gym, promise to tell his students 'adult' stories and was seen as the 'cool' teacher. But what the bisexual 42-year-old part-time personal trainer and former bouncer really did was abuse and exploit his position of authority for his own sexual benefit, a court heard. White was jailed for a minimum of six years for sex crimes against three of his teenage students, each at different public school campuses south of Sydney. Two of his victims were girls and one was a 14-year-old boy who court facts said he described as 'my b****'. Some of the 19 offences he was jailed for included intercourse at his flat after the Year 12 formal and receiving oral sex in the school fire escape. One of the victims said in a statement to the court that White would callously describe her as his 'little sister', which she slammed as 'infinitely selfish.' 'I'm still ashamed,' she wrote, saying the toll the ordeal had taken had left her unable to 'feel much joy or see much hope in my future.' Judge James Bennett said on sentencing that White had exploited his position as a teacher, 'but he was a very immature man'. GAVIN MALCOLM DUNCAN Popular maths teacher Gavin Malcolm Duncan was jailed for at least seven months for sex with a 17-year-old schoolgirl at Katoomba High, in Sydney's far west. As Daily Mail Australia reported last month, Mr Duncan denied 'grooming' the girl, who he had first taught when she was just 13-years-old, and then 'mentored'. The court heard the pair repeatedly had sex at his home, with the statement of facts saying on one occasion he asked her to wear a particular item of clothing to school. 'He told her to wear a skirt to school the next day so he could f*** her in the classroom,' court facts said. The victim told the court she had believed Duncan 'cared about me. 'Every choice I made, I would ask myself how Gav would react if he found out and he always knew what I was up to... which I now realise was part of the grooming.' Maths teacher Gavin Malcolm Duncan will be eligible for parole next January As Daily Mail Australia reported recently, the victim said she had suffered anxiety and depression and been cast out by her former classmates since his arrest. 'People told me I'd lived out my fantasy while he had to suffer,' she said. 'It was the last I heard from any of my school friends. 'I've been told I wasted my life and should have said no but no one understands what it's like to be groomed.' Duncan told the court he was 'extremely sorry' for his crimes. Judge Sharon Harris accepted Duncan showed remorse, but put it best when she said: 'A school student should expect the teacher has her best interests at heart.' SARAH JANE GUAZZO No longer a teacher: Sarah Jane Guazzo, then 29, was acquitted of procurement charges for sex with a 16-year-old boy at a Queensland school. Laws about sexual relationships differ there Queensland teacher Sarah Guazzo had sex with a 16-year-old school student - but was acquitted of procurement charges last years. The charges - that she 'procured a young person for carnal knowledge' - were dismissed as, at 16-years-old, the student was of legal age, and had consented to the teacher's requests for sex. That sparked calls for reform of the state's supposedly 'archaic' laws surrounding sexual relationships between teachers and students. National Child Sexual Assault Reform Committee Professor Anne Cossins told the ABC last year the case showed the law did not address power imbalances between teachers and students. Professor Cossins told the national broadcaster at the time: 'When it is a relationship of authority and when you have someone under your care in that regard, you should not be having sex with them. It really is as simple as that.' Laws in New South Wales criminalise teachers having sex with students aged between 16 and 18 as pupils are under the authority of adults. Ms Guazzo's teaching registration was suspended and, as reported last year, she has since gained employment at an activewear store. London, July 19 : UK councils have called on for a smoking ban outside pubs, cafes and bars to make them more family-friendly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, is urging peers to support an amendment to the Business and Planning Bill which would make all pavement licences issued by councils subject to the condition they are smoke-free places, the Metro newspaper reported. The LGA said on Saturday that it will help high streets recover from the COVID-19 lockdown because the law would give customers and neighbouring shops the certainty they will not be exposed to second-hand smoke. Councillor Paulette Hamilton, vice-chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, urged peers to give councils the powers to extend smoke-free areas to include pavements so the summer can "be enjoyed by everyone". "Pavement licensing should not be a catalyst to increase smoking in public places, putting people at greater risk of ingesting second-hand smoke when they are enjoying a drink or a meal," she added. The LGA added the measure would also contribute to the government's ambition of England becoming a smoke-free nation by 2030, following recent figures showing a continuing decline in the number of people smoking. But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'We will not ban outdoor smoking, reports the Metro newspaper. "Since the existing ban was introduced businesses have invested heavily in their outdoor areas and banning outdoor smoking would lead to significant closures and job losses. "Businesses should look at ways they can accommodate both smokers and non-smokers, while smokers should exercise public responsibility and be considerate," he added. State-run Canara Bank will raise up to Rs 5,000 crore equity capital through various modes in the current fiscal year to boost its capital adequacy ratio in view of expansion plans, and will seek nod from shareholders for the same in its AGM next month. In view of certain expansion plans of the bank, the implementation of Basel III norms, and consequent capital charge, there is a need to increase the capital to further strengthen the capital adequacy ratio, Canara Bank said in its annul report for 2019-20. The bank will seek shareholders' nod at the annual general meeting (AGM) to be held on August 10 through audio/visual means in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bengaluru-headquartered lender, which amalgamated Syndicate Bank into itself with effect from April 1, 2020, has Rs 1,030.23 crore as equity capital currently and its capital adequacy ratio stood at 13.65 per cent as on March 31, 2020, well above the regulatory requirement of 10.875 per cent. "In order to shore the bank's tier I capital, the Board of Directors of the bank have decided to raise capital to the extent of Rs 5,000 crore through various modes including Follow-on Issue, right issue, preferential issue to government and financial institutions, Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) and other permitted mode of raising capital," Canara Bank said in the annual report for FY20. In its previous AGM in July 2019, the bank had sought permission from shareholders for raising up to Rs 6,000 crore as fresh equity capital through various means including a QIP. However, the bank said it did not raise capital through any of the modes approved by the shareholders, while the government infused equity capital worth Rs 6,571 crore in lieu of preferential allotment of shares on December 4, 2019. In his message to shareholders amidst the global pandemic, Managing Director & CEO L V Prabhakar said the outlook at this juncture remains uncertain given the depth of economic implications of the ongoing pandemic wave. "Notwithstanding, the monetary and fiscal efforts of the RBI and the central government shall yield desired results once the pandemic is contained. Thus, we are hopeful of recovery by the second half of the current fiscal with easing restrictions and commercial activities resuming to full swing," Prabhakar said. Going ahead, he said the bank aims to improve the bottom line with a balanced thrust on retail, MSME and corporate advances coupled with increased adoption of digitalization for efficiency improvement. "In the coming years, the bank looks forward for leveraging amalgamation benefits for maximizing the efficiency and productivity," Prabhakar added further. In 2019-20, Canara Bank posted a net loss of Rs 2,236 crore on account of an increase in provisions. The bank said its consistent focus helped in improving asset quality during the last fiscal year ended March 2020 as gross non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans fell to 8.21 per cent as on March 31, 2020 from 8.83 per cent a year ago. The net NPA reduced to 4.22 per cent from 5.37 per cent. Giving an overall picture of the banking industry, Canara Bank said Scheduled Commercial Banks' (SCBs) deposit growth stood at 7.93 per cent year-on-year, while credit growth decelerated to 6.14 per cent in 2019-20 as against 10.04 per cent and 13.29 per cent in the fiscal ended March 2019, respectively. "It is expected that the credit growth will remain tepid in the current fiscal as well, while deposit growth is picking up due to change in consumer behaviour who is treading cautiously on the expenditure side to save the earnings due to uncertain future," it added. Also Read: DCGI sends show cause notice to Glenmark over 'false claims', steep pricing of Fabiflu Also Read: Coronavirus in India: Highest-ever single day spike of 38,902 cases; tally at 10.7 lakh Advertisement New footage shows the moment federal agents hit a protester wearing a Navy sweatshirt before spraying tear gas in the man's face during another night of demonstrations that have been taking place since the death of George Floyd as President Donald Trump claims his administration is just 'trying to help'. In the footage, the unidentified protester is seen being struck at least three times with a baton as another officer sprays a substance in his face, prompting him to quickly turn away. As the man starts to walk away, an officer hits him at least two more times before the protester threw his middle fingers in the air. The incident was shared on Twitter early Sunday morning just hours before Trump weighed in on the demonstrations. 'We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. 'We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!' the president wrote. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler hit back at Trump hours later and repeated his call to have federal troops removed from the city. 'The president has a complete misunderstanding of cause and effect,' Wheeler told CNN. 'What's happening here is, we have dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they're doing is, they are sharply escalating the situation. 'Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all. They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave.' New footage shows the moment federal agents hit a protester wearing a Navy sweatshirt before spraying tear gas in the man's face during another night of demonstrations that have been taking place since the death of George Floyd as President Donald Trump claims his administration is just 'trying to help' In the footage, the unidentified protester is seen being struck at least three times with a baton by one officer Another officer is then seen spraying the man in the face with tear gas (pictured) The incident was shared on Twitter early Sunday morning As the man starts to walk away, an officer hits him at least two more times before the protester threw his middle fingers in the air During the Saturday night protest, fires were started at the Portland Police Association and in dumpsters in the area, according to Portland police. The police department declared the gathering a riot, and began working to clear the downtown area. 'As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire. Portland Police did not use any CS gas,' the bureau said in a statement early Sunday. Several arrests were made. Tear gas was deployed, according to pictures and video from the scene, but it was not necessarily CS gas. Fencing that had been placed around the federal courthouse had also been removed by protesters and made into barricades, police tweeted. Earlier on Saturday, police said protesters had gathered at the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct, vandalizing patrol vehicles and taunting officers who were reporting for work. Later, as police dispersed a group that had gathered near North Interstate Avenue, people threw rocks and paint-filled balloons at officers. Some were injured, the statement said. On Sunday morning, Trump weighed in on the demonstrations, saying: 'We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it' Trump later tweeted that 'Radical Left Democrats' will 'destroy our Country as we know it' Trump has decried the demonstrations, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as 'lawless anarchists' in a visit to the city on Thursday. Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials, the unrest had frustrated Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local authorities, who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city. Wheeler said the federal presence in the city is now exacerbating a tense situation and he has told them to depart. Asked by CNN's Jake Tapper if he thinks the Trump administration is breaking the law by deploying federal troops to Portland, Wheeler replied: 'I absolutely do. 'The tactics that the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are abhorrent. People are being literally scooped off the street into unmarked vans, rental cars, apparently. They are being denied probable cause and they're denied due process. They don't even know who's pulling them into the vans. The people aren't identifying themselves. And, as far as I can see, this is completely unconstitutional.' Wheeler said his office is trying to convince Trump to back off by 'building awareness' about what the federal troops are doing in Portland. 'From our federal congressional officers, to our governor, to our local elected officials, we're all telling the Trump administration: "Stop the rhetoric. Take these people out of our city. They are not helping us. They are hurting us. They're escalating an already dangerous situation,"' he said. 'What I want to do is raise awareness nationally. This could happen in your city. And what we're seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, by a Trump administration that's falling in the polls. And this is a direct threat to our democracy.' Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late Friday sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler hit back at Trump in a CNN interview on Sunday and repeated his call to have federal troops removed from the city. 'The president has a complete misunderstanding of cause and effect,' Wheeler said. 'What's happening here is, we have dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they're doing is, they are sharply escalating the situation. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all. They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave' Ongoing protests against police brutality occurred in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night Protesters are seen during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, Saturday night Tear gas was deployed, according to pictures and video from the scene. Fencing that had been placed around the federal courthouse had also been removed by protesters and made into barricades, police tweeted A group of mothers participated in a demonstration outside the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday The complaint said unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland's streets 'without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action'. Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to 'immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians'. The administration has enlisted federal agents, including the US Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite US Customs and Border Protection team based on the US-Mexico border, to protect federal property. But Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this week that some agents had been driving around in unmarked vans and snatching protesters from streets not near federal property, without identifying themselves. Tensions also escalated after an officer with the Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protester's head on July 11, critically injuring him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and US Rep Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued a joint statement Saturday denouncing the Trump administration's actions. 'We live in a democracy, not a banana republic. We will not tolerate the use of Oregonians, Washingtonians - or any other Americans - as props in President Trump's political games. The House is committed to moving swiftly to curb these egregious abuses of power immediately,' they said. Hundreds of people had gathered Friday night for a vigil outside the downtown Justice Center, which is sandwiched between two federal buildings, including a courthouse. Across the street, dozens of other protesters entered two recently closed city parks after dismantling chain-link fencing that blocked access. Federal agents emerged from an office building next door and used impact munitions, stun grenades and tear gas to clear the area. Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse. Early Saturday, Portland police declared the gathering unlawful, saying protesters had piled fencing in front of the exits to the federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center and then shot off fireworks at the Justice Center. Federal officers and local police then advanced simultaneously on the demonstrators to clear the streets, making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fence at police, the Portland Police Bureau said. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell told reporters Friday that his officers are in contact with the federal agents, but that neither controls the others' actions. Black Lives Matter protesters are seen during a demonstration on Friday in Portland, Oregon Several local Oregon politicians have blasted the arrival of federal agents (pictured center), who are not required to follow the same policing restrictions as local authorities and can use methods like tear gas The US Attorney for the Oregon District Billy Williams on Friday requested that an investigation be launched into the conduct of federal agents in Portland after two residents appeared to be arrested without probable cause Several Black Lives Matter protesters and residents in Portland have reported seeing masked federal agents, wearing camouflage and without proper identification, arresting demonstrators without explanation and hauling them into the back of unmarked minivans Pictured: One woman holds a photo of Breonna Taylor, an EMT from Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot dead by plain clothed authorities in March The overnight action by Portland's police was condemned by Jo Ann Hardesty, a prominent member of the City Council. Hardesty said Saturday that local police 'joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest'. Hardesty also slammed Wheeler, telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement. Hardesty, who oversees the city's fire department and other first-responder agencies, said in an open letter to Wheeler if 'you can't control the police, give me the Portland Police Bureau'. Wheeler responded to criticism from Hardesty and others in his CNN interview on Sunday, claiming that the protests were not out of control until federal troops arrived. 'Before the federal troops got here, violence was way down. Vandalism was way down. Our local and state law enforcement officials had contained the situation. The energy was coming out of the demonstrations. We had hoped they would end within a matter of days,' Wheeler said. 'And what happened instead is, the federal troops came in. They used their unconstitutional tactics. They injured nonviolent demonstrators, and the whole thing blew up again like a powder keg. So, I completely disagree with them. 'The reason we want those federal troops out of our city is, they are making the situation much more dangerous. I'm worried that one of our residents or one of our local or state law enforcement officers is going to get killed because of the tactics that they're currently engaged in.' Portland police said as they responded to the overnight protests - which included people throwing projectiles at them - some federal agencies took action 'under their own supervision and direction'. Portland Police said city officers arrested seven people, and one officer sustained a minor injury. The statement said the city's police supports peaceful protests, and beginning Saturday night Department of Homeland Security police wouldn't work in the Portland Police incident command center. Other footage involving federal agents shows two officers briskly walking toward two protesters on a desolate Portland street. 'What are you doing? Use your words,' the camera woman says, as other nearby witnesses question what the agents are doing, The camera pans to show a protester, dressed in all black and wearing a face mask, with his hands up in the air. Without any explanation, or even a word, the two federal agents arrest the man and escort him towards the unmarked minivan. 'Where are you taking him? What is going on?' witnesses ask the agents. 'You just violated their rights.' The agents place the man into the back of the vehicle and drive away. Footage shared by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and others on social media appeared to show two federal agents, who do not identify themselves or explain their actions, arresting a man this week in Portland Throughout the recorded exchange, the federal agents never reveal what sparked the arrest or what the unidentified man was being taken into custody for The two federal agents take the unidentified Black Lives Matter protester to an unmarked, grey minivan and drive away (pictured) That video was shared by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, who condemned the alleged actions in a tweet and furthered his attack against the Trump administration. 'Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters. These Trump/Barr tactics designed to eliminate any accountability are absolutely unacceptable in America, and must end,' wrote Merkley. A similar incident happened to Portland resident Mark Pettibone, 29, who told CNN that he was 'kidnapped off the street in my own city for non-violently protesting and showing up in solidarity.' 'About four people just out of the van that pulled up in front of me, and my first reaction was I tried to get away.' Pettibone was walking with his friend, Conner O'Shea,' when a group of protesters warned them about mysterious minivans stocked with federal agents driving around the area, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. 'I see guys in camo,' said O'Shea. 'Four or five of them pop out, open the door and it was just like, 'Oh s***. I don't know who you are or what you want with us.'' Witnesses have said that agents are also detaining people who are simply near federal property and it's unclear if the people detained engaged in criminal activity Both Pettibone and O'Shea believe they were targeted for wearing black cloths, but O'Shea managed to avoid arrest while Pettibine was taken into custody. 'I am basically tossed into the van,' said Pettibone. 'And I had my beanie pulled over my face so I couldn't see and they held my hands over my head.' A perimeter has reportedly been established around Portland's first autonomous zone, CLAT,' or Chinook Land Autonomous Territory,' after the police-free zone was built last Tuesday in Lownsdale Park Since the beginning of nationwide protests on Memorial Day, Portland has held demonstrations for 50 nights straight as protesters deface federal buildings and demand changes to local law enforcement During this time, Pettibone said none of the agents identified themselves as federal officers or gave any detail about the arrest. Pettibone, still blinded by his beanie hat, said agents drove around downtown a bit longer before they escorted him inside the federal courthouse. 'It was basically a process of facing many walls and corners as they patted me down and took my picture and rummaged through my belongings,' said Pettibone. 'One of them said, 'This is a whole lot of nothing.' He was later put in a cell, read his Miranda Rights and interviewed by authorities. Pettibone was released 90 minutes later without receiving any paperwork, citation or reason for his arrest. 'I just happened to be wearing black on a sidewalk in downtown Portland at the time and that apparently is grounds for detaining me,' said Pettibone. Pettibone's incident comes after local officials were outraged over cell phone footage that showed 29-year-old Donovan La Bella, a peaceful protester in Portland this week, being shot in the head with a 'rubber bullet' while only armed with a music speaker. La Bella suffered a fractured skull and bled out onto the concrete for some time. The incidents occurred at the protesters' autonomous zone called 'CLAT,' or Chinook Land Autonomous Territory across the street from the federal justice center. The Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan, confirmed on Twitter that Border Protection agents were in Portland and had conducted arrests Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley shared video unidentified federal agents arrestig a Black Lives Matter protester on Twitter and called the move 'absolutely unacceptable' Acting Secretary Chad Wolf of the US Department of Homeland Security defended his decision to deploy federal agents to Portland and claimed his officers had been subject to assaults by 'violent criminals' Williams on Friday said that he called for an investigation after circulating reports showed unidentified federal agents arresting two Black Lives Matter protesters without probable cause. 'Based on news accounts circulating that allege federal law enforcement detained two protesters without probable cause, I have requested the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General to open a separate investigation directed specifically at the actions of DHS personnel,' wrote Williams in the shocking statement. Trump had previously vowed to 'dominate' the protesters with federal agents after he displayed a heavy-handed, militarized approach to quelling protests. The US Customs and Border Protection confirmed that they were involved in some Portland arrests, but it's unclear which other agencies may be involved. '[Customs and Border Protection] will continue to arrest the violent criminals that are destroying federal property & injuring our agents/officers in Portland. CBP will restore and maintain law & order,' wrote Mark Morgan, Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection. DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, who visited Portland on Thursday, defended his officers actions. He claimed that his officers had been assaulted with frozen water bottles 'from violent criminals'. 'Let's get this right. "Protesters" imply they were peacefully exercising their 1st amendment rights,' wrote Wolf. 'Instead, DHS officers were assaulted with lasers and frozen water bottles from violent criminals attempting to tear down federal property. 2 officers were injured. Facts matter.' In a 1,700-word statement, Wolf also said troops were sent in to 'restore order' from 'lawless anarchists' who've become 'emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day.' 'The city of Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days. Each night the violent anarchists destroy and desecrate property, including the federal courthouse, and attack the brave law enforcement officers protecting it,' he said. His rhetoric matches that of Trump, who has unequivocally sided with law enforcement in recent months and has referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as 'thugs'. Sen Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also blasted the Trump administration for allowing federal agents to canvas the city without proper identification. Sen Elizabeth Warren said: 'I thought we'd already covered this after the attacks in Lafayette Square: the US government should not be using unidentified federal officers as a secret police force to terrorize US citizens & violate their constitutional rights' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned the presence of federal agents in Portland by saying 'Trump & his stormtroopers must be stopped' Oregon Gov Kate Brown furthered the attacks against DHS and the Trump administration by suggesting their motivations behind deploying federal agents was political, not to enforce public safety Brown suggested Trump was hypocritical in his criticisms of Portland because of his widely condemned St John church photo-op that caused authorities to use tear gas on peaceful protesters in Washington, DC 'I thought we'd already covered this after the attacks in Lafayette Square: the US government should not be using unidentified federal officers as a secret police force to terrorize US citizens & violate their constitutional rights. This is outrageous,' wrote Warren. Oregon Gov Kate Brown appeared to summarize her cohorts opinions by suggesting both Trump and Wolf are prioritizing politics over public safety. 'This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety. The President is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government,' she wrote on Twitter. 'I told Acting Secretary Wolf that the federal government should remove all federal officers from our streets. His response showed me he is on a mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes. He is putting both Oregonians and local law enforcement officers in harm's way. Brown even suggested Trump was hypocritical and pointed out his notorious St John church photo-op where peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square were cleared out with tear gas and alleged less-lethal munitions. Pettibone said he plans to speak with the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU, but the latter has already taken legal action against the agency. On Friday, ACLU announced that it had filed a lawsuit against the DHS over the 'flat-out unconstitutional' arrests. The American Civil Liberties Union revealed that it will sue the US Department of Homeland Security over actions and arrests they deem 'flat-out unconstitutional' One person who joined tense protests in Portland on Friday night held a sign reading: 'Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable' One of the largest problems facing law enforcement in Portland is the different policing restrictions placed on local police and federal agents, who are allowed to use tear gas and less-lethal munitions against protesters Graffiti made by Black Lives Matter protesters on the Portland courthouse building reads 'Send home Trump's piglets' and 'We Won't Forget La Bella,' in reference to the 29-year-old peaceful protester who was shot by federal agents with a 'rubber bullet' and suffered skull fractures A smoke grenade burns in front of federal law enforcement officers, deployed under the Trump administration's new executive order to protect federal monuments and buildings Protesters erect fencing in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse entrance doors to block federal agents inside, but authorities eventually exited through the next door building and clashed with protesters 'Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnapping what is happening now in Portland should concern everyone in the US. These actions are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered,' the organization wrote. Kelly Simon, interim legal director with the ACLU of Oregon, added: 'This is a fight to save our democracy.' ACLU also filed a lawsuit against the US Marshals Service and the Portland Police, who they've accused of unfairly targeting journalists and legal observers amid ongoing protests. If won, federal agents would be held to far more restrictions than they do now. Authorities would be barred from arresting, threatening to arrest or using physical force against journalists or legal observers unless it's 'reasonably known' the individual committed a crime, according to the Oregon Public Broadcasting. One of the largest problems currently facing law enforcement in Portland in a lack of uniform restrictions and rules from local police to federal agents. Portland Police Bureau officers and local authorities have been barred from using crowd control munitions against non-violent protesters - but not federal agents. Federal agents have also repeatedly used tear gas, which has been temporarily banned from the Portland Police Bureau by federal court order unless they declare a riot. Portland Deputy Police Chief Chris Davis said federal agents don't coordinate with his agency and that 'it does complicate things for us'. Limerick might not be home to as many tall buildings as Dublin or Cork, but a new strategy could open up the possibility for change. Ergo has learned that Limerick City and County Council has issued a request for tender seeking submissions regarding a building height strategy. The council is seeking to "set out an approach to building height" that can "support the preservation and enhancement of Limerick's character and inform the policies of the Limerick Development Plan". In the tender documents, the council sets out that it is seeking suitably qualified and experienced multi-disciplinary teams to prepare the building height strategy for Limerick city. As well as identifying planning instruments to regulate building height, the strategy will carry an analysis of where is suitable in Limerick for individual or clusters of tall buildings. It will also take into account which locations are unsuitable, and others which could need "careful consideration", with a focus on historical areas of Limerick, including the Georgian areas. Conservation prioritised in Hatch Hall renovation Dublin City planners are seeking more conservation information and tweaks from Red Carnation for the planned five-star boutique hotel at Hatch Hall. The new owners of the building, who spent 20m on the property which once housed asylum seekers, have an extensive restoration plan for the hotel. However, following concerns expressed in the conservation sections more material has been requested. This includes drawings and photographs of the existing internal decorative features and historic fabric that survive within all parts of the building. They have also been asked to refine detail and design of the entrance canopy to ensure it is sympathetic to the historic fabric. Red Carnation is well used to this sort of detail having spent close to 50m restoring Co Mayos Ashford Castle. Small ray of light for RTE TV ad rates in August In these gloomy financial times, there was a snippet of welcome news from RTE last week. A note to advertisers from RTE Media Sales said due to favourable trading conditions RTE would be introducing updated pricing for TV ads for August. RTE Director-General Dee Forbes recently painted a grim picture of the broadcasters financial affairs in its submission to the Dail Eireann Covid Committee, suggesting income would be down between 25pc and 35pc. While there are signs the ad market is improving, it is not quite time to declare RTEs troubles are over. There is always lower ad spending in the summer and the last four months of the year will be crucial. As recently announced, audiences have been tuning in to RTE in record numbers in recent months. In response to steady industry demand for advertising on RTE television in August, typically the smallest revenue month in the year, RTE has re-introduced a post AB (advance booking) rate for August bookings, said an RTE spokesman. Richard Curran, a columnist with the Sunday Independent and Irish Independent, is to co-host a new RTE One series Open For Business which starts this Tuesday. Produced by Coco Productions and sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Ella McSweeney will also present the show. In the first week the programme will focus on one provincial town Ennis, Co Clare and see how small businesses have been coping with the slow, phased reopening of the economy. See Full Image Gallery >> American motorists aren't the only ones who fell head over heels for the new Ford Bronco. Across the Pacific, China-based Wey announced an SUV called P01 that incorporates some of the off-roader's styling cues. Up front, the P01 is characterized by a tall, upright grille and round lights each split by horizontal LEDs. This design solution also appears on the Bronco and the Bronco Sport, and it was leaked online in December 2019. Its fender flares are closer to the Jeep Wrangler's than to the Bronco's, while its rear end wears vertical lights and an external spare tire. It's not a Xerox copy of the Bronco, but the Ford vibes are strong. It's also reminiscent of the Jeep CJ-like Beijing Automotive Works (BAW) BJ212 introduced in 1965 and built for decades. We don't know if the P01 features unibody architecture, or if it gets a more rugged body-on-frame design. Similarly, technical specifications remain under wraps. Don't expect to find a mighty V8 or a twin-turbocharged V6 under the hood, however. China's vehicle tax structure puts large-displacement engines at an immense disadvantage, so the odds of seeing more than four cylinders after opening the P01's hood are relatively low. Developed largely for the Chinese market, the Wey P01 will make its official debut online in the coming weeks, and it will go on sale shortly after. We'll have a better idea of how close it truly is to Ford's latest off-roaders when it breaks cover. Don't expect to see it in the United States, where Wey has never sold a car. What's Wey? Wey was formed as a premium brand in 2017 by Great Wall Motors, a 36-year-old Chinese manufacturer that puts a major focus on pickup trucks and SUVs; it's sometimes called China's home-grown Jeep. If the name sounds familiar, it's likely because BMW operates a joint-venture with Great Wall in China and it asked its partner to start building electric Mini models in the early 2020s. And, do you remember the reports of a Chinese brand interested in purchasing Jeep or Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in its entirety? That was Great Wall, too. Story continues Related Video: Click here to See Video >> AKRON, Ohio A 36-year-old Canton man accused of running down an Akron man and his 1-year-old daughter with an SUV has been arrested, police said. Shawn Allen was arrested around 5 p.m. Friday, according to an Akron police news release. He is currently being held in Summit County Jail on two counts of aggravated murder, court records show. Allen was arraigned Saturday and is being held on a $5 million bond. Allen is accused in the July 12 killing of 43-year-old Horace Lee and Lees 1-year-old daughter, Azeria Tucker. Akron police say Allen was driving a Cadillac Escalade that struck the duo walking on the sidewalk. Lee and Azeria were pronounced dead at the crash scene. Allen intentionally targeted Lee because of a fight shortly before the crash, Akron police have previously said. Collectively, it is our hope that Allens arrest will provide the family of the deceased some closure, Akron police said in the news release. More Northeast Ohio crime news: Dozens remember Angelo Easy Miller, shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer 13 years ago Man arrested after bringing loaded gun to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, police say Officials identify man killed in Bedford shooting BRIDGEPORT After a forced 4-month hibernation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the citys 132-year-old Golden Hill Street courthouse reopens Monday. But questions remain about how one of the states busiest courthouses, as well as one of its oldest, will be able to function under the strict guidelines in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. City lawyer Frank Riccio II is president of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association and could have the first test of the new procedures in place at the courthouse with the arraignment of murder suspect Jefton Brown. GA2 (Golden Hill courthouse) averages 200 to 300 people per day, so it remains to be seen how it is going to operate now, Riccio said. I would be very concerned from a safety standpoint if they were going to try to return to normal there but I know the Judicial Branch is doing everything they can to try and limit the number of people in the courthouse. According to a statement by the state Judicial Branch, proceedings at the Golden Hill Street courthouse will be limited to 50 percent capacity. Masks will be required to be worn in the courthouse and the branch has instituted an enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocol. The Judicial Branch states that, as in the Main Street court, social-distancing markers have been installed to encourage people to remain 6 feet apart, protective barrier have been installed at the metal detectors at the entrances and office spaces have been rearranged to maintain 6-feet distances among employees. Traditionally, the Golden Hill court handles all criminal arraignments. Major felony cases are then transferred to the Fairfield County Courthouse on Main Street. But all motor vehicle cases as well as lesser felony cases are still prosecuted at the Golden Hill court. When the Golden Hill court was closed in March, all cases were transferred to the Fairfield County Courthouse along with the criminal cases from the closed Stamford, Norwalk, Milford and Derby courthouses. Late last month Stamford and Milford reopened but the Golden Hill cases continued to be heard at the Main Street courthouse. The pandemic forced the Judicial Branch to use video for the first time in criminal cases. The Fairfield County Courthouse, which was built in the early 1970s, presented some challenges but officials there were able to set up an arrangement where defendants in the courts basement lockup, their public defenders and the bail commissioner could all be seen on a large video monitor by a judge at the same time. Officials said the courthouse, built in 1888, has a much larger lockup area than the Main Street courthouse, making it more practical for the large number of arraignments. As with the Main Street courthouse, a large-screen video monitor has been set up in a courtroom in the Golden Hill Street courthouse so that a judge in the courtroom can view defendants in the lockup, with public defenders and bail commissioners in their offices during arraignments. Private lawyers are still going to have to be in the courtroom during the arraignments. Only a limited number of family of defendants will be allowed into the courthouse. Referring to Bollywood heavyweights as movie mafia, Kangana Ranaut in an interview with a TV channel has hit out at several top names such as Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt and Javed Akhtar etc. The actor, while highlighting the discrimination in the Hindi film industry, spoke about how her career as well as financial prospects was targeted, and that biggies of the industry attempted to corner her. Ranaut further said that the movie mafia had systematically sabotaged late Sushant Singh Rajputs career. She accused Chopras Yash Raj Films [YRF] of being responsible for causing mental harassment to Rajput, and that Johar made Drive to sabotage the late actors career. She also stated that YRF didnt allow Rajput to work in filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansalis films, while adding that the ongoing interrogation by Mumbai Police is a complete sham, as they have failed to summon powerful people. " -Needy outsider - B grade actress (But) - better looking & better actor than Alia Bhatt & Ananya!" Net net I think this was a compliment! Thanks Kangana! I think u are gorgeous, generous & a great actor ! Shine on #KanganaSpeaksToArnab #Nepotism @KanganaTeam https://t.co/fIg4i3Lz5F Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) July 19, 2020 Industry insiders, though, have diverse point of views. Director Hansal Mehta says: Group-ism exists, and it exists everywhere. People do tend to form support groups but the problem arises when there is targeting and bullying, which can really hit you badly. For actor Gulshan Devaiah, in Bollywood, everything eventually boils down to the perception. He says: Here, one actor is perceived to be better suited or perceived on the basis of his market value. And [as an artist], that can be extremely disappointing as well as extremely taxing. Ranaut, on her part, has said that she was threatened by Chopra when she refused to work in Salman Khan-starrer Sultan and told her that her career is finished, besides the fact that at one point, she even contemplated committing suicide after facing systematic targeting. The actor revealed that Bhatt had once thrown his footwear at her when she rejected his film and questioned its content. She has, quite surprisingly, gone on to say that she was ready to return her Padma Shri if she failed to prove her claims/statements. Ranaut even said that Akhtar had asked her to apologise to Hrithik Roshan [after their personal life details became public] or she will commit suicide as she would have no other place to go. Very well said @taapsee .. On point as always ! Taapsee Pannu hits back at Kangana Ranauts accusations: I refuse to be bitter and take advantage of someones death for personal vendetta - bollywood - Hindustan Times https://t.co/LGp1ykcZM6 Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) July 19, 2020 Actor Taapsee Pannu, though, says she refuses to be bitter. I also refuse to take advantage of someones death for personal vendetta, and make a mockery of the industry that gave me my bread and identity. I have had my share of struggles but just because I dont glorify and deal with them with a positive outlook, it doesnt make me any less of the outsider, says Pannu. Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia readily admits that group-ism exists in the industry but at the same adds that as far as nepotism goes, it exists in every sphere of life. But ultimately, one has to prove himself/herself, regardless of familys name, he says. Talking of nepotism, Ranaut has said in the interview that a mediocre film like Gully Boy got awards while Rajput-starrer Chhichhore was totally neglected. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri feels anybody who speaks up will be isolated by the Bollywood biggies. Kangana has taken a very big risk. They even isolated me when I spoke up. Anybody who speaks against them, they are out. Model-actor Muzamil Ibrahim feels the points raised [by Ranaut] are very valid. He says: When a talent comes in the industry, I think the people in the industry should be a little more unbiased. Kanganas ex-boyfriend and actor Adhyayan Suman, who referred to her as brave on his social media, feels level playing field is all we are fighting for. He says: Sometimes, its important to let go of your past and support someone who is trying to fight for the greater good. A lot of people dont speak up as they are scared but she did. No one has the right to bully anyone in this industry. I applaud #KanganaRanaut who is braver & bolder than I am. Only I know how a 'powerful' person has viciously tried to destroy my career. I stayed silent. Because I am not so brave... @KanganaOffical Simi Garewal (@Simi_Garewal) July 18, 2020 Simi Garewal finds Kangana Ranaut to be brave On Saturday night, former actor and TV show host Simi Garewal lauded Ranaut for her brave comments highlighting nepotism and bullying in the Hindi film industry. She tweeted: I applaud #KanganaRanaut who is braver & bolder than I am. Only I know how a powerful person has viciously tried to destroy my career. I stayed silent. Because I am not so brave. The Mera Naam Joker actor also tweeted that Ranauts interview left her quite depressed. When George Floyd was killed in America it set forth an awakening. In the same way #SushantSingRajputs death may be the harbinger of an awakening in Bollywood (sic). (With inputs from Juhi Chakraborty, Prashant Singh and Kavita Awaasthi) While purporting to be religion-friendly, CBSs recently canceled God Friended Me glorified New Age notions, particularly a form of transhumanism. A Silicon Valley religion based on eugenics, transhumanism would improve humans by prolonging life, augmenting intelligence and enhancing biology with artificial intelligence, using computer algorithms. In the TV series, a young and personable atheist, Miles Finer (Brandon Michael Hall), who happens to be the son of a prominent Harlem minister (Joe Morton) receives friend suggestion messages on his cell phone from a mysterious God account. He soon learns that he is expected to help out those people under difficult, wrenching and life-changing circumstances, perhaps to save their lives or their health or their livelihoods or their relationships with loved ones. Some of those who assist him to help others become dear friends and trusted fellow travelers. These include Rakesh (Suraj Sharma), a computer genius of Muslim background, and Cara (Violett Beame), an investigative reporter. An avowed atheist, alienated from religion after his mothers early death from being run over by a drunk driver after surviving cancer, Miles refuses to believe that there is anything divine about the friending messages, even though he repeatedly witnesses how accurate and effective and transformative they are. So, he and his friends embark on a quest to discover the source of the salvic computer algorithm, even as they are bringing comfort and assistance to the designated individuals. In an episode about an atheist thinker finding God, writer Jessica Granger suggests that the God Account could be a massive military experiment. Miles operates a podcast from his home in which he reports on his adventures and on his quest to discover the originator of the God Account. His defiant approach bucks any authority that might guide the messages or assignments. Still, that skepticism adds a credibility and trust factor to the interaction between Miles and his wards. Brandon Michael Halls Miles is so winsome and pleasant that one cannot help believing that strangers would open up to him. Indeed, the series is well-cast with likable actors. But God Friended Me does more than provide moving tales of people being helped through emotional and physical and spiritual hurdles. Yes, a lot of the writing was moving, though perhaps in a manipulative way, given the sweet, neatly wrapped episodes and their New Age biases. The show tried to please those who attended church on Sunday mornings as well as those who didnt. It spoke in the language of the church, even citing scriptural verses, but it seemed preoccupied with other realms and matrices. Indeed, God Friended Me was the latest in a tradition of CBS series that played to the churched while preaching to the unchurched: Touched by An Angel, Eli Stone, Joan of Arcadia, Person of Interest and Living Biblically. God Friended Me was a cross between Joan of Arcadia and Person of Interest. Joan of Arcadia was preoccupied with a god who assumed (or commandeered?) different human forms in order to communicate with a chosen teenager, and Person of Interest postulated a super computer (actually, two competing ones) that could anticipate pain and crime and crisis by operating through longstanding public utilities grid apparati. In the name of civil liberties, Person of Interest rejected the deification or the glorification of artificial intelligence. God Friended Me apotheosized its computer program while pretending not to do so. It featured a corporation which, as writer Andre Edmonds put it, could form a new division to develop the first app that can not only monitor someones financial identity, but that can analyze and identify potential fraud before it happens. The God of the monotheistic religions often appears limited (especially in some modern theologies which prefer a non-omnipotent deity) because that God leaves human beings free to make moral decisions on the basis of revealed guidance. But this show posited a basic app that can prevent immoral acts -- thus one-upping the biblical God? Even more startling was the suggestion, by writers Lara Azzopardi and Devanshi Patel, that a computer programmer named Henry Chase (Falcon) could create an algorithm that, with enough information, could prevent events before they happen. Chases sister had been killed in an accident and he therefore turned to predictive analysis to prevent such heartbreak in the future. Thus, faith as defined by this series entailed both controlling the future technologically and preparing for the future psychologically -- a multisided self-help approach. Writer Robert Hull had Miless Episcopal minister father impart to his son early in the first season: Faith is not just about religion, but about believing in what youre doing, about helping people, and about friendship. Faith is your belief that you are making a difference in the world. Hull also had Rev. Finer tell Miles that he would rather that father and son would commune together with God and not a god account. Your mother used to say that anything that makes you smile is God. In all my years as a reverend I havent heard a better definition of what I believe. So, God is anything that makes you smile? This is the wisdom of a minister appointed bishop? At times Hull paid lip service to skepticism regarding New Age people. Regarding a celebrated self-help guru, he has Miles observe: Its sad that people actually buy into this stuff. He even has Rakesh quip about two people taking orders from an internet deity. Even so, from the start, the series took a definite New Age turn with talk about how the universe is trying to tell us, me, you something and soul mates. Hulls theological observations extended to the penultimate episode. (4-26-2020). Rakesh is able to save the God Account because he has based his Soulmate Dating App on its algorithm. Miles concludes that the true miracle is not a burning bush or the parting of a sea, but the miracle we create ourselves, that were able to give to one another the miracle that changes lives in a profound way. As long as Im doing good, he says, it doesnt matter whos whispering in my ear, whether God or a secret artificial intelligence computer project. But the series was so intrigued with the promise of artificial intelligence that it suggested time and time again that super computers were not only an enhancement of human powers, but of divine powers. Writer Steven Lilien closed the series on a note of deliberate ambiguity. While the family hopes that cancer surgery will restore the health of Miless sister Ali, his father exhorts Miles to pray for Ali and for the family to get through their ordeal because Prayer is action. Ali had wanted Miles to bring her mothers Bible, but only so he would find a letter she had written to him, just in case she died, telling him not to lose his sense of wonder and to keep his heart open to all possibilities. Like faith, prayer here is an exercise in possibility thinking. In the final episode, a teen claims that while in a coma he was instructed by an angel. He knows things that he could not possibly have known. It is then discovered that his grandfather visited him and told the comatose lad these things. But he still knew one thing that the grandfather had not told him. It would seem that the series hedged its bets between the spiritual benefits of angels and those of computers. It featured church interiors consistently. In the end, however, it sent Miles off to the Himalayas on a spiritual quest, invoking a New Age scenario while heralding the transhumanist dream of artificial intelligence enhancing both God and people. (Natural News) Free speech has found an unlikely champion in British actor and comedian Ricky Gervais. The 59-year-old comedian, who is known for his biting and irreverent humor, slammed what he says is the escalating use of the term hate speech to crush any dissenting view from the mainstream narratives, noting in an interview with talkRADIO host Kevin OSullivan that it has unleashed a new weird sort of fascism onto the world. Theres this new weird sort of fascism of people thinking they know what you can say and what you cant say and its a really weird thing that theres this new trendy myth that people who want free speech want it to say awful things all the time, which just isnt true. It protects everyone, Gervais said. According to Gervais, there are two problems with the term hate speech, both of which he described in the interview as catastrophic. One, what constitutes hate speech? Everyone disagrees. Theres no consensus on what hate speech is. Two, who decides? And theres the real rub because obviously the people who think they want to close down free speech because its bad are the fascists. Its a really weird, mixed-up idea that these people hide behind a shield of goodness, Gervais said. (Related: United Nations now targeting free speech on a global scale, under the banner of fighting hate speech.) In addition, the outspoken actor, who is currently writing and directing the Netflix comedy series After Life, noted that social media amplifies everything making it easier for online outrage mobs to zero in on personalities, whether or not they actually commit anything problematic. If youre mildly left-wing on Twitter youre suddenly Trotsky. If youre mildly conservative youre Hitler and if youre centrist and you look at both arguments, youre a coward and they both hate you, Gervais said, referring to the online shaming started by social justice warriors that targeted 150 celebrated writers, academics and journalists who recently signed a letter criticizing cancel culture. Among those targeted by the online mobs were authors Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and Noam Chomsky. This is not the first time that Gervais criticized liberals, left-wing activists and SJWs and their propensity for online mobbing in the name of political correctness. I think offense is the collateral damage of free speech, and its no reason not to have free speech, Gervais said earlier this year, prior to hosting the Golden Globe Awards. According to Gervais, inadvertently offending someone by exercising ones right to free speech is the lesser of two evils, noting that the total loss of free speech would be horrendous. Gervais: People take things too literally Gervais, in his interview, lamented that had his mockumentary The Office been made today, it would have been immediately ripped apart by online SJWs driven by their inclination to weaponize political correctness. This was a show about everything. It was about difference, it was about sex, race, all the things that people fear to even be discussed or talked about now, in case they say the wrong thing and they are canceled, Gervais, said. The Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning BBC comedy, which aired from 2001 until 2003, featured a central character played by Gervais, who regularly made tone-deaf and offensive remarks to his colleagues. Now [the show] would suffer because people would take things literally, Gervais said, again referring to the internets liberal outrage mobs who tend to take things out of context, even though [the jokes] were clearly ironic. Other celebrities have taken up similar stances, such as Taylor Swift who described cancel culture as a mass public shaming, and former TV Superman Dean Cain, who recently described it as a cancer. This whole cancel culture thing is a cancer. Its awful, terrible. Im 100 percent behind what Ricky Gervais says. Free speech needs to be protected and the speech you dont like needs to be protected. I am open to hear everyones point of view and I think everyone should be, Cain said in an appearance at Tucker Carlson Tonight. Read more at ThoughtCrimes.news. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com DailyMail.co.uk FoxNews.com Standard.co.uk NME.com DailyCaller.com By Tanya Gold Last spring, I borrowed a beautiful new campervan to drive from Cornwall to Dorset and back. It was as stylish as a boutique hotel: black, with two double beds (one up, one down), swivel seats and a kitchen with two hobs and a fridge. I should have picked up a female friend and driven to Italy in splendour. Instead I took four males to Dorset: a large husband; a small son; his friend; and Virgil the dog. Tanya Gold outside a Cath Kidston tent at Glastonbury, she woke up screaming to someone urinating on the tent It was my fault. I am not good at camping. I woke up screaming when I went to Glastonbury because someone was weeing on my tent. I thought a campervan would be different but I do not know how to pack a campervan. Practised campers do not pack duvets, pillows, suitcases, vast piles of books, toys and dog cages. When I wanted to change its use from sleeping to cooking to dining, I had to unpack everything, and the respectable campers at Corfe Castle campsite thought we were disgusting with our carrier bags littering the site. Containing five mammals, the campervan didnt smell so good in the mornings either. Then there was Virgil. I thought he would love the trip to Enid Blyton land the Famous Five (and Virgil the Dog)! Tanya said she thought going in a campervan would be different to camping - but she was mistaken I was wrong again. He hated it. He hated the drive, and the loss of his house, and gas fire, and his 11 potential beds. He hated that he was tied up at the site rules! on a 40ft lead. Good dogs are not tied up! He developed a pleading expression which did not leave his beautiful face for the whole of the trip. He sat exactly 40ft from the campervan, so I would know how he felt. The weather in Dorset was fine. But we drove back to Cornwall and into a ferocious storm. I said: We will still camp at Lands End we have paid in advance. The site was almost empty. The owner looked amazed we had come. She put us behind the toilet block to shelter us from the wind. The children blew over anyway. Virgil cried. He had thought Dorset was the nadir, and he was wrong. Even so, I decided to have a dinner party. I invited my mother, my sister, her husband and her two sons for a campervan dinner. Incredibly, they came, carrying salads across the site in the gale. We ate hamburgers as the van rocked. It was amazing. It was unique. There has never been a dinner party like that. The misery came later. At 4 am, as the gale screamed around us, a little face showed itself, upside down in the gloom. Im wet, it moaned. The extendable campervan roof was not designed for Atlantic gales. I got up to console him and stood in Virgils water bowl which my husband had, inexplicably, left on the floor. I screamed. Everyone got into the lower bed but nobody slept. We went home the next morning, two days early. Virgil spent 48 hours in front of the gas fire, drying his paws. Next time, he will go to the dog hotel. I might go with him. But the children loved it. About 67 percent of four-year colleges plan to re-open in the fall for in-person classes, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.Those re-openings tend to be in states with Republican governors, who have been more willing to reopen their states. Although 26 states have a Republican governor, only 41 percent of colleges and universities reside in them. Around 80 percent of schools in states governed by Republicans plan for in-person fall classes, while only 29 percent of schools in states governed by Democrats plan for a fall re-opening. The Chronicle surveyed 940 colleges.Those numbers support the claim that the decision to reopen in the fall is, in part, based on partisanship. Most "purple" states with Republican governors voted for Trump in 2016; only one, New Hampshire, voted for Hillary Clinton. Yet, 80 percent of schools still plan to reopen. Even most of the "purple" states that did not vote for Trump still plan to have in-person classes.Partisanship isn't the only factor that influences the decision to reopen schools, though. The size, selectivity, density, and amount of government funding also sway the choice for in-person classes.The largest universities will struggle more with social distancing. Rural colleges will find it easier than urban colleges. And colleges that received less federal funding through the CARES Act are more likely to reopen in the fall a sign that colleges keep an eye on paying their bills to stay open along with health and safety.Even though colleges have time before students arrive to test their solutions, restaurants, shops, and small businesses demonstrate the need to reopen in order to survive.While restaurants and retailers begin to reopen, Lozano Rojas , a professor at Indiana University, noted that the fear of getting sick may still prevent people from working or consuming goods. However, that fear stems from the states that are typically slow to reopen while states like Florida have reported plenty of business in restaurants and on beaches.Though the type of college and economic considerations influence campus reopening, the data show that the partisan leanings of a state weigh heavily on the decisions made on campus.Kathryn Goodwin is a Martin Center intern and a junior studying political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Assam Police urged people to follow social distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic by using Shah Rukh Khan's dialogue from Baazigar (1993), with a twist. "Social Distancing can save lives. Or as @iamsrk would say, 'Kabhi kabhi paas aaane ke liye kuch door jaana padta hai, aur door jakar paas aane walon ko Baazigar kehte hai (sic). Stay Six feet apart and be a Baazigar!'" tweeted the official Assam Police handle with a morphed picture of SRK doing his iconic hands open pose as he wears a breathing mask. Take a look. Social Distancing can save lives. Or as @iamsrk would say, "Kabhi kabhi paas aaane ke liye kuch door jaana padta hai, aur door jakar paas aane walon ko Baazigar kehte hai."Stay Six feet apart and be a Baazigar! #SocialDistancing #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/m7PLnZRgJW Assam Police (@assampolice) July 18, 2020 Meanwhile, by Friday, the flood situation in Assam continued to remain grim, as five more deaths were reported, taking the death toll due to the monsoon deluge to 76, while around 36 lakh people in 28 of the state's 33 districts have been affected. The floodwater has inundated 2,678 villages, and 116,404 hectares of crop area. The district administrations have set up 711 relief camps and distribution centres in 28 districts, where around 51,500 men, women and children have taken shelter. Districts of Dhubri, Goalpara, Barpeta, Morigaon, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Darrang, Nalbari, Kamrup (Rural), Nagaon, Golaghat are the worst-hit. Around 19.8 lakh domesticated animals and over 13 lakh poultry birds were affected due to floodwater. The National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force personnel, along with the local administration, are continuously working to rescue affected people and render relief services, including distribution of necessary material to the marooned villagers. (With inputs from IANS) IFC, a member of the World Bank Group Friday, announced a $12 million loan to Rider Iron and Steel Ghana Limited. The facility is to support the company's construction of a steel manufacturing plant that will increase Ghana's domestic steel production, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs. IFC's loan will support the construction of the plant in Kumasi, Ghana's second-biggest city. When completed in 2021, the factory will produce roughly 240,000 tons of steel products annually using mostly locally sourced scrap steel. The plant will increase Ghana's current production by more than 75 percent. The plant will create about 450 direct jobs and generate more than 13,000 indirect jobs in the value chain, mostly among individuals and micro-enterprises engaged in scrap collection. Rider Steel Director, Walid Al Alami, said, This capital injection from IFC is a game-changer, not just for Rider Steel, but for the industry and Ghana. The loan will propel us to help meet domestic demand and support many other businesses along the way. Ronke Ogunsulire, IFC Country Manager for Ghana, said, We are pleased to support Rider Steel, and contribute to job creation, local skills development, and economic growth in Ghana, especially at a time when the global economy is facing serious challenges. The new plant will operate with an energy-efficient induction furnace and will use steel scrap as the main ingredient, reducing its carbon footprint compared to steel made from iron ore. Increased domestic steel production from the new plant will reduce imports and help conserve foreign exchange by approximately $125 million annually at current prices, supporting Ghana's balance of trade. In the past 10 years, IFC has provided over $4 billion of financing and advisory services in Ghana for agribusiness, education, energy, transport, tourism, and other sectors. HUNDREDS of people in Waterfalls have been left homeless after Harare City Council demolished houses built on land reserved for the planned Harare-Chitungwiza railway line. The exercise started last week and more demolitions are looming as council is seeking a court order to raze houses within the range of the railway corridor. Construction of the railway line was mooted in 1986. The railway line is supposed to run parallel to Seke Road from Chitungwiza right into Harares central business district. Scores of affected residents in area between Mainway Meadows phase 1 and phase 2 were on Friday counting their losses with some gathering bricks and other building materials that had not been damaged during the demolition. Harare City Council spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the demolitions were carried out on developments that were illegally constructed along the Harare-Chitungwiza railway reserve. Those who built houses within the railway reservation will be removed through a court order since there are already people residing in the houses, he said. The people in the surrounding area were happy and encouraged the city to evict all the illegal settlers. The land is a reservation hence the settlers could not have bought the stands legally. One of the affected residents and a mother of four who only identified herself as Mai Tinotenda said they were allocated the stands by land barons. We were allocated the stands sometime last year. The politicians we paid promised to regularise our houses, but we were shocked to see a council bulldozer demolishing our houses and we were told the land was reserved for a railway line, she said. In Chitungwiza, private land developers have started pegging and servicing stands on a piece of land adjacent to Chikwanha shopping centre, which has been reserved for construction of the same railway line. Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust, Mr Shepherd Chikomba said this was devastating to the unsuspecting residents who were allocated the land and defrauded by unscrupulous land barons. Astria Bankruptcy: Complete Coverage What losing Regional Medical Center means for our community and the health of our families, how it came to this, and what happens next. INCIDENTS AND THREATS Belarus Intensifies Media Crackdown As Protests Erupt Over Elections Thousands of people across Belarus protested and scuffles broke out with police on July 14 after a top challenger to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was barred from running in the country's election next month. More than 140 demonstrators and a dozen journalists were detained across the country, among them two from RFE/RL while they were livestreaming the protests from the capital city, Minsk. See Belaruss Bloggers: Do they pose a bigger threat to President Lukashenka than political parties do? Ex-Journalist Safronov Formally Indicted For High Treason By Russian Investigators Former Russian military journalist Ivan Safronov, an aide to the chief of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, was indicted for state treason on July 13, a charge that carries a potential 20-year prison sentence. Safronov has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, explained to RFE/RLs Current Time network that such cases in the past have targeted spies, politicians, or scientists, but not journalists. Safronov was not shown the evidence against him, which allegedly dates from 2017, when he was working for the daily newspaper Kommersant, Pavlov said. Moscow police on July 13 detained about 20 supporters of Safronov near the Lefortovo detention center, where he is being held. Today, a Moscow court will consider Safronovs appeal against his arrest. Numerous Russian editors, journalists, scholars, and activists have vouched for his behavior and urged for him to be released under their personal guarantees. Svetlana Prokopyeva Appeals Court-Issued Fine Lawyers of Pskov-based journalist and contributor to RFE/RLs Russian Service Svetlana Prokopyeva filed an appeal against the verdict of a district military court, which found her guilty on July 3 of justifying terrorism. Prokopyeva was issued a fine of 500,000 rubles (about $6,950) in a case widely criticized by rights monitors as an attack on freedom of speech. (Russian Service) Prokopyeva received the Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom award on July 13. Funds to help Svetlana pay the fine are being raised here. Russian Lawmakers Give Initial Approval To Expanded 'Extremism" Law Aimed At Crimea Russia's State Duma has approved in the first reading a bill that punishes anyone questioning Moscows forcible seizure of the Crimean Peninsula. Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said on July 14 that the bill will ensure that "calls for the violation of Russia's territorial integrity, including calls to alienate parts of its territory, will be considered extremism." Duma Proposes Fines For Failure To Remove Banned Information From Internet Russias State Duma committee on Information Policy has introduced amendments to the countrys administrative code proposing fines starting at $700 and reaching $210,599 for failure to remove online information prohibited in Russia. The draft does not clarify the information in question. Higher fines are proposed for failure to remove information relating to extremism, child pornography, or how to purchase, manufacture, or use drugs. (in Russian, Current Time TV) Ukraine Urged To Protect Journalist Threatened Over Her Reporting Human Rights Watch is urging Ukraine's authorities to investigate death threats against Kateryna Sergatskova, a local independent journalist who has written about the alleged influence of far-right groups on the fact-checking website StopFake.org. Kyiv Court Eases Pretrial Restrictions For Suspect In Killing Of Journalist Pavel Sheremet A Kyiv court has eased pretrial restrictions for one of the suspects in the high-profile 2016 killing of journalist Pavel Sheremet in the Ukrainian capital. The Kyiv Court of Appeals on July 13 agreed to lift curfew restrictions for military paramedic Yana Duhar. Who are the five suspects in Sheremets murder? Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Block Reappointment Of OSCE Media Freedom Official Harlem Dezir Tajikistan has objected to extending the mandate of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir. Desir has recently criticized the Tajik governments refusal to accredit journalists with RFE/RLs Tajik Service and its attacks on other independent media inside the country. A source inside the OSCE told RFE/RL that the government had recently complained in a letter that, while professing to promote media freedom, the organization supports media that provide a platform for terrorists and extremists. Azerbaijan and Turkey have also objected to Desirs reappointment. Twenty-nine press freedom organizations signed a letter on July 9 expressing support for Desirs reappointment. Renewing his position for another three years requires the unanimous support of the OSCEs 57 member states. (in Russian, Tajik Service) Tajik President Signs Amendments On Fake News Tajik President Emomali Pahmon on July 4 signed new amendments to the administrative code establishing fines for disseminating false information about the coronavirus pandemic as well as not wearing face masks. Rights activists and media watchdogs have criticized the measures, warning they could be used to prosecute activists and independent journalists. Read: Tajik Prosecutors Summon Journalists Family After His Coverage Of Coronavirus . (in Russian, Tajik Service) Iranian Journalist Sentenced To Death For Role In Protests Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian opposition journalist and activist whose online work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017, has been sentenced to death for his actions following what Reporters Without Borders called a grossly unfair trial. A judiciary spokesperson said on June 30 that the countrys Revolutionary Court judged the 13 charges against Zam to be the equivalent of the charge of spreading corruption on earth and therefore passed the death sentence. INFOGRAPHIC: Srebrenica Anniversary Noe Albano Wong, then-Philippine ambassador to Korea, speaks with The Korea Times at the embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in September 2019. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Yi Whan-woo The Philippine Embassy in Korea is suspected of having tried to cover up allegations of sexual harassment against former ambassador Noe Albano Wong. A former military and police officer, Wong officially began his term in Seoul in August 2019 but tendered his resignation in March, fueling speculation about the reason. Charge d'affaires Christian L. De Jesus has headed the embassy since Wong's departure. The embassy has claimed for months that Wong, 69, was "sick and not feeling well" before his resignation, implicitly attributing health problems to his short-lived ambassadorship. On Friday, Seoul-based broadcaster SBS, without disclosing his name, reported he quit after a complaint was filed with police that he allegedly sexually harassed a Korean woman in December. The allegations claim he hugged the woman from behind without her consent. Also on Friday, Yonhap News Agency said Interpol has included Wong on in its Red Notice list in accordance with the National Police Agency's request and asked member states to help find and arrest him. Asked by The Korea Times on Sunday about the allegations against Wong, the embassy said in an email that it received a complaint about sexual harassment against him in February when he was in Manila on official business. The embassy said the complaint was "immediately referred" to the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, which ordered the Committee on Decorum and Investigation (CODI) to look into the allegations. Wong subsequently resigned on March 16. The complainant and Wong cooperated with the investigating committee, according to the diplomatic mission. "The department is committed to ensuring that justice is rendered in this case," the embassy said. "It also remains committed in cultivating and preserving a work environment where all personnel are treated with respect and dignity, and free from harassment of any kind." Still, the embassy did not clarify whether Wong's health was really the reason for his resignation or whether it was an attempt to cover up the allegations. Some diplomatic sources said Wong would no longer be entitled to diplomatic immunity. But the sources remained skeptical over whether the Philippine police, due to the sensitivity of the issue, would hand over Wong to Korea even if the allegations were found to be true. Wong took office in 2019 as the two countries were enjoying a deepening friendship, including the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations and a milestone of Korean tourist arrivals in the Philippines. Austin, Texas Spc. Vanessa Guillen's family again called for a congressional investigation into the U.S. Army's handling of the slain soldier's disappearance Friday as her 3rd Cavalry Regiment gathered in memory of the soldier who authorities say was killed by one of their own. The 20-year-old soldier's mother, Gloria Guillen, wept Friday as she knelt inside the Spirit of Fort Hood Chapel, where her daughter's boots, helmet, weapon and military photograph were displayed. Several hundred military service members stood behind the Guillen family as they comforted their matriarch. Guillen received full military honors during the service. The memorial was the family's first trip back to Killeen since the soldier's remains were discovered near the Leon River in Bell County on June 30. The Guillen family, which is from Houston, lived in Killeen for nearly three months while searching for Vanessa Guillen after she was last seen on April 22. The family members garnered national attention as they held protests outside the post in Killeen and in Houston and Washington, D.C., demanding answers from Army investigators. Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who officials say killed himself on July 1, was accused of beating Guillen to death with a hammer while they worked together in an armory room the day she disappeared. Authorities have also accused Robinson's 22-year-old girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar of Killeen, of helping Robinson dismember, burn and bury Guillen's body about 20 miles away from the post. On Friday, the Fort Hood chapel fell silent as Army officials called out Vanessa Guillen's name three times during her final roll call. The silence was broken only by tears and the sounds of the ceremonial weapons firing in her honor. Lt. Col. Edward Gavin addressed the crowd at the start of the hour-long memorial, saying Guillen's death left service members with feelings of anger, depression, anxiety, fear, frustration and sadness. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "This is difficult to discuss because the tragedy of her loss has forever changed our squadron and it has forever changed her family," Gavin said. "And we have so many questions, some of which may never be answered." Following Friday's memorial, Army officials escorted the family to the armory room where they say Guillen was killed. The soldier's mother and priest prayed a blessing over the room as they anointed it with holy water. The family then traveled to an off-post mural of Vanessa Guillen, where 16-year-old Lupe Guillen again called for a congressional investigation into her sister's death. "Today we went to a memorial for my sister Spc. Vanessa Guillen," she said. "They all expressed their condolences, but I said words are nothing. Actions speak louder than words. So if you want to take action, demand a congressional investigation as well. "I'm not going to stop," she said. "I'm not going to be silent because God gave me a voice. God gave me a brain and I'm using it as well. We're all children of God, so use your voice to speak up for Spc. Vanessa Guillen." Israeli Media Reports Claim Huge Explosion Occurred at Iranian Oil Pipeline Sputnik News 18:57 GMT 18.07.2020(updated 19:03 GMT 18.07.2020) At the beginning of July, an explosion occurred at the country's Natanz nuclear facility, which an anonymous Middle Eastern intelligence official blamed on Israel. In an interview with The New York Times, the man claimed that Tel Aviv had planted a powerful bomb at the site. A powerful explosion has occurred at an oil pipeline in Iran's Khuzestan province, Israeli media reported. Footage of a huge blaze was posted on social media. However, there has been no confirmation from Iranian officials of the incident. The development comes two days after a US official told CNN that there were indications that Tehran had placed portions of its air defence system on "high alert" following explosions that occurred at the Natanz nuclear facility on 2 July and a blast at the Parchin military complex on 26 June. Iranian officials said that the two explosions did not result in significant damages, with the nuclear reactor at Natanz continuing to operate as usual, and noted that no people were injured in the incidents. Iran has said that it has determined the cause of the blast at Natanz and that it would be announced "at a proper time", with the Islamic Republic indirectly pointing the blame at Israel and the United States. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands of visitors, including many foreigners, gathered at a famous beach in Hoi An City, located in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam, for a food and music festival on Saturday. The 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival was organized at the namesake beach in Cam An Ward, Hoi An City by the Quang Nam Chef Association, in coordination with 21 local restaurants. The number of participants was three times higher than expected, according to organizers. Visitors participate in the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival at the namesake beach in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre We expected only 1,000 visitors, but the real number was around 2,500-3,000. This showed that the festival was a big success, said Le Ngoc Thuan, owner of Shore Club An Bang Restaurant and a member of the organizing board. Many of the participants were foreigners living in Hoi An and the central city of Da Nang. At the event, visitors had a chance to taste delicious foods cooked by 21 leading chefs and enjoy live music while having a relaxing time on the beach. Visitors have a chat while enjoying food at the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre The festival helped attract a large number of visitors to An Bang Beach and Hoi An City in general, especially after the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. The first edition of the An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival was held in 2019. It will continue to be organized annually in the future as part of many events aimed at boosting local tourism. A woman receives food cooked by a chef at the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre Visitors buy tickets to exchange for various dishes at the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre Visitors enjoy food and music on the beach at the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre A band perform at the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, July 18, 2020. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! SPRINGFIELD A home was badly damaged and two firefighters were injured in a blaze in the Brightwood section of the city. The fire was reported at about 11 p.m. at 558 Plainfield St. When firefighters arrived flames were visible on the second floor of the home and quickly spread to the roof, Fire Capt. Drew Piemonte said. The residents escaped from the fire but two firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, he said. Piemonte did not say how many people were displaced. The fire is believed to have started on the second floor and went to two alarms. The cause is being investigated by the departments Arson and Bomb Squad, he said. Related Content: Monson firefighters save hawk trapped in netting Springfield firefighters injured, 7 displaced in house fire Springfield police confiscate 70th unlawful gun after arresting 3 people including 13-year-old driving stolen car Police in Pakistan have arrested four people in connection with the destruction of a third-century life-sized Buddha statue. Four people were detained on Saturday under antiquities law for allegedly destroying the centuries-old statue, police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the northwestern province of Pakistan, told The Independent. The rare idol was discovered during construction work in a village near Takht-i-Bahi, known around the world for being the main cradle of the Buddhist civilisation. According to initial reports, the contractor and his three labourers destroyed the statue at the behest of local religious leader. However, a local police official told The Independent at this moment it is not clear why and on whose directives the four accused destroyed the statue. The group were arrested after their video, in which they could be seen hammering a statue to pieces, went viral on social media. Abdul Samad, the provincial director of archaeology, told The Independent the labourers were doing construction work when they discovered the statue. Instead of informing the archaeology department that they have found a life-sized Buddha statue, they destroyed it and made video, Mr Samad said. He said that the police have also taken the pieces of the statue into possession. It was a 1,700 years old Buddha statue. Police have cordoned off the area and we will soon conduct survey whether there are more antiquities in the village or not. However, he denied that the four accused hammered the rare statue to pieces on the directives of a local religious leader. In the video, the people could be heard discussing the statue while it was being destroyed. One person says: Look its a standing doll look its a female and we just broke the thighs. Look this is her belly button its not clean. This is the shirt you know shirts which are long and hanging. Another man asks: Is this of a Hindu or a westerner? A man standing next to him replies: Hindu this is Gautam Buddha. Then the four men congratulate each other. Mr Abdul Samad said the village where the destruction took place is not too far from Takht-i-Bahi. Takht-i-Bahi is the most popular tourist destination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a large number of people from Sri Lanka, Korea and Japan come every year. MEXICO CITY Mexico has registered 736 more COVID-19 deaths and 7,257 more confirmed cases of coronavirus infections. Mexico now has more than 35,000 deaths from the pandemic, the fourth highest total in the world. It also has recorded over 324,000 cases, somewhere around the seventh-highest level. The Health Department said Friday that hospitals in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco are now at 85% capacity and there is crowding in hospitals in the northern border state of Nuevo Leon. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he is concerned about the situation in Tabasco, where he was born. He says a state hospital there will be expanded to handle more patients. ___ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: Atlanta mayor questions timing of Gov. Kemp lawsuit. Nearly 10,000 African health workers had virus. British PM Johnson moves to ease virus restrictions. WHO says larger inquiry team to arrive later in China. The launch of NASAs successor to the Hubble Space Telescope faces seven more months of launch delay, this time because of the pandemic and technical issues. Plans for the weeklong celebration of rock n roll icon Elvis Presley on the 43rd anniversary of his death will be a combination of in-person and online events at Graceland next month. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: BEIJING The number of confirmed cases in a new COVID-19 outbreak in Chinas far west has risen to 17. The National Health Commission said Saturday that 16 more cases were identified Friday in the Xinjiang region, on top of a first case the previous day. The outbreak in the city of Urumqi is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March. The largest was a recent outbreak in Beijing that infected more than 330 people. Chinese media say authorities in Urumqi have reduced subway, bus and taxi service and closed off some residential communities. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city. Story continues China has been accused of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the homeland of the largely Muslim Uighur ethnic community. The region has long been blanketed with extreme security, which China says is necessary to prevent terrorist activity. ___ SEOUL, South Korea -- Authorities in South Korea say most of the country's new coronavirus cases are coming from abroad. The officials have expressed optimism that the recent resurgence of infections is being brought under control. They say imported cases are less threatening than local transmissions because South Korea is mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all people arriving from other nations. South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday that at least 28 of 39 newly confirmed cases were tied to people arriving from abroad. It says 18 others involved local transmission in the densely populated Seoul area, which was at the center of the virus resurgence that began in late May as people increased economic and social activities. In all, South Korea has reported 13,711 confirmed cases during the pandemic, including 294 deaths. ___ CANBERRA, Australia Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is moving to cancel the next two-week sitting of parliament because of the recent spread of the coronavirus in parts of the country. Parliament has been scheduled to meet Aug. 4-13 and then sit again for a two-week session starting Aug. 24. Morrison said Saturday that he has written to the parliamentary speaker asking for a cancellation, but the request is considered only a formality. In a statement, the prime minister says acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has advised that there would be significant risks in holding a meeting of parliament due to increased community transmission of the coronavirus in Victoria state as well as trends in New South Wales. ___ AUSTIN, Texas The deadliest month of the pandemic in Texas continues, with state officials reporting 174 new deaths, the most in one day since the coronavirus outbreak began. Texas also reported more than 10,000 confirmed new cases Friday for the fourth consecutive day. The rate of positive cases also climbed above 17% for the first time. Officials on the Texas-Mexico border, which has been especially hard hit, say hotels could be converted into medical units as early as next week. The grim markers were announced hours after Texas gave public schools permission to keep campuses closed for more than 5 million students well into the fall. Nearly a third of the more than 3,700 coronavirus deaths in Texas have come in July. ___ SACRAMENTO, Calif -- California has recorded its third-highest daily total of new coronavirus cases, two days after reporting its second most cases in a day. The state reported nearly 10,000 new cases and 130 deaths Friday, during a week of seesawing positive case figures that ranged from 7,346 to as high as 11,126 on Wednesday. The daily positive test rate went down a bit, to 7.1% over the past seven days, compared to 7.4% for the past 14 days. California tested more than 120,000 people a day during most of the past week. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced strict criteria Friday for school reopenings that make it unlikely the vast majority of districts can return to classroom instruction in the fall. ___ CHICAGO Most Chicago children would return to the classroom two days a week and spend the other three days learning remotely once the school year begins, under a tentative plan outlined Friday. Chicago Public Schools officials called the hybrid approach a preliminary framework and asked parents, students and staff of nations third-largest school district to weigh in. A final decision about in-person instruction for fall classes wont come until late August, with classes set to begin Sept. 8. We have to be ready for any possibility, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. COVID-19 has been unpredictable from the start and we have a responsibility to be prepared for what the public health indicators dictate, whether that means remote learning, in-person learning or something in between. ___ VAN METER, Iowa Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will require students to spend at least half of their schooling in classrooms despite the threat to teachers, students an their families from the surge in coronavirus cases in the state. Reynolds proclamation Friday drew immediate criticism from the state teachers union, which called it short-sighted for unnecessarily exposing students and school employees to a health risk. Her order made an exception for parents who want their children to shift completely to remote learning. it also said accommodations must also be made for any student to learn remotely if they, a caregiver, or a person they live with has a health condition that would increase their risk of COVID-19. Reynolds decision will invalidate plans implemented by some districts, including the states largest, Des Moines, which planned to limit in-person classes to one day a week for most students, with online learning on other days. ___ COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Some hospital officials in South Carolina say the state is just weeks away from a COVID-19 medical crisis unless a six-week long spike of cases in the state slows down. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 is increasing rapidly, while nurses and other workers are being infected by rising cases when they are off work, said Dr. Wendell James, a senior vice president with Prisma Health based in Greenville. James says Greenville hospitals can handle the surge unabated for only about two more weeks. South Carolina had 1,578 people hospitalized with the virus Thursday, nearly 1,000 more than a month ago, health officials said. The state has been in the top four in the nation for new cases when adjusted by population for most of the past month. ___ PHOENIX The largest health system in Arizona announced it will add about 1,000 out-of-state nurses and respiratory therapists to its workforce to help with the coronavirus pandemic. Banner Health Chief Human Resources Officer Naomi Cramer says the company will add 980 new workers, about twice the amount added during a busy flu season, because more care is needed for patients with COVID-19. The nurses and respiratory therapists are traveling health care workers who will take assignments across the country. The Arizona Republic reported that Banner Health has also hired 49 physicians and expects to hire 20 more to help with demand resulting from the pandemic. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Albuquerque to protest the governors handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it an infringement of their rights and freedoms. KOB-TV reported the Protest for Freedom demonstration at the Civic Plaza on Thursday included members of Cowboys for Trump, the New Mexico Civil Guard, business owners and religious leaders. Big government telling us we cant sit in a restaurant, but we can sit outside or we can crowd into Walmart, Scott Chandler said. None of it makes sense. Chandler is running for a seat on the state House of Representatives to represent District 32, which covers Chaves, Eddy and Otero counties. The protest was about 2 hours and remained peaceful. ___ ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- Republican state Rep. Anthony Sabatini filed a lawsuit against Pinellas County for its mask ordinance. About 100 people in support of Sabatinis stance rallied in front of the Pinellas County Courthouse when he filed the lawsuit Friday. Many held signs saying, No mask - I have an immune system, and mandatory masks are unconstitutional. On June 23, the Pinellas County Commissioners voted 6-1 to require people to wear face coverings at indoor establishments to help stop the spread of the virus. Sabatini, a lawyer who lives in the Orlando area, has sued Hillsborough County over a similar ordinance. ___ LONDON The World Health Organizations emergencies chief says Brazil has an opportunity to take control of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Dr. Michael Ryan says officials are no longer recording the explosive growth of cases in April and May and numbers appeared to have plateaued. However, he cautioned that stopping the epidemic would still require major interventions. Whats not happening yet is that the disease is not heading down the mountain, he said. Brazil is still very much in the middle of this fight. He adds about 11% of all cases involved health workers. Ryan says the lack of exponential growth offered Brazilian authorities a chance to reverse the trend of previous months. We need to set the rules for the virus now, he said. That opportunity exists now for Brazil to do that, but it is going to take a very sustained, concerted action for that to happen. ___ FRANKFORT, Ky. A Kentucky judge signaled hell sign an order blocking all of Gov. Andy Beshears emergency orders stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron says a judge in Boone County indicated hell require the Democratic governor to follow the legal process when taking executive actions. Cameron says in a social media post that the ruling wouldnt hamper the ability of public health officials to ensure the safety and well-being of Kentuckians. Beshears office acknowledged Friday it was anticipating a court order that would void all of the orders the governor has issued to keep us safe. We are awaiting a written order and will be ready to take further action, said Crystal Staley, the governors spokeswoman. The lives of many Kentuckians are on the line. LMek Bitul holds up a sign that reads "This is the tipping point!" during a George Floyd protest outside City Hall in downtown L.A. last month. The recent uprisings have prompted the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to consider a motion about antiracism policy next week. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The antiracism movement in Los Angeles County is moving from protest marches to the halls of power. On Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors is slated to begin debate over a proposal aimed at strengthening county efforts to address racial inequality. Introduced by the county's lone Black supervisor, Mark Ridley-Thomas, and inspired by the protests over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, the measure would attempt to shape the county bureaucracy around potentially holding county officials accountable if they fail to uphold more aggressive antiracist policies. If passed, Los Angeles County would become the 24th county in the country since last year to declare racism a matter of public health, according to the National Assn. of Counties. I'm hoping this will cause people to be more serious about the very demeaning and disenfranchising effects of institutionalized racism and its intergenerational impacts," Ridley-Thomas said in an interview with The Times. A term that only recently exploded into the public consciousness, especially among white people, antiracism is defined by Ridley-Thomas with a reference to Ibram X. Kendi's 2019 book, "How to Be an Antiracist": "Any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups." Applying that definition to public policy will be up for debate in coming weeks. The proposal would create an antiracist framework within the vast bureaucracy of the nation's most populous county, from healthcare to law enforcement, to ensure that all policies address inequities faced by Black residents. Department heads would be evaluated on their efforts to meet at least one goal of the antiracist policy agenda. The county would also be graded annually through an annual report on the state of Black people in the county, written by a university or research institute. The measure is likely to stir some skepticism that it doesn't go far enough. It does not specifically mention defunding any law enforcement entity, which is of overriding importance to some activists. Other activists question any measure that doesn't come with significant funding. Story continues Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an author, political analyst and longtime L.A. civil rights activist, says he would be skeptical of any measure that is long on talk but short on dollars. "If the supervisors really mean business about dismantling systemic racism," he said, "they will set up a broad-based racial truth and reconciliation commission of Black community leaders and activists tasked with not just spotting the areas of attack against systemic racism but also with the power to allocate resources, write policies, and overhaul all county structures that perpetuate systemic racism.". The measure could be greeted with some confusion, based on the experience in Milwaukee County, which is believed to be the first county to declare racism a public health issue. "Everybody was like, 'Oh, good what does this mean?'" Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said. Crowley, the first Black person elected to his position, said the declaration, enacted last spring, led the county to include addressing racism in its strategic plan, and implement a racial equity budgeting tool that every department head will use when putting together their 2021 budgets. Although the city of Milwaukee, where much of the state's Black population lives, was quick to embrace the county's directive last year, the surrounding suburbs, which are predominantly white, realized action was needed only after Floyd's killing and the protests that followed. "It has forced some people to wake up and say, 'You know what? We need to tackle these issues, even though we may not have a huge population of people of color,'" Crowley said of the suburbs. "When you think about this whole region, Milwaukee County needs to be a leader in how we build back better post-pandemic." In Los Angeles County, whose leaders regularly celebrate the region's diversity and progressive politics, carrying out the public health declaration will need to be intentional and thoughtful, experts and activists say. "When I first moved to L.A., I recall white colleagues clarifying my own experience of L.A. by telling me, basically its not racist, that in fact the South where I had come from was more racist, and that in L.A., for a variety of reasons that actually now sound rather superficial 'We have great food from diverse communities!' therefore were not racist," said Chandra Ford, founding director of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health at UCLA. Ford said L.A. County's antiracist policy agenda must address the specific ways that racism operates "in a so-called liberal context" that, for example, loves Black culture but not Black people. "Someone may say theyve read about racism, they've studied racism, so therefore the experiences of people who have actually lived it dont matter quite as much, that they can speak on behalf of people who have lived racism," Ford said. In recent weeks, activists with Black Lives Matter and other organizations in the JusticeLA Coalition have called for the Board of Supervisors to defund the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and move that money into financing mental health, homelessness and community programs. The motion does not specifically mention defunding any law enforcement entity. Some argue that to be antiracist, that proposal is key. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, said there is no way to reform a sheriff's department and also create the transformative change that would come with a genuine antiracist policy agenda. County leaders must be willing to ask questions such as "Why are so many Black children in the county's child welfare system?" she said. If the Department of Mental Health, for example, sees that Black people aren't accessing services at rates comparable to white people and Latinos, its leaders should ask what racist policies are creating that disparity, Abdullah said. "They dont ask 'What are we doing wrong?' They are saying, 'Why arent they taking advantage?' You need to flip that question and ask, 'What are we doing wrong?'" Abdullah said. She said the measure's effectiveness will be dependent on the commitment of leaders. "You cant have an antiracist policy agenda and still have the largest jail system in the world, so I know they voted to close down Men's Central Jail, but thats not enough," Abdullah added. "So what else is going to be ushered in thats bold and transformative? And who are the people involved?" KYODO NEWS - Jul 18, 2020 - 23:38 | Coronavirus, Japan, All Japan is having second thoughts about relaxing the current restrictions on the number of spectators allowed to enter sporting and other major events, a senior government official said Saturday. "We need to think about this carefully," Yasutoshi Nishimura, economy minister in charge of Japan's measures against the spread of the coronavirus, said at a press conference, referring to the government's initial plan to further ease the restrictions next month. His comment came amid a recent surge in the number of infections in Tokyo and elsewhere, after the government fully ended a nationwide state of emergency in late May. On July 10, Japan relaxed its guidance for spectators at sporting, concert and other events to a maximum of 5,000 from the previous 1,000, while the capacity at indoor venues must be kept at 50 percent or below the usual level. The government had initially planned to scrap the limits as early as Aug. 1. Nishimura voiced concern over an increasing number of infections with unknown routes. On Saturday, the Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 290 new cases of the virus, following a single-day record of 293 the previous day. Across Japan, more than 660 new infections, the most since April 11, were confirmed, according to a Kyodo News tally based on information provided by authorities across the country. The government will hold a subcommittee meeting in the near future to discuss the pros and cons of easing the crowd limits. New Delhi, July 19 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government again over what she dubbed as its "mismanagement" of the coronavirus crisis even as the number of corona cases in the state rose to 47,036. "CM saheb and his officers are saying that there are beds and everything is alright in the fight against COVID. But reports say something else -- that the government preparations are inadequate; and to hide their failures, they have adopted a policy of putting a veil on it. "Patients are worried, health workers are worried, and the head of the government says that it's the weakest virus of the century and is running away from responsibility," the Congress leader remarked. She asked people to just have a look at the condition of hospitals in Bareilly to understand what all she was saying. FRANKLY MY DEARS Its very sad but kind of amusing to read all the comments by people who are raging about the removal of monuments to traitors and the mobilization for racial justice. Those voices and columnists like Christine Flowers and Chris Freind dont realize how ridiculous they sound as they howl in the wilderness to mourn a vanishing world of white privilege and racism. Their time has come and gone with the wind, one might say. RHETT BULLY TACTICS I am watching and listening to the destruction of this country by bullying tactics. One recent example is Howard Eskin. He had Randall Cunningham on his show today, both men I highly respect. During the interview Cunningham spoke of his career and his life during which he praised Donald Trump what a good person he was to him. Afterwards Eskin saw fit to say that was before and no matter what was said hed probably offend somebody. If it was Biden he wouldnt of had to make that statement. Why cant people say nice things about Trump if it was true? I fear that even Eskin is being bullied a man who I thought could never be bullied. POTA WHOS RUNNING THIS SHOW? I just read the article about the City of Chester being in receivership. I fear Upper Darby Township is headed that way. The mayor has fired or laid off long-time employees who knew what they were doing and hired people who dont have a stake in Upper Darby because they dont live here. She wants more diversity but diversity at the expense of experience and tenure is not the answer. I wonder whos actually in charge, the mayor or the CAO. ONE-WAY TICKET I propose that Gov. Chickencrap start a Go Fund Me Page to raise the money to move Mr. or Ms. Chickenbrain and immediate family down to Georgia. There, they can be free of any restrictions or business closings of any kind because that state has a really smart Republican governor. Best of luck to em. Id even contribute five bucks to help send them along on their way. The one provision would be that they would have to agree never to return to Pennsylvania, not even for a visit. JB BILLIONAIRES CLUB Are the majority of the New York City voters satisfied with Mayor DiBlasio? He wants to defund the citys police department of $ 1,000,000,000? And replace some of them with social workers? These police men & women who have placed their lives on the line in protecting their fellow citizens deserve respect and encouragement; not furloughs. In 2020, crime is only up 61 percent over 2019. RIDDLEWOOD KEN GOOD LUCK WITH THAT Yes, this is in response to Advice for the Cops in Fridays Sound Off. I agree with you on a lot of a lot of issues but let me ask you one thing. Have you ever been in a position where someone is coming at you with a knife and theyre lunging at you. You want to aim at the persons legs if hes running at you with a knife? Dude, good luck on hitting his legs. And you know what? I can tell you that from being a combat veteran and I support our police, get rid of the bad ones, but keep the good ones and those cops are supposed to come home safe and sound. OLD TOWN I would like to comment to the Tinicum Rat about the Meadows. I grew up in the Meadows and my husband was a paperboy there 65 years ago. We went to St. Marys Church and got married there 64 years ago. We had many reunions at the old Ramada Inn every five years run by Pat Messina. When Pat died there were no more reunions. There is a room in the hotel with the sign over the door that reads Meadows Room. THE PAPERBOYS WIFE OF 64 YEARS RAIN ON OUR PARADE Id like to know that theyre canceling all these parades and everything. Are they going to cancel the Democrat and Republican conventions? And they are a lot earlier than the Mummers parade. Published on 2020/07/19 | Source Korea's Yoo Myung-hee, a veteran negotiator in international trade talks, will make a speech in support of her candidacy for director-general of the World Trade Organization on Thursday. Advertisement All candidates for the WTO leadership are giving their speeches at its headquarters in Geneva this week in the order they applied. The contenders from Mexico, Nigeria and Egypt spoke on Wednesday, and more follow on Friday. The WTO hopes to hold the election no later than mid-November. Heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR on Sunday (July 19) morning brought much-needed respite to people living in Delhi but heavy showers also led to waterlogging on several roads of the national capital. The body of an auto driver was found near waterlogged Minto Bridge in New Delhi on Sunday (July 19) morning. The auto driver identified as Kundan died by drowning under the waterlogged Minto Bridge Kundan's body was retrieved by a trackman working at New Delhi yard. Trackman Ramniwas Meena told ANI, "I spotted the body while I was on duty at the tracks. I came down, swam & retrieved it. The body was floating in front of a bus." Kundan, 56, belonged to Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. He was living at Shankar Market in Delhi. According to police, Kundan was driving from New Delhi Railway station towards Connaught Place and he tried to manoeuvre his vehicle through waterlogged underpass,but apparently failed. Police has registered a case in this matter. As a result of the waterlogging, a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus got stuck under the Minto Road Bridge in New Delhi. The passengers of the bus called Delhi Fire Services for the help and they were later rescued by DFS personnel who used a makeshift bridge to rescue the passengers from the bus. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said thunderstorm with rain occurred in many places of Delhi and over and adjoining areas of Adampur, Hissar, Hansi, Jind, Gohana, Gannaur, Barut, Rohtak, Sonipat, Bagpat, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrians headed to polling stations in government-held parts of the war-torn country on Sunday to elect a new parliament amid strict health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The vote is the third to take place in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. It has killed more than 400,000, displaced half the countrys population and caused more than five million to become refugees, mostly in neighbouring countries. This years vote follows a new wave of U.S. sanctions that came into effect last month and a campaign to fight corruption that saw a wealthy cousin of President Bashar Assad come under pressure to pay back tens of millions of dollars to the state. The elections also coincide with Syrias worst economic crisis and a currency crash, which has dragged more of the countys population into poverty Some 1,656 government-approved candidates are running this year for the 250-seat Peoples Assembly. The total number of eligible voters hasnt been announced. As in previous elections in Syria, the vote will produce a rubber-stamp body loyal to the president. No vote was held in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in Syria, or in the countrys northeast, which is controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters. Voting in government-held areas passed without major incidents, but in the rebel-held north, a car bomb late Sunday killed five people and wounded dozens near a border crossing with Turkey, according to Syrian opposition activists and Turkeys state-run news agency. Inside polling stations, all workers were wearing masks and gloves, and voters had to use their own pens in the sanitized booths. Once their ballots were cast, they had to leave immediately, as no gatherings were allowed inside. People also had to keep a safe distance while waiting for their turn. Assad and his wife Asma, both wearing masks, voted Sunday morning in Damascus at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs. Information Minister Imad Sarah said the vote emphasizes the cohesion of the Syrian homeland, that after nine years of war, Syria will not kneel, speaking to reporters after casting his ballot. Assad has twice postponed the countrys parliamentary elections this year in light of restrictions in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Assad himself is not standing for election. Syria, which had a prewar population of 22 million, has reported 496 coronavirus cases and 25 deaths. However, the actual numbers are likely far higher and increases have been reported in recent days. Syrias last parliament was elected in April 2016, when large parts of Syria were outside government control and people there did not take part in the polling. Since then, Assads forces have captured much of Syria with the help of his allies Russia and Iran. The head of the Higher Judicial Committee for the Elections, Judge Samer Zumriq, confirmed on Saturday in a statement to state news agency SANA that more than 7,400 polling stations have been set up in 15 voting districts. They include 1,400 stations where troops and members of the countrys security services will vote. Polling centres opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) and were scheduled to close 12 hours later. It was extended by four hours until 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) because of high turnout. Results are expected to be announced the following day. Some 167 seats are allocated for Assads ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party guaranteeing it a solid majority while the rest are allocated for independents, including merchants, businessmen and industrialists. We hope that the members of the new council would work to improve the living conditions of citizens by enacting new legislation, said Samir Sulaiman, a 50-year-old employee. This years vote comes as the country is also witnessing harsh economic conditions including a crash in the local currency worsened by U.S. sanctions and an economic crisis in neighbouring Lebanon. The so-called Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act envisages sanctions on Syrian troops and others responsible for atrocities committed during Syrias civil war, and also provides funding for war crimes investigations and prosecutions. Syria calls the sanctions acts of economic terrorism. Outgoing legislator Mohannad Haj Ali, who is under U.S. and European sanctions, said the country is experiencing a suffocating economic and political siege. He also said Syrian citizens are aware of corruption within state institutions, adding that Assad has started dealing with corruption by tracking down on the corrupt. Haj Ali did not give any names, but his comments came after Assads maternal cousin Rami Makhlouf, who was once described as central to Syrias economy, has been pleading for Assad to help prevent the collapse of his business. ____ Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut. By PTI NEW DELHI: Ten people were killed after being struck by lightning in Bihar on Sunday and heavy rains inundated low-lying areas in Delhi, with a man drowning while trying to maneuver his truck through a waterlogged underpass. In Assam, the death toll in flood-related incidents increased to 84 after five more fatalities were reported, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the flood situation in the state. The total number of people losing their lives in flood and landslides in Assam this year is 110. While 84 died in flood-related incidents, landslides claimed 26 lives. Floods have affected over 25 lakh people in 24 of the 33 districts of Assam and has destroyed houses, crops, roads and bridges at several places. Heavy rains caused waterlogging in parts of the national capital, including at Minto Bridge where a 56-year-old man drowned after his mini-truck was submerged. According to officials, waterlogging in several areas of the city due to heavy rains affected movement of traffic at key stretches. The IMD, in its daily bulletin, said fairly widespread rainfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during the next three days and rainfall intensity and distribution is very likely to decrease significantly thereafter. Isolated extremely heavy falls are also very likely over Assam and Meghalaya during the next three days and over Bihar during the next 24 hours, it said. In Bihar, 10 people were killed in lightning strikes during a thunderstorm in seven districts of the state, officials said. Three casualties were reported from Purnea, two from Begusarai and one each from Patna, Saharsa, East Champaran, Madhepura and Darbhanga districts, they said. More than 160 people have died due to lightning strikes in the state in the past three weeks. In Uttarakhand, swirling waters of the swollen Gori river following heavy rains washed away four houses and large tracts of cultivable land at Chori Bagar village in Bangapani sub division of the district, an official said. However, there was no casualty as occupants of the houses had been evacuated to safety in advance, he said. Light to moderate rains accompanied with thunderstorms occurred at a few places in Uttar Pradesh, while isolated places received heavy rains, the MeT department said. Several places in Himachal Pradesh received light to moderate rainfall in the last 24 hours, with Dharamshala recording the highest amount of rainfall at 67.6 mm, followed by Una (43.4 mm), Sundernagar (38 mm), Palampur (33mm) and Kangra (30 mm), the Shimla MeT Centre Director Manmohan Singh said. He said 29 mm rain was recorded in Dalhousie, 16.8 mm in Shimla and 4 mm each in Kufri and Manali. Maximum temperatures hovered around normal levels in most parts of Punjab and Haryana, even as a few areas in both states witnessed rains. In Punjab's Amritsar, the maximum temperature settled at 33.7 degrees Celsius and the city witnessed five mm of rainfall. The maximum temperature of Ludhiana, which also saw 1.4 mm of rainfall, was recorded at 35.2 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the normal. Hisar, which received 0.8 mm rainfall, recorded a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius. According to the IMD, the country has received six per cent more rainfall than normal so far in this monsoon season, but precipitation in parts of north India remains deficient. The IMD has four meteorological divisions and rainfall has been more than normal in the south peninsula, central India, and east and northeast India divisions. But the northwest India division, which covers Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan, has recorded a 19 per cent deficiency, it added. They have been hailed as a solution to our gridlocked cities, but the UKs first trial of electric scooters has got off to a farcical start, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Youths flouted the new laws within hours of the powerful machines arriving in Middlesbrough, leading critics to accuse them of being open to abuse. Our reporter witnessed two masked youths brazenly whizz through the bustling Cleveland Centre indoor shopping mall, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way. Youths flouted the new laws within hours of the powerful machines arriving in Middlesbrough, leading critics to accuse them of being open to abuse Our reporter witnessed two masked youths brazenly whizz through the bustling Cleveland Centre indoor shopping mall, forcing pedestrians to jump out of the way It was just one of countless disturbing incidents, including scooters being ridden on pavements, without helmets, and at their top speed of 12.5mph. Two youngsters were captured riding pillion, others were seen attempting wheelies while Cleveland Police had to issue a warning after pulling over two boys, aged 13 and 14, on the busy A19 dual carriageway. It raises serious questions about the scheme because the overwhelming majority of riders were teens and young men apparently seeking a joy ride rather than commuters trying an alternative means of transport. Personal injury lawyer Peter Kelly said: The scheme is open to abuse and that is demonstrated by what is happening. The police should crack down on it as soon as possible. The initial rush of kids abusing the scheme is going to have to be stamped on. The Governments pilot scheme in Middlesbrough means people can now legally rent and ride the e-scooters on roads with a maximum speed limit of 40mph and in cycle lanes in designated areas. Only people over the age of 18 with a full or provisional driving licence are allowed to hire them and it is recommended that riders wear a helmet. A fleet of 100 orange and black scooters arrived in the town last week for hire at 2 per 20 minutes done via a phone app linked to the riders bank account. It is being run by start-up firm Ginger and users are covered by insurance company Zego in the event of an accident. However, this newspaper has discovered that checks are apparently not being made to confirm users age or identity, opening it up to misuse, as children as young as 11 can get a bank account with a debit card. Anyone found driving irresponsibly can have their licence endorsed, face a fine or criminal prosecution. Legal experts say that if a rider caused injury or damage, they would be exposed to offences comparative with a car user. It is unclear what would happen if a rider is underage. The introduction of e-scooters on to UK streets has been marred with controversy after the death of YouTube star Emily Hartridge while riding one in London a year ago. Paris has about 20,000 e-scooters available for hire but is facing lawsuits from accident victims. Despite that, the Government brought forward the trial to capitalise on peoples changing habits during the Covid-19 pandemic. A further 400 machines are set to be delivered to Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar, while 50 local authorities have expressed an interest, including Bath, Bristol, Derby, Nottingham, Southampton, Portsmouth and the City of London. Last week, Future of Transport Minister Rachel Maclean told Parliament that it was not a done deal that the e-scooters would stay after the 12-month trial ends. This is a very big market for e-scooter operators and we dont want to rush into something that we may regret doing later, she added. Supporters of e-scooters say they are a clean and cost-effective way to get around, and Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has thrown his weight behind the project. He said: The first week of the pilot has been a great success overall, and the response from people in Middlesbrough has been overwhelmingly positive, adding that the Tees Valley Combined Authority was liaising closely with Cleveland Police. Ginger did not respond when asked how it would verify the age of scooter users, but in a statement released on Cleveland Polices Facebook page, company chief executive Paul Hodgins said: The guidelines for using the scooters are clear both prior to, and throughout, the hire of the scooters. The trial is performing well and we will continue to work closely with all regional partners during this test phase to ensure riders are aware of their responsibilities to themselves and other road users. Foul play is not suspected in the case of a Macomb County man whose body was found Friday morning in a hotel room in Rochester Hills, according to the Oakland County Sheriffs Office. Sheriffs deputies were dispatched just before 8 a.m. to respond for a welfare check to the Days Inn hotel in the 1900 block of Star Batt Drive, in the area of Crooks Road and M-59. An employee told deputies that a guest hadnt been seen since Tuesday and his hotel door had been locked using the deadbolt. According to a news release, deputies were able to gain access to the room with the help of maintenance workers and found a deceased man lying face down on the floor. Investigators said several bottles of various medications and empty liquor bottles were observed in the room, but there were no signs of foul play or trauma. Administrative Sgt. Dale Brown said the man was identified as a 63-year-old Eastpointe resident. He said the body was turned over to the Oakland County Medical Examiners Office. An autopsy is pending to determine the exact cause of death. Sheriffs detectives are continuing with the investigation. Macomb Daily staff Every year, the long-standing preference for boys in Vietnams society terminates 40,800 baby girls before they are born, according to the United Nations Population Fund. While Vietnam has made progress in reducing gender discrimination over the past several decades, gender-biased sex selection continues to be a widespread practice. This is an adverse manifestation of the "son preference, which is anything but a benign tradition, a product of gender-biased systems which place higher social status to men and boys, and which favors male over female children," the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) stated as it released the State of World Population report 2020 in Vietnam last Friday. The problem of a gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam was first highlighted in 2004, and since 2005, it has rapidly increased and reached 111.5 male births for every 100 female births in 2019 as indicated in the 2019 Population and Housing Census, against the biologically "natural" or "normal" sex ratio of between 105 and 106, the report noted. It said this demographic imbalance was a result of pre-natal sex selection - termination of a pregnancy when the fetus is determined to be female, or pre-implantation of sex determination and selection, or "sperm-sorting" for in-vitro fertilization. Around 40,800 female births are thus doomed in Vietnam each year. Globally, this figure is estimated at 1.18 million each year, with 666,300 in mainland China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong), and 461,500 in India. Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA representative in Vietnam, said because of decades of gender-biased sex selection and the neglect of daughters relative to sons, a shocking 140 million girls globally are missing today from the worlds population. "When men far outnumber women, social problems can emerge, exacerbating forms of gender-based violence, including rape, coerced sex, sexual exploitation, trafficking and child marriage," she told the event to launch the report in Hanoi. Commenting on the findings, Pham Ngoc Tien, director of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs' gender equality department, said: "Vietnam has always considered gender equality as both a goal and a driving force for sustainable development. We have built and continued to improve the legal framework to better work in this important and relatively unfamiliar area. However, gender equality remains persistent in the society due to the influence of Confucianism." "Imbalanced sex ratio at birth imbalance is deeply rooted in the social norms and practices which reinforce son preference and low value for women and girls. Making this ratio balanced is also one of the goals of the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2021 - 2030 period that we are developing to submit to the Prime Minister for approval in 2020," he added. At least 19 harmful practices, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, are considered human rights violations, according to the UNFPA report, which focused on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, child marriage, and extreme bias against daughters in favor of sons. "What these diverse harmful practices all have in common is that they are rooted in gender inequality and a desire to control womens bodies and lives." "Though they inflict a devastating array of harm on individual women and girls, the harms inflicted on the world at large, and on future generations, may be greater still. In this regard, men have a special role to play. I call on Vietnamese men to raise the value of girls and demand equal treatment and equal rights. In particular, we need men and boys to support this effort," Kitahara said. UNFPA executive director Natalia Kanem said: "Harmful practices against girls cause profound and lasting trauma, robbing them of their right to reach their full potential." "We must tackle the problem by tackling the root causes, especially gender biased norms. We must do a better job of supporting communities own efforts to understand the toll these practices are taking on girls and the benefits that accrue to the whole of society by stopping them," Kanem said. Terrifying footage shows dozens of uniformed gunmen posing with military-grade weapons near armored pickup trucks emblazoned with the initials of the Jalisco drug cartel in Mexico as the country's top security officials launch an investigation into the video. In what appears to be a show of power, several dozen masked men are heard shouting they are 'people of Mencho,' a nickname used by Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera. Almost all of the uniformed men wearing bulletproof vests wield assault rifles, and some appear to have belt-fed machine guns or .50 caliber sniper rifles. Many of the trucks in a column of about 20 vehicles parked on a dirt road have improvised gun turrets or plate-steel armor welded onto them. Terrifying footage shows dozens of uniformed gunmen posing with military-grade weapons near armored pickup trucks emblazoned with the initials of the Jalisco drug cartel in Mexico as the country's top security officials launch an investigation into the video Almost all of the uniformed men wearing bulletproof vests wield assault rifles, and some appear to have belt-fed machine guns or .50 caliber sniper rifles In what appears to be a show of power, the masked men are heard shouting they are 'people of Mencho,' a nickname used by Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera (pictured) Mexico's top security official, Alfonso Durazo, wrote Saturday that the video is being analyzed to confirm whether it is authentic and when it was made. Durazo wrote in his Twitter account that 'there is no criminal group that has the capacity to successfully defy federal security forces, and much less with this staged event'. The video was posted on social media sites Thursday, which coincided with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's visit to the states of Guanajuato, Jalisco and Colima, some of the cartel's strongholds. 'They are sending a clear message... that they basically rule Mexico, not Lopez Obrador,' said Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. A spokesman for Lopez Obrador's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lopez Obrador met Thursday with Jalisco Gov Enrique Alfaro to discuss security issues. 'In the face of threats, intimidations, we say to Governor Alfaro that he is not alone, that we are with him in facing the challenge of crime,' Lopez Obrador said. 'This problem cannot be solved with massacres. It is going to be done more with intelligence than force,' said Lopez Obrador. The president defended his policy of avoiding confrontation with the cartels. He prefers to address social problems like poverty and unemployment that he says contribute to crime. Many of the trucks in a column of about 20 vehicles parked on a dirt road have improvised gun turrets or plate-steel armor welded onto them Mexico's top security official, Alfonso Durazo, wrote Saturday that the video is being analyzed to confirm whether it is authentic and when it was made The video's release coincided with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's visit to Guanajuato, Jalisco and Colima. Last week, Lopez Obrador defended his policy of 'hugs, not bullets' as his approach to avoid confrontations with the cartels But the strategy, branded by Lopez Obrador as one of 'hugs, not bullets,' has emboldened criminal groups, many security analysts say. The president's approach 'has only led these cartels to operate with more impunity,' Vigil said. It was unclear when the video had been filmed, but it appeared to be authentic, Vigil said. The Jalisco cartel is regarded as Mexico's strongest gang, along with the Sinaloa Cartel formerly led by jailed kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. It is often credited with infiltrating poorly paid and trained police departments across the country to protect its wide-ranging criminal rackets. The cartel based in the central state of Jalisco has spread across Mexico and increasingly has posed direct challenges to the government. Mexico City's police chief, Omar Garcia Harfuch, blamed the cartel for an elaborately planned attempt on his life last month - an ambush on the capital's most famous boulevard. The Jalisco cartel operates in 24 of 32 states in Mexico and has shipped cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin to the United States. The cartel, is known to be in control of between one-third and two-thirds of the US drug market. The Jalisco cartel is regarded as Mexico's strongest gang, along with the Sinaloa Cartel formerly led by jailed kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) One of the staunchest critics of ABS-CBN in Congress maintained that the Lopezes will still be in good shape despite the media giant's failed fresh franchise bid due to their controlling interests in other publicly traded corporations. Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor, chairman of the House public accounts committee, said Sunday that despite the network's failure to obtain a new franchise, the Lopezes can convey their common shares of the network to its employees, who can then report a change of control and seek a new franchise from Congress. The current market value of ABS-CBN stands at 12.7 billion, which means that some 6.4-billion worth of common shares may be assigned to effect a change of control, Defensor said. "Assuming the Lopezes divested from ABS-CBN, they still effectively control at least four other publicly traded corporations with a combined market value of roughly 136 billion as of July 17," he added. Defensor was referring to First Gen Corp., First Philippine Holdings Corp., Lopez Holdings Corp., and Rockwell Land Corp., all of which are listed at the Philippine Stock Exchange. "Let's say the Lopezes beneficially owned just a little over 50 percent of the common shares of the four listed firms since they are in control, they still have leftover assets valued at more than 400 billion a year ago and currently worth 68 billion," he said. On Friday, House Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund "LRay" Villafuerte echoed the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to "just sell" the network instead of risking a longer shutdown that will put the livelihood of their employees at stake. This will then pave way for other big companies to provide manpower and technical expertise to run the company, he added. "My suggestion to the Lopez family, they just sell the corporation and if they really love the 11,000 employees or more, and they really want to serve the Filipino people, ibenta na lang nila iyong kumpanya (just sell the company)," Villafuerte said. However, it was Villafuerte who also floated the idea of having the government acquire ABS-CBN's frequency, which was left vacant after its franchise lapsed, to help provide the distance learning needs of students during the pandemic. Villafuerte and Defensor, both allies of the administration, were among those who voted against the franchise renewal last July 10. The House Committee on Legislative Franchises rejected the application with a 70-11 vote. An unedited version of Duterte's speech in Sulu last week called out the Lopezes and touted his success in toppling an "oligarchy" without the need to declare martial law in the country. Since taking office, Duterte has been publicly ranting about his frustrations over ABS-CBN's supposed refusal to air his campaign ads during the 2016 elections. The embattled network has already started implementing its retrenchment program endangering the means of income of over 11,000 employees. "We remain hopeful that better days are ahead for the network. This painful development will only make us stronger and better," ABS-CBN chairman Mark Lopez said in a statement last week. ABS-CBN has been off the air since May 5 after the National Telecommunications Commission ordered it shut down following the expiration of its 25-year franchise. Washington DC: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking for a 7:50 AM EDT (5:20 PM IST) launch of its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on July 30. The American space agency will also have a live launch coverage at 7 AM on July 30, on NASA Television and its official website. The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will be launched through a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It is slated to land at the Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18 in 2021. On July 20, the NASA leadership will also participate in a virtual discussion with the Space Foundation on the upcoming Mars 2020 Perseverance rover launch. The event, called Roving the Red Planet, will stream live on NASA Television and its official website. The mission is designed to better understand the geology and climate of Mars and seek signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. It will use the robotic scientist, that weighs over 1,043 kilograms, to collect and store a set of rock and soil samples that could be returned to Earth by future Mars sample return missions. This mission is part of Americas larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. It will provide a key insight into some of the challenges associated with future human exploration of Mars. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory has built the Perseverance rover and will manage mission operations for NASA. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program. Full mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern): July 27: 1 PM Mars 2020 Prelaunch News Conference. 3 PM Mars 2020 Mission Engineering and Science Briefing July 28: 2 PM Mars 2020 Mars Sample Return Briefing 4 PM Mars 2020 Mission Tech and Humans to Mars Briefing. July 30: 7 AM NASA TV live launch coverage begins 11:30 AM - Postlaunch News Conference Also read | NASA targeting August 2 return of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft from International Space Station to Earth By Online Desk A record single-day spike in fresh cases was recorded in many southern states on Sunday as India's COVID's tally neared 11 lakh. Maharashtra was still contributing a major portion of the caseload with the highest-ever 9,518 new COVID-19 cases in a day, taking the tally to 3,10,455 while 258 more people succumbed to the disease, including 149 deaths in the Mumbai metropolitan region, the state Health department said. Tamil Nadu reported a new single day high of 4,979 fresh COVID-19 cases as the overall tally crossed 1.70 lakh in the state, the second worst affected after Maharashtra. A single-day high of 5,041 COVID-19 cases was registered in Andhra Pradesh as the overall aggregate inched closer to the 50,000 mark on Sunday. Also, the state saw the highest spike in deaths in a day as 56 coronavirus patients succumbed, pushing the toll to 642, a state government bulletin said. Karnataka reported 4,120 new COVID-19 cases and 91 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 63,772 and the death toll to 1,331, the state health department said. And though the situation in Kerala was relatively better, the tally breached the 12,000 mark on Sunday with 821 people, including 13 health workers, testing positive for the virus in the highest single day spurt in the state so far. The lockdown imposed in the state capital was extended to July 28. Representative Image Manish More, a farmer from Otur village in Maharashtras Pune district, has reportedly generated business worth Rs 2.75 crore for himself and other farmers in his village over the past four months. More, a post-graduate in agriculture, feared his standing crop would be wasted when the coronavirus-induced lockdown was announced in March. He spoke to 11 other village farmers and a relative in Mumbai to devise a plan to deliver their output to cities, The Times of India reported. He (the relative) told me of a scarcity of vegetables in the city. I agreed to send vegetables from our fields. My relative checked with friends and neighbours in his building. And, we sent out our first order of 60 boxes on April 9, More told the paper. He said the initial few orders came via word-of-mouth, but soon grew. The variety on offer fruits, vegetables and other produce has also increased as more farmers join in. They have completed 80,000 deliveries and what started as an informal group is now a registered farmer producer company generating business worth Rs 2.75 crore, the report added. 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 Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here The initial 11-member clutch is now a 480-farmer strong brand dubbed KisanKonnect which communicates via co-ordinated WhatsApp groups. Children studying in cities returned home to help and chipped in with technical expertise. Youth have also helped them set up a website where customers can place orders thus overcoming geographical limitations, it pointed out. Srikant Dhokchawle, a farmer from Rahata in Ahmednagar district, told the paper the last three months have been a learning process. He said they have taken their knowledge beyond farming as efforts moved to marketing on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and also hired a packaging house to ensure produce is not crushed or spoilt during transportation. It also employs 80 locals, including village women thus providing jobs. Besides the direct opportunities, a shutdown call centre in the village was revived and hired locals to handle order calls; villages hired trucks and vans to make deliveries directly. Drivers were also given protective equipment to assure customers, More said. The collective has also launched a customer service initiative making video calls to customers giving tutorials on how to choose vegetables and fruits. More said they also receive feedback such as requests to reduce plastic usage, which he said they are working on. After all, we want this initiative to be sustainable. For now, the farm-to-home business is smooth and looking up and we want to keep expanding it. It helps support several farmer families," Dhokchawle added. By MEL LEONOR Richmond Times-Dispatch Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday quietly signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Richmond, citing civil unrest following weeks of protests that have resulted in violent clashes between demonstrators and police. The order gives the administration the ability to deploy additional state resources to implement recovery and mitigation operations and activities to return the city to pre-event conditions as much as possible. That includes emergency funding for government response to the protests and activation of the Virginia National Guard, according to the order. Often, peaceful demonstrations evolve into conflicts with law enforcement during late night and early morning hours, the order reads. These events have required significant intervention to ensure the safety of protesters and the public, protect property and provide additional resources to support our local and state partners. The Northam administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ACLU of Virginia on Tuesday chided Northams order in a statement on Twitter. [Northams] actions show no understanding of the anti-Black racism that infects our civil and social structures, accepts the police version of the facts and demonstrates an unwillingness to recognize that treating people as enemy combatants invites violence rather than quells it, the civil rights group said. The order is in effect until July 30. Twitter: @MelLeonor_ At least four houses collapsed and one bridge was damaged due to incessant rain on Saturday night in the hill town of Munsiyari in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, about 450 km from Dehradun. No loss of life has been reported in any of the incidents, officials said on Sunday. Due to heavy rain, the water level of Gori river in the area has risen after which people living near it have been shifted towards safe areas by the local administration, said officials. Girija Shankar Joshi, district information officer Pithoragarh, said, The heavy rain had started at around 11 pm on Saturday in the Munsiyari area. As the downpour increased, the local station house officer and sub-divisional magistrate concerned reached the area to evacuate the people living near Gori River to a safe place. Joshi said, There were four families living in their houses built near the swollen Gori River which were evacuated from there. They were earlier warned and asked to shift from there but they didnt listen. As a result, their houses collapsed in the night due to heavy rain. However, luckily there was no loss of life. The official also informed that a bridge was also severely damaged in the heavy rain. A 120m long bridge en route Jouljibi was also badly damaged. Authorities concerned are constructing a Bailey bridge there which will take about three days. Also, some water pipelines were also damaged in the rain which will be repaired within 24 hours. Senior district officials are keeping an eye on the situation, said Joshi. Meanwhile, the administration has provided ration to the four affected families who lost their houses in the rain. All the affected families have been provided 20 kg ration and other essentials besides a sum of Rs 1.19 lakh as compensation for the washed away houses. The administration will provide every possible help to them, said AK Shukla, SDM, Dharchula. The main roads connecting district headquarters to Bangapani, Munsiyari and Dharchula areas were also damaged due to the incessant rain, disrupting traffic. The roads towards these places have been closed since night. Repair works are going on and the traffic would be resumed soon, said Ram Dutt Paliwal, additional district magistrate. Meanwhile, the Dehradun centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its weather forecast has predicted heavy rain in some places of Pithoragarh and Nainital districts in the state. There would be heavy rain in some isolated places in the two above-mentioned districts but no repetition of Saturday nights rainfall in Munsiyari area today. On Monday, the heavy rain will occur in some places of Haridwar, Bageshwar, Pauri Garhwal, Nainital and Pithoragarh districts, said Bikram Singh, Director Dehradun centre IMD. Singh also said, At present, there are not many showers in the Garhwal region; it is active in Kumaon because the movement of monsoon is not strong in northwest Himalayas. After July 22 or 24, one can expect good showers in Garhwal also. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Snow this morning will transition to snow showers this afternoon. Some sleet may mix in. High near -4C. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.. Tonight Snow showers this evening. Breaks in the overcast later. Low -16C. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Drake has been hard at work in the recording studio, working on his next album, as well as some collabs with DJ Khaled. But the four-time Grammy winner has recently been enjoying some rest and recreation, during a getaway to Barbados. He flashed his six-pack Saturday in a shirtless mirror selfie, as he took to his Instagram Story with some thirst traps from his tropical vacation. Hot bod: Drake flashed his six-pack Saturday in a shirtless mirror selfie, as he took to his Instagram Story with some thirst traps from his Barbados vacation The 33-year-old flexed his bicep and showed off his tatted torso, writing: 'Sunny day in Saint James.' He also served eyebrow in another selfie he posted from the pool, as he commented on his fade: 'Curls didn't last.' Drake was recently spotted paying a visit to the childhood home of longtime pal and ex-girlfriend Rihanna, on a street now named Rihanna Drive. He was in an on-again, off-again relationship with the 32-year-old from 2009 to 2016, and they remain friends. Taking a dip: He also served eyebrow in another selfie he posted from the pool, as he commented on his fade: 'Curls didn't last' Childhood home: Drake was recently spotted paying a visit to the childhood home of longtime pal and ex-girlfriend Rihanna, on a street now named Rihanna Drive Although RiRi was reportedly not on the island for his visit, her brother Rorrey Fenty joined his entourage for a tour of Barbados. A source told HollywoodLife of the visit: 'Drake became friends with both of Rihannas brothers [Rorrey and Rajad Fenty] through Rihanna, and theyre still cool with him. 'Theyre actually both really big fans of his and would love to see their sister settled down with him. They all still make jokes about him being their brother-in-law someday.' Baby bro: Although RiRi was reportedly not on the island for his visit, her brother Rorrey Fenty joined his entourage for a tour of Barbados (Rorrey pictured on the left) Like family: A source told HollywoodLife of the visit: 'Drake became friends with both of Rihannas brothers [Rorrey and Rajad Fenty] through Rihanna, and theyre still cool with him' (pictured in August, 2016) Still friends: He was in an on-again, off-again relationship with the 32-year-old from 2009 to 2016, and they remain friends (pictured in February, 2011) According to another source, Drake and his crew were on the Caribbean island to shoot a music video. They flew in on July 11, the first day Barbados opened its airport to international travelers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and they all tested negative within 72 hours before traveling. It comes after he appeared on DJ Khaled's new tracks Popstar and Greece, from his upcoming 12th studio album Khaled Khaled. Drake also appeared to tease his sixth studio album earlier this month, posting to his Instagram Story from the recording studio, and writing '80 percent,' possibly referring to his progress on the new album. A CRH high-speed train runs across Urumqi city during its test run in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang region, on Nov. 11, 2014. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Chinese Officials Declare Wartime State to Control Spread of Virus in Xinjiang Capital The severity of the latest CCP virus outbreak in Urumqi, the capital of western Chinas Xinjiang region, is under scrutiny as local authorities have taken draconian measures to contain the virus. Local health authorities in Urumqi said during a press conference on July 18 that there were a total of 17 confirmed virus cases in the city as of noon that day, in addition to 23 asymptomatic cases. Chinese authorities count asymptomatic carriers in a separate tally. By the morning of July 19, the local health commission reported on its website 13 new confirmed cases and 18 new asymptomatic cases between July 18 noon and midnight. About 2,705 people were put under medical observation. But the way Chinese authorities were quick to implement lockdown measures, and a subtle change to a recent article published by Chinas state-run media Peoples Daily suggest that the outbreak in Urumqi is more severe than authorities are admitting. The current outbreak in Urumqi officially started on July 15, when a 24-year-old woman, a resident in Urumqis Tianshan District, tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. She worked for a shopping center at Zhongquan Square in Tianshan. Local health authorities announced her case on July 16. The woman was taken to a local hospital on July 10, after exhibiting symptoms including a sore throat. Four days later, the woman began having a fever and headache. Three people who came in contact with the woman were subsequently determined to be asymptomatic cases. Measures Local authorities were quick to enact strict measures to prevent the spread of the virus in Urumqi, a city of about 3.5 million people. On July 16, the Urumqi Metro announced the closure of its only operational subway linea 26.5-kilometer line (about 16.5 miles) with 21 stationsin order to prevent the spread of the virus. Also on July 16, Chinese state-run media reported that municipal authorities in Urumqi issued a directive mandating that local community authorities implement prevention protocols: local officials should seal off their communities and provide delivery of daily necessities to those who are sick, local public transportation should greatly be reduced, local markets and hotels should not be open for business, and travelers arriving in Urumqi should be placed under quarantine for seven days upon arrival. After the announced closing down of communities, video posted on Chinese social media showed people rushing to local markets to buy food and other necessities. On July 17, Chinese state-run media reported that hundreds of flights going in and out of a local airport had been canceled. On July 19, local authorities placed Urumqi under a wartime state, banning all gatherings in the city and declaring that all communities would be under seal-off management. Local residents were forbidden to leave the city except under special circumstances, and citywide COVID-19 testing for all residents was underway. Severity The CCPs mouthpiece newspaper Peoples Daily, in an article published on July 18, quoted a hotel worker with the pseudonym Zheng Li. Local authorities had requisitioned the Urumqi hotel where he worked to be a quarantine site. In the original version of the article, Zheng was quoted as saying there were over 100 people placed under quarantine at the hotel on July 13three days before local authorities reported the first confirmed case. Peoples Daily has since deleted Zhengs quote from the article, but the original version with the quote can still be found on Google Cache and some Chinese news sites that reposted the original article. On July 16, the Chinese-language Epoch Times also obtained an emergency notice from one of the communities in Urumqi, showing that the virus could have spread widely in the city. Its unclear precisely when the notice was issued. The notice called for community officials to look for people who recently attended wedding ceremonies in three districts of Urumqi: Tianshan, Saybag, and Shuimogou. It also named three placesa theater, pub, and a ballroomand asked for information on people who went there on July 5. Also on July 16, a video showed a large crowd lining up outside a hospital in Urumqi waiting to be tested for the virus. A staffer at the Peoples Hospital of Xinjiang in Urumqi told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that 3,000 to 4,000 people were being tested daily for the virus. Meanwhile, a staffer at a hotel near Zhongquan Square in Tianshan District told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that hotel patrons who wished to check out of the hotel must make travel arrangements with local officials. The person said that there were barely any cars on the streets, and the service of the local train had been suspended. (Newser) No stranger to filling arenas, Kanye West is heading to a smaller venue on Sunday for something of a first for him: A campaign event. Yeezy announced that the first rally of his nascent quest to win the Oval Office in November will be held at 5pm in North Charleston, SC, reports Politico. Attendees must register, wear a face covering, observe social distancing, and sign a coronavirus waiver. West tweeted Saturday, urging people to "please sign up to put me on the ballot in South Carolina," though ABC News reports that the state's filing deadline for independent candidates was July 15. "Hes registered in, I think, two states," says a source. "Its such a baby organization it doesnt even have a logo yet." Five states have filing deadlines Aug. 3, and ABC notes that if West doesn't get on all five ballots, he doesn't have a shot, adding, "but reality hasn't stopped West in the past." (Read more Kanye West stories.) Donald Trump went on the attack against Joe Biden during an hour-long interview with Fox News Sunday, calling into question the presumed Democratic nominee's mental state and bragging about the results of his own cognitive test. 'Biden can't put two sentences together,' Trump asserted when he was told about a new Fox News poll showing the former vice president beating Trump in November. 'They wheel him out,' the president continued, suggesting he staged interviews. 'He goes up he repeats they ask him questions. He reads a teleprompter and then he goes back into his basement.' 'You tell me the American people want to have that in an age where we're in trouble with other nations that are looking to do numbers on us,' Trump said, adding that the poll numbers showing Biden winning are 'fake.' When Trump assured that Biden would be less mentally fit to serve in the White House, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace brought up the cognitive test the president boasted he 'aced.' Trump insisted that Biden would not do as well. 'Well, I'll tell you what, let's take a test,' Trump posed a challenge to Biden. 'Let's take a test right now. Let's go down, Joe and I will take a test. Let him take the same test that I took.' 'Incidentally, I took the test too when I heard that you passed it,' Wallace revealed to Trump on-camera during in the interview. 'Yeah, how did you do?' 'It's not well it's not that hardest test,' Wallace said. 'They have a picture and it says 'what's that' and it's an elephant,' he continue, in an apparent mocking of the president. Donald Trump bashed Joe Biden during an interview Sunday, calling into question the presumed Democratic nominee's mental state and claiming he 'can't put two sentences together' Trump then challenged Biden to a cognitive test, bragging about 'acing' his own. But Fox New Sunday host Chris Wallace (right) pushed back, claiming the test was 'not that hard' Wallace, a Democrat, appeared to mock the president, revealing that one of the questions showed a picture and wanted respondents to correctly identify that it was an 'elephant' Trump shot back: 'Yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions. I'll bet you couldn't, they get very hard, the last five questions' As the interview aired on Fox News, Trump was heading to his golf course in Sterling, Virginia Trump has played hundreds of rounds of golf since taking office and pledging not to golf as much as predecessor President Barack Obama and this is nearly his 300th golf-related trip as president 'No no no. You see, that's all misrepresentation,' the president said of the version of the test that's available online. 'Yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions. I'll bet you couldn't, they get very hard, the last five questions,' Trump said of the test. 'Well, one of them was count back from 100 by seven,' Wallace continued, adding the first answer: 'Ninety-three.' 'You couldn't answer many of the questions,' Trump said of the Fox News host. 'Ok, what's the question?' he challenged. 'I'll get you the test, I'd like to give it,' the president continued. 'I'll guarantee you that Joe Biden could not answer those questions.' 'OK,' Wallace let up. 'I answered all 35 questions correctly,' the president touted again. Trump also claimed that Biden would not be able to sit down in a lengthy one-on-one in-person interview the same way he did with Wallace. 'Let Biden sit through an interview like this, he'll be on the ground crying for mommy,' Trump said. 'He'll say, 'Mommy, mommy, please take me home.'' Trump said Biden wouldn't be able to sit down for an interview. 'Let Biden sit through an interview like this, he'll be on the ground crying for mommy,' Trump said Biden has created a makeshift television studio in his basement so he can show up for virtual or remote interview and other events in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic 'Well we've asked him for an interview, sir,' Wallace revealed. 'He can't do an interview. He's incompetent' the president clapped back. 'I'm going to ask you a direct question about Joe Biden. Is Joe Biden senile?' Wallace, a Democrat, asked of the president. 'I don't want to say that,' Trump conceded. 'I'd say he's not competent to be president.' 'To be president, you have to be sharp and tough and so many other things. He doesn't even come out of his basement,' he said of the man he calls 'Sleepy Joe.' Trump is referencing Biden's basement in Delaware, which he turned into a makeshift studio to show up for remote interviews and other virtual events as the coronavirus pandemic has sidelined the candidates to virtual campaigning. The president finally held his first tele-rally on Friday after attempting to hold two in-person rallies in the post-coronavirus era the first in Tulsa, Oklahoma yielding a dismal crowd of around 6,200 of the more than 19,000 stadium seats. The other was an outdoor rally scheduled for earlier this month in New Hampshire, but it was postponed. 'I called Michigan, I want to have a big rally in Michigan. Do you know we're not allowed to have a rally in Michigan?' Trump scoffed. 'Do you know we're not allowed to have a rally in Minnesota? Do you know we're not allowed to have a rally in Nevada? We're not allowed to have rallies.' Rallies have come to a stop as states are experiencing a surge in the amount of coronavirus infections as massive nationwide Black Lives Matter protests ensued and lockdown orders began to loosen. There are more than 3.7 million confirmed cases in the U.S., far more than any other country has reported, and the death toll has surpassed 140,000. The death toll is only higher than other countries, Trump claims, because of the amount of testing available in the U.S. A new Fox News poll released Sunday morning shows that 47 per cent of registered voters feel that Biden is mentally sound enough to serve as president. On the other hand, only 43 per cent of the 1,104 respondents say Trump has the mental soundness to serve effectively in the White House. Trump made a surprise visit to Walter Reed Medical Center in November, sparking speculation over if he was experiencing medical issues. Earlier this month, the president bragged to Fox News host Sean Hannity that he 'aced' a 'cognitive test' that was administered 'very recently' and insisted that doctors at Walter Reed were 'very surprised' that he passed. During that interview with Hannity, the president said that Biden 'didn't take a cognitive test because he couldn't pass one.' He added: 'I actually took one very recently when I was - when the radical left was saying, is he all there, is he all there?' The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a 10-minute test, which was created in 1996 so medical professionals could more easily identify mild cognitive dysfunction related to concentration, attention, memory, language, calculations, orientation, executive functions and visual skills. The poll also shows Trump behind Biden by 8 percentage points. 'I'm not losing, because those are fake polls,' the president insisted. 'They were fake in 2016 and now they're even more fake.' Trump acknowledged to Wallace that he is a sore loser. 'And you know why I won't lose, because the country in the end, they're not going to have a man who's shot,' he said of Biden. 'He's shot, he's mentally shot,' Trump continued. 'Let him come out of his basement, go around, I'll make four or five speeches a day, I'll be interviewed by you, I'll be interviewed by the worst killers that hate my guts. They hate my guts. There's nothing they can ask me that I won't give them a proper answer to. Some people will like it, some people won't like it.' Trump also lamented that outlets are not touting the amount of 'enthusiasm' his supporters have for his reelection. 'There's a number you don't mention. It's called the enthusiasm number,' Trump said. 'The enthusiasm for Trump is through the roof even higher than last time.' 'The enthusiasm for Biden is nonexistent. Everyone knows he's shot.' 'Those people know I'm doing a good job, but there's something in my personality that they don't like because look, nobody's done what I've done,' he said before launching into a list of his presidential accomplishments. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he hasn't ruled out a statewide mask mandate as he said his state was "headed in the wrong direction." Meet The Press Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday warned that his state "could become Florida," a current COVID-19 epicenter in the US. DeWine, who was at first lauded for proactive steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Ohio, has received criticism for his refusal to issue a statewide mask order. At the end of April, DeWine issued a statewide mask mandate but quickly rescinded it following criticism, calling his own order "offensive." DeWine has since required masks to be worn in 19 Ohio counties experiencing outbreaks, though there is no mandate in dozens of other Ohio counties. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Video: How to make and wear an effective face mask Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who has so far refused calls to issue a statewide mask mandate, warned Sunday that his state could become the next Florida a current epicenter for coronavirus cases in the US. "We are at the point where we could become Florida," DeWine said. "Where you look at our numbers today versus where Florida was a month ago, we have very similar numbers. So we're very, very concerned." According to data analyzed by Johns Hopkins University, there have been at least 350,037 known cases of COVID-19 in Florida and 4,981 deaths. In Ohio, there have been 74,928 confirmed cases of the virus and 3,173 deaths. According to the Hopkins data, 6.2% of all COVID-19 tests administered over the past week in Ohio have returned a positive result compared to about 17% of the tests in Florida. "While we did a great job early on in Ohio, we're now headed in the wrong direction, and frankly, I'm very, very concerned about that," he said. "So we're going to move ahead with more orders from us this week." The Republican governor had been praised early during the pandemic for his swift actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, though he has since been criticized, particularly for his reluctance to require Ohioans to wear facial coverings in public. Public health experts say these masks greatly mitigate community spread of the novel coronavirus. Story continues Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 19, 2020 In June, the state's health director, Dr. Amy Acton, who helped DeWine craft his coronavirus response, resigned after protesters in the state targeted her for weeks, as The Cincinnati Enquirer reported. According to the Toledo Blade, DeWine on April 27 had mandated that residents wear face masks when patronizing businesses that were soon to be reopened as he relaxed Ohio's stay-at-home mandate. The next day, DeWine reversed the order after he received backlash. "We believe that, in almost every case, it is safer for everyone if both people wear a mask, but we also know that this was offensive," he said April 28. "People looked at this and said that's one government mandate too far. It's just too much." On Sunday, "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd asked DeWine why he hadn't declared a statewide mandate. "I don't think anybody in Ohio who's watched what I've done over the last four months doubts that, I'll do what we need to do to protect Ohioans," he said, adding that officials had not ruled out a statewide order. As of Sunday, face masks are currently required in 19 of Ohio's 88 counties under the state's Level 3 designation, which as of July 7, requires the use of face masks to through DeWine's executive order. Masks are not required for counties at Level 2 or below. Still, DeWine stressed that education rather than order could be more effective in stopping Ohio from becoming an epicenter. "Orders are important, but it's also about getting people to understand, 'Hey, this is, this is very, very serious,'" DeWine said. Read the original article on Business Insider Born and raised in the District, he was initiated as a brother at the University of the District of Columbia in 1956. He has attended too many protests in his lifetime to count, he said, including several with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the late congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), who died on Friday. Protesters outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon were targeted with tear gas by federal officers for the sixth night in a row Sunday, reports the CBS affiliate there, KOIN-TV. It marked the 52nd straight night of protests in the city against police violence and for racial justice. Even after the tear gas was deployed, demonstrators regrouped outside the building in the early hours of Monday morning. It wasn't clear whether any protesters were arrested or detained. KOIN reporters saw protesters, including a group of mothers wearing yellow and holding flowers, peacefully surround a fence at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse after night fell. A few federal officers were spotted leaving the building, but staying behind the fence before going back inside. By 11:40 p.m., parts of the fence were disassembled, and some protesters were sitting behind it. Some 10 minutes later, KOIN saw federal officers rushing out of the building and using a large amount of tear gas and in addition to other crowd-control munitions on protesters, many of whom had their hands up. The scene outside the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon late on night of July 19,2020. / Credit: KOIN-TV Night 51 On Saturday night, Portland police declared a riot after the police union building was broken into and a fire was lit. It was the 51st night of protests in Portland, where federal authorities have been sent in despite opposition from state and local officials. Portland Police said in a statement on Sunday that they declared a riot "due to the violent conduct of the large group creating a grave risk of public alarm." The crowd began to disperse as police issued a public service announcement. Federal officers deployed tear gas once again on Saturday night as fencing was torn down around the federal courthouse, where officers and protesters have clashed before, CBS Portland affiliate KOIN reported. The fencing around the courthouse had come down Friday night, was repaired and replaced on Saturday and then torn down again. Portland police said Sunday that four people were arrested for charges that included riot and interfering with a police officer. Story continues Protests in Portland erupted in June after George Floyd's death at the hands of police in Minneapolis but lately, they've become about federal authorities' presence in the city. Under an executive order from President Trump in June, federal agents have been deployed to protect federal monuments and buildings in cities such as Portland, Seattle and others. The federal courthouse in Portland is also under their jurisdiction. Protestors run as tear gas is deployed on the steps of the U.S. District Court building on July 17, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. / Credit: Mason Trinca / Getty Images A report from Oregon Public Broadcasting earlier this week found that federal officials from a number of agencies have been driving around and detaining people. Personal accounts and video posted to social media show the federal officers detaining individuals without explanation, according to the OPB. One demonstrator, Mark Pettibone, told OPB he was "basically tossed" into a van and driven downtown without explanation. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday the state is filing a lawsuit against several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, for engaging in "unlawful law enforcement in violation of the civil rights" of protesters and detaining people without probable cause. The New York Times reported on Saturday that a memo from the Department of Homeland Security, which has deployed officers to Portland, had warned the officers didn't have proper training. In a statement on Friday, Customs and Border Patrol, a division of Homeland Security, said at least one of the arrests was made by their officers. Oregon officials have been calling for federal authorities to leave, and on Saturday, Portland police told federal officials they could no longer use their command center. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who visited Portland on Thursday, tweeted Sunday that not allowing their officers use the command center is "dangerous" and "puts lives at risk." Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the presence of federal officers is "actually leading to more violence." "They are not wanted here, we have not asked them here, and in fact, we want them to leave," Wheeler said. Wheeler and other Oregon officials have blamed the Trump administration for the escalation of violence. "The tactics the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are horrid," Wheeler said. "As you indicated, people are literally being scooped off the street and into unmarked vans, rental cars apparently. They are being denied probable cause and due process. They don't even know who is pulling them into the vans, the people are not identifying themselves. As far as I can see this is completely unconstitutional." Mr. Trump on Sunday tweeted that "we are trying to help Portland, not hurt it." "Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators," he continued. "They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!" In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News on Sunday, Mr. Trump said "we've arrested many leaders" in Portland. "If we didn't take a stand right now, you would have a problem," Mr. Trump said. "They're going to lose Portland." Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Sunday was the sixth night tear gas was deployed, not the second night. A peek inside missing TV anchor Jodi Huisentruits apartment Trump incorrectly claims U.S. has "one of the lowest mortality rates" for coronavirus Couple adopts five siblings separated in foster care Prime Minister Scott Morrison should be thankful most teenagers cannot vote. His recent announcement that the Australian government was monitoring the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok "very closely" and "won't be shy" about taking action against it over potential national security threats will have many young Australians worried. With more than 1.6 million local users (according to Roy Morgan), the highly popular app lets users watch and share musical clips that range from karaoke to viral dances and political satire in 15-second bursts. The platform is owned by tech giant ByteDance, which was founded by Chinese digital entrepreneur Zhang Yiming in 2012 and is valued at more than $100 billion. With more than 1 billion active users globally, it is China's most successful app outside of its borders. But such success has also brought with it a good amount of scrutiny. Australia is not alone in wanting to run a rule over its ties with the Chinese Communist Party and privacy concerns related to the enormous amount of user data the tech company is accumulating. While ByteDance is adamant it is independent and committed to keeping data safe from prying eyes, it is a difficult argument to run when its Chinese operations are scrutinised. TikTok is not available in China, and has been withdrawn from Hong Kong since the new security laws were introduced. Instead, ByteDance runs a separate, highly censored version called Douyin in China. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, ByteDance "collaborates" with public security bureaus across China to disseminate propaganda, including in Xinjiang, where Beijing is under scrutiny for its detention and surveillance of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups. And the fact is TikTok does collect a significant amount of user data. When you make an account it requires either an email, phone number or another social media account to register, and also asks for your age, a photo and other biographical information. If you log in with Google, Facebook or another service, TikTok will receive profile information from them. It also uses cookies and beacons planted on your device to receive information on the other apps you use, websites you visit or purchases you make. Concerns are rising for the UK pig sector following the month-long temporary closure of a major German meat site after it experienced a coronavirus outbreak. Tonnies meat plant factory, in North Rhine-Westphalia, processes 140,000 pigs per week, 15 percent of all pigs slaughtered in Germany. The site had stopped importing pigs from certain countries, as efforts to divert pigs to other processing plants in the country were proving difficult. It has been suggested that there is now a surplus of 100,000 finishers in the country. Weekly slaughter hit 785,000 pigs in the penultimate week of June, 90,000 less than the week before the factory closure in Germany. According the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), this has meant that UK pig producers who usually send cull sows to the plant for cutting were seeing backlogs develop on farms. Two weeks worth of cull sows were still on farms as supply chains slowly try to export pigs into the country again, the union added. Prices are dramatically falling compared to the original value before this period of uncertainty, now in the region of 20p/kg, previously at 55-56p/kg. The UFU said: "Although it is hoped that this problem is short lived, the unknown factor is the spread of Covid-19 throughout staff working in meat processing plants in Germany and the response to workers conditions in the country,. The incident has sparked a debate between unions and politicians about workers conditions in not only this factory but throughout Germany. Several factories have announced fundamental changes to their businesses. The union added: "Angela Merkel has claimed that the meat industry will have to change, it remains unclear how this will affect the UK market going forward and what this means for the multitude of UK pigs that are processed in the country." The UFU said it would monitor the effects across Northern Europe as a result of the situation in Germany, as well as how local producers were managing. Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has shared the experience of making his first Hollywood film, Elizabeth and how not bowing down to the pressure of having a star feature in the lead role led to a star like Cate Blanchett being born. Released in 1998, the British biographical drama had Cate essaying the role of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He wrote early Sunday, Elizabeth was my first Hollywood film. I had noticed an unknown girl called Cate Blanchett who I wanted to play Elizabeth. My agent said Studio wanted a star and if I kept insisting on an unknown actor, they will replace me. I said i had to go with my heart. The rest is history. Elizabeth was my first Hollywood film. I had noticed an unknown girl called Cate Blanchett who I wanted to play Elizabeth. My agent said Studio wanted a star and if I kept insisting on an unknown actor, they will replace me. I said i had to go with my heart. The rest is history. Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 19, 2020 Shekhars tweet comes in the midst of a debate about the chances the film industry gives to relatively unknown talents. It all began when R Balki said in an interview with Hindustan Times, about the issue of nepotism in Bollywood, The question is do they (star kids) have an unfair or bigger advantage? Yes, there are pros and cons. But Id ask one simple question: Find me a better actor than Alia (Bhatt) or Ranbir (Kapoor), and well argue. Its unfair on these few people whore probably some of the finest actors. Among a host of artists and filmmakers listing their own favourite talents outside of the traditional film families, Shobha De also tweeted Saturday, Wake up, Bollywood!!! The real, bona fide talent is on the web. Amazing performances and scripts. Nobody cares about Bollywood s chosen few any longer. Agree, Shekhar? @shekharkapur #Bollywood. While Shekhar simply RT-ed the tweet, he posted the tweet on Elizabeth just hours later. Also read: Neena Gupta reveals she took inspiration from Priyanka Chopra to fly to Los Angeles for an audition. Watch Shekhar had earlier written in separate tweets, Have huge respect for you, Balki. But i just saw Kai Po Che again last night. Three new young actors at that time. And stunning believable performances by each. Have huge respect for you, Balki. But i just saw Kai Po Che again last night. Three new young actors at that time. And stunning believable performances by each @filmfare https://t.co/cIvSVsfNJR Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 17, 2020 Best actors today are coming from theatre. Theres new found respect for them. And confidence. Ive worked with Naseer, Shabana,Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas and entire cast of Bandit Queen, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Heath Ledger Daniel Craig Eddy Redmayne All are from theatre Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 17, 2020 He also tweeted, Best actors today are coming from theatre. Theres new found respect for them. And confidence. Ive worked with Naseer, Shabana,Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas and entire cast of Bandit Queen, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Heath Ledger Daniel Craig Eddy Redmayne All are from theatre. Shekhars Elizabeth was written by Michael Hirst and also featured Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, Fanny Ardant, and Richard Attenborough. The film opened to wide critical acclaim and holds an approval rating of 82% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. About working with Shekhar, Cate had told PTI in 2015, I am a passionate lover of history. I was passionate about the history of the Elizabeth. Shekhar is also like that. He was more excited about the fact that an Indian and Australian, who were once colonised by British, are recreating their history. We had many healthy and productive fights. I think when everyone is in agreement, creative art can be a little bit monotonous. But I must say that meeting and working with Shekhar is the turning point of my career. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Phillies announced a series of roster moves, including the news that left-hander Francisco Liriano and infielder Logan Forsythe have been granted releases. Infielder Neil Walker, meanwhile, has been told he will be on Philadelphias Opening Day roster, so the team will be officially selecting his minor league contract at some point between now and the first game. In other moves, catcher Henri Lartigue has been removed from the Summer Camp player pool and righty Victor Arano was optioned to Triple-A. Liriano and Forsythe both had opt-out decisions coming this week, and it seems as if the club gave them an early start on the open market since neither were in the Phillies plans. Walker, by contrast, also had an opt-out clause but will now receive the prorated sum of his original (non-specified) guarantee for making the big league team. Forsythe and Walker were among several veteran infielders added by the Phillies this winter, as Josh Harrison, Ronald Torreyes, and Phil Gosselin were also signed to minor league deals. The latter trio is still in camp, though it remains to be seen how many other roster spots will be available. Scott Kingery is back after recovering from COVID-19 though it isnt yet known if hell be ready for Opening Day, while star prospect Alec Bohm figures to arrive at some point in 2020, perhaps once service time considerations are no longer a factor. Walker, 34, hit .261/.344/.395 with eight homers over 381 PA with Miami last season, delivering roughly league-average (98 OPS+, 99 wRC+) offensive production. The switch-hitting Walker did much of his damage from the left side of the plate last season, as has been the norm for much of his career. It seemed as if Forsythe was having a comeback season for the first two months of his tenure with the Rangers last season, but a hot start quickly turned, and the 33-year-old ended up with only a .227/.325/.353 slash line from 367 PA. Forsythe will now look to catch on with his fifth different organization within the last two years. There was some doubt as to whether or not Liriano would play at all during the 2020 season, as the southpaw reportedly considered sitting out due to COVID-19 concerns before eventually showing up at Philadelphias camp. 2019 saw Liriano work exclusively as a reliever for the first time in his long career, and he delivered a 3.47 ERA, 1.80 K/BB rate, 50.3% grounder rate, and 8.1 K/9 over 70 innings out of the Pirates bullpen. As you would expect, Liriano performed better against left-handed batters (holding them to a .659 OPS) but also held righty swingers to a respectable .730 OPS. Beyond these numbers, however, Liriano also allowed a lot of hard contract, so there is some uncertainty as to whether hed be able to replicate his solid 2019 statistics again. Given teams ever-present need for left-handed pitching, one would think Liriano will be able to find another minor league deal elsewhere. 1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up. 2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed. 3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms. 4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually. 5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings. Vote View Results Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Kuwait City Sun, July 19, 2020 09:24 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a406677d44c 2 World Kuwait Free Kuwait's crown prince stepped in as partial ruler on Saturday after the hospitalization of the 91-year-old emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, state news agency KUNA said. "The crown prince (Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah) is to temporarily execute certain prerogatives of the emir," his half-brother, the head of state's office announced, quoted by KUNA. The agency reported earlier that Sheikh Sabah, ruler of the oil-rich Gulf state since 2006, was hospitalized "to undergo medical tests". In September 2019, Sheikh Sabah underwent medical tests shortly after arriving in the United States, leading to a meeting with President Donald Trump being called off. Read also: Pampered Kuwaitis quibble in five-star quarantine The emir had his appendix removed in 2002, two years after having a pacemaker implanted. In 2007, he underwent urinary tract surgery in the United States. Sheikh Sabah argued last year for de-escalation in the Gulf as tensions surged between the US and its arch-foe Iran. He is widely regarded as the architect of modern Kuwait's foreign policy. Sheikh Nawaf, 83, is an elder statesman who has held high office for decades, including the defense and interior portfolios. Topics : Kuwait President Donald Trumps commutation of Roger Stones sentence is a body blow to two core democratic values. The first, and most immediate, is the principle of fair and impartial justice for all. It is a travesty that Stone who was plainly guilty of serious crimes, who snubbed his nose repeatedly at the justice system, who continues to challenge his convictions is now a free man. There is little that can be done now to reverse that injustice. The second principle is the publics right to know, in this case about the full story of the 2016 election and the Trump campaigns complicity in Russias attack on American institutions. Here Stone may yet be called to account, and that should be a goal shared across political boundaries. The perversion of justice in Stones case stinks. The commutation vividly illustrates Trumps corrupt two-tiered system: the full force of law for everyone but his cronies and supporters. The special status of Trumpers provided Stone a pass on the most basic of the norms associated with such executive branch actions: People convicted of crimes are not supposed to be eligible for commutation until they begin to serve their sentences and cease challenging their convictions, neither of which Stone has done. Mumbai: Some people think that construction of Ram Temple can end the Covid-19 pandemic, said NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday. His statement is likely to rake up a fresh controversy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to attend the laying of foundation stone at Ayodhya's Ram Janmabhoomi site on August 5. "If some people think that by building temple corona will go, maybe they must have planned this program keeping that in mind. I don't know," Pawar said, adding that their priority was to help and protect people from the deadly virus. "In my opinion, coronavirus is the biggest threat right now that needs to be dealt with. Both Centre and state should focus on it," he further said. Sources told News18 that PM Modi was planning to Ayodhya on August 5 between 11am and 1:10pm during the laying of foundation stone (bhumi pujan) for the construction of the Ram Temple. This will be Modi's first visit to Ayodhya and the Ram temple area. After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court had last November paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple by a trust at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and directed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a "prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Arvind Sawant, the Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South, told PTI that Lord Ram was a matter of faith for his party, and that it will not indulge inany politics over the issue. "Shiv Sena is a leading light of the Ram Mandir movement. (Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray had visited Ayodhya before becoming chief minister and even after taking charge," he said. The Sena, the NCP and the Congress are partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Sawant said ensuring health of people and providing them safety are priorities of the Sena led state government, which is the concept of 'Ramrajya' (a rule of justice and truth). "....We are doing precisely this in our (the state government's) fight against coronavirus in Maharashtra," he said. Police and ATO at the scene of a security alert in a filling station close to Belfast International Airport on July 19th 2020 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) A suspicious package found near Belfast International Airport has been declared nothing untoward, police have confirmed. The discovery of the package at a filling station on the Airport Road sparked a security alert on Sunday. The road was closed leading to traffic issues for those travelling to the airport. Army Technical Officers attended the scene and after examination declared the package as nothing untoward. An eyewitness said: It caused a lot of disruption. People were queued back on the road approaching the airport for a considerable period of time, and this caused issues for some. Some were jumping out of cars and running with their suitcases to the airport. Others had obviously left a bit of time and were able to relax on the roadside in the warm weather. The Airport Road has now reopened following the incident. The Congress on Sunday said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat must step down as the Union minister so that he cannot interfere in any investigation into the leaked audiotapes in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader is allegedly heard conspiring to topple the Rajasthan government. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had briefed the media on Friday about the existence of the tapes where BJP leaders, including Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, can be heard conspiring with rebel MLAs from the Sachin Pilot camp to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government. Surjewalas allegations were refuted by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who represents Jodhpur in Parliament. He has also demanded a probe to verify the authenticity of the audiotapes that have gone viral on social media. The BJP has also dismissed the tapes as manufactured by the Congress, which was frustrated at its inability to keep its house in order. On Sunday, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken shot five questions as well as the demand for Gajendra Singh Shekhawats removal or resignation. Maken also asked the Union water minister to come forward and give his voice sample to end the row over audio clips. Now that Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been named in the FIR and his voice in the audiotape has been recognised by people who know him, why is he holding the post of a Union minister? Ajay Maken asked during a press conference in Jaipur. I heard that he is saying that the voice in the audiotape is not his but of another Gajendra Singh. If it is so, he should give his voice sample and step down from the post until the probe is completed, Maken added. Maken also shot other questions at the BJP, asking why Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishwendra Singh, rebel Congress MLA and former minister of the Gehlot cabinet respectively, are being stopped from giving their voice samples. He also questioned whether other big leaders of the central government are involved and why it is the party trying to suppress the names by conducting a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The BJP had on Saturday demanded a probe by CBI into what it called a saga of illegalities and concocted lies and wondered whether the state adopted unconstitutional methods to tap into the phones of politicians. Ajay Maken also said that the BJP should also talk about the source of the black money when it is talking about bribing leader withs 25-35 crore. The senior Congress leader also asked why are the rebel leaders in Pilots camp are being given protection and being forced if the BJP has no role. He also questioned the role of the Centre, the Haryana government, income tax department, Enforcement Directorate and the Delhi Police. Rajasthan Polices Special Operations Group (SOG) on Friday registered two first information reports alleging a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state after the partys chief whip Mahesh Joshi lodged a complaint on Thursday night citing three audiotapes, purportedly of conversations detailing the plot. The FIR and the charges come in the middle of a raging political battle in the state between Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, who was also the president of the partys state unit until he was divested of both posts by the Congress on Tuesday. Gehlot, who has the support of at least 101 MLAs in the 200-member assembly, has blamed Pilot of conspiring with the BJP to bring down his government. Pilot, who has at least 21 MLAs supporting him and are at the ITC Grand Bharat in Manesar, has maintained he and his allies are only opposed to Gehlots dictatorial ways and have nothing to do with the BJP. Not only did Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg kill any hope of passing redistricting reform in time for the 2020 census update, they are now supporting an effort to gerrymander the election of state judges, too. Gerrymandering, like poison ivy encasing the trunk of a tree, prevents voters from tapping the heartwood of American democracy: Fair elections. GOP leaders in the Legislature have set their sights on state judicial elections, hoping that fielding candidates from designated regions in the state (nudge, wink from very red and very blue districts, purposefully) will produce more Republican judges. For decades, statewide judgeships state Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth courts have been filled by statewide election. As the Pennsylvania Constitution provides. Of late, however, Democrats won a majority of seats on the state Supreme Court, and that has scrunched up Republican knickers in the seats of legislative power. If GOP-led gerrymandering can produce intractable Republican majorities in the House and Senate, the thinking goes, why not try the same approach with the three state appellate courts? Last week the state Senate started the process of amending the state Constitution to do just that. The House adopted the same amendment last year along party lines. A few Republicans jumped the fence, joining Democrats in voting no. Thankfully, the process of amending the Constitution requires a second round of legislative approvals before it goes to the voters in a referendum. But that could well happen, if legislative Republicans retain majority control. The governor cannot veto a proposed constitutional amendment. There are plenty of good reasons not to slice and dice Pennsylvania into judicial districts. The first is, look at the near-total entrenchment of incumbents and the iron-fisted leadership by Republicans in the Legislature, thanks to gerrymandering. Look at what that got us. (Among other things, a free-for-all fireworks law that terrorizes people and pets at this time of year. But we digress.) And who, you might ask, would draw the lines for new judicial districts? Why, the same control-geeks who gave us the current lopsided legislative model. Of course, the judiciary isnt free of politics. That will always be the case, whether judges are elected or appointed through a merit process. But judges, thankfully, can act and rule relatively free of partisan pressure. Once elected, they face only 10-year retention votes. That makes for an offering of independence and the ability to act as a check on the other branches of government. Statewide judicial elections are working as intended. If nothing else, they level the playing field along voters wishes and enable elected judges to counter some of the worst power grabs by insulated partisan legislators. The 2018 state Supreme Court redrawing of one of the nations most gerrymandered congressional maps was a classic example. This proposal, under the guise of spreading out judges geographically, has nothing to do with diversity on the bench or fairness. Its revenge served cold, Harrisburg-style. The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has admitted he made a wrong choice in his Deputy, Agboola Ajayi, who has now defected to the Peoples democratic party. (PDP). Akeredolu stated this while meeting party delegates in Igbekebo in Ese-Odo council area, ahead of the primaries on Monday. According to him, Despite the criticism and attack from various quarters that Ajayi is my cousin, l felt that l had made a choice but a wrong choice. The Governor said he was happy that Ajayi showed his true colours, describing his exit from APC as a cleansing. Akeredolu urged the people of the local government not to bother about Ajayi, urging the delegates to vote for him. Earlier this month, DAILY POST reported that Ajayi urged Akeredolu to hand over to him, after he tested positive for COVID-19. Shortly after his resignation from APC, Ajayi made it clear he would not resign from office. The Chief of Defense Staff Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa has patted the back of the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund for showing a good example of civilian-military co-operation by working so closely with engineers, architects and other built environment professionals from the Ghana Armed Forces to build the countrys first infectious disease isolation and treatment centre. This is a great example of what collaboration and partnership can achieve in a short period of time, General Akwa said. From the time that we were here a couple of weeks ago until now the transformation that has taken place speaks to the quality of partnership, leadership, resilience and the fortitude to begin a project and end it. Lieutenant General Akwa was speaking after touring the facility which has been completed just three months after ground was broken for the project to start. General Akwa stressed that One of the sayings in the military is that when we select an aim or an objective we see it to the end. So the selection and the maintenance of an aim is the key principle for all military operations and you have demonstrated it here very clearly. I will like to thank these young and unassuming professionals for this great initiative and I am proud the Ghana Armed Forces collaborated with [the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund] and have also worked hard to prove the quality of manpower we have. General Akwa expressed the hope that there will be more opportunities in the future for the military and the civilian population to work hand-in-hand on bigger projects. The CDS was accompanied on his inspection tour by the Director of Engineering Services at the Ghana Armed Forces, Colonel E. A. Shooter. They were taken round the facility by a some of the trustees of the Ghana Covid-19 Sector Fund, including Edward Effah, Chairman of Fidelity Bank and Managing Trustee, Senyo Hosi. On behalf of the Fund, Mr. Hosi expressed gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces for their assistance and collaboration toward the completion of the facility. He was also hopeful that the engineers and architects from the Ghana Armed Forces will be available to help with the construction of similar infectious disease centres in Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale. We are hoping to raise funds to start the project in Kumasi which will be Ghanas second infectious disease centre and then maybe continue in Takoradi and Tamale and we are looking forward to continuing this partnership, Mr. Hosi said. It shouldnt be a competition between the public sector and the private sector. There should be collaboration to deliver good service to the people of Ghana and this is the perfect example of what such collaboration can do. 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. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Medical student Diego Montelongo treats restaurant worker Melquiades Cervantes, 43, for COVID-19 in Houston. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) The death toll keeps rising as COVID-19 rages across Florida, Arizona and other campaign battlegrounds, but the television ads President Trump is airing in those states say nothing about the coronavirus pandemic that has upended life for all Americans. It's a conspicuous omission. Nearly every day, states that could decide the Nov. 3 election break new records of sickness and death. Nationwide, the virus has killed 140,000 people. Yet the $30 million in TV ads that Trump has run so far this month in his bid for a second term dodge the subject of how he is steering the country through one of the worst calamities any modern president has faced. Instead, Trump's ads falsely accuse his Democratic rival Joe Biden of trying to defund police. They claim the former vice president would endanger children by letting violent crime explode in cities overrun by protesters who vandalize stores and set buildings on fire. They suggest Biden a moderate U.S. senator for 36 years would bow to the radical left-wing mob. Its not unusual for an incumbent in trouble to try to divert attention from tough times or define an opponent in negative terms, said Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political ads. But the epic scale of the pandemics damage to the nation makes it all but impossible to avoid, she said. It just becomes stranger and stranger that he doesnt find a way to talk about what hes doing about it, she said. Trumps exclusion of the coronavirus from his advertising comes as polls show most Americans disapprove of his response to the pandemic. For months, Trump has played down the health threat while stoking racism with incendiary remarks over Confederate monuments and Black Lives Matter protests. Historian David M. Kennedy sees parallels to President Herbert Hoovers struggles when he ran for reelection in 1932 after the Great Depression erupted on his watch, opening the way for Franklin D. Roosevelt to unseat him. Story continues You dont want to call attention to all of the egg thats all over your face, said Kennedy, the author of Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War. The examples of other countries that have more successfully dealt with this matter tell us that a different kind of leadership could have done better, and historians will try to figure out why Trump has proven so inept in the face of this particular crisis. In May and early June, Trump ran TV ads saying he'd taken fast action on vaccines, treatments and tests and saved countless lives by banning travelers from China and Europe. In the six weeks since he stopped running them, the U.S. has reported 32,000 more deaths from COVID-19 and 1.9 million new coronavirus cases, even as many other hard-hit countries have tamed the spread of the virus and reopened safely. The importance of TV commercials in presidential races has diminished as social media have emerged as a main source of voter information. But campaigns still spend heavily on TV spots, and advertising patterns remain one of the best public gauges of their strategy. For the first three weeks of July, Trump spent $19 million to advertise in states he won narrowly in 2016: Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, according to Advertising Analytics, an ad tracking firm. Nearly all of the $13 million Biden spent on TV ads for the same period went to those same six states. The presidents campaign has also poured $5 million into Georgia, Ohio and Iowa, states that Trump carried by a wider margin but now appear within Biden's reach. The recent surge of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in Florida, Arizona, Georgia and Texas is jeopardizing Trumps standing in those states, said Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta. Its helping to put those states in play, I think, because of the lack of confidence in his leadership on that issue," he said, "and he isnt saying or doing anything right now that would change that perception. In Florida, nearly 5,100 people have died, more than 350,000 have been infected, and hospitals like those in several other states are packed with critically ill patients. In Arizona, where Phoenix morgues are nearly full, coroners are deploying refrigerated trucks to store bodies. The states positive test rate for the coronavirus nearly one in four is the highest in the nation. Florida, Arizona, Georgia and Texas are run by Republican governors who at Trump's behest delayed shutting down businesses, were quick to reopen, then were forced to retreat as the contagion exploded. Trump, who had planned to run for reelection on a strong economy, has pressured states to reopen in defiance of public health guidelines. A Fox News poll released Sunday found voters no longer saw Trump as stronger than Biden on the economy. Supporters of President Trump at his rally June 20 in Tulsa, Okla. (Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press) Declining voter confidence in Trump has driven the presidents poll ratings downward. A staggering 69% of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, and 56% disapprove of Trumps job performance, according to RealClear Politics aggregates of public polls. A Washington Post/ABC News survey last week found 60% of voters disapproved of Trumps leadership on the pandemic. Multiple polls have shown a drop in his support among a key constituency that favored him in 2016: people older than 65, a group highly vulnerable to COVID-19. Beyond his ads showing mayhem in the streets under Biden, Trump has also run spots blaming his opponent for the loss of U.S. factory jobs to China. Another Trump ad suggests Biden, 77, is going senile. It describes him as clearly diminished and shows him stumbling to find his words. Joe Biden does not have the strength, the stamina and mental fortitude required to lead this country, a narrator says. That line of attack risks backfiring on the 74-year-old president, said Susan MacManus, a veteran political scientist at the University of South Florida. Trumps got to be careful, she said. Trump is thinking that everybody thinks hes energetic and vivacious and doesnt have these cognitive problems. But is that true? A recent Monmouth University poll found that 52% of voters were confident that Biden has the mental and physical stamina to be president, compared with 45% for Trump. The president at times has difficulty pronouncing words and recently used two hands to raise a glass of water to his lips. His slow gait walking down a ramp at a West Point graduation last month led critics to question his health. Trump blamed slippery shoes. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Americans already understood how hard the president had worked to keep the country safe during the pandemic but needed to know more about Biden, so it made sense to stick with the scorching ads. For his part, Biden has run spots that depict him as a force for stability after the turmoil of Trumps racially divisive presidency. The country is crying out for leadership that brings us together, he says in one spot featuring images of himself and American workers wearing masks. Trump, who has mocked Biden for campaigning in a mask, has worn one publicly only once. Priorities USA Action, a super PAC running ads on Bidens behalf, has been airing spots hammering Trump for letting the pandemic spiral out of control. Guy Cecil, the groups chairman, said it was no surprise that Trump was avoiding the topic in his ads. I think its going to be very hard to make this election about anything other than the Trump administrations failure to deal with the coronavirus, he said. Abramowitz, the political scientist, believes many voters are disturbed by Trumps dismissiveness toward public-health experts, his rush to reopen schools and businesses, and his rallies of crowds sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with no masks. Everything I see him saying or doing is just reinforcing this perception that hes not capable of dealing with this," he said. "And its obviously the most significant challenge facing the country right now. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostas Fragogiannis today met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Josip Brkic, who is on a working visit to Greece. Mr. Fragogiannis noted the very good level of relations between the two countries and the potential for further enhancement of these relations, stressing that Greece firmly supports the European perspective of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Mr. Brkic stressed the importance of the decision in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis to launch the EU accession negotiations of Albania and North Macedonia, which renewed the regions European perspective. He also thanked Greece for protecting Greeces borders, which are also European borders. The Trump administration has recently been flirting with another U.S.-North Korean summit - both President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un first met in Singapore in 2018 to address denuclearization; the talks stalled following a 2019 summit in Vietnam. As reported by The American Conservative, multiple White House aides have confirmed President Trump is now considering new proposals to achieve what he hopes would be a breakthrough in what are now long-dormant talks with North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has called for another Trump-Kim meeting ahead of the election in November, acknowledged Thursday that U.S. and South Korean relations with North Korea were still like walking on ice after two years of high-stakes summitry. But according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the likelihood of another Trump-Kim summit is low unless there is going to be real progress made. The North Koreans have given mixed signals, but the truth is President Trump only wants to engage in a summit if we believe theres a sufficient likelihood that we can make real progress in achieving the outcomes that were set forth in Singapore, Pompeo said referring to the first Trump-Kim summit in June 2018. In June of last year, President Trump crossed the inter-Korean border alone to the village of Panmunjom (the demilitarized zone on the border between the two Koreas), at the invitation of North Korean dictator. Trump became the first U.S. president to do so as both leaders shook hands in North Korea. Unfortunately, that encounter, like the two previous ones, was perceived by critics as a photo-op, since the U.S. has yet to get the North Koreans to agree to denuclearize the peninsula. And so would it be once more if the two meet this fall, since the Kim regime will never agree to abolish all of its nuclear weapons as the U.S. wants -- an arms control agreement would be more realistic. There is, however, another factor that the Trump administration has not touched upon, and it does not seem as if it will. It is the issue of human rights. Isolated from the rest of the world, North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family for three generations; its citizens are required to show complete devotion to the family and its current leader, Kim Jong-un. The country remains one of the most representative dictatorial states in the world. In his seventh year in power, Kim continues to exercise near-total political control as his government restricts all civil and political liberties, including freedom of expression, assembly, association, and religion. It also prohibits any organized political opposition, independent media, civil society, and trade unions. Regrettably, as Dr. William Jeynes of California State University at Long Beach stated: As much as one would like to think altruism is the rule, one reason it is valued as much as it is and extolled by those who preach about its merits, is because it is generally the exception and not the rule. The Pyongyang government routinely resorts to arbitrary arrests, torture, and executions of political dissidents in order to maintain fear and control over the population -- just this past week North Korea denounced Britain on Saturday for announcing sanctions against two organizations that the British government has said are involved in forced labor, torture. and murder in North Korean prison camps. Kims dictatorship continues to fail to protect or promote the rights of numerous at-risk groups, including women, children, and people with disabilities. North Korea is also said to be the largest open prison camp in the world -- according to a U.S. State Department report, there are between 80,000 and 120,000 people in prison camps. Another Trump-Kim summit, unless human rights are brought into the picture, would resemble the encounter between President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong, when the former travelled to the Peoples Republic of China in 1972 -- the first U.S. president to visit China since Chinese-American relations were cut off in 1949. After that historic meeting, the U.S. abandoned the position of the two Chinas -- that of Beijing and Taiwan -- favoring the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the U.S. re-established diplomatic relations, trade, and an alliance against the Soviet Union. Despite these results, many in the West hoped that the CCP would recognize and promote human rights for its people. In retrospect, it provided the Party with the necessary means to create an economic empire and systematically infiltrate most of the world -- there is no need to enter into detail why Beijing is considered today an international thug. The same, I fear, would occur if the Trump administration does not address Pyongyangs human rights violations. Yes, it would be great if Trump can get Kim to agree and commit to an arms-control deal, in addition to ending the war between both North Korea and the U.S. -- officially both states are still at war since they only agreed to an armistice in 1953. For the time being, as reported by Senior Director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest Harry J. Kazianis, the White House is to offer a customized package of sanctions relief in exchange for a reciprocal package that includes the dismantlement of one or more key nuclear production facilities as well as a formal nuclear and missile testing moratorium pledge. It is true that Trump has forged a relationship with North Korea, unlike any of his predecessors. And if he can at least bring the war to an official end, it would certainly give him the credibility of being a peacemaker. Yet thus far, outside the appeasement of having some remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War returned to the U.S., Trump appears to have come out empty-handed. Kim, with the support of Communist China, has shown no intention halt his human rights violations -- his only intentions are to maintain nuclear power increase his financial profit. To denuclearize and submit to the U.S. desires will make him lose the international leverage he got during the summits with Trump. Kim also knows that for the moment he has upper hand since he will continue to rule -- unless if he dies (by natural or unnatural causes) -- after the presidential election in November, regardless who wins. At the same time, Kim knows that he will unlikely have the success he has had if Joe Biden gets elected. Many Democrats, including Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and Biden, have been highly critical of Trump for reaching out to the North Korean dictator. Just before the 2019 Hanoi summit, North Korea accused Democrats of undermining the meeting by chilling the atmosphere before the important gathering commenced. Would this be enough to get Kim back to the negotiating table? Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, said she does not expect another summit with the United States this year, insisting that such a meeting would be unpractical for the North, but she also said, you never know. Jerusalem, July 19 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial resumed on Sunday at the Jerusalem District Court. The second hearing of the trial, which Netanyahu and other defendants in the case were not obliged to attend, is focusing on an additional time given to his lawyers to study the investigation material, reports Xinhua news agency. In the hearing, Netanyahu's lawyer Yossi Segev asked for a postponement in the beginning of the trial due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We cannot investigate witnesses when the witness is wearing a mask," he told the judges. During the discussion, the judges are expected to determine the timetable for the hearings in the trial. Netanyahu's trial over bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases began on May 24. Israel's longest-serving leader is facing growing public anger over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The accusations include accepting some $200,000 in gifts such as cigars and champagne from two billionaires, Hollywood-based Israeli movie mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian magnate James Packer, according to a Times of Israel report. Netanyahu is also accused of offering to push legislation benefiting powerful Israeli media moguls in exchange for more positive coverage in their publications. He denies any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of a wide-ranging conspiracy and called the allegations baseless. On Saturday, rallies were held outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and major road junctions across the country. The police in a statement that at least 28 protesters were arrested. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to note the driver passed away MEDICAL LAKE -- A single-car, rollover accident Saturday afternoon closed one Interstate 90 westbound lane for several hours and sent a Post Falls, Idaho man to the hospital. According to a Washington State Patrol press memo, a 2007 Chevy PT Cruiser driven by 41-year-old Zachary M. Hanford, Post Falls, was westbound on I-90 at approximately 12:36 when the vehicle began drifting to the right around mile post 266 -- halfway between the Four Lakes/Cheney and Salnave Road exits. The vehicle struck a rock wall, causing it to roll several times -- about 30 yards according to investigators -- and finally came to rest on the right side of the interstate. Hanford, who was wearing a seat belt, was injured as and transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center. In an update Sunday morning, the State Patrol said Hanford had passed away due to his injuries. The Cruiser was totaled. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Immigration to drive Canadas population growth as global birth rates fall A recent study suggests global population will peak mid-century and decline by 2100. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canada will need to keep immigration as a priority to remain competitive in the global economy at the end of the century, a new study suggests. The study by The Lancet forecasts a global population decline starting in the late 21st century. They suggest that the world population will peak at 9.73 billion in 2064 and will decline to 8.79 billion by the year 2100. The studys researchers expect Canadas population to peak at 45.2 million in 2078 and fall to 44.1 million in 2100. However, this is much more conservative than the Conference Board of Canadas forecast from 2018, which suggested that Canadas population would reach 45 million by 2040 should immigration levels reach one per cent of the countrys population per year. It also suggested that Canadas population growth would depend entirely on immigration by 2030. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Most of Canadas population growth is already driven by immigration. In 2019, about 82 per cent of the population growth came from the arrival of immigrants, and about 18 per cent came from new births, a number which is decreasing every year according to Statistics Canada. For high-income countries with fertility rates lower than the replacement level, the most immediate solution is liberal immigration policies, the Lancet researchers wrote. Canada saw the highest net immigration rates in the study, along with Turkey and Sweden. Should Canadas openness to immigration continue, the research shows that sustained population growth and workforce expansion will accompany economic growth. By 2030, Canada is expected to replace Russia as the tenth-largest economy in the world and maintain that ranking through the rest of the century. Since Canada is expected to maintain a strong GDP over the next century it is also expected to hold on to geopolitical power by sustaining its working-age population through immigration. The optimal strategy for economic growth, fiscal stability, and geopolitical security is liberal immigration with effective assimilation into these societies, the study says. Researchers concluded that once population decline begins it is not likely to stop by the end of the century. In spite of this, Canada is one of the countries expected to sustain its population thorough liberal immigration policies and social policies that are more supportive of women working and having control over their reproductive rights. This is also likely to cause Canada to have a larger overall GDP, with the various social, economic and geopolitical benefits that come with having a stable working-age population. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved Pope Francis has called on ensuring a long-term resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan through dialogue, RIA Novosti reports. I am still following with concern the renewed tensions of armed conflict in the Caucasus region between Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent days, Pope Francis said before the recitation of the Marian prayer in front of a few thousand people present in St. Peters Square. Pope Francis assured the people of his prayers for the families of those who lost their lives during the clashes and hoped that with the commitment of the international community and through dialogue and the goodwill of the parties, a lasting peaceful solution can be reached. Workers in Niger State have issued a seven-day ultimatum over payment of 70 per cent salary. Chairman Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Inusa Tanimu and Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of NLC, Comrade Mahmud Aminu Muye gave the ultimatum after the State Government paid 70 per cent of the workers salaries. The governments decision to reduce salaries workers by due to what it termed shortfall in the FAAC allocation. But the workers insisted they would rather go hungry than receive pay cut. Last Thursday and Friday, the Government went ahead to pay 70 per cent of the workers salaries. Tanimu expressed disappointment with the development, vowing they will embark on a three-day warning strike after expiration of the ultimatum to press home their demands. Muye, on his part, described governments action as illegal and unacceptable, lamenting with 30 per cent salary slash, most Civil Servants will be left with nothing to take home after bank deduction and settlement of loans. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Things in frames are a great way of adding interest to your interior. Paintings and photos are popular, but lots of other things - pieces of fabric, old letters, maps - look good in frames too. Dr John Campion, owner of Tubbrid Castle in Kilkenny, opted to frame a host of poems by Irish literary figures, and these sit on shelves in the bedroom on the ground floor of this magnificently restored building. However, for John, they are not just an interior design device - these poems are deeply significant. Several are tributes to fathers, including the short and pithy poem titled 1.1.87 by Seamus Heaney. It goes: Dangerous pavements/But I face the ice this year/With my father's stick. "I visited Heaney's homeplace in Bellaghy and saw this poem," John explains. "His father had just passed away when he wrote it. It's dated the beginning of the year, the beginning of a new chapter and he felt he got strength from his father to face it." This poem resonates particularly with the young medic. His father had started the restoration of the castle 20 years ago, but sadly he suffered from Parkinson's disease and became too ill to continue. Expand Close The sitting area in the great hall of the castle. The floor is made from Kilkenny limestone flags, as is the fireplace, which has a log fire. Traditional lime whitewash was put on the walls / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The sitting area in the great hall of the castle. The floor is made from Kilkenny limestone flags, as is the fireplace, which has a log fire. Traditional lime whitewash was put on the walls Drawing strength from what his father had done, John opted to finish this sensitive restoration, while at the same time doing advanced medical studies; still only 30, he's been a qualified doctor for six years and is training to be a consultant. In fact, the day we photographed John at the castle was the first time he was back in Kilkenny in four months, having spent that time in Cork University Hospital working with Covid-19 patients. "I was working in the medical assessment unit but when Covid-19 hit, it was turned into the Covid assessment unit. We treated each patient as if they were coronavirus positive, that meant we were well trained in how to make sure that we were putting on and taking off the PPE correctly," he says. "I still remember the first patient I saw who was suspected of having coronavirus. I remember the novelty of putting on the PPE. The first day, it took 10 minutes to put on; we had it down to a minute by the time we were practised in it." John adds that in the early days they were preparing for the kind of scenario that had occurred in Spain and Italy but thanks to everyone in the HSE and the Irish people, that hasn't come to pass. He's about to embark on the next stage of his medical training - he's aiming to become a gastroenterologist - but first he's spending a few weeks in his castle. It's only a stone's throw from the house in which he grew up, the youngest of five, three girls and two boys. John's parents were farmers but he wanted to become a doctor from an early age. "When I was in transition year, I organised a work placement in St Vincent's hospital in Dublin," he says. "I moved up to Dublin for the summer on my own and worked as a porter and a ward clerk to see what a hospital environment was like. Seeing the doctors and nurses going about their work appealed to me; they seemed to get great satisfaction in their work." Expand Close The kitchen is part of the great hall and the island contains everything hob, cooker, sink and storage / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The kitchen is part of the great hall and the island contains everything hob, cooker, sink and storage After the Leaving Cert, John went to NUI Galway, which he loved. During his six years there, he did an Erasmus in a hospital in Montpelier in France, and most summers during his studies he opted to work in the medical field. This included a summer in the WHO in Geneva; a summer in Georgetown University on a research programme, and another summer in Uganda with the noted nun Sister Doctor Maura Lynch. In Uganda, he studied malnutrition in patients and obstetric fistula, a painful and life-altering condition that is common in less developed countries in women who experience difficult childbirth. "Maura Lynch established repair camps where women would come from hundreds of miles away for surgery to give them back quality of life," John says. "It opened my eyes to the importance of basic medical care." In 2014, he did his internship in St Luke's in Kilkenny. Then, after two years in St James's in Dublin, he returned to Kilkenny where he was a gastroenterology registrar for a year. "Dad was in the later stages of his illness, Mum took great care of him and I wanted to be near them," John says. It was during this time that the idea of completing the restoration of the castle took hold. "Dad had started the restoration 20 years ago," John explains. "He was one of 11 children and he told me they played in the castle and used to bring my grandmother back flowers they had picked from the top. He told me that, later, as he used to be bringing the cows past it, he'd think to himself, 'I'm going to restore that some day'." John says his mother wasn't too keen on the idea of the restoration - she thought it was a folly - but his father was not to be deterred. "He was single-minded and had great vision," says John. The castle dates from the 15th Century, but it's thought a fort stood there before the castle - according to John, the King of Ulster led an army of "a thousand leather cloaks" in 942 around Ireland in a show of strength and there is a mention of Tubbrid in a poem written by the king's bard to commemorate the event. Expand Close John in the dining area of the great hall. The nobility would have been entertained here. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John in the dining area of the great hall. The nobility would have been entertained here. Photo: Tony Gavin Several elements of the castle's design point to the fact that it was very much built with defence against the enemy in mind. It stands four storeys high, and the stone staircase is so narrow, it's impossible to go up if someone is coming down against you. There is a murder hole to the ground floor, so rocks could be flung at intruders, and the tapered window slits made it easy to fire an arrow outward but difficult to successfully fire one in. John's great-grandparents used to live in the castle as tenants before moving to a house on the land. Then, in 1929, the Land Commission sold the land, including the castle, to them. When John's father started his restoration work, there was no roof, no windows, no doors and the walls were crumbling. "He worked on it for 12 years," John says. "He did a lot of the work himself, a little bit each year. There was a community of like-minded people with similar buildings at different stages of their restoration and it gave him great encouragement." Among the jobs John's dad did was the roof; he enlisted the services of Paul Price in Dublin who specialises in traditional roofs - it's made of green oak and covered in slate. "He did it the traditional way, so there are no nails or screws, only dowels and joints," John says."When you think of how they built places like this originally, they had no cranes to lift the materials; the stones would be quarried and then brought here by horse and cart." His father also put in the windows, choosing very simple ones so that the mullions - the stone dividers - would be showcased. He repaired the walls, too - using a traditional lime-based mortar. His father had also bought tons of Kilkenny limestone flags for the flooring five years ago but didn't get around to laying them. "Then his health declined and I asked to take it over," John recalls. It's a listed building and national monument so John realised he needed expertise on board. Conservation architect Cormac O'Sullivan had advised his father and continued to work with John. "We had Dad's vision to cling on to but there were a lot of late nights working out solutions to the challenges a building like this throws up. I had the shell and we had to instate character," John says. "Dad originally planned to divide up the rooms to maximise space; I changed that to allow the architecture to be appreciated." So each floor consists of just one room. There are three large bedrooms, two en suite; and the first floor is the great hall which comprises an open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. John got local builders Charlie and Frank Murphy to complete the restoration. Considering there are over 60 stone steps on the narrow staircase from top to bottom, it's not surprising that the builders said they got a rigorous daily workout."Getting the flagstones up those stairs was some challenge," says John. "They put in underfloor heating and did a great job of hiding all the modern elements like wiring." John himself did the basic design. He had the walls whitewashed and he opted for grey units in the open-plan kitchen/living/dining area, but he got Kilkenny interior designer Orla Kelly to source the furnishings and fabrics. "We sourced as much as possible locally, and all the tables are by the Wood Factory in Dublin." John's bedroom is just under the roof. Waking up here is a real privilege, he says. There are particularly wonderful views from this room, taking in the family farm all around him. The land includes a tiny cemetery where many of his ancestors are buried, and, more recently, his beloved father. "Because it was my dad's legacy I wanted it to be done right, a good reflection of all the work he had put in," John says. "I'm glad now it's complete and from his final resting place he can keep an eye on it." John's work takes him away for long stints so the castle is available to rent per night. See tubbridcastle.com Edited by Mary O'Sullivan Photography by Tony Gavin The case of Ibrahim Magu, the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission calls for a sober reflection. Even though the allegations are yet to be tested in court, it is very damning and has wrecked his reputation, character, and name. While some people are rejoicing over his predicament, I believe that the fate that befell him is a setback for some of us who believe that there are still good people in Nigeria, men, and women of integrity willing and ready to work for the good of the common man. For the past five years of President Muhammadu Buharis administration, I have dedicated my time and energy bringing to fore grey areas his administration has rendered pathetic service to the people. I have also consistently called out corrupt people in his government. To be honest, I am really disappointed with Buharis government and Magus case adds to it. Democracy in Nigeria to me is like a merry-go-round a running around in circles where we repeat the same things to get the same results. No Growth. No innovation. No Future. Since Buhari became President in 2015, I will be a liar to say that we have transcended. It has been the same old rusty road, blown around by the breeze of regret. Repeating the same mistakes and learning nothing new from our failures. Nigeria is blind, beggarly, and cursed. Things have gone from bad to worse. This is 2020, we still dont have steady light. In 2018 alone, over 20 million Nigerians were unemployed according to data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Consider that with what we have now. It must have tripled. We now have killer herdsmen and killer bandits. Petrol at N143/litre. $1 is now N470. We are charged VAT for renting a house, cars, food, calls, and almost everything. There is VAT even to pay and withdraw your own money. It is hell in Nigeria. We buy the same cars, computers, chairs, and many other things every year for Buhari, his ministers, and the National Assembly. What happened to the ones we bought the year before? There is change, but only the politicians who live off our commonwealth, buying themselves different cars and mansions every month enjoy the good part of that change. They move around with the best of our police officers to protect them from our filthy hands. They come once in a while to the villages riding luxury cars and in the end, they fly back to Abuja, steal money meant for projects turning our roads to death zones. I feel very bitter each time knowing that we are stuck here with politicians who are willing to enrich their pockets than work for the good of the masses. So Sorry I digressed a bit. Back to Magu. I was a bit impressed by Magus anti-corruption fight even though it was selective. I had ceased from criticizing him after seeing the manner he successfully prosecuted some notorious ex-governors, even to the point of jailing them. He appeared to me like someone who came for serious business. But while nailing the bad guys, he was unable to account for the things he recovered from them. That was a bitter turnoff. I meticulously followed the drama birthed by his appointment and the fallout between him and the 8th National Assembly. I had thought it was a case of witch-hunting. It gave me serious concern. But, the damning allegations brought against his person left me with nightmares especially for the fact that the presidency as at that time dismissed it as mere speculation instigated by his enemies to ridicule his person. Now, the past has come to haunt him. One wonders if Buhari doubted the report of the Department of State Security years back, accusing Magu of graft and owning choice properties abroad, why is he acting now? Inasmuch as I would like to see this as a wakeup call on the part of Buhari, but something tells me this might be a powerplay between Magu and Buharis Attorney-General Abubakar Malami. I am not good at conspiracy theories, so I will not go into details of the powerplay, antagonism, and accusations of insubordination between the two. Magus case is symptomatic of Nigerias many decades of systematic, political, infrastructural, and educational decay that has left political office holders usurping political offices for personal gain, without an iota of accountability. These officeholders in their desperate bid to confuse the citizens, regale us with unbelievable tales of unspeakable vision to transform the nation. When they get into political positions, they treat us like lepers, make us their enemies, ostracize and ridicule us while stuffing their pockets with our treasures. Magu is not alone in this we have hundreds of them in the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government. Do you wonder why a certain Nigerian judge will happily source to be given a lift on a plane? Tomorrow when we speak about the rot in the system, you wonder why. When someone does you such a favour, do you think if you bring a case against such an airplane owner before the honourable judge that you will get justice? The Nigerian system is a dung that corrupts even the most upright of souls. It backs the rich while pissing on the poor. It takes from the poor and gives to the rich. Corruption smells everywhere you gaze. We have been invaded by men and women who lack character, people who can sell their souls for money, acquiring enormous wealth for generations unborn, evil-hearted, cold-blooded looters of our common treasury. The accusation that Magu re-looted public funds he recovered and sold some off to his cronies is an embarrassment to the government. It tells of a weak institution lacking checks and balances. A seasoned culture of a total lack of accountability, oversight, and trust. It is a disappointment on the part of the government that those they projected as having impeccable character now make plans with the enemy to deprive the masses of their rightful dues. How do you want the people to trust a government that is represented by thieves? A government that has shown its preference for harbouring rogues and dinning with dishonest individuals. A government that loves appointing people with questionable character into positions of authority. Magus downfall is a disaster for all of us. Who do we now trust? Even Buhari cant be trusted. Now and again he fills our ears with news of Boko Harams defeat, yet daily our brothers and sisters are ambushed by the terrorists and killed in gruesome fashion. His own appointees flout laid down laws, break all protocol at state functions, bury their dead in the company of mammoth crowd amid coronavirus pandemic while celebrating the arrest of those who break the same rules they broke to hold a house party. I know, they are special and above the law. Something is really wrong with Nigeria. A country where the commoners cannot get government jobs by merit. Slots are given out to politicians and it is brought to public attention with no one feeling disturbed. What do you call a country where ministers assign job slots to politicians who in turn give out the jobs to the highest bidder, even to their cronies, side chics, sugar mummies, sugar daddies, convicts, robbers and all manner of persons at the detriment of those who merited such positions? Such a country will birth incompetent and unqualified folks who suck at their work. Greedy folks who demand bribes at every checkpoint in town; religious warriors who cant allow you move freely and legally at the airports without coercing you into giving them money; folks who are ready to loot government fund at any given opportunity. That is exactly what we have. That is your Nigeria. Each day you wake up until you die, remember that Magus downfall is a reminder to all of us that our institutions are weak and the road to a better Nigeria for our children is still very far. It reminds us of our broken institutions, of a lack of accountability that has pervaded the very core of our political existence. It is not Magu that has fallen, it is Nigeria; it is our future. Alexander Thandi Ubani writes from Lagos. Hes a journalist. Twitter: @thandiubani Amid growing mistrust between the government and Facebook, United States antitrust regulators might question the California-based social media companys CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his right-hand executive to find out if the network violated monopoly laws. The Wall Street Journal report released on July 17 even cited unnamed sources closely involved in the matter saying that the US Federal Trade Commission is planning to take sworn testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and of Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg. This comes as a part of a yearlong investigation to determine whether the social network has abused its dominance in the market. According to an international media agency, the FTC declined to discuss the report. However, while responding to an inquiry by media agency, a Facebook spokesperson has said that the company looks forward to share their views about the landscape of competition in the market along with companys technology leaders. During the upcoming hearing in front of the Congress, the spokesperson elaborated, that the company would showcase how the innovations provides choices for consumers. Read - Mark Zuckerbergs Father Offered Him McDonalds Franchise As An Alternative To Harvard Read - Mark Zuckerberg On Advertisers Boycotting Facebook Ads: They Will Be Back 'soon Enough' Tech giants scheduled for hearing on July 27 Meanwhile, the leaders of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are scheduled to testify during an antitrust investigation hearing at the United States House Committee on the Judiciary on July 27. The hearing comes while there has been an increase in the complaints about the tech platforms in the country to have dominated the key economic sectors and pledge by certain activists as well as politicians to weaken the SiliconValey giants. According to reports, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Time Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Zuckerberg can either appear virtually as per their wish, according to the joint statement released by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Antitrust subcommittee chairman David Cicilline. "Since last June, the subcommittee has been investigating the dominance of a small number of digital platforms and the adequacy of existing antitrust laws and enforcement," Nadler and Cicilline said. "Given the central role these corporations play in the lives of the American people, it is critical that their CEOs are forthcoming." Read - Mark Zuckerberg Wanted To Remove Trump's Post In 2015 But Facebook Stopped Him: Report Read - Mark Zuckerberg Loses $7 Billion After Companies Boycott Facebook Ads Inputs: Agency/ Image: AP Halliburton, Microsoft Corp and Accenture have announced they have entered into a five-year strategic agreement to advance Halliburtons digital capabilities in Microsoft Azure. Under the agreement, Halliburton will complete its move to cloud-based digital platforms and strengthen its customer offerings by: Enhancing real-time platforms for expanded remote operations, Improving analytics capability with the Halliburton Data Lake utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence, and Accelerating the deployment of new technology and applications, including SOC2 compliance for Halliburtons overall system reliability and security. The strategic agreement with Microsoft and Accenture is an important step in our adoption of new technology and applications to enhance our digital capabilities, drive additional business agility and reduce capital expenditures, said Jeff Miller, Halliburton chairman, president & CEO. We are excited about the benefits our customers and employees will realize through this agreement, and the opportunity to further leverage our open architecture approach to software delivery. Moving to the cloud allows companies to create market-shaping customer offerings and drive tangible business outcomes, said Judson Althoff, executive vice president, Microsofts Worldwide Commercial Business. Through this alliance with Halliburton and Accenture, we will apply the power of the cloud to unlock digital capabilities that deliver benefits for Halliburton and its customers. The agreement also enables the migration of all Halliburton physical data centers to Azure, which delivers enterprise-grade cloud services at global scale and offers sustainability benefits. Accenture will work closely with Microsoft, in conjunction with their Avanade joint venture, to help transition Halliburtons digital capabilities and business-critical applications to Azure. Accenture will leverage its comprehensive cloud migration framework, which brings industrialized capabilities together with exclusive tools, methods, and automation to accelerate Halliburtons data center migration and provide for additional transformation opportunities. Building a digital core and scaling it quickly across a business is only possible with a strong foundation in the cloud, said Julie Sweet, chief executive officer, Accenture. Halliburton recognizes that this essential foundation will provide the innovation, efficiency and talent advantages to do things differently and fast. We are proud to be part of driving this transformational change, which builds on our long history of working with Halliburton and Microsoft. The companies expect to complete the staged migration by 2022. TradeArabia News Service KENT, Ohio -- Over 60% of Ohioans compared to about 38% of Americans overall are high risk for COVID-19. And the highways that allow us to enjoy day trips to Presque Isle and weekends in New York? They also increase rates of human trafficking, drug trafficking, and coronavirus exposures. Given the startling increase in COVID-19 cases, its time for Ohio to re-close to limit nonessential businesses, restrict gatherings, and reinforce measures to keep us home. It would be nice if the guidelines from Ohios Public Health Advisory System or Gov. Mike DeWines call to unite were enough. But brain science tells us that appropriate, rational decision-making shouldnt be expected in a pandemic, largely because our mental bandwidth is exhausted. Bandwidth refers to the approximately 0.1% of our brains resources we can consciously control. The remaining 99.9% of brain work like breathing or dodging flying objects is automatic. The part we can control our bandwidth is extremely limited, but also absolutely necessary for making choices, controlling impulses, and doing meaningful things. Bandwidth is basically the physiological limitation on how much thinking we can do, and, interestingly, we all have about the same amount. Bandwidth is not will power we cant just decide we want more and think harder. Its not intelligence or knowledge we cant educate our way into more. And its not time we cant manage it that intentionally. During this pandemic, our bandwidth is drained. The loss of day-to-day routines workplace break times, time with friends, movie nights means that we are using more of our valuable, limited bandwidth for basic functioning. And the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic consumes massive amounts of bandwidth just ask any parent how much theyve thought about what school will look like in the fall. Tina D. Bhargava is an associate professor of public health at Kent State University. Research shows that, with limited bandwidth, we are less likely to make well-reasoned, responsible decisions, and more likely to default to automatic or impulsive choices, regardless of consequences. Given this, basing the success of Ohios reopening plans on the expectation that people will make sensible choices in a pandemic is a recipe for disaster. We must move beyond recommendations and enact policies that include specific parameters for safe behaviors and plans for accountability, like our early public health orders. Clear right/wrong delineations are much easier on bandwidth-exhausted brains than broad guidelines thats why we give cranky toddlers a choice between the blue or green blankie for their nap, rather than asking if they want to take one. Ohio needs to acknowledge that collective decision-making ability is limited, confront the growing threat of COVID-19, and rise to the challenge of re-closing. Re-closing is challenging on many levels including to our brains. As the months have gone by, we have tried to build new routines and certainty out of the chaos. Unsurprisingly, changing the rules sounds threatening. The reality is that the virus sets the rules. Re-closing is the way we free bandwidth within those rules, because it limits the decisions we have to make amid day-to-day, inevitable uncertainty. Luckily, creating easier brain choices now by limiting nonessential activities is highly likely to work. However, if we wait, we will have to start limiting essential services (health care, schools, child care), which will feel more threatening to our brains, making even clear policies unlikely to pull our brains back from risky choices. While the public health wisdom of re-closing is relatively clear, some argue that economic decisions are more complicated. But we must remember that Ohios economy isnt measured on a stock exchange; it is measured by the people who manufacture, build, teach, and create. COVID-19 deaths are higher than ever. Research reveals that the virus is harmful in ways that we dont understand and more infectious than originally thought. This pandemic attacks Ohios greatest resource: our human capital. We need to recognize that our future depends on bandwidth-exhausted people making safer decisions. We need a solution that will make safer decisions the easiest. We need to re-close. Tina D. Bhargava is an associate professor of public health at Kent State University, and a mental bandwidth scholar, teacher and liberator. Learn more about bandwidth at http://everydaybandwidth.com/. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. Iranian authorities say the black box of a Ukrainian passenger plane shot down in Tehran in January has been sent to France, a world leader in the field of black box analysis. All 176 people on board were killed when Ukrainian passenger jet PS752 was hit by two Iranian-fired missiles shortly after take-off on 8 January. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Mohsen Baharvand, told ILNA media that the black boxes were transported to Paris on Friday, accompanied by Iranian civil aviation and judicial officials, and would be read on Monday. The victims came from seven countries, including 82 Iranians, 55 Canadians and 11 Ukrainians. Iran has been in intense negotiations with Ukraine, Canada and other nations whose citizens died in the crash and who have demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. Iran maintains it was the product of human error, which families of the victims in Ukraine and Canada in particular, refute. 'Unforgiveable mistake' Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash, insisting it was due to engine failure. But a few days later the country admitted responsibility, after Western intelligence officials said evidence pointed to Iranian involvement. Teheran said it had mistaken the Ukraine International Airlines flight for a cruise missile. President Hassan Rohani described the error as an "unforgivable mistake". Iran's air defences had been on high alert at the time, amid heightened tension in the region. Hours before the crash, the country had launched ballistic missiles at two US military bases in Iraq in response to a US drone strike that killed Iranian general al Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. French expertise The black box contains the very latest data and communications from the cockpit, crucial in determining what happened. Iran had delayed its release after disagreements with countries who lost citizens over where it should be decoded. Under global aviation regulations, Iran is entitled to lead the investigation, but manufacturers would usually be involved. Iran had refused, however, to release the black box to the US, where manufacturer Boeing is based. Despite the fact no French citizens were among the dead, Iranian authorities have called on French technical assistance. Experts at the BEA (French Air Accident Research Centre) in Le Bourget north of Paris, will set about analysing the recordings on Monday. BEA's laboratory is very modern, complete and efficient, Alain de Valence, a legal expert who worked with BEA on the 2009 Rio-Paris crash and 2014 Air Algerie crash in Mali, told Le Parisien. BEA deals with some 100 French investigations each year, but is also regularly called upon to help in international enquiries. In 2017, it conducted some 279 foreign enquiries. Canada and Ukraine are to send their own experts to take part in the investigation. How to Convert Apple Music and Spotify Music to MP3 with UkeySoft If you are a music lover, you may use Apple Music or Spotify to listen to your favorite songs, playlist, albums and artists, the Apple Music and Spotify are the most popular streaming music service. After subscribing Apple Music, you can enjoy 60 million songs in iTunes, Apple Watch, Apple TV, iOS and Android devices, or streaming Apple Music to HomePod, CarPlay, Sonos and Amazon Echo. With Spotify, you can listen to the songs and podcasts you love and find music from all over the world, Spotify also offer Free account, so you can play millions of songs and podcasts for free. Why You Need to Convert Apple Music and Spotify Music to MP3? If you want to play Apple Music songs and Spotify songs on MP3 player or other devices, you need to convert Apple Music, Spotify music to MP3. If you cancel from Apple Music subscription, all songs you've added or downloaded to your library from the Apple Music catalog becomes unplayable. In order to save Apple Music songs forever, you must to convert Apple Music to MP3 before the next billing date expire. If you get Apple Music trial, you can cancel it now and still be able to enjoy Apple Music for 3 months free. However, if you want to keep Apple Music tracks after 3-Month free trial, converting Apple Music to MP3 is the best way to save your favourite songs forever. Spotify free users are not allowed to download music from Spotify for offline playback, if you want to free download Spotify music for offline listening anywhere, any time, and any devices, you need to convert Spotify music to MP3. Even though Spotify Premium users can download Spotify tracks, playlist, albums and podcasts for offline listening, you only allowed to play them within Spotify App. If you want to save the downloaded Spotify contents forever or transfer them to MP3 player, you should convert Spotify music to MP3. Music downloaded from Spotify Premium are in OGG format, Apple Music tracks downloaded from iTunes are in M4P format, both are added DRM protected and only playable on it's app and authorized devices. To crack those restriction, you need to remove DRM and convert songs to MP3 format. We all know that Apple Music songs are protected by Apple's Fairplay DRM and you can only play Apple Music songs on limited authorized devices with iTunes or Apple Music app, and the Spotify songs you downloaded are DRM protected and you can only play them within Spotify App. To play Apple Music tracks and Spotify songs on a wide range of devices, you need to convert those files to MP3 format. Otherwise, there is no easy way to transfer those songs and play them on some other device. As a well-known technology news website, TECHTIMES offers third-party solutions, helping your enjoy Apple Music and Spotify music on any devices. Welcome to TECHTIMES's review of UkeySoft Apple Music Converter and UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter. Let's get to know these two application a bit better by introducing you to the basic information, features and user guide. In addition, After many tests on Windows and Mac platforms, our professional technical team also wrote some objective evaluations. Take a look at the contents below to learn more. UkeySoft Apple Music Converter Review - The Specifics, Features and User Guide The UkeySoft Apple Music Converter is a must have converter for all Apple Music users - convert Apple Music playlist or tracks to MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, AC3, AIFF, AU, FLAC, M4R, and MKA at maximum 16X fast speed, retaining all ID3 tags and keep 100% original audio quality. It is available for both Mac and Windows platforms. (Note: The program needs the iTunes installed on your computer, for macOS Catalina, the program needs launch the Apple Music app.) System Requirements and Language: Supported Mac OS: macOS - macOS Catalina 10.15 Supported Windows OS: Windows XP, 7, vista, 8, 10 Multiple Language Support: English, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and French. More Features of UkeySoft Apple Music Converter: 1. Remove DRM from Apple Music; 2. Convert Apple Music and iTunes M4P songs to MP3, M4A, etc; 3. Convert iTunes Audiobooks and Audible Audiobooks to MP3, M4A, etc; 4. Extract audio from iTunes videos; 5. Preserve ID tags and metadata information to output MP3 and M4A; 6. Up to 16X faster conversion speed(Windows version); 7. Customize bitrate and sample rate as you like. How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 with UkeySoft? Step 1. Download UkeySoft Apple Music Converter on Windows or Mac. And make sure you've installed iTunes or Apple Music app on your computer as well, otherwise you won't be able to use UkeySoft successfully. Step 2. Launch UkeySoft Apple Music Converter, and you will see the iTunes/ Apple Music app will launch automatically, please don't click the iTunes/ Apple Music app, the media library and playlists synced into the UkeySoft automatically. Step 3. Just select the Apple Music tracks that you want to convert, you can use the built-in search bar to find that specific tracks by album, title or artist and then tick it like you tick the others. Step 4. MP3 is the default output format, you can see the software can also convert Apple Music to WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, AIFF, AU, AC3, etc. as output format. Because most devices and players compatible with MP3 format, we suggest you convert Apple Music to MP3. In addition, to get lossless output songs, you can choose "MP3 - High Quality (48000Hz, Stereo, 320kbps)" in the Profile list. Step 5. Just click "Convert" button start converting Apple Music to MP3. After converting completed, click "Explore Output File" button to open the output folder, you will get MP3 songs. Video Tutorial UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter - The Specifics, Features and User Guide Since the downloaded Spotify music is OGG format, which is DRM protected and cannot be played on other Media Player and MP3 player. To download MP3 from Spotify, you need to use a third-party Spotify music downloader like UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter, it can help you download and convert Spotify songs, albums or playlists to MP3, M4A, WAV and FLAC at maximum 5X fast speed. What's more, the UkeySoft removes the DRM from Spotify during conversion process, you will get DRM-free MP3 songs with 100% original quality. Either Spotify free or premium subscribers can download and convert Spotify music to MP3 with the help of UkeySoft. So, This Spotify Music Converter is a useful music download tool for those who want to download songs to other devices or media players for offline listening. System Requirements and Language: Supported Mac OS: macOS - macOS Catalina 10.15 Supported Windows OS: Windows XP, 7, vista, 8, 10 Multiple Language Support: English, Japanese, Dutch, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and French. More Features of UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter: Either free or premium users can download MP3s from Spotify; Convert Spotify to MP3, M4A, WAV or FLAC; Contents supported: Spotify song, playlist, albums, podcast, and radio; Keep ID3 Tags and metadate after conversion; 5X faster conversion speed and preserve 100% audio quality. How to Download Spotify Songs to MP3 with UkeySoft? We have tested the Windows version to download Spotify Songs to PC quickly, you also can download Spotify songs to Mac with UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter for Mac. Let's shows the the guide of Windows version, you'll need to get a Spotify account (Free or Premium) and installed Spotify app on computer before using this software. In addition, you need to log in your Spotify account, whether free or premium, then exit the Spotify app. Step 1. Install and launch UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter, and you will see the Spotify app show up at the same time. Step 2. Directly drag songs, playlists or albums from Spotify app to the UkeySoft interface directly. Or click "Add Files", copy&paste the link of the song, album or playlist, then click "+" button to the software. Step 3. Select songs you want to download and click "Add" button to add these songs into the convert list. Step 4. MP3 is the default output format, if you want to select other output format, please click "Options" > "Advanced" and choose the output format you want. In this windows, you can also adjust 5X conversion speed. Step 5. Just click the "Convert" button, the software will start downloading and converting Spotify songs to MP3 format. After conversion completed, click blue folder icon to quickly locate the downloaded Spotify song, you will get songs in MP3 format. Now, you can then transfer and play these songs on any devices. Video Tutorial Pricing The price of a single license for UkeySoft Apple Music Converter and UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter is $39.95. Buy once and use for lifetime, if you are a music lover, I think these two song conversion software are worth buying. And if you want to get a family license which is available for 5 computer, you can costs $79.95 to buy the family license code, then you can sell the remaining 4-times authorizations to your friends or classmates for $25, which is cost more cheaper. Final Words If you want to enjoy Apple Music and Spotify Music offline on any MP3 player, like iPod nano, iPod shuffle, Sony Walkman, Sandisk and more mobile devices, UkeySoft Apple Music Converter + Spotify Music Converter is a good choice, you can save $15.98 to buy these two music converter from UkeySoft store. In addition, we recommend you have free download and have a try before purchasing, the trial version allows convert the first 3 minutes of each song, please free downloading from the UkeySoft official website. Currently, we have tested many music conversion software, UkeySoft Spotify Music Converter is the most effective music downloading tool that can free download songs from Spotify. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 19:11:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 9,503 after 356 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) said on Sunday morning. In a press statement, MoH revealed that from a total of 6,886 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24 hours, some 356 of them have been tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of cases in the country to 9,503. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health further indicated that out of the 356 latest confirmed COVID-19 cases, 255 of them were found in Addis Ababa, making the Ethiopian capital the hotspot for the virus spread. The ministry also said that 4,941 patients who were tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered from the virus as of Sunday morning, in which 41 of the patients recovered during the past 24 hours. The ministry also disclosed that four COVID-19 patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, eventually bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the East African country to 167. Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation with about 107 million people, confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on March 13, and has so far conducted 323,932 COVID-19 medical tests. The Ethiopian government has instituted a wide range of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In April, the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives announced a five-month state of emergency to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem Humans are a selfish and destructive species a virus with shoes, as the late comedian Bill Hicks put it. But we have at least one quality in abundance that the unshod viruses lack: vanity. Our capacity for self-regard prescribes that every frivolous human activity forgone for a life-threatening pandemic must be resumed as soon as possible. What a world: in which we are cruelly prevented from getting pedicures, doing brunch and going to Disneyland! The gym has generated as much angst and anticipation across California as any of our suspended indulgences. When Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out the phases of reopening, the stage that included gyms along with such other risky business as movie theaters and religious congregations sounded like a distant eventuality, and rightly so. A single group dance workout in South Korea was shown to have infected more than 100 people. Gyms combine this super-spreading potential with an intrinsic inessentiality. Sure, exercise is good for you, but no one really needs a warehouse packed with expensive equipment and airborne particles to stretch his or her legs, especially in ever-temperate California. Though Newsom figured the gym stage was months away back in April, it took him little more than a month to give most of the state the green light to reopen fitness centers, even in such high-infection areas as Los Angeles and parts of the Bay Area. But Californias struggle to resume group iron-pumping was not without its setbacks. Former governor and first muscle-head Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, stopped by legendary Golds Gym in Venice, learned it wasnt requiring masks, and declared he wouldnt be back. Another Southern California gym, Inspire South Bay Fitness, was inspired to jerry-rig transparent personal exercise cubes out of PVC pipe and shower curtains. It thereby safeguarded its customers right to make others watch them work out while inadvertently creating one of the most comic scenes of our national tragedy: a menagerie of adult humans sculpting their physiques while trapped in oversize hamster cages. Not to single out gym hamsters. Take another pastime that more sensible people can do at home but would rather do in public: get drunk. Bars and the people who tend them deserve our support through takeout, donations and more, but sharing an indoor space with other unmasked, disinhibited and loudly conversing Californians is utterly indefensible in the throes of the pandemic. And yet drinking establishments were open in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and much of the rest of the state more than a month ago. Weve wrung our hands more over whether to reopen schools. California had devolved from coronavirus success story to basket case before Newsom thought better of this hasty return to normalcy last week, when he ordered bars shuttered statewide, along with gyms in the most populous counties. The shutdowns, for all the relentless horrors of the pandemic, havent been without mercies. Violent crime in San Francisco fell by more than a third in March and April. Los Angeles enjoyed its longest stretch of clean air in at least 40 years. Wild animals reclaimed Yosemite and, in one case, South of Market. And with the Democratic Party hesitating to allow any actual gathering for its national convention next month, we may even be spared one of our two useless presidential nominating spectacles. The Republicans, meanwhile, are partying like its 2019. The sickening of former presidential candidate Herman Cain and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt following President Trumps ominous Tulsa rally hasnt stopped their party from preparing an almost traditional national convention in the coronavirus hot spot of Florida. It would proceed with all the promise of a pathogen-laden cruise, another reminder that not all of humankinds pre-pandemic pursuits were inherently good or wise. Josh Gohlke is The San Francisco Chronicles deputy opinion editor. Email: jgohlke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshGohlke This content is expired! Unfortunely this content is expired and cannot be viewed anymore; if You are the owner of this content please login to our Website, go to our access panel and enable this content again. A 45-year-old woman is in the hospital and so is the man accused of shooting her after police say about a dozen witnesses chased him down and beat him. The incident occurred just after 2 a.m. Saturday in Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood, NBC 10 is reporting. According to reports, police got to the scene after receiving calls of a domestic disturbance and found a woman with several gunshot wounds to the chest. She was rushed to the hospital, where she is in extremely critical condition. Police Captain Nicholas DeBlasis told NBC 10 that 10 to 12 witnesses chased the suspected gunman and hit him in the face and head, leaving him with several cuts before officers took him into custody. He had a semiautomatic handgun on him, reports indicate. The suspected gunman was taken to the same hospital. His name and his condition have not yet been released. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in India has resulted in the community spread of the coronavirus disease, according to the Indian Medical Association (IMA). It also said that the situation is pretty bad in the country. The number of Covid-19 positive cases has crossed a million mark, making India the third country after United States and Brazil to reach this grim milestone. This is now an exponential growth. Every day the number of cases is increasing by more than around 30,000. This is really a bad situation for the country, Dr VK Monga, the Chairman of IMA Hospital Board of India, told news agency ANI. WHO reports record daily increase in global Covid-19 cases for second day in a row He further said that the disease is sreading to the rural areas. This is a bad sign. It now shows a community spread, said Dr Monga. The first to sound this alarm was Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan who had said on Friday that there is a community spread in some places in coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. The two hamlets identified by Vijayan are Poonthura and Pulluvila, which have seen a rapid increase in the number of contact cases. The districts coastal area, stretching from Edava in the north to Pozhiyoor in the south, has been declared as Critical Containment Zone (CCZ) and will be under complete and strict lockdown from Saturday midnight to July 28 midnight, an order from the district Collector Dr Navjot Khosa said. Texas coronavirus cases include more than 80 infants Dr Monga said the cases are penetrating down into towns and villages where it will be very difficult to control the situation. In Delhi, we were able to contain it, but what about interior parts of the country in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh? There are concerns in states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal but the respective state governments have maintained that community spread has not started. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), meanwhile, said that it is ramping up testing facilities regularly. At present, 885 government laboratories and 368 private laboratory chains are conducting Covid-19 tests across the country. As many as 1,34,33,742 samples have been tested for Covid-19 till July 17. Of these 3,61,024 samples were tested on Friday, the ICMR said. It took India 137 days to reach the million mark (since March 2) in terms of the number of Covid-19 cases, but each quarter of that million has come at a faster pace. The first 2.5 lakh cases took 98 days. The next quarter of a million cases took less than three weeks (19 days). By July 8, when India was 2.5 lakh cases short of hitting the million mark and it took just eight days for the country to record the last quarter of that million. This could affect the industry forever, transit experts say, causing leaders to substantially cut service to match catastrophic drops in revenue. Capital projects meant to upgrade transit systems and reduce the risk of accidents would have to be delayed. Wait times could become so long that using public transit to commute may become unrealistic. For city economies as a whole, this is a threat to their viability, said Ben Fried, a spokesman for the TransitCenter, a philanthropic foundation that supports nationwide transit overhaul. For some people, its going to put their job out of reach. If employers cant count on workers having access to jobs, firms are going to choose to locate elsewhere. Transit leaders across the country are imploring congressional leaders to provide up to $36 billion in additional assistance. They want to ensure subways, buses and rail systems across the country can weather a sustained decline in revenue and be ready as the economy and school system reopen. Our transit systems collectively move millions of students throughout the school year and are responsible for getting millions more people to work every day, a coalition of 26 transit leaders wrote to Senate leaders on Tuesday. Without additional federal assistance, many of our agencies will be forced to make difficult decisions that will negatively impact the lives of essential workers and the returning work force. Experts say big city transit systems are likely to be hit the hardest and quickest. Their operating budgets tend to depend heavily on rider fares and sales tax. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 19:28:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 5,500 people, earlier feared to have been at risk of COVID-19 infection due to a possible spread from two infected foreigners in Thailand, have tested negative, confirmed a government official on Sunday. Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin confirmed a total of 5,565 people in Rayong province and Bangkok have tested negative while results of the tests with 814 others are yet to come out and be announced shortly. Those people were reportedly located at places where an infected Egyptian air force airman was in Rayong province and an infected Sudanese girl was in Bangkok earlier this month. Of those who have tested negative, 5,201 people visited a department store where the Egyptian airman went to in downtown Rayong near U-tapao airport where his air force plane had landed. Meanwhile, 364 people stayed at a condominium where the Sudanese girl and her family temporarily stayed in Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, according to the CCSA spokesman. The 43-year-old Egyptian airman and his colleagues left Thailand on July 11 while the nine-year-old daughter of a Sudanese diplomat is currently undergoing medical treatment at a Bangkok hospital. Neither of them had taken a 14-day state quarantine upon arrival to Thailand, given military and diplomatic status earlier provided under emergency rule. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier blamed the Egyptian airman for lack of military discipline as he went out of the hotel where he had checked in and visited the crowded department store nearby. Prayut visited shoppers and vendors at the department store in the eastern province and pledged to never let such panic-raising incident take place again. Foreign diplomats and their dependents arriving in Thailand are no longer exempted from the 14-day state quarantine, according to the CCSA spokesman. Enditem At least 230 kg of gold was smuggled into the country by using some employees of the United Arab Emirates diplomatic mission since July 2019, said a senior officer familiar with the probe led by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the seizure of 30 kg of the yellow metal from the Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5. At least 13 such consignments came to the country in one year and they all passed without any check due to diplomatic immunity. Some of them were heavier than the latest consignment which weighed 70 kg. We are also probing some events organised by state government departments, the official said on Sunday. All these consignments landed in Thiruvananthapuram. The NIA has arrested four persons while the Customs have nabbed 13 people so far in connection with the gold smuggling case. The official also said that people whose names have cropped up during the questioning of the accused will be summoned. This includes Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans former secretary M Sivasankar and the governments former IT Fellow Arun Balachandran. Last week, the Customs department had grilled Sivasankar for nine hours. Investigators are also likely to question a state minister whose number appeared in the call list of second accused Swapna Suresh which was leaked to the media. Meanwhile there are reports from Dubai that the third accused in the case Faisal Fareed was arrested and will be extradited soon. The NIA ad earlier requested Interpol issue a blue corner notice against him. The NIA has accused him of being a key operative in the smuggling racket. Fareed, who hails from Thrissur, reportedly runs a gym and garage in Dubai. Investigators have also started a massive operation to trace the smuggled gold and seized 10 kg from two jewellers in Kozhikkode on Saturday, the official said. He also said that many who were part of the smuggling syndicate came forward with voluntary disclosure. But he conceded that it was difficult to trace all smuggled gold. In the last two days, investigators have raided two flats of Swapna Suresh and the business establishment of the third accused Sandip Nair in Thiruvananthapuram and seized many documents. The smuggling racket has driven a wedge in the ruling coalition with the CPI, junior partner in the government, expressing serious reservations over some deviations in Left ideology and criticising the governments move to hire multinational consultant agencies. There are allegations that Swapna Suresh came to the corridors of power through some consultant agencies. The party mouthpiece Janayugam had warned the Communist government to see through machinations of dubious agencies. It's time we stopped debating suppression versus elimination of the coronavirus and got serious: let's make it a party-political issue. Liberal voters should defend suppression and denigrate elimination, while Labor voters do the opposite. Or vice versa. This wouldn't get us anywhere, of course, just as the politicisation of climate change has long crippled our efforts to make real progress. But it would gratify those who follow politics like others follow sport, and it would be a fillip for a media more interested in controversy than solutions. Until a vaccine is available globally, lasting elimination is a delusion. Credit:Getty Images But above all, it would relieve the rest of us of the mental effort of judging the merits of suppression versus elimination. To decide what our opinion was, all we'd need to do is remember which party we vote for. We sub-contract the job of thinking through important policy issues to our ever-trustworthy political representatives, who can always be relied on to put our interests ahead of their own. And then we wonder why we're making so little progress in solving the nation's problems. BJP was left red-faced after a man, who was an accused in the killing of a senior Uttar Pradesh police officer, was appointed general secretary of an organisation, which had several top saffron party leaders as its patron. Subodh Kumar Singh, the in-charge of Syana police station in the state's Bulandshahar district, about 500 kilometres from here, had been killed by a frenzied mob, consisting mainly of saffron activists, in a clash in December 2018 following the recovery of animal bones in the area. A Bajarang Dal (BD) office-bearer, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) worker and a BJP leader were among 88 people booked in the killing. The accused, identified as Shikhar Agarwal, who was made general secretary of Bulandshahar district unit of PM Jankalyankari Jagrukta Abhiyan (PMJJA), was handed over the appointment letter by the district BJP president Anil Sisodiya at a function a few days back. The PMJJA claims to be engaged in publicising the various welfare schemes launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi across the country. Its letter pad showed top BJP leaders, including union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ramesh Pokhariyal, Narendra Tomar and Ashwini Chaubey as patrons. It later turned out that Agarwal was also a member of the BJP. As the pictures of Agarwal being handed over the appointment letter by Sisodiya went viral on the social networking sites, an embarrassed BJP tried to wriggle out of the situation by claiming that PMJJA had nothing to do with the party. Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP for 'patronising' those involved in the killing of the cop and said that it would encourage the criminals. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also launched a scathing attack on the BJP for making an alleged cop killer an office-bearer in an organisation associated with it. Earlier, the main accused and saffron leaders were garlanded and hailed as 'gau rakshaks' (cow protectors) by saffron activists upon their release from Bulandshahar district jail after being enlarged on bail by the Allahabad High Court. Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to constitute a committee that will oversee refund of deposits to Hajj 2020 intending pilgrims across the country NAHCON should set up a committee comprising its officials, the media, civil society and security agencies, especially anti-corruption bodies to oversee the hajj fare refunds to 2020 intending pilgrims, the CSO said. A statement by its national coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammed and publicity secretary, Abubakar Mahmoud, on Sunday said it is expedient for the apex hajj regulator to ensure a transparent refund process following the decision of Saudi authorities to limit this years Hajj to only residents of the kingdom. The CSO said our experiences on previous hajj refunds show that some fraudulent states pilgrims officials short change pilgrims, while some states pilgrims agencies sometimes convert approved pilgrims refunds to personal use. Independent Hajj Reporters said NAHCON should issue guidelines to States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards on processes of making the refund in a uniform setting. The not-for-profit civil society organisation said following the cancellation of Hajj 2020 for people outside the Kingdom due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards have told the intending pilgrims to apply and signify interest to either be refunded or defer their pilgrimage to 2021. Furthermore, states such as Kano, Adamawa, Bauchi, Lagos, Cross River, Katsina, Lagos, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger had issued statements urging pilgrims to come forward for refund. Kano and Bauchi have already commenced the refund, the statement said. It, however, said the pilgrims agencies are urging pilgrims to apply for refund without providing details on the process of application. For example, will intending pilgrims apply online or through a hand written application? Do states Muslim Pilgrims Boards provide a form to be filled by the willing pilgrims? How will state Muslim pilgrims boards identify those that are willing to be refunded and those that are interested in deferring to Hajj 2021? The statement also urged pilgrims boards to make adequate publicity in their various states to ensure that those who are willing to collect their money are well informed of the refund and the process of collection. IHR said NAHCON should provide a feedback mechanism such as phone numbers and emails addresses where pilgrims who are denied or could not be refunded can lay their complaints. Such feedback channels should be publicized in Electronic, Print and online media, IHR said. Signed: Independent Hajj Reporters 19 July, 2020 Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who along with aon Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and granddaughter Aaradhya have been diagnosed positive for Covid-19 since a week, expressed his gratitude for prayers being showered for the family. Big B shared a picture of the four waving at fans from their Mumbai residence. Taking to Instagram, the actor wrote, "We see your love .. we hear your prayers .. we fold our hands.. in gratitude and thanks !" Take a look below: He had also previously posted a throwback picture with Abhishek and thanked fans for being there for them in happy times and in illness. He wrote, "In happy times , in times of illness, you our near and dear, our well wishers, our fans have ever given us unstinting love , affection care and prayer .. we express our bountiful gracious gratitude to you all .. in these circumstances hospital protocol is restrictive , so individual responses are not possible .. but we see, read, hear all of you .. thank you ever." On Saturday, July 11 2020 Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan had tweeted to announce that they had tested positive for Covid-19. It was reported that after showing mild symptoms, the family took a rapid antigen test which showed that only Amitabh and Abhishek were positive. However, after the results of the swab tests arrived, Aaradhya and Aishwarya too tested positive. Other members of the family including Jaya Bachchan, Navya Naveli, Agastya and Shweta Bachchan Nanda, along with 26 staff members had tested negative. T 3590 -I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. family and staff undergone tests , results awaited ..All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested ! Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 11, 2020 Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you. Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020 The BMC has been in touch and we are complying with them. Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020 Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya have been admitted to Nanavati hospital, Mumbai. Global coronavirus infections passed 14 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, marking the first time there has been a surge of a million cases in under 100 hours. The first case was reported in China in early January and it took three months to reach 1 million cases. It has taken just four days to climb to 14 million Covid-19 cases from 13 million recorded on July 13. The number of cases globally is around triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The pandemic has now killed at least 600,000 people in almost seven months, edging towards the upper range of yearly influenza deaths reported worldwide. The first death was reported on January 10 in Wuhan, China before infections and fatalities then surged in Europe and later in the US. In China, Xinjiang reported 16 new domestically transmitted cases for Friday, health authorities said on Saturday as the country readies to battle a new front against the outbreak in the remote northwestern region. The jump in cases followed one new case, and eight more asymptomatic ones. All the cases have been reported from the regional capital Urumqi, and at least 269 people in the city have been put under medical observation. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is moving to cancel the next two-week sitting of parliament because of the recent spread of the virus. Parliament has been scheduled to meet on August 4-13 and then sit again for a two-week session starting August 24. Morrison said on Saturday that he has written to the parliamentary speaker asking for a cancellation, but the request is considered only a formality. Saudi hosts G20 talks on recovery, debt G20 finance ministers and central bankers held talks on Saturday aimed at spurring global economic recovery from a recession amid calls to widen debt relief for crisis-hit poor countries. The virtual talks, hosted by Saudi Arabia, come as the surging pandemic continues to batter the global economy and campaigners warn of a looming debt crisis across poverty-wracked developing nations. The ministers and bankers seek to discuss the global economic outlook and coordinate collective action for a robust economic recovery, G20 organisers in Riyadh said in a statement. (With inputs from Agencies) New Delhi: Torn old notes of Rs 500 and 1000 were seen floating in Ganga river in Mirzapur of Uttar Pradesh on Friday. Seeing the pile of notes in the river water, fishermen and boatmen rushed to recover it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday also mentioned this News Nation exclusive story in Japan while addressing the Indian diaspora. According to the locals, the torn notes were found in the wee hours. Lakhs of Rupees in the currency of Rs 500 and 1000 were seen in the river. ALSO READ: (Modi in Japan: PM mentions Newsnation Exclusive on black money in River Ganga) But soon people realised that these torn old notes wouldnt be of any use to them. However, this is not the first such incident, within four days, a lot of cases have been reported of burnt and dumped notes after currency demonetisation. ALSO READ: (Sack full of burnt remains of 500 and 1000 Rupee notes found in Bareilly) Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday had announced ban on higher currency demonetisation notes of Rs 500 and 1000 which led to uproar and chaos among people. The announcement was made with the intention of curbing black money, corruption and tax evasion. ALSO READ: (India asks Google how to convert black money into white; Gujarat tops the list) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A view of District 2 of HCMC. This district is one of the city's three districts which form the Eastern City - PHOTO: THANH HOA The central Government should therefore give HCMCs authorities ample autonomy so that the project can be implemented successfully, experts say. Its not rare in the world that a new city is formed to bolster regional or national growth. Urban centers have always been growth engines which can help achieve economic breakthroughs in the shortest time possible. In line with this spirit, the Eastern City, a new concept framed by the HCMC authorities, has recently resurfaced as a hot-button topic when the city government stepped up its efforts to seek central approval for its new growth engines. A new concept formulated In fact, the concept of establishing a city within a city was first cited years ago when the HCMC authorities came up with an initiative for new mechanisms applicable to its four conceived citiesEast, West, North, Southwhich each was intended to have its own urban government directly affiliated to the HCMC government. Each city would enjoy strong deregulation to raise its autonomy and responsibility so as to actively spur growth and independence. This was the first attempt by the HCMC authorities to introduce the project to set up the new urban government back in 2013. However, the HCMC government seemed to go ahead of time when the proposal was rejected because Vietnams legal framework back then contained no stipulations for a city within a city mechanisms. Now in an attempt to revive a similar concept, the HCMC government is beginning preparations for the setting up of what it calls the Eastern City, or Creative Urban Center, which is geographically based on the existing Districts 2 and 9 and Thu Duc District. The efforts to rearrange the three districts to form a city under the HCMC authorities are part of the second pilot project to establish the new urban government which is being hurriedly finished to be forwarded to the central Government in the third quarter of this year, reported vnexpress.net. If approved, the Eastern City will stretch on a total area of 22,000 hectares and be home to 1.1 million permanent residents. As its name may suggest, the Creative Urban Center is a model of highly interactive urban hub that HCMC is striving for. The existing facilities already in place include the Saigon High-Tech Park in District 9, the Vietnam National University-HCMC in Thu Duc District and Thu Thiem New Urban Center in District 2. The Vietnam National University-HCMC is a scientific hub in itself formed by 18 member universities and research institutes. The SHTP, a vast high-tech park on an area of more than 1,000 hectares, has attracted 13 foreign business groups, some of which are world-class high-tech companies. Meanwhile, the 657-hectare commercial and financial services center in the Thu Thiem Urban Center is in the making. Joining forces with the creative city are operational industrial zones and export-processing zones, including Linh Trung 1 and Linh Trung 2, Cat Lai and Binh Chieu. According to vnexppress.net, HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said the Eastern City will serve as a hub for spurring the economic growth of HCMC and the Southern Vital Economic Zone in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution based on the existing facilities. The new city is to combine three key functions, which are a hub for scientific and technological research, a center for high-quality human resources training and a manufacturing and trading base for high-tech products and services. Also according to vnexpress.net, the new creative hub is expected to set up a value-added chain reliant on high-tech, whose technical and social infrastructure is in conformity with international standards and effective support for the corporate sector. Necessary mechanisms As mentioned earlier in this article, a city within a city is an unprecedented step forward in Vietnam, which has yet to gain consent from the central authorities. In another article posted by vnexpress.net, Ngo Viet Nam Son, an architect and urban planning specialist, said HCMCs Eastern City should be given exceptional mechanisms so that it can grow effectively the way Pudong or Gangnam do. The Eastern City should be given special institutions on a pilot basis to help it develop, said Son. Such a new city will require enormous capital to set up, he explained, which means it is desperately in need of open and effective ways to lure both domestic and overseas capital sources. If the establishment of such a city relies solely on HCMCs budget, it will take a long time. The establishment of the Eastern City will help significantly increase HCMCs regional gross domestic product (RGDP), said Son. However, to realize that goal, it requires new approaches and suitable solutions. Talking to vnexpress.net, Dr. Huynh The Du, lecturer of Fulbright University Vietnam, contended that the successful implementation of the Eastern City project will help solve two strategic problems for Vietnam, including the creation of a new growth wave and the enforcement of national security in response to new complicated developments at the regional and international scales. Du argued that now is the right time to start the new city given the switch of global value chains away from China due to Covid-19. The new situation will speed up the process, said Du. As Vietnams biggest economic center and the first place for breakthroughs, HCMC, he maintained, is poised to succeed. Experience gained from similar models in the world, particularly Gangnam, a city south of the Han River in South Koreas capital of Seoul, and Pudong in Shanghai, China, should be carefully scrutinized. Du said the south of the Han River in Seoul in the 1960s was an area of farming land with a very thin population. Yet the subsequent success of Gangnam as a new city adjacent to Seoul manifests the grand and comprehensive vision of the Government of South Korea and the authorities of Seoul. Likewise, at the very beginning of the implementation of the Pudong project in Shanghai, it was regarded as a national key project. Compared with the conditions during the time when Gangnam and Pudong were set up, HCMCs Eastern City is more favorable considering its infrastructure and connection conditions. The land for the new city is already in place and fundamental components for a financial-commercial center in Thu Thiem New Urban Area are ready. Whats more, added Du, the high-tech park has asserted its prestige and efficiency. This pioneering project is of strategic importance to the national development, Du told vnexpress.net. The central Government should gives HCMC ample autonomy so that it can implement the project successfully. SGT You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5 RSV). The next time you go to a restaurant or bar and order a glass of juice, wine, or any other drink besides water, take a look at the quantity served in the glass. The glass is mostly not full. It is not clear whether to say the glass is half full or half empty, but the value is the same: it is usually not full. Sometimes, they top it up with plenty of ice cubes, and even so, it is usually not full. The situation is not limited to restaurants. It happens when you are a guest in some peoples homes. Some hosts act like waiters and waitresses when it comes to serving drinks. When it is water, the glass may be filled to the brim, but not so with other more expensive drinks. It appears restaurants and hosts are sending subtle messages. In the case of restaurants, what they are saying is that the half empty or half full glass of drink is all you get for the price quoted on the menu, and that if you want more drink, you have to pay more. On their part, the hosts are saying that you need to be mindful of the quantity of drink served and enjoy it while it lasts because no additional drink may be forthcoming. In other words, in both cases, there are no refills. These are consistent with an Akan proverb which says: Ybsi wo so a, anka yhy wo ma, which translates into English language as follows: if you would be given a second or additional drink, you would have been given a full glass or full cup of drink in the first place. In Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd, King David expressed his utmost sense of security in the Lords protection that he was not afraid even in the midst of his enemies. He saw himself as able to dine with his enemies, and have his cup overflow with drink (see Psalm 23:5). This verse is probably the most fun part of the most popular psalm because it talks about eating and drinking. However, dining with ones enemies is a dangerous proposition. Enemies are looking for opportunities to cause harm. You have to take extra precautions and keep your eyes wide open and fixed on your food and drink so that the enemy could not slip poison into your food or drink. It takes Gods grace and protection to keep us safe and satisfied because Christians are surrounded by enemies who seek ways to poison our relationship with God. An overflowed cup sends at least three messages. First, it provides immediate satisfaction and joy. The cup must be full or filled up before it overflows, so there is an immediate satisfaction that the full cup of drink will quench thirst and bring joy. Second, an overflowed cup gives hope that more drinks would be forthcoming if needed. That hope brings joy and increases ones appetite for more drinks. Third, an overflowed cup assures guests that there may be more than enough drinks to go around, not limited to the person served, but also available to many other people. It means that God will gladly provide far more than what humans can do, or what we can ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20). It sends a hopeful message that human beings may give you a half empty or half full cup, but God would fill your cup till it overflows and extends to many other people. That is how it is with Gods blessings. God has abundant resources to satisfy the needs of His children and more. They are not limited. Gods blessings go around and beyond the immediate recipient; the ripple effects reach out and touch many people according to their individual needs. We do not know the type of drinks that overflowed from Davids cup; they were most likely water or wine. Even if it was water, we have to keep in mind that in the warm, desert-like climate of ancient Israel, good, quality drinking water was a very precious commodity, and access to it was not as easy as we have now. It was not like turning on the tap water in the convenience of their homes or having bottled water in their refrigerators. Someone had to walk to fetch water from a river, stream or well that could be located far away, so some economical use of water was necessary. Water was (and still is) so important that Jesus would later comment that anyone who gave a cup of water to his followers in his name would certainly not lose his or her reward (see Mark 9:41). However, David concluded that psalm by saying that goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his life. For your cup to overflow, you first need a cup. Therefore, grab the biggest real or imaginary cup you can find and let us pray. We pray that God would bless us and make our cup of goodness overflow. We pray that God would bless us and make our cup of mercy overflow. We pray that God would bless us and make our cup of water overflow and sustain our lives. And we pray that God would bless us and turn our overflowed cup of wine into the blood of Jesus on Calvary which washes away our sins and brings healing and salvation unto us. Note that Davids cup was not just full or filled up. It was more than that; his cup overflowed or runneth over. That is abundance, that is satisfaction, and that is unlimited blessing for all who diligently seek and put their trust in the Almighty God, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides, and protects. Prayer is the key. May God grant us the grace to seek Him daily through our prayers. Dr. Daniel Gyebi, Attorney-at-Law, Texas, U.S.A., and Founder, PrayerHouse Ministry, Kumasi, Ghana. PrayerHouse Ministry is dedicated to providing a quiet facility for Christians to pray individually by themselves without any intermediary priest, pastor or any other person. This is a free service. No money is demanded or accepted. One facility is located at Kyerekrom / Fumesua, near Building and Road Research Institute Offices, one mile off the Kumasi-Accra Road and next to a house called Grace Castle. If you are interested, please contact Agnes at 054-7498653. Another is located at Kantinkyiren, at the junction of Kantinkyiren and Konkori, off the Kumasi-Obuasi Road, branching left at Trede junction. Contact Kwadwo at 020-8768461 / 0246-989413. USS Bataan Returns from Deployment Navy News Service Story Number: NNS200718-01 Release Date: 7/18/2020 3:35:00 PM From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are returning from deployment this month, marking the end of a seven-month deployment to the U.S. 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. The ARG's flagship, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), returned to Norfolk Naval Station today, following the Harpers Ferry-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) which returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Virginia July 15. "Big 5's crew is tough and resilient and I could not be more proud of these Sailors and Marines the men and women of Bataan," said Capt. Bryan Carmichael, Bataan's commanding officer. "We've supported commanders in U.S. 5th, 6th, and 2nd Fleets, improved coalition partnerships, and deterred aggression everywhere inbetween. It's good to be home and it is my honor to serve as Bataan's commanding officer as we are ready and excited to execute the next phase of Bataan's legacy." The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) is expected to return to Naval Station Mayport, Florida in the coming days. The MEU departed the ARG ships and returned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina earlier this month. "As a 'certain force in an uncertain world' the 26th MEU was flexible, resilient, and adaptable while forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet areas of operation," said Col. Trevor Hall, commanding officer of the 26th MEU. "This deployment presented unique challenges, but the Navy-Marine Corps team prevailed and incessantly provided our fleet commanders with a responsive, sea-based Marine Air-Ground Task Force even during the global novel coronavirus pandemic." The ARG ships and MEU departed for deployment from their respective home bases in December. Bataan remained at sea for more than 150 consecutive days before returning home. "I am tremendously proud of what the Sailors and Marines of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit accomplished during this deployment. Our team worked tirelessly to remain fully mission ready during the unprecedented challenge of a global pandemic," said Capt. Lance Lesher, who served as commander of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 8 through its pre-deployment workup cycle and deployment until conducting a change of command at sea, July 12. Lesher turned over command of PHIBRON 8 to Capt. Jason Rimmer during a change of command ceremony at sea onboard Bataan in the Atlantic Ocean. "It has been inspiring to get to know the Sailors and Marines of the ARG-MEU team in recent days and I am incredibly impressed by what this group of hardworking men and women has been able to accomplish on this challenging deployment," said Rimmer. "Our families, friends and loved ones at home should be proud not only of the Sailors and Marines who deployed, but of their own service as well," he continued. "Their love, support and watch over the homefront over the course of the last seven months has given our ARG-MEU team the strength and confidence it has needed to stay focused and ready to carry out any mission our nation has asked of it." While in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, the Bataan ARG and 26th MEU remained healthy and fully mission ready while working with regional partners. The Blue-Green team worked with partners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to coordinate multiple complex training evolutions on the uninhabited Karan and Kurayn islands in the Arabian Gulf, as well as with partners from the United Arab Emirates to hold training in an isolated location within that country. While in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, Bataan increased interoperability with regional allies and partners by conducting maneuvering operations and at-sea exercises with navy ships from France and Italy during their time in the Mediterranean Sea. The Sailors and Marines of the ARG-MEU also strengthened international partnerships by hosting the head of the Royal Jordanian Navy and deputy commander of Kuwait Naval Forces aboard Bataan in separate visits that reinforced shared goals and fostered personal relationships. There are more than 4,000 Sailors and Marines assigned to the units of the ARG-MEU, nearly 2,500 of which were aboard the Bataan. Also embarked on the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group were the staff of Amphibious Squadron 8 and personnel from Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, Fleet Surgical Team 4, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28, Naval Beach Group 2, Assault Craft Unit 4, Assault Craft Unit 2 and Beachmaster Unit 2. ARG-MEUs operate continuously across the globe and provide the geographic combatant commanders with a forward-deployed, flexible and responsive sea-based Marine Air Ground Task Force. The blue-green team is fully capable of conducting operations across a full spectrum of conventional, unconventional and hybrid warfare. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shes one of Britains best known and most respected actors, famous for her roles in some of that countrys biggest drama series. So it comes as something of a surprise to see Hermione Norris, who starred as Karen Marsden in Cold Feet and who also appeared in the most recent series of Luther alongside Idris Elba, pop up in an Australian drama created by the same man responsible for A Place to Call Home, Packed To The Rafters, Winners and Losers and All Saints. Yet there she is, front and centre in Sevens new drama, Between Two Worlds, from creator Bevan Lee. The series, set in Sydney, focuses on the goings on of an unfathomably rich family, and is chock full of characters that can only be described as, well, pretty reprehensible. For Norris, that was entirely the appeal. Philip Quast (who plays Norris tycoon husband Phillip Walford in the series) and I, we delighted at the insanity and hilarity of those people, and the way they were these vile, disgusting characters, says Norris. (My character, Cate) is complex and conflicted, and that is always interesting as an actor. She really is trapped in a web of her own secrets and lies and love. Zarifs first visit to Baghdad since assassination of General Qassem Soleimani aims to mend strained relations. Irans foreign minister arrived in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Sunday to discuss several issues related to political, commercial and security matters, in an attempt to patch up relations with the government. Ties between Baghdad and Tehran have been strained since the United States assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani the head of Irans Revolutionary Guard and deputy commander of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January. Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed his countrys belief in maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and that a stable and powerful Iraq was in the interest of both countries. That is why we look forward to continued constructive bilateral negotiations. The stability, security and peace in Iraq is the stability of the entire region, he said. For his part, Fuad Hussein said his country looked forward to continuing its balanced relations with all the countries in the region based on first our national interest, then on mutual interest with our neighbours without any interfering in our domestic affairs. Iraqi security analyst Ahmad al-Abyad told Al Jazeera that Zarifs visit, which comes a day before Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi travels to Saudi Arabia, is no coincidence. Zarifs visit carried two messages, he said. One is a cushioned warning to al-Kadhimi not to go forward with attempts to shore up economic links with the Gulf states, and the other is a message of mediation to its regional rival Saudi Arabia. Zarif speaks at a news conference in Baghdad [Murtadha al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images] Another Baghdad-based security analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera one of the main topics of discussion will be about the al-Munthiriya border crossing with Iran, which has long been used as a smuggling route to Lebanon and Syria in terms of weaponry and fighters. The PMF used to be in control of the border, but after a no-fly zone was imposed it has gotten harder to smuggle weapons across, the analyst said, adding the crossing is now under Iraqs security forces and Counter Terrorism Service (CTS). The other topic of interest will be about preparations for the religious pilgrimage season known as the Arbaeen, which takes places in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala in two months time following the end of the 40-day mourning period for Ashura. Yet regarding efforts to curb the PMFs influence on the political and security front, the analyst said Zarif was not the right person to act as a buffer between the umbrella group and Iraqs government. The PMF file is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards, not Irans foreign office, he said. Sarmad al-Bayati, an Iraqi political analyst, said Zarifs visit will focus more on bilateral relations between the two countries. The Iranian foreign minister did not come to Baghdad to discuss the PMF, he said. It is more likely that he will talk about the killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis instead. PMFs sphere of influence Prime Minister al-Kadhimi has been a strong advocate of Iraqs sovereignty and has upset armed groups within Iraq that are affiliated with Iran, such as Kataib Hezbollah. At the end of last June, al-Khadimi ordered a raid on Kataib Hezbollahs offices in Baghdad, which led to the arrest of 14 fighters. Kataib Hezbollah in turn and other armed groups within the PMF have accused al-Kadhimi of assisting the US in its assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, which has created a rift within the prime ministers government. The PMF, which is made up of dozens of mostly Shia militias that are dominated by powerful factions who take their orders from Iran, enjoys political influence as it dominates dozens of seats in parliament through the Fatah Alliance and State of Law coalitions. Incorporated within the Iraqi government in 2016 following the defeat of the armed group ISIL (ISIS), the sphere of influence of the PMF has only continued to grow. Critics point out the PMF, backed by Iran, has expanded its authority on the political, economic and security front. In 2019, it received $2.16bn from the defence budget, yet it is independent of any control or oversight by the Iraqi defence ministry. Security-wise it controls the liberated areas that were previously under ISIS, which includes many border areas and land ports, al-Abyad told Al Jazeera. Its control has spread inside and outside the cities and has its own security and intelligence services. It has become a force that exceeds the ability of the government, and it runs parallel to the Revolutionary Guards project in Iran. The Baghdad-based anonymous security expert said the PMF and its proxy armed groups also wield influence on the streets of Baghdad. Whoever stands against them politically, legally, ideologically find themselves killed, imprisoned, or persecuted, he said. My good friend and colleague Hisham al-Hashemi was neither the first nor the last to be killed. Al-Hashemi, a well-known and top security analyst, was shot dead by unknown gunmen outside his home in the capital earlier this month. Following the government raid on Kataib Hezbollahs offices last month, al-Hashemi provided his social media followers with insights over allegations the group was behind rocket attacks on US and other diplomatic interests in Iraq. The group quickly issued a statement on its Telegram channel denying responsibility for his killing. Activists and members of rights groups fear for their lives because they do not trust nor can count on the Iraqi government to hold accountable the armed groups behind targeted killings, the security expert said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 13:16:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The national security law for Hong Kong will not affect the normal operation of financial markets and legitimate business of financial institutions and market participants, a senior official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Sunday. Financial Secretary Paul Chan said in an online article that the law clearly stipulates four offenses endangering national security and the financial sector can continue their normal operation under Hong Kong's existing legal framework. The law will neither affect the common business, participation in market activities or capital allocation of related institutions and individuals nor obstruct them from processing their own materials and data, collecting and distributing information, doing business researches as well as voicing their opinions, Chan said. Chan noted that Hong Kong's financial markets have remained in stable and orderly operation since the national security law took effect on June 30. The Hong Kong dollar has remained strong and the stock market has seen robust trading and initial public offerings, Chan said. No significant capital outflows have been reported, and on the contrary, more than 11 billion U.S. dollars went into the market, Chan said, adding that total deposits in the banking system have been on the rise over the past months. Many market participants said the law will help restore security and order in the business environment, which is crucial to Hong Kong's sustainable development as a global financial hub, Chan said. Noting that the influence of U.S. sanctions on the Hong Kong economy is limited, Chan expressed firm opposition to U.S. interference, which seriously violates international laws and the basic norms of international relations, and smacks of double standards and hegemonism. Chan reiterated that the implementation of the law will not affect the rights and freedom of Hong Kong residents under the HKSAR Basic Law and related international conventions applicable to Hong Kong. The enactment of the law is aimed at safeguarding "one country, two systems," Chan said, stressing that Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, legal systems including judicial independence, the capitalist system, and the protection of legitimate rights and interests of external investors will not change. Hong Kong's currency and financial system will also stay the same and the financial hub will maintain the linked exchange rate system and continue to allow free capital flows, Chan said. With the nation's support, the HKSAR government has the confidence and the capability of maintaining Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, Chan said. Hong Kong will continue to provide investors with a world-class business environment and supervisory structure, said the financial secretary. It will be proved that national security, prosperity and stability, and market vitality can coexist in Hong Kong, which will offer businesses a more solid foundation for their operation and broader development space, Chan said. Enditem A total of 488 new cases of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been recorded in Ghana. This brings the total count as of July 19, 2020, to 27,060. The Ghana Health Service update noted that the new cases were from samples that were taken from the period 22 June to 14 July 2020. The number of clinical recoveries has also shot up to 23,044 leaving the active COVID-19 cases in Ghana at 3,871. Despite the huge number of discharge/recoveries, 145 persons have however succumbed to the disease. The latest update from the Ghana Health Service shows that Greater Accra is still leading the national case count with 14,923, followed by the Ashanti, Western and Central Regions with 5,642, 2,218 and 1,140 cases respectively. Another region that has over a thousand cases is the Eastern Region with 1,030 recorded cases. The rest of the regions in Ghana are yet to cross the 500 case mark. The region with the least number of cases is the North East Region which has 9 cases. Cumulative Cases per Region Greater Accra Region 14,923 Ashanti Region 5,642 Western Region 2,218 Central Region 1,140 Eastern Region 1,030 Volta Region 492 Bono East Region 294 Upper East Region 282 Northern Region 271 Western North Region 216 Bono Region 166 Oti Region 143 Ahafo Region 103 Upper West Region 74 Savannah Region 57 North East Region 9 25 persons in severe conditions Ghana Health Service in the latest update on the COVID-19 situation in Ghana notes that 25 persons are in severe conditions while 8 are in critical conditions. The Ghana Health Service further notes that 4 other persons who have tested positive for the virus are on ventilators. Below is the full list of active cases in Ghana: Ghana recorded its first two COVID-19 cases in March 2020. The cases were from some two persons who had returned to Ghana from parts of the world where COVID-19 was prevalent at the time. So far, 14.2 million COVID-19 cases have been recorded worldwide with 7.89 million recoveries and over 500,000 deaths. citinewsroom With COVID-19 taking a tiger grasp on our lives with each passing day, were all desperately waiting for a vaccine to bring our lives back to normal. While there are many vaccines that still are far from ready, there are few that are already going through human trials -- vaccines like the ones from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and others, but the so called Oxford COVID-19 vaccine -- ChAdOx1 adenovirus vaccine -- being developed by researchers at Oxford University is clearly leading the COVID-19 vaccine race. Representational Image: Reuters COVID-19 vaccine led by Sarah Gilbert In case you didn't know, Sarah Catherine Gilbert, a vaccinologist and a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, and her team of researchers at the University of Oxfords Jenner Institute are currently looking at the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Sarah Gilbert (Image: John Cairns /University of Oxford) Sarah Gilbert has expressed immense faith in the working of the vaccine, she feels that the vaccine has 80 percent chances of working at the beginning of the trials in April 2020, stating, Personally, I have a high degree of confidence. This is my view, because I've worked with this technology a lot, and I've worked on the MERS vaccine trials, and I've seen what that can do. Oxford vaccine science explained ChAdOx1 is an adenovirus vaccine, which basically has been developed from a viral vector based on a weakened version of the common cold (adenovirus) that also consists of the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Once the vaccine enters the human body, the surface spike protein is produced, which prepares the immune system to attack COVID-19 if it later infects the body. Oxford COVID-19 vaccine -- ChAdOx1 -- claims to generate a strong immune response from a single dose and does not replicate, so the vaccine itself cannot cause an ongoing infection in the individual who has been vaccinated. Getty Images Oxford vaccine COVID-19 test result Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIAID/NIH) have conducted a thorough investigation of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine and have demonstrated good safety and efficacy of a single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in the rhesus macaque model. Only after this initial test was successful did they go further for human trials commenced. Phase I involved 500 volunteers between age group of 18-55 years. Phase 2 human trials involved 10,260 individuals from the age group of 56-69 years, over 70 years and kids from the age group of 5-12 years. The human trials are currently in the phase 3 stage in Brazil (involving 5,000 volunteers) and the final results of the vaccines efficacy are expected on July 20. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Weeks after the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine generated hype, leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced an agreement for the global development and distribution of the vaccine across the world. The phase 3 trials of Oxford vaccine formula in Brazil are under the observation of AstraZeneca, the result of which is expected very soon. AstraZeneca is also committed to produce hundreds of million doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine formula within this year. Serum Institute of India Oxford COVID-19 vaccine and Serum India In India, Serum India Institute as announced that they will be manufacturing the Oxford vaccine formula to take down COVID-19, based on the human trials currently being tested by Oxford University in the UK, and had started their own trials from May onwards. The CEO of Serum India is on record saying the Oxford vaccine formula will be developed and sold at a reasonable price of Rs 1,000 in India before this year ends -- considerably cheaper than what itll be sold across the globe. Weve got a mixed bag of headlines for you this week, what with everything happening at the same time these days. Lets take a look at Twitters worst Wednesday in living memory, as well as some stellar game sale numbers amid the COVID-19 shutdown and a high-end video camera with more resolution than even James Cameron can handle. Dado Ruvic / Reuters Sisyphus would have had an easier time getting over hump day than Twitter did last Wednesday. The social media giant was pwned in every sense of the word when hackers hijacked high profile accounts to enact a bitcoin scam that netted more than $100k. But beyond making a quick buck, the hack gave the intruders unfettered access to the DMs of dozens of celebrities, a point Elon Musk is probably none too keen on. max-kegfire via Getty Images Though the fact that more people are gaming during a pandemic should come as no surprise, the degree to which folks have embraced it is staggering. A report released last week from the NPD Group found that US gamers spent $1.2 billion in June alone. Thats the highest grossing month since 2009. This would explain why finding matches is so much faster these days. mobileye This week, German regulators signed off on allowing Intels Mobileye division to test its semi-autonomous vehicle systems on the famed Autobahn and at speed. The company is already testing its systems in Israel and plans to roll out self-driving fleets to four global locations by 2022. Our self-driving car of the future is getting closer by the day. Blackmagic Design If youre looking for a pro-level video camera that youll be unable to justify buying to either your spouse or your accountant, Blackmagic has you covered with the Ursa Mini Pro 12K. This 80MP monster captures at up to 12K, giving video editors far more flexibility during post production than they would have with a lower-res file. But with a ten grand price tag, youre going to need some fancy figuring to make that expense report work. Microsoft Folks have been flying Microsofts digital planes on their home computers since 1982 and for much of that span the only way to install the simulator was to sit down with a pile of floppy discs and load the install sequentially. It was an infuriatingly slow process. With the release of its newest iteration of the legendary simulator series, Microsoft has sought to bring back just a bit of that nostalgic process by offering the program on 10 installable DVDs. Oh the places youll go and load screens youll see. Rating Action: Moody's assigns Aa3 to Yale New Haven Health Services Corp's (CT) Series 2020; outlook stable Global Credit Research - 17 Jul 2020 New York, July 17, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aa3 rating to Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation's (CT) $400 million Taxable Bonds, Series 2020. Yale New Haven Health Services Corporation (HSC) is the parent and borrowing entity for Yale New Haven Health (YNHH). At the same time, Moody's affirmed HSC's existing Aa3 and Aa3/VMIG 1 ratings, which are backed by YNHH's own liquidity. The rating outlook is stable. This action affects approximately $1.133 billion of rated debt (including the new bonds). RATINGS RATIONALE The assignment and affirmation of YNHH's Aa3 rating reflect Moody's view that leverage will rise with increased permanent debt for a major capital project, but measures will likely remain adequate. Although the system has also drawn on short term bank lines amid the coronavirus outbreak, management believes these will likely be repaid assuming the current pace of elective recovery continues. A material decline in fiscal 2020 revenues and operating cash flow from the suspension of elective services amid the coronavirus outbreak will be offset in part by the receipt of CARES Act and other federal funds. Based on the current pace of reopening of electives, YNHH will likely see a return to good consistent operating cash flow margins at pre-outbreak levels and will likely sustain days cash at solid levels following repayment of federal loans and deferrals. Nevertheless, uncertainties associated with the outbreak and the reactivation of elective services as well as fluctuations in the equity market will remain. The Aa3 rating will continue to reflect YNHH's leading market position in Connecticut, with a broad reach for tertiary and quaternary patients throughout the state and nearby markets. This will be supported by strong brand recognition associated with its affiliation with Yale University (Aaa stable) and its faculty. YNHH will also continue to expand its statewide presence through consolidation, having merged Milford Hospital into YNHH's Bridgeport Hospital in 2019 to aid capacity constraints. Offsets include elevated capital expenditures over a multi-year period, including the partly debt-financed neuroscience project. That said, total capital spend will likely be reduced from original levels as management revisits its multi-year plans amid the coronavirus outbreak. The system will be challenged by some recent softness in volume trends due in part to competitors that are also consolidating. This is highlighted by Hartford HealthCare's acquisition of YNHH's key competitor in Bridgeport. Under a newly reached agreement with the state, net provider tax payments will be reduced through 2026. However, state and federal reimbursement will provide ongoing uncertainty. Story continues The most immediate social risk is the coronavirus outbreak, which resulted in the suspension of non-essential services and has significantly reduced revenues. There is a high degree of uncertainty around the full effects of the suspension, the reactivation of elective services and the recovery period. The ongoing effects of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating global economic outlook, and financial market declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented. YNHH's Aa3/VMIG1 variable rate demand bond ratings reflect Moody's view that available assets will provide ample coverage of variable rate debt. RATING OUTLOOK The stable outlook reflects Moody's belief that YNHH will likely return to solid pre-outbreak operating cash flow margins. The outlook further assumes that debt that remains on its balance sheet will result in higher but still adequate leverage measures. Finally, the outlook assumes that management will seek to manage its multi-year capital plans, including its new neuroscience facility, such that YNHH will be able to sustain adequate leverage metrics for the rating. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS -Materially stronger cash measures -Sustained growth in operating cash flow margins -Ability to achieve and sustain lower leverage -Sustained improvement in volume trends and market positioning -Short term rating: not applicable FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS -Leverage increases beyond currently anticipated adequate levels or liquidity measures decline -Inability to substantially return to pre-outbreak operating cash flow margins -Highly dilutive acquisition or merger -Further softening of volume trends or declines in market share -Short-term rating: material decline in daily liquidity or overall credit quality LEGAL SECURITY The bonds are secured by a gross revenue pledge of the Obligated Group. The Obligated Group is comprised of ten members, including Yale New Haven Hospital (which includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, and the Smilow Cancer Hospital), Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Westerly Hospital, Northeast Medical Group (NEMG) and HSC (system parent). USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes including capital projects. PROFILE Yale New Haven Health operates four hospitals in Connecticut and one in Rhode Island. The system's flagship academic medical center, 1,541 bed Yale New Haven Hospital is comprised of two campuses (including a 511 bed community teaching hospital, the former Hospital of St. Raphael) located in New Haven. The system also includes 501 bed Bridgeport Hospital, 206 bed Greenwich Hospital, 308 bed Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (L+M), 125 bed Westerly Hospital (RI) and NEMG (medical foundation). METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in the long-term ratings was Not-For-Profit Healthcare published in December 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1154632. The principal methodology used in the short-term ratings was Short-term Debt of US States, Municipalities and Nonprofits Methodology published in July 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1210749. 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. 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. 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Nitin Nahar, the main accused in the Sector 33 shooting case of May 31 targeting liquor baron Arvind Singlas house is only 20 years old but has seven criminal cases against him. Nahar, incarcerated at Amritsars Central Jail from June 18, was brought by Chandigarh police on production warrant on July 16 to appear at the court of district magistrate Meenakshi Gupta in connection with the Sector 33 case. Police said Nahar was an accused in seven cases in Amritsar, including three shootings, all occurring between August 2019 and June 2020. Officials privy to the matter said, Nahar had used the .32 bore gun for the shooting in Sector 33. He is ambidextrous and can fire a gun with both hands and he did this on the day of the firing as well. They also revealed that Nahar had come in contact with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi through gangster Bobby Malhotra, who is currently lodged in Ferozepur Jail. Nahar has revealed the names of two other co-accused in the Singla case, inluding Balbir Cheema alias Mani Cheema and Rahul Bhiwani alias Bacchi Bhiwani. Five men were involved in the shooting of which only two, including Nitin Nahar and Karan Sharma, a hotel management student, have been arrested. On May 31, five shooters had opened fire at hotelier and businessman Rakesh Singlas house in an attempt to target his brother Arvind Singla. Police are tracing the whereabouts of the three other suspects, who are all on the run. President Donald Trump wouldnt say whether he will accept the results of the general election in November during an interview with Fox News Sunday, claiming again without evidence that the process is rigged before any votes have been cast. Host Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was a good loser, to which the president responded that he is not. But are you gracious? Wallace pressed. You dont know until you see, Trump said. It depends. I think mail-in voting is going to rig the election. I really do. Asked if hes suggesting he might not accept the results of the election, Trump said, I have to see. President Trump reacts to Mary Trump's new book. Plus, he answers whether or not he will accept the 2020 election results. #FoxNewsSundaypic.twitter.com/KmmGdgzcVY FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 19, 2020 Many states are preparing for a significant increase in voters who cast their ballots by mail this year as coronavirus cases continue to surge across the country. Trump and Attorney General William Barr have asserted several times without evidence that mail-in voting will lead to widespread voter fraud. (Trump, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and several other administration officials have voted by mail in recent elections.) But election officials from dozens of states have disputed the administrations arguments about potential fraud, saying that there are many security measures in place to prevent any issues. President Donald Trump has a long track record of false and misinformed statements about voting and elections, including his recent remarks about mail voting, Alex Curtas, a communications director for New Mexicos secretary of states office, told ABC News last week. Ballot tracking, intelligent barcodes, identity verification, post-election audits and the fact that there are severe criminal and civil penalties already in place (which makes any attempt at vote tampering a high-risk,... Continue reading on HuffPost Visitors take photos of Hong Kong Island in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) China always holds that the protection of human rights will only ring hollow unless human lives are valued, and social stability and security guaranteed. That principle has seen growing global consensus in today's crisis-stricken world. At the just concluded 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), China has won broad endorsement of its tangible progress on the human rights cause despite some Western countries' persistence to smear Beijing's efforts to promote general stability and security in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Over the past 18 days of the gathering of the world's only inter-governmental human rights body, more than 70 countries have backed China's national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and 46 countries have voiced their support for China's anti-terrorism and de-radicalization drive in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, while strongly rejecting foreign interference in China's internal affairs. Cold-blooded terrorism and violent extremism, with little doubt, pose a severe threat to human lives, and thus to the most basic human rights. That is why Beijing has taken relentless law-based efforts to root out terrorism in Xinjiang and end violence in Hong Kong. For Hong Kong, the city is on course to having order restored following last year's escalating chaos. What's more, Xinjiang has seen no single terrorist attack over the last three years because of a rigorous counterterrorism drive. China's arduous yet effective battle against the COVID-19 outbreak and its historic poverty alleviation campaign are also a part of the reason why it can win wide support within and beyond the conference hall of the UNHRC session. Instead of recognizing the rock-solid fact that China has achieved indisputable human rights progress, some China-bashers in Washington are trying to narrate a different story with one cheeky lie after another. As the presidential elections are drawing close, their real purpose of scoring political points for themselves is too obvious to miss. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been one of the most hysterical anti-China voices in the current U.S. administration, slapped Chinese technology firms with visa restrictions on Wednesday, citing human rights abuses, and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said weeks ago that the Communist Party of China has used China's UNHRC membership to dodge criticism in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Moreover, in an excessively desperate act to defame China, a U.S. state department spokeswoman recently tweeted a photoshopped picture to smear the human rights situation in Xinjiang. While those China hawks in Washington are busy seeking to brainwash the wider international community, they seem hardly bothered by their own country's degenerative human rights track records, both at home and overseas. Domestically, the United States is struggling with a "double crisis." The confluence of Washington's terrible response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the country's deep-seated institutional discrimination has not only further exposed its racial disparity, but also made the coronavirus deadlier to non-whites in the United States. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently quoted cardiologist Clyde Yancy of Northwestern University as saying that black patients are estimated to be 2.4 times more likely to die of the virus than whites. Moreover, with Washington's bloody overseas military adventures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere, the United States is irrefutably the world's abuser-in-chief of human rights. Smearing China may help those Washington China hardliners with a few more votes in the coming elections, yet America's deeply entrenched human rights problems are not being solved, and may grow even worse. If Washington truly wants to make some positive contributions to the world's human rights cause, it should stop denying China's substantial improvement in human rights, start to fix its own problems and join others around the world in promoting peace and stability. Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger The next time a CIO is summoned to the board meeting, she or he should expect a grilling on security and risk management. Thats according to the latest Gartner research which notes interest in these topics is at an all-time high, a view that chimes with findings from the New Zealand Institute of Directors (IoD). The COVID-19 pandemic has upped the ante for cyber security In the latest issue of IoDs membership magazine, Boardroom, the problem is laid bare in a piece by Aura information security general manager Peter Bailey. He cites an increased reliance on digital technologies and a distributed workforce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as bringing cyber security issues to the fore. [ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through CIOs newsletters. ] The very lifeline to productivity in the stormy seas of COVID-19 may tow your organisation into a lurking cyber security iceberg, he writes. Having more of your workforce connected to a myriad of internet connections greatly increases your necessary connectivity surface area. This dispersed network creates exponentially more vantage points for cyber criminals to infiltrate your systems as well as increasing the chance of accidental data breaches via your employees. IoD Principal Advisor Selwyn Eathorne concurs with this view, noting that as organisations have changed their operation models and practices, the cyber security risk has increased. Boards are concerned about a large range of matters at this time, including cyber security. Many organisations have changed aspects of their operating models and work practices with more reliance on digital and technology. This has led to increased cyber security risks and is set to continue as organisations transition into the future. Boards will continue to want to know that the their organisations critical assets are being protected. They will need to stay informed about emerging cybersecurity risks, trends and issues, he says. How CIOs and CSOs can communicate effectively about cybersecurity As to whether New Zealand boards believe they are sufficiently informed about cyber security, the feedback is mixed. In our 2019 survey of director sentiment, less than half of directors (41%) said that their board received comprehensive reporting from management about data breach risks and incidents. However, 67% of directors of publicly listed companies said that they received comprehensive reporting, Eathorne says. Eathorne says there is no one-size-fits-all approach to communicating on security and risk management, and it needs to be tailored to the organisation. Boards and management need to consider the format and frequency of reporting, and consider what information and detail is most valuable in maximising the effectiveness of board oversight in this area. Reporting to the board on cyber security has similar principles to reporting on other areas of an organisation such as health and safety and financial reporting, he says. The IoD has produced a guide on how to go about reporting to boards on cyber security which includes a section on six questions covering key areas of interest: metrics, investment, effectiveness, incidents, reporting and awareness. Gartner meanwhile has distilled its research into five questions, which it describes at follows: The trade-off question: Are we 100% secure? The landscape question: How bad is it out there?and how do we compare to others? The risk question: Do we know what our risks are? What keeps you up at night? The performance question: Are we spending enough/why are we spending so much? The incident question: How did this happen? What went wrong? It notes that boards collectively care about three things: revenue/mission, cost and risk. Board members expect their leaders to interpret topic specific information into its broader business impact. Security and risk management is one of these topics, Gartner says. Riot cops came under a hail of bricks and bottles as they shut down an illegal rave early yesterday just hours after beleaguered police chiefs vowed a swift and robust crackdown. Officers were pelted with canisters of laughing gas and even a bicycle at the drug-fuelled party attended by up to 1,000 revellers who later complained that the event had barely got started when police moved in. The Metropolitan Police said two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested for violent disorder and obstruction in Finsbury Park, North London, They remained in custody while one officer needed hospital treatment for bruised ribs. Members of the Metropolitan Police were pelted with laughing gas in Finsbury Park on Friday Angry residents called police who arrived at 11pm on Friday, only hours after Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she would take tougher action against unlicensed music events following Home Secretary Priti Patels criticism of a soft approach. As a police helicopter circled above, riot police marched on to the Woodberry Down Estate where the rave was being held. It took five hours to clear the area, with videos posted on social media showing revellers throwing kerbstone bricks and bottles at officers. Scotland Yard later vowed to deploy more officers on the streets in anticipation of more illegal raves and violent crimes in the event of warmer weather. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy DOrsi said: Officers responded to calls from residents concerned about a large gathering, noise, anti-social behaviour and violence. The disorder they encountered is totally unacceptable as is the fear I am sure this generates amongst the local community, who called the police for help. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 23:23:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Group 20 (G20) economic ministers will hold a ministerial meeting on July 22 and 23 to continue discussions on digital technologies that can prepare the world for the recovery from coronavirus. The meeting will be held under the Saudi G20 Presidency and also focus on ensuring stronger resilience against future crises, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. The ministers will discuss human-centered artificial intelligence and smart cities, data flows, security in the digital economy, the measurement of the digital economy, and global connectivity. Following the meeting, Saudi authorities will hold a press conference to highlight its outcomes. The meeting will review the digital economy agenda for the Leaders' Summit Declaration in November 2020. Enditem The hard-working National Youth Organiser of the Ruling, New Patriotic Party, Lawyer Henry Nana Boakye Nana B, held a strategic virtual meeting with all Diaspora Youth organisers over the weekend. The National Youth Organiser took accounts from all Youth Organisers representing their respective countries in a three-hour-long meeting. The chairman of the Diaspora Youth Organisers, Emmanuel Boakye-Yiadom, representing Germany heaped praises on the National Youth Organiser for his sterling leadership even through such a tumultuous COVID pandemic season. A statement that all Youth Organisers unanimously agreed. He mentioned planned mobilisation strategies developed by the team to assist the party in the upcoming Polls. The National Youth Organiser in his remark shared with the team strategic plans being rolled out to deliver a massive victory for His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party this December. He challenged the Diaspora Youth Organisers to continue to liaise with the mother party in terms of resources and logistics to deliver an all-important success, come December 7, 2020. The NYO further re-echoed the Presidents recent message to the party communicators to campaign on the unblemished monumental records of the Akufo-Addo - Bawumia government, including countless youth-related policies. He encouraged the youth organisers to be focused and resolute in order not to fall prey to the NDCs smear and diabolical campaign. Nana Bs commitment to the Diaspora Youth Wing has not changed since ascending to the seat as NPPs National Youth Organiser. Apart from his constant engagement with the Diaspora Caucus, prior to the pandemic, he had made several appearances across the globe representing in various Diaspora Youth held events. The Diaspora Youth Organisers currently have two representatives on the National Youth Council indicating an all-inclusive leadership. The Diaspora team following the meeting is fired-up to continue to work assiduously to deliver their part to support the party win the 2020 polls. The meeting included Youth Organisers from the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Japan, China, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Austria, and Australia. 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 People enraged by Moon government's 'two-faced' attitude By Do Je-hae One of the things that has set President Moon Jae-in apart from his predecessors is that his popularity rating has enjoyed a stable level throughout his presidency since May 2017. But latest surveys reflect a noticeable loss of public confidence in President Moon and his administration in the past few weeks due to some glaring policy missteps, including those related to real estate. However, the increased disappointment is not with the missteps themselves but the "two-faced" attitude and discordance between words and actions by some of the President's key aides and ranking government officials. The disappointment stems from the fact that the Moon administration was launched under the banner of "fairness and justice." This hypocrisy was highlighted by the recent controversy surrounding chief of staff Noh Young-min, who belatedly followed his own recommendation he had made late last year for senior presidential aides owning more than one home to sell off all properties other than their main residence. The recommendation came in response to rising public discontent toward the government's failure to contain soaring housing prices. When Cheong Wa Dae announced earlier this month that the chief of staff would sell one of his two homes, the public became even more angry because the decision to sell a less lucrative apartment in Cheongju, South Chungcheong Province, was seen as a move to retain a more valuable property in Seoul's Seocho-gu. Yoon Seong-won, presidential secretary for land, infrastructure and transport, was criticized for a similar move, trying to keep a more expensive property in southern Seoul instead of a house in Sejong City, the nation's as-yet underdeveloped administrative capital. These cases have undermined the people's trust in the President and his government's policy-making regarding real estate, a highly sensitive area for many working families in Korea toiling with stagnant incomes and soaring taxes, as well as young people losing hope for finding a job and owning a home amid one of the worst economic crises since the late 1990s. Many who have abandoned their initial support for Moon say they feel betrayed by his administration's incompetence regarding the real estate issue, among other policy priorities. "I used to support him at the beginning of his presidency but have lost faith in him and his administration due to the real estate fiasco among Cheong Wa Dae officials," a citizen of Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, said on condition of anonymity. "In the case of housing, Moon gave the impression that somehow he was going to take a stand for the needs of the common people, but he was not willing to take any risks at all, certainly not ready to stand up to powerful interests. So ultimately he did not accomplish much at all," Emanuel Pastreich, president of the Asia Institute, told The Korea Times. Cheong Wa Dae seeks breakthrough with reshuffle Gov't not to open 'greenbelt' for housing supply Moon's rating falls to 9-month low Korea's real estate policy fiasco Deaths of two leaders left Korean society divided Losing faith in liberal politics The housing policy controversy was only one part of criticisms leveled at the Moon administration for being "two-faced" and betraying the party's espoused core values, such as social equality and justice that the President has resolutely preached before and after his election to the nation's highest office. Moon's emphasis on promoting justice and fairness across society was one of the characteristics that captured Korean voters who were fed up with the previous conservative administrations of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, both who ended up in prison and the latter who was impeached over corruption scandals. President Moon Jae-in speaks during an event to promote his new core economy policy "New Deal" in South Jeolla Province, July 17. Yonhap But with the corruption scandals of Moon's former aide and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk last year, some supporters began to rethink their trust in the Moon administration, and further in the liberal bloc. Many Koreans were enraged by the preferential treatment Cho's children allegedly received in their academic careers and other alleged illegal gains involving the former law professor and his family members, which have hampered the President's initial drive for "judicial reform." "Corruption scandals involving ranking officials are not new because we have seen many such cases in previous administrations. But seeing the Cho case and ruling bloc members defending him, I was more disappointed because they are the ones who promised to root out the evils of society. Now I know they are no different from the figures in the conservative bloc," said a woman in her 40s who said she was an avid supporter of Moon when the administration was launched. Opinion polls also reflect such public sentiment. The approval rating for the President, which jumped to nearly 70 percent in mid-April due to the nation's exemplary COVID-19 response, has continued to fall ever since and has now dropped to 44.1 percent, Thursday, according to the latest survey by Realmeter; 51.7 of respondents gave a negative assessment of Moon's job performance. The survey also showed even his core support group, such as people in their 30s, women and voters in Seoul, are turning their backs on the President, raising fears of a "lame duck" presidency well before it comes to an end in May 2022. "South Korean presidents start off as effective lame ducks, as they're limited to a single term. Hence any president maintaining their popularity is an uphill battle from the get-go. But as for current specifics, South Koreans are increasingly frustrated with their lack of job prospects and affordable housing opportunities," Sean King, Asian politics expert from New York-based consulting firm Park Strategies, told The Korea Times. With the latest controversy over Moon's real estate policy and the series of #MeToo scandals hitting some of its star politicians, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which won a sweeping victory in the general election only three months ago, is also suffering a huge blow in its popularity. Critics point out a crisis of liberal politics ahead of by-elections next April as well as the presidential election in March 2022, as time is running out on Moon's presidency to significantly turn things around and revive the sagging public trust in him and his party. A study conducted jointly by researchers at IIT-Bhubaneswar and the AIIMS here has shown that the spread of Covid-19 may pick up pace during peak monsoon and winter with a fall in the mercury. The rainfall, decrease in temperatures and cooling of the atmosphere coupled with progression towards winter may environmentally favour the spread of Covid-19 in the country, according to the study led by V Vinoj, Assistant Professor of the School of Earth, Ocean and Climatic Sciences at IIT-Bhubaneswar. The report titled Covid-19 spread in India and its dependence on temperature and relative humidity took into account the pattern of the coronavirus outbreak and the number of such cases in 28 states between April and June. The study revealed that the rise in temperatures leads to a decline in the transmission of the virus, Vinoj said. The study, which is in its pre-print stage, shows that the temperature and relative humidity have a significant impact on the disease growth rate and doubling time. It suggests that a one-degree-Celsius rise in temperature leads to a 0.99 per cent decrease in cases and increases the doubling time by 1.13 days, implying a slowdown of the virus spread, he told PTI. The study also found that an increase in relative humidity tends to decrease the growth rate and doubling time of coronavirus cases by 1.18 days. The researchers, however, said since the study was not conducted during the period of high humidity starting from the monsoon and the onset of winter, more research needs to be undertaken to establish its exact impact. Dr Bijayini Behera of the department of Microbiology at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, who was part of the research team, said several studies suggested that a fall in the temperatures and a relatively low humidity facilitated such an outbreak in the past. The study also carried out an analysis of the impact of solar radiation on the spread of Covid-19. We found that a higher surface-reaching solar radiation leads to a reduction in the number of infections and an increase in the doubling time of cases, similar to that of temperatures, Vinoj said. There is an average temperature difference of seven degrees Celsius between the winter and summer seasons, he added. According to the study, there is a likelihood of an increased transmission of the coronavirus during winter, which may be a major challenge for health workers and policymakers to enforce mitigation and control measures. The objective of the study is to help authorities bring effective measures to combat the pandemic, Vinoj said. Project Runway producer-host Karlie Kloss and her husband of 21 months - venture capitalist Joshua Kushner - wore masks during a bike ride through Santa Monica on Saturday. California Governor Gavin Newsom made cloth masks or face coverings mandatory for all public outings on June 18. As of Saturday, there have been over 150K confirmed COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County, which has lead to 4,048 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University. Summer fun! Project Runway host Karlie Kloss and her husband of 21 months - venture capitalist Joshua Kushner - wore masks during a bike ride through Santa Monica on Saturday Gingham-print mask: California Governor Gavin Newsom made cloth masks or face coverings mandatory for all public outings on June 18 The registered Democrat duo began their romance in 2012, and the 27-year-old IMG Model converted to Judaism to wed the 35-year-old investment mogul in 2018. Joshua's big brother Jared is a White House Senior Advisor and the couple's sister-in-law Ivanka Trump is Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump, her father. 'I really followed my heart on choosing to be with the person that I love, despite any complications that came with it,' Karlie said of her marriage to In Charge with DVF on April 2. 'You know, I knew for me, it was worth it to fight for that.' '#WearADamnMask': The registered Democrat duo began their romance in 2012, and the 27-year-old IMG Model converted to Judaism to wed the 35-year-old investment mogul in 2018 (pictured Thursday) 'I chose to be with the person that I love, despite any complications': Joshua's big brother Jared (L) is a White House Senior Advisor and the couple's sister-in-law Ivanka Trump (2-L) is Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump, her father (pictured in 2016) Divestment postponed? On Wednesday, CNBC reported that Jared has decided to remain an investor in the $800M real estate tech start-up Cadre, which he co-founded in 2014 with Joshua and Ryan Williams Yikes! And this week, Ivanka was blasted for her tone deaf 'Try Something New' campaign as well as blatantly violating ethics laws for federal employees by publicly promoting Goya Foods On Wednesday, CNBC reported that Jared has decided to remain an investor in the $800M real estate tech start-up Cadre, which he co-founded in 2014 with Joshua and Ryan Williams. And this week, Ivanka was blasted for her tone deaf 'Try Something New' campaign as well as blatantly violating ethics laws for federal employees by publicly promoting Goya Foods. Kloss has never denounced her famous in-laws despite withering criticism from feminist influencer Tavi Gevinson on her 'hypocritical' May 28 anti-racism post. Career-wise, the Chicago-born blonde currently fronts the Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau de Parfum Supreme campaign shot by Quentin Jones. In a recent article about mail deliveries being delayed because of cost-cutting efforts by the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, there are numerous quotes from U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-9th Dist. Pascrell denounced the proposal, which includes leaving some mail at distribution centers for another day, saying it would be a stunning act of sabotage against our postal service. He further stated that Trump and his cronies (DeJoy is a Trump ally) are openly seeking to destroy the post office during the worst public health crisis in a century. Where was Pascrell's concern during the last two decades? I moved to my current address 20 years ago. At that time, I was receiving my mail around 1 p.m. Somewhere along the way, my mail started to arrive later and later in the day. These days, I receive it between 3:30 and 6 p.m. I cannot understand this because we were told that the cost of stamps had to go up due to the post office losing money because more people were using email instead. If this is true, why is my mail coming later and later? It seems Pascrells only concern here is to criticize Trump. Instead of focusing on getting rid of President Donald Trump, why cant all politicians get in touch with their constituents and find out what our concerns really are? Thats what we elected them for. Robert E. Malinowski, Point Pleasant Proposal could have numbing effect on patient safety As we battle COVID-19, leadership and collaboration between physicians and nurses is critical. The July 7 op-ed, These nurses were vital during the pandemic. Lets not restrict how they work, by Jonathan Katz, president of the New Jersey Association of Nurse Anesthetists, highlights the role nurses play. The article draws attention to a temporary waiver that was granted for certified registered nurse anesthetists to perform additional duties in the wake of COVID-19. This waiver was never intended to be permanent, since it could put patients lives at risk. Easing of rules during the pandemic was proposed to address potential shortages of physician providers which, fortunately, has not occurred. COVID-19 is unprecedented and physician anesthesiologists have been critical in many lifesaving efforts to combat the pandemic. Were proud to be on the front lines using our years of education and training to save lives. Laws in 46 states and the District of Columbia require physician involvement for anesthesia care to ensure patient safety. This supervision is supported by independent research and its elimination would not improve access to care or save medical costs. The work of all health care professionals during COVID-19 is invaluable. While we need all hands on deck to fight this pandemic, we cant compromise the safety of patients. Every patient deserves the highest quality care from a physician when it matters most. Gregg Lobel, M.D., Englewood The writer is the president of New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists. After Greatest Generation, not much asked of us The country is at war with an invisible enemy, COVID-19, and American citizens are the soldiers. We are not being asked to make anywhere near the sacrifices that our true soldiers make in a time of war. All we need to do is wear a mask, socially distance ourselves, wash our hands and be diligent. That is not much to ask from the citizens of the greatest country on Earth yet it seems to be. It is time for all Americans to step up and fight together as one. It is the only way we can win this war. Brian Millen, Ewing Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Saturday, July 18, 2020 Episode 9 A conversation with Jose Francisco Garcia Mazcorro Jose Francisco Garcia Mazcorro (Pepe) (Born in July 1982), is a scientist and educator who from 2000 to 2005 studied Veterinary Medicine and, in 2011, received a PhD degree from Texas A&M University. Upon his return to Mexico in 2012, Pepe and his wife, Alicia, who also holds a PhD from the same university, started a program they called Free Science Classes. Pepe currently spends most of his academic life working on various research projects related to the human and animal microbiome. He also has an interest in Social Philosophy and published a book on that subject in 2007. In this podcast interview, Pepe describes his work of taking science directly to children, provides some insights into Mexicos current political situation and the implications of the election in 2018 of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), and discusses the status of the COVID pandemia in Mexico, its consequences, and possible remedies to avoid an even more complicated scenario in the years ahead. You can learn more about Pepe and his work at his personal website athttps://sites.google.com/site/josefgarciamazcorro/home. Pepe also recommends this video about social distancing. Dawn Gomez holds her 3-year-old granddaughter, Saryia Greer, who waves at Vanessa Guillen's mural painted by Alejandro "Donkeeboy" Roman Jr. on the side of Taqueria Del Sol, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Houston. Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said. Read more AUSTIN, Texas - Spc. Vanessa Guillens family again called for a congressional investigation into the U.S. Armys handling of the slain soldiers disappearance Friday as her entire 3rd Cavalry Regiment gathered in memory of the soldier who authorities say was killed by one of their own. The 20-year-old soldier's mother, Gloria Guillen, wept Friday as she knelt by the altar inside the Spirit of Fort Hood Chapel, where her daughter's boots, helmet, weapon and military photograph were displayed. Several hundred military service members stood behind the Guillen family as they comforted their matriarch while she mourned. Guillen received full military honors during the memorial service. The memorial was the family's first trip back to Killeen since the soldier's remains were discovered near the Leon River in Bell County on June 30. The Guillen family, which is from Houston, lived in Killeen for nearly three months while searching for Vanessa Guillen after she was last seen on April 22. The family members garnered national attention as they held protests outside the post in Killeen and in Houston and Washington, D.C., demanding answers from Army investigators. Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who officials say killed himself on July 1, was accused of beating Guillen to death with a hammer while they worked together in an armory room the day she disappeared. Authorities have also accused Robinson's 22-year-old girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar of Killeen, of helping Robinson dismember, burn and bury Guillen's body about 20 miles away from the post. On Friday, the Fort Hood chapel fell silent as Army officials called out Vanessa Guillen's name three times during her final roll call. The silence was broken only by tears and the sounds of the ceremonial weapons firing in her honor. Lt. Col. Edward Gavin addressed the crowd at the start of the hour-long memorial, saying Guillen's death left service members with feelings of anger, depression, anxiety, fear, frustration and sadness. "This is difficult to discuss because the tragedy of her loss has forever changed our squadron and it has forever changed her family," Gavin said. "And we have so many questions, some of which may never be answered." Following Friday's memorial, Army officials escorted the family to the armory room where they say Guillen was killed. The soldier's mother and priest prayed a blessing over the room as they anointed it with holy water. The family then traveled to an off-post mural of Vanessa Guillen, where 16-year-old Lupe Guillen again called for a congressional investigation into her sister's death. "Today we went to a memorial for my sister Spc. Vanessa Guillen," she said. "They all expressed their condolences, but I said words are nothing. Actions speak louder than words. So if you want to take action, demand a congressional investigation as well. "I'm not going to stop," she said. "I'm not going to be silent because God gave me a voice. God gave me a brain and I'm using it as well. We're all children of God, so use your voice to speak up for Spc. Vanessa Guillen." The Guillen family maintained Friday that the soldier was sexually harassed while at Fort Hood. Those accusations are what sparked #IAmVanessaGuillen, the hashtag that became a platform where service members shared their own experiences of sexual harassment and assault. "This is a human issue, because this can happen to anyone," Lupe Guillen said while speaking about sexual harassment in the military. "My sister is one of many." The Guillen family, along with their attorney Natalie Khawam, plans to introduce a draft of a bill also called #IAmVanessaGuillen. The bill, if signed into law, would allow for a third-party organization to investigate reports of sexual harassment within the military. On Friday, the Guillen family extended an open invitation to anyone who wanted to travel to Washington on July 30 for a protest at Capitol Hill following the bills introduction. SOUDERTON All five of the people who applied to fill the Souderton Borough Council first ward seat that became open when Dan Yocum became mayor were "fantastic, super-qualified, well-rounded," council President Tracy Burke said at council's Jan. 17 work session as the board began discussion to reach a consensus on which to appoint following interviews of the candidates earlier... An outraged California woman reportedly chose to urinate on the floor of a Verizon store after refusing to leave for not wearing a face mask last week. In a 911 call obtained by CBS Sacramento, a dispatch operator told officers with the Roseville Police Department that three shoppers were 'refusing to leave.' The unidentified woman, who was not wearing a face mask, was asked to leave several times by Verizon staff but refused to do so each time. Verizon, like so many other businesses and major retail chains, now require customers to wear face masks while shopping at store locations amid the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, a woman reportedly urinated on a Verizon store floor after refusing to leave for not wear a required face mask (pictured) Three minutes later, the dispatch operator revealed to the officers that the upset woman had urinated on the store floor. 'Theyre calling back and advising that that female is pulling down her pants and is now urinating inside the business,' the operator said. Roseville police arrived at to scene and discovered the woman had been involved in other concerning behavior. A search through her vehicle revealed that she had stolen several items from a nearby Dicks Sporting Goods and authorities arrested her soon after. Residents who heard about the incident were shocked and appalled by the woman's irrational actions. 911 call audio revealed the unidentified woman was with two other people inside the Verizon store (pictured) at the time of the incident 'Absolutely not. Thats totally inappropriate. Were not animals,' said Michelle Davidson. 'Im very disappointed that we as a society choose to have this unity and let the virus divide us,' she added. 'I dont really have much to say except thats probably not the right way to react to it. Simply wear the mask or leave I guess,' Kelly Berger said. A Verizon spokesperson told CBS Sacramento that the incident wasn't just about its new mask policy, but did not elaborate about what happened. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Roseville Police Department and Verizon for further comment. Several instances of mask-induced wrath has cropped up in recent weeks as the public health measure became politicized amid a particularly divisive time in the United States. One such incident on Friday that involved a group of beachgoers who refused to wear mandated face masks and claiming they 'are killing us.' One man even offered to fight two Youtubers at the beach who were giving away free face coverings. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention 'recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings and when around people who dont live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.' California is among states that have implemented face mask mandates as cases surge in COVID-19 hot spots across the country. Nearly 800 military medics have been deployed to hospitals in Texas and California as coronavirus cases surge in each state The recent spike in cases across the Golden State prompted military medics to deploy to eight hospitals where staff was inundated with cases and struggling to stay afloat. In fact, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Sunday that the situation was so dire in his California city that authorities were considering a new stay-at-home orders. The Air Force, at California's request, assigned 160 people to increase capacity in intensive care units. California had been on a good trajectory with its virus efforts until mid-June. While the mask rule in California mainly mandates that face coverings must be work inside, they must also be worn outside if it's not possible to stay six feet away from others. On Sunday, the state had more than 380,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and just under 8,000 deaths. The United States has recorded more than 3.7miliion cases and 140,119 deaths. The Mercury News reports California counties reported 6,846 new cases and 91 deaths on Saturday. On Friday, there were 9,427 new cases and 112 fatalities. The majority of new cases are coming out of Southern California, were Los Angeles County counted nearly 3,000 new positive results, Orange County had 702 and SAn Diego County had 625. At the moment, 30 of California's 58 counties are on the Department of Public Healths watchlist - which could delay reopening measures and complicate plans to resume school in the fall. Before he was admitted to a Fort Bend County hospital, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.s dad had been complaining of an upset stomach for about a week. The 86-year-old went to the emergency room, describing bouts of diarrhea and constipation. He wondered: Could I have the virus? At the ER, the elder Alfonso Rodriguez was told he likely had a twisted bowel and was sent home. But days later he was admitted to the hospital and learned that he had COVID-19. Then the unthinkable happened the disease tore through their family, claiming the lives of Alfonso Rodriguez Jr.s father, his mother, Porfiria, 87, and his younger brother, Rudy, 55, in less than two weeks. I just kept thinking it was all like a bad dream, the 66-year-old said. A nightmare. Such heartbreaking stories have been playing out across Texas since COVID-19 cases started spiking again last month following the easing of governmental restrictions on businesses and daily activities. The resurgence has had a devastating impact on the states Latino community. In Harris County, for example, more than half of those hospitalized with the virus each week since late May have been Hispanic. Cases like the Rodriguez family also illustrate the cruelty of the disease, claiming the lives of elderly parents or siblings in the blink of an eye, often without a chance to say goodbye or to hold a loved ones hand. More Information Members of a Rosenberg family were devastated by COVID-19 last month. The family included: Alfonso Anzaldua Rodriguez, 86, a father of eight and the family patriarch, who died on June 19. Porfiria Morales Rodriguez, 87, Alfonso's wife of 68 years and the family matriarch, who died June 9. Rudy Rodriguez, 55, one of their sons, who lived with the couple and died on June 8. Irene Soliz, 61, one of the couple's daughters, who was hospitalized for COVID-19 after moving into the family's home to care for her mother and younger brother. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., 66, did not test positive after visiting with his parents Memorial Day weekend. He later had to arrange the funerals. See More Collapse If you dont think this is for real, youre wrong. Ive lost my mom. Ive lost my dad and Ive lost my brother, all in one fell swoop, said Alfonso Jr.. This is serious. Transmission among those living in the same household is occurring with COVID-19, said Dr. Prathit Kulkarni, an assistant professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. In a McAllen hospital, Juana Prieto and her husband Jesus mourned the loss of their 35-year-old daughter Jessica to the virus as they themselves were being treated, CBS News reported. Theres no words I can describe this. Losing your kid, my only daughter, Juana told a reporter. Although the elder Alfonso was initially told by doctors that he didnt have the virus, medical experts said members of a household can take steps to reduce risks in a household when a COVID-19 diagnosis is confirmed. It really depends on the details, said Kulkarni. Are they separating? Are they not? Are they wearing a mask? Are they eating their meals together? Are they wiping down all the surfaces? What measures are being taken impact the frequency with which it happens. In multi-generational families, he added, some are choosing to keep older or more vulnerable members of the household away from others, and if they interact with other household members, they wear a mask. On the Saturday before his dad was admitted to the hospital, Alfonso Jr. one of eight children spent the day with his parents and younger brother at their Rosenberg home. He stayed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The couples eldest son would often stop by the house on a Saturday or Sunday, bringing over an iced-down watermelon or cantaloupe for them to share at the kitchen table. His visits had become less frequent during the pandemic, as public health officials stressed how vulnerable the elderly are to coronavirus. Still, his dad urged him to come by. You need to come visit us, we miss you, he recalled his father saying. After his fathers ER visit days earlier, X-rays didnt find a twisted bowel. But the doctor still didnt think he had the virus. The elder Alfonso was given a couple of prescriptions and sent home again. His son remembered him feeling sick that day, but being in good spirits during their visit. By evening, though, the father said his stomach was upset again and he went to lie down. If he did have coronavirus, family members wondered, where did he get it? Alfonsos only trips had been to the grocery store and he took precautions. He always wore a mask, said Alfonso Jr. He always wore gloves and always had plenty of hand sanitizer. So, we really cant pinpoint that they were around somebody that was infected. Two days later, on Memorial Day, an ambulance transported the elder Alfonso to Oakbend Medical Center in Richmond. His daughter Irene Soliz, 61, then came over to take care of her mom and brother Rudy, who had suffered a stroke seven years earlier that left him paralyzed and unable to speak. Porfiria had heart issues as well as weak kidneys and lungs, and diabetes. Irene moved into the house temporarily, unconcerned about catching the illness herself. Soon, though, her mother and younger brother started having upset stomachs, too, and showing symptoms similar to the family patriarchs. Both of them started eating less. Within two days of being at the house, Irene also began experiencing stomach issues. One night, Irene went to check on her mom, only to find her lying on the bathroom floor. Irene picked up Porfiria, with the help of her brother, and assisted her back to bed. Early the next morning, her moms condition worsened. As Irene helped her mom to the bathroom, she could barely walk and then slipped and fell. Irene leaned her mom against the dresser and put a pillow behind her back. She looked like she wasnt there, like she was looking not at you but through you, Irene recalled. I said Somethings not right. Then, Irene called an ambulance for her mom. Irene next became concerned about her brother, Rudy. Does anything else hurt? she asked him. He touched his chest. Brother, youre gonna have to go the hospital, Irene said. You need to go. Rudy didnt want to go to the hospital, Irene said, but he eventually agreed. When Irene called the ambulance on June 3, just a few days after she had called one for her mom, Rudy looked troubled. He looked at me like he wasnt going to come back or something, Irene recalled. That evening, Irenes husband, two sons and daughter came by the Rosenberg home and sat outside under the trees on lawn chairs. Irene remained on the porch. Her family told her about a clinic in Stafford where she could get a rapid test for coronavirus. Irene had been tested a week earlier, at a site at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds, but she hadnt yet received her results. Meanwhile, Rudy had been placed on a ventilator shortly after being admitted to the same hospital as his mother and father. He died five days after being admitted. Alfonso Jr. couldnt fathom the news. He thought his younger brother would pull through. So did Irene. I couldnt believe it, Irene said. He was the last one to leave. He seems the strongest. A day later, on June 9, Alfonso Jr. called his sister with more bad news. Mommy, passed away, he told her. Irene was alone at the Rosenberg home, not wanting to risk making anyone sick. She said she relied on her faith. Im not alone, Irene said. Gods with me. Just before midnight, Irene drove herself to United Memorial Medical Center in Acres Homes. Her family followed behind to make sure she got there safely. She had completed her rapid test at the clinic in Stafford and received the results: positive. Irene had multiple COVID-19 symptoms: slight headache, poor appetite, loss of taste, upset stomach. Her family had pushed for her to be admitted to United Memorial Medical Center, which has been lauded for its success in treating COVID-19 patients. Alfonso Jr. was trying to hold it together for the family, making funeral arrangements for both his mother and brother. He couldnt sleep as he tried to console his brothers and sisters. He remembered what his mom had told him about being the oldest sibling. When were gone, youre gonna have to step up, Alfonso Jr. tearfully recalled her saying. Youre gonna have to be the glue of the family. Alfonso Jr. was also fighting to get his dad transferred from the community hospital where he was being treated. He thought maybe UTMB or a hospital in the Texas Medical Center might be able to do more. His sister, meanwhile, was undergoing intense treatment at United Memorial. She was given breathing and other treatments, as well as a range of vitamins, to help her stay strong and fight the deadly virus. On June 19, Alfonso Jr. called her with more devastating news: Despite getting his father transferred to UTMB, he had died too. Irene had been able to talk with him by phone early in the family crisis. Now Irene, who was isolated from family throughout her two-week stay at the hospital, again was alone when she learned about a parent dying. Theres nobody there to console her, said Alfonso Jr.. Nobody there to put their arms around her. Porfiria and Alfonso had been married for 68 years, building a large family of eight children as well as grandchildren and great-grand children. At their home in Rosenberg, the Rodriguez family took care of one another. A native of Westhoff in DeWitt County, the senior Alfonso had worked as a contractor. More recently, he had his own small lawn-mower repair shop He suffered a brain aneurysm several years ago, but had been in good health since, often cooking for everyone in the house. He could fix breakfast fast, making shredded potatoes, eggs, sausage, bacon and tortillas, in 20 minutes. Porfiria, born in Nordheim, maintained the house for the large family. She was quiet, but her warmth and compassion came through in her hugs. They said you could feel the love that my mother had, said Irene. The Rodriguez family loved gathering for celebrations. Often, the elder Alfonso would be the one dancing, usually with Porfiria, but when she got tired, he would pull in other relatives. She also loved listening to Los Luzeros De Rioverde, a Houston family music group. A Richmond native, Rudy made sure his mom took her medications. Before his stroke, Rudy also remodeled homes and worked as a roofing contractor. He loved watching old Westerns as well as attending family parties, where Irene would only let him have one beer. He would kind of laugh, said Irene. He snapped his fingers, like darn. The Rodriguez siblings are all struggling to cope with the sudden loss of their parents. When Alfonso Jr. had lawn mower issues recently, he wanted to call his father, who was a skilled lawn mower mechanic. I cant call him anymore, Alfonso Jr. realized After Irene was discharged from the hospital and took her second COVID-19 test, she immediately wanted to call her parents to tell them she had tested negative again. She realized she couldnt. I cant give them the good news, she said. brooke.lewis@chron.com Hyde Park mask protest london coronavirus Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images Hundreds of people gathered in London's Hyde Park on Sunday to protest face mask requirements. Face masks are currently a requirement on public transportation in the UK, and will soon also be required for stores. The protest was reportedly organized by the group Keep Britain Free, which claimed face-covering requirements are comparable to human rights violations. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Hundreds of protestors gather in London's Hyde Park on Sunday to protest mask mandates in light of the coronavirus, The Evening Standard reported. People gathered in the park beginning around 1 p.m. to listen to speeches at the march organized by a group called Keep Britain Free, the outlet reported. According to the group's website, they were "taking action" because they believe that the British government "has acted illegally and disproportionately over the COVID 19 lockdown." The group objects to mask requirements, along with social distancing and businesses closing down, calling them human rights violations. coronavirus mask protest london Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images The CDC and other scientific organizations around the world recommend wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A study released in June found that masks reduce the risk of infection, and likely prevented thousands of cases. coronavirus mask protest london Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images In England, masks are currently required on public transportation, and as of July 24 they will also be required in all stores. Failing to wear a mask can result in a 100 fine. Sky News reporter Ivor Bennett reported that while covering the rally and wearing a face mask, "two women with a baby accused me of pushing a government agenda designed to maintain order and keep the public living in fear." coronavirus mask protest london Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images Story continues Many of the protestors incorporated messages of conspiracy theories into their signs, like the idea that Bill Gates or others created the coronavirus pandemic as a way to digitally track people. Others incorporated anti-vaccine messaging. Some conspiracy theorists online have pledged not to get a coronavirus vaccine, which they believe could be a way to microchip and track people. At least one attendee wore a shirt referencing the baseless theory linking 5g technology with the coronavirus. Supporters of the theory have even set telephone poles on fire and harassed engineers setting up the connectivity technology. coronavirus mask protest london Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images The UK is the third hardest-hit country by the novel coronavirus, CNN reported last week, and shares widespread pushback against face masks with the two worst-hit countries, India and the US. Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the British science academy, the Royal Society, urged residents in a widely reported July 7 statement that "based on the growing body of evidence that wearing a mask will help protect others and might even protect you." "The UK is way behind many countries in terms of wearing masks and clear policies and guidelines about mask wearing for the public," Ramakrishnan said, asking citizens to consider covering their faces a key addition to social distancing and handwashing. Read the original article on Business Insider New Delhi: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (July 19) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of institutionalising lies and stated that the party is fudging data on coronavirus COVID-19 and related deaths, Gross Domestic Product figures and the recent standoff with China. Rahul took to Twitter to fire a fresh salvo at the ruling party and said, "BJP has institutionalised lies. 1. COVID-19 by restricting the testing and misreporting deaths. 2. GDP by using a new calculation method. 3. Chinese aggression by frightening the media. The illusion will break soon and India will pay the price." The tweet by the Congress leader also had an article by an international publication attached to it. The website claimed in its report that "Indias comparatively low death rates both as a percentage of total cases and per million population are something of a mystery." Earlier in the day, Rahul attacked the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre over its handling of the border issue with China, saying 'India will have to pay a huge price'. On July 17, Rahul had targeted the Centre over the India-China standoff in a few minutes long video stating since 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'constant blunders and indiscretions' have fundamentally weakened the country. Over the past few weeks, the Wayanad MP has been attacking the central government over various issues including COVID-19, Ladakh stand-off, migrant labourers and the worrisome state of the country's economy. Court ruling following alleged interference to internet VDSL A ruling was handed down in the Reykjavik District Court on July 8, in the case of Bjarni Sverrisson, TF3GB, against the Icelandic state; Case no. E-7441/2019 A translation of the post by Iceland's national amateur radio society the IRA reads: The case was heard in parliament on December 19, 2019 but was taken to court on June 10 after the main hearing. Outcome: The case was dismissed without a claim. The IRA's board of directors and the EMC committee will study the ruling which is at https://www.heradsdomstolar.is/domar/domur/?id=56216ad9-d72d-4e7e-b34e-88e680831264 The discussion of this issue is pointed out in the IRA Annual Report 2019/20, chapter 9.a on p. 97. Furthermore, the minutes of the Board of Directors (in the same report). Board meetings no. 4 / 2019-20 p. 141; no. 6 / 2019-20 p. 145 and no. 7 / 2019-20 p. 149, see http://www.ira.is/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/15022020-%C3%81rssk%C3%BDrsla-2019-20-pdf.pdf Judgment of the court: "From the above, it is clear that the plaintiff's neighbors' complaint became the reason for the Post and Telecom Administration to consider whether the plaintiff's broadcasts cause harmful interruptions to electronic communications at the neighbor's home within the meaning of the first paragraph. Article 64 Act no. 81/2003, on electronic communications, and whether there was a reason for the Agency to intervene for that reason on the basis of its authorizations under the same Act. It is also clear that the decision of the Post and Telecom Administration from October 29, 2019 is based on the fact that the plaintiff's broadcasts caused interruptions to telecommunications at the neighbor's home. It can therefore only be seen from the case file that the plaintiff's neighbor had significant, individual and legally protected interests in the resolution of the case at the administrative level. In light of this, it is the conclusion of the court that the plaintiff had to give his neighbor the opportunity to defend himself in the court case before him. As this was not done, it is inevitable to dismiss the case from the court without a claim, cf. Paragraph 2 Article 18 Act no. 91/1991, on the handling of civil cases ". Source IRA https://tinyurl.com/IcelandIRA Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 19:33:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) - The United States has reported 140,000-plus COVID-19 deaths and more than 3.71 million cases, both figures ranking first worldwide. - The Trump administration ordered hospitals to sidestep the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and report real-time patient data directly to the Department of Health and Human Services via a new platform. The move casts doubt upon data transparency and credibility. - Anthony Fauci described the racial disparities in the United States that have cropped up during the pandemic as a "very disturbing phenomenon that is a reality." WASHINGTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States has reported 140,000-plus COVID-19 deaths and more than 3.71 million cases as of Sunday morning, both figures ranking first worldwide, as the global tally of cases has topped 14.3 million with a death toll above 602,000. Despite skyrocketing caseloads, U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he won't issue an order at the national level mandating the use of masks, even as the country continued to break its single-day coronavirus case record amid a pandemic that is far from being contained. By contrast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday called on people in a statement to wear masks to prevent the pandemic's spread, with CDC Director Robert Redfield saying, "Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus." In this challenging era brought about by the pandemic, another move by the White House has led to increased worry among health experts, as the Trump administration on Tuesday ordered hospitals to sidestep the CDC and report real-time patient data directly to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) via a new platform "HHS Protect," or through a system called "TeleTracking." People line up to enter a department store in Brooklyn Borough of New York, the United States, on July 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Although the move casts doubt upon data transparency and credibility, Redfield defended the policy change, saying this would reduce their reporting burden, while the CDC team and other COVID-19 response teams still have access to hospital data, according to a CDC statement. However, Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate health committee, was skeptical about the TeleTracking contract, describing it as a "non-competitive, multimillion-dollar contract" for a "duplicative health data system," according to a report by The New York Times. The newspaper also quoted Rep. Donna E. Shalala of Florida, who served as Health Secretary under former President Bill Clinton, as saying, "only the CDC has the expertise to collect data." "Any move to take responsibility away from the people who have the expertise is politicizing," she said. A man with face mask performs a bubble show in New York, the United States, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Meanwhile, racial disparities in the United States have already made things worse. During a live chat with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, described the racial disparities that have cropped up during the pandemic as a "very disturbing phenomenon that is a reality." Fauci reviewed the situation of minority groups in the country, who are facing a higher incidence of chronic diseases and are at greater risk of infection with the coronavirus, calling on allocating resources to minority communities "right away." Although the racial problem is "not going to change overnight," Fauci said "let's at least do the things that we can fix now." The suspected rape and subsequent murder of a teenaged girl in North Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Sunday triggered violent protests in the Chopra area with a mob blockading National Highway 31 and setting ablaze government buses and police vehicles, demanding arrest of the culprits, police officers said here. Minister Goutam Deb said the incident should not be politicised. "It is a very sad incident. Investigation will be done and culprits will be punished as per law. We will be meeting the family of the victim on Monday." The girl was allegedly abducted after she went out of her house at Sonapur village near Siliguri on Sunday morning to answer nature's call. She was found dead after a few hours, and the villagers alleged that she was raped before being murdered. As police personnel were trying to lift the blockade, the mob set three North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses on fire and also set ablaze three police vans, the officers said. Security forces used tear gas shells to disperse the protestors. Reinforcements, including Rapid Action Force, were brought in to lift the blockade, officers said. However, tension continued to prevail in the area, said locals. (With inputs from PTI) In 1910 a young couple called Agnes and Alexander McCann and their two small children were living in Belfast. Theirs was what we call today a mixed marriage. Agnes, a Protestant, and Alexander, a Catholic, had married two years previously in a Presbyterian church. But Alexander had come under pressure from his parish priest, who informed him that the pair were living in sin and insisted they should be married in a Catholic Church. Agnes, however, saw herself as legally married and refused to go through a second ceremony. The pressure on Alexander intensified. One day he and the couple's two babies, a little boy and a little girl, just disappeared. The Church had won. Agnes was distraught. She walked the streets, asking everyone she met if they had seen her children. A Presbyterian clergyman called attention to her plight. Her story may be little remembered today, but in 1910 it was big news, and not just in Ireland. There were protests in London and even as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Questions were asked in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords. In Belfast the public response followed time-honoured tradition. There were riots. Everyone was getting their spoke in - churchmen and politicians, different religions, different sides of the community, all keen to make their point. How much thought, though, did any of them really give to the human heartbreak at the centre of the story? A young family torn apart, a mother desperately searching for her stolen babies. That all happened over 100 years ago. One of the saddest aspects of the story is that it doesn't read like ancient history. Even today, in the 21st century, marrying someone from "the other side" can still bring trouble. A new publication from the Northern Ireland Mixed Marriage Association tells the stories of several couples who were forced to leave here in the more recent past for the heinous crime of falling in love with someone from another religion. It's entitled Exiles In Love, which, despite sounding a bit Mills And Boon-ish, accurately sums up the predicament they and many others faced: having to choose between leaving behind families and friends and all they knew, or remaining in a place where they had to deal with abuse and often very real threat. Many couples still face that hard choice. All the stories in the book are a mix of shocking, saddening, heart-warming and touching. These are true love stories. Jimmy McClelland and his wife Anne, who now live near Durban in South Africa, were forced to flee as the Troubles intensified in the 1970s. "Mixed marriage was never our problem, but other people made it theirs," he said. The couples who tell their stories in the book describe the hostility they faced. Paint daubed on their homes. Animosity from the neighbours. The fear of attack. They left because they had no option. How many other couples were forced into exile too? How many other marriages and relationships faced with such pressure didn't last the course? The book is part of a series produced by Nimma and sponsored by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund. It's aimed primarily at secondary school children. The series is written and edited by Paul McLaughlin, a tireless and dedicated worker for Nimma and a quiet hero in promoting reconciliation. Nimma argues not just acceptance of mixed marriage, but for more availability of integrated education and shared social housing. In the book the story of Agnes and Alexander is told by Nimma chairman Ken Dunn in his short but powerful history of inter-church marriage in Ireland. It is not a story with a happy ending. Alexander, it later transpired, had been helped to relocate with the couple's son and daughter to far-off Pittsburgh in America. Alone in Belfast with her grief and her despair, Agnes McCann never saw or heard from her children again. Banksy has the making of money down to a fine art Sometimes I find myself totally out of step with the arts world. In a word: Banksy. I don't get Banksy. Sure, he seems to be a talented stenciller, and yes, much of his work is quite clever in a T-shirt slogan sort of way. But as for profound statement: a little girl letting go of a heart-shaped balloon? It's hardly Picasso's Guernica. Nonetheless, Mr Banksy's art is regarded as extremely cool and commands big bucks. It adds to the mystique of his brand that he keeps his identity secret. This week he allowed himself to be filmed completing an installation on a London Underground train carriage. It featured a sneezing rat. Banksy is big on rodents. And a nod to quarantine. "I get lockdown. I get up again." Experts have suggested that the Banksy-decorated Tube carriage could have been worth 1.5m had it been put up for auction. Unfortunately, the cleaners got to it first. They uninstalled his installation. It seems they didn't recognise the greatness they were obliterating. Questioned later by bosses, they did say they remembered cleaning off some "rat thing". The workers were only doing their job. Transport for London has a zero-tolerance approach to graffiti. Even the arty stuff. Banksy has now been invited back to redo his stencilling in a more appropriate place. But the whole point of graffiti is that it it's inappropriate. Cleaning it off is the real art. Banksy might even agree. In sales terms, he's been cleaning up for years. Expand Close Rishi Sunak Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rishi Sunak No masking our confusion Someone in authority needs to sort straightforward rules on masks. It's all very confusing. Not least because there are many sorts of masks. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been pictured out and about in one with a valve. But apparently the valve makes the thing worthless since it allows coronavirus germs a free escape route. It's too leaky, Rishi. Is the Depp mask any better though? The actor favours a striking bandanna wrapped around the bake. Stylish, yes. Effective? The jury's out on that one. Expand Close Johnny Depp, wearing a face mask PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Johnny Depp, wearing a face mask Subs near-miss gives me that sinking feeling Scariest transportation story of the week was the report of the near-miss (in 2018) between the Stena Belfast to Cairnryan ferry and a nuclear submarine. There were almost 300 people on board the ferry. The nuclear sub underestimated the ship's speed and came within 50 to 100 metres of it, which in submarine social distancing terms is frighteningly close. What was a nuclear sub doing there in the first place? Are they expecting Vladimir to invade the Isle of Man? None of this is terribly reassuring. But Taia wanted to be a generous mining master, paying above average Sierra Leone wages (so, over a buck fifty a day) and promising to put 2-3% of the company's profits back into the local communities. They even offered the local Penguia chiefdom a silent stake in the company -- without any real power and in exchange for putting their small-time prospectors to work discovering the precious veins they could no longer call their own. Continue Reading Below Advertisement It soon became obvious to the Sierra Leoneans that whatever Wright's good intentions were by having impoverished Africans sift for gold, it wasn't going to pan out like that. Despite his many promises of wealth and prosperity, Wright and his partners never managed to drive their mining concern into the ground. (In their business, is a bad thing). Unable to hit actual paydirt, Taia's mining concern began to cave and the company had to start tightening its belt. Not that the miners of this ethical African mine had any belts to begin with. The Sierra Leonean workers soon began complaining of missed wages and not getting the protective work clothing they had requested -- something Wright's detractors qualified as pretty conflicting to his conflict-free mining promise. Drone operators are stationed onsite to operate the drones and scan the airspace for conflicting air traffic. iQ Healthtech Labs was established earlier this year by the Innovation Quarter to help orchestrate partnerships between anchor institutions, such as Wake Forest Baptist, and industry leaders looking to advance health-tech solutions into the marketplace. Last year, UPS and Matternet initiated the first revenue-generating drone delivery service at WakeMeds flagship hospital campus in Raleigh. Wake Forest Baptist joins Novant Health Inc. in offering health care drone services involving PPEs and critical medical supplies. Novant began its services in the Charlotte and Huntersville markets in late May through a partnership with Zipline, which provides drone flight services. Over the next two years, the partnership plans to expand beyond emergency operations in the Charlotte area to regular commercial operations, subject to approval under FAA Part 135 rules, to serve health facilities and patients homes across the state. Despite the wishful thinking of all too many Americans, it is now clear that the COVID-19 is going to be a fact of our lives for the foreseeable future. After an initially successful effort to Bend the curve of infections back in the spring, many states including California rushed unwisely to reopen and restore some sense of normality. As a result, we are seeing an explosion of cases across the country. Its unclear when or how the spike can be controlled, and even less clear when life may be back to what we used to think of as normal, if ever. That leaves us with double-digit unemployment, a small-business community facing financial ruin, and local government staggering under the weight of massive tax revenue losses on top of increased costs for pandemic-related safety measures. Plenty of cause for concern, no reason for panic We already know how to deal with flu-like illnesses, the editorial board says, so stay calm, be smart, and seek out reliable information. Congress, in a rare fit of bipartisan goodwill, stepped in robustly at first, with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, passed in late March. It was a $2 trillion effort, aimed primarily at stimulus checks for individuals and families and loans to businesses to retain workers in the face of shutdowns. The results have been messy to be sure, with some less-than-small businesses getting large checks while truly small businesses got nothing, with stimulus checks arriving in the bank accounts of the recently deceased. But on balance, Congress probably saved the United States from an even greater economic catastrophe than it now faces. Unfortunately, many of those important stimulus measures expire at the end of July, a deadline written into law back when we hoped this might all be over by now. Now that it is painfully clear that it is far from over, Congress needs to act quickly on a new stimulus package. Our View: This can't be the new normal Something is profoundly wrong when our only choice is to die in a fiery conflagration or be plunged into extended darkness that would be an embarrassment to a Third World power grid operator. In May, the Democrat-led House of Representatives took the first step, passing a $3 trillion bill known as the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions, or the HEROES Act. After meeting some initial resistance in the Republican-led Senate, there seems to be some small movement to pass the bill, or something like it. Among other provisions, the bill would extend the $600-per-week unemployment boost to supplement state benefits, extend a new round of direct stimulus checks for individuals and families, create protections from evictions and debt collection, provide relief for struggling renters and mortgage-holders and those facing burdensome student debt. Unlike the first round of relief from the government in March, and perhaps most importantly, this bill includes $1 trillion in relief for struggling state, local and tribal governments. We met recently with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and he told us this is a key feature of the bill. Our View: Digging deeper into traffic issues If youve been around government for very long, it is easy to sigh and say Great, just what we need another study. But sometimes, we really do. Local government is really at the tip of the spear with this and theyre running out of money If we dont get some kind of financial relief then they will start laying people off, Thompson said. They have to balance their books. Not only would this cut into vital public services, but it would add to the already swollen ranks of the unemployed and further exacerbate our economic crisis. The bill also includes some money for school districts, he said, but probably not all the money that would be necessary to reopen in-person classes safely. He said people seem not to understand the huge burden schools will face, including Additional costs associated with sanitation and hygiene, additional costs associated with installing Plexiglas, social distancing with the kids. Fully reopening schools may require additional federal relief for local districts, he said. Thompson told us that a second, seemingly unrelated bill passed by the House will also assist with recovery from the pandemic. In late June, the House passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that, in addition to the traditional road and bridges kind of construction, includes various clean energy and carbon reduction measures pushed by Thompson. It includes money for electrical grid improvements and to build up broadband infrastructure for underserved areas. Not only would the bill create jobs in the construction and clean energy industries, it would strengthen our efforts to combat infectious diseases by improving internet access for remote learning, working and telemedicine. We urge the Senate to act quickly on the HEROES Act and the infrastructure bill and we commend Thompson for his work in support of federal relief for struggling government and residents. Closer to home, Thompson told us he is active in trying to boost the response to the U.S. Census, which is under way now. He is participating in events across the district, including virtual parades through key neighborhoods encouraging residents to fill out the Census. This effort is vitally important. Not only will it determine how many members of Congress each state will have, it also determines how much federal funding each state will get in a variety of important programs, including highway funding, nutritional programs for children, and rates for payments to physicians under Medicare. We urge all residents to provide information to the Census to guarantee an accurate count and to join Thompson in encouraging others to do so. Watch Now: Know the basics of social distancing The Napa Valley Register Editorial Board consists of Publisher Davis Taylor, Editor Sean Scully, and public members Cindy Webber, Ed Shenk, Mary Jean Mclaughlin and Chris Hammaker. Government threatens to over-rule local authorities by imposing lockdowns Iran Press TV Saturday, 18 July 2020 5:53 PM There is growing confusion and concern over the government's threat to over-rule local authorities by imposing local lockdowns in England the event of sharp rises in coronavirus infections. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, appeared to half-heartedly devolve some power to local authorities by claiming that new powers would "enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks where speed is paramount". But Johnson also added in a tweet that: "Where justified by evidence, ministers will be able to close whole sectors or types of premises in an area, introduce local stay at home orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce maximum gathering size, or restrict transport systems serving local areas". The confusion over potentially overlapping or conflicting powers was exacerbated by transport secretary, Grant Shapps, who earlier today claimed that central government reserves the right to over-rule local authorities. Speaking to Sky News, Shapps said: "They [local councils] will have the powers and they will be able to act immediately, wherever that's required but the powers will be there, which is a change in order to make these things happen faster and be more responsive to the position on the ground". But Shapps was careful to add: "Ultimately, government has ultimate power and control". The confusion over lockdown powers and the government's threat to use these powers arbitrarily comes on the heels of localized rises of Covid-19 infections in several parts of England. The latest places to come under scrutiny are Wakefield in West Yorkshire and Burton in Staffordshire. Previously the government came under sharp criticism after it imposed a lockdown on the City of Leicester with little advance notice. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Revenue Commissioners have contacted 5,000 companies about their eligibility for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), with those deemed to have abused the scheme set to face an in-depth probe into their financial affairs. Last month Revenue announced a compliance programme which will cover all companies which availed of the support. It was a surprise to tax advisers as Revenue had originally said it would take a risk-based approach to compliance in relation to TWSS, which would have meant only firms which sparked some concerns would have faced further checks. To date, the scheme has provided more than 2bn in support to more than 62,000 employers in respect of 611,000 employees. Around 405,000 employees are receiving support through the scheme. In a written response to a parliamentary question from deputy Steven Matthews, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said: "Where a business was clearly not eligible for the scheme or failed to pay the correct level of subsidy to its employees, or abused the scheme in any other way, there will be a requirement to repay the funds received. "Any identified abuse of the TWSS will also lead to a more in-depth examination of the employer's overall tax position." In a statement to the Sunday Independent, Revenue said it expects letters to employers "will confirm that the vast majority of employers are fully compliant in their operation of the TWSS. We have had a very positive and prompt response from many employers contacted as part of the programme to date. However, as the programme is expected to last for several months, no further detailed information is available at this time." Meanwhile, CCAB-I, an umbrella group for several accounting organisations, wrote to Revenue to raise concerns about the fact that all employers would be targeted in the compliance campaign. "The employers' compliance programme is far more extensive than the risk-based compliance approach noted in Revenue's guidance. While it is understood that Revenue have a duty to ensure that TWSS payments are only paid to eligible employers, taxpayers also have a right to consistent information on how the scheme operates," it said. Ayame Stamoulis, 18, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder The NYPD arrested a woman Thursday after the body of a man was found wrapped in plastic on the roof of a McDonald's in the South Bronx. Ayame Stamoulis, 18, from Brooklyn, was charged with murder for the grisly killing of Richard Hamlet earlier this week, who was tortured before his remains were thrown from his apartment window. A maintenance worker discovered Hamlet's body covered by a heavy U-haul blanket and placed in a plastic bag early Wednesday morning but police believe he could have been on the rooftop for several days. Officers are hunting for two other male suspects believed to have been involved in the botched robbery and torture. Richard Hamlet was found dead inside a plastic bag and covered with a heavy U-Haul blanket on Wednesday morning. Ayame Stamoulis, 18, has been arrested for his murder Richard Hamlet's body was found on the rooftop of a McDonald's in the South Bronx, NYC When officers arrived at the location of the fast food restaurant on 279 East 149th Street at around 6am Wednesday morning, they discovered the victim 'unconscious and unresponsive'. EMS responded to the scene in the Melrose neighborhood and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Video footage from WABC showed them assessing the scene and removing evidence before carefully taking down the body. The remains were later identified as Hamlet, who cops now believe to have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong. Police say Stamoulis and the two men broke into Hamlet's first floor apartment on E 149th St. in Melrose in what appears to have been a robbery attempt, according to ABC 7 NY. However, the group found Hamlet still in his apartment and proceeded to beat him. They then allegedly forced him to drink a caustic liquid and choked him. Hamlet's body was wrapped in the plastic and blanket and thrown from the window onto the McDonald's roof next door. The other two suspects have not yet been named as the investigation continues. Stamoulis has been charged with murder, manslaughter and gang assault, burglary and other crimes according to New York Daily News. EMS pronounced the Hamlet dead at the scene. It is believed he was tortured before his death Investigators are seen analyzing the scene on Wednesday morning after the 6am discovery The discovery came a day after the body of a tech millionaire was discovered beheaded in his Manhattan apartment in an unrelated killing. Fahim Saleh, 33, who was born in Saudi Arabia and whose family comes from Bangladesh, was found dismembered. He grew up in New York and lived in Manhattan. Authorities discovered an electric saw on the scene. Saleh ran a motorcycle company in Nigeria but it was banned by the government. His former personal assistant Tyrese Devon Haspil, 21, has since been arrested for his murder. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips to NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are strictly confidential. Love and marriage. Most people seeking a romantic partner would like to find both. Unfortunately, many marriages end in divorce. In the US about 39% of couples end up parting ways, which is better than statistics from the past, but still quite high. Worldwide, between 1970 and 2008, (the most recent available statistics), the divorce rate doubled from about 2.6 divorces for every 1,000 people who were married, to 5.5 divorces per 1,000 married people. People get divorced for many reasons including suffering from irreconcilable differences, cheating, money problems, falling out of love, abuse, substance abuse, and other factors. When you compare countries, there is a vast difference from one to the next in terms of how many people experience successful marriages. Part of this difference may lie in how divorce is accepted or not accepted in certain cultures, and whether or not couples feel they can succeed economically on their own, should they part ways. Research has shown that, in the US, people are more likely to divorce when the economy is doing well, as they feel they face better job prospects, and would be more likely to succeed on just one income. Whether or not this plays a role in other countries is not certain. So, who is sticking together and toughing it out over the long haul in marriage? Here is a glance at the countries with the lowest divorce rates around the globe as per the news report here. 1. India 1% People living in India can proudly say they have the lowest divorce rate of all countries in the world. Are the marriages all a resounding success? Perhaps but perhaps not. As Devdutt Pattanaik writes, In India, everybody is either married or on the way to getting married. The unmarried man arouses curiosity, the unmarried woman pity. Pattanaik describes on Qrius.com how in Indian society, the vast majority of marriages are still arranged, and people accept that. In fact, an IPSOS survey in 2013 found that about 74% of young Indians actually prefer an arranged marriage. But for the rest of Indians love life is not always so traditional. People have affairs, have many wives or husbands, engage in cross-dressing, take on lovers for pleasure, and do what people do all over the world in romance. They just do not get divorced. According to Pattanaik, the notion of divorce in Indias legal system is highly connected with religious beliefs, and this could be what is dissuading people in the country from seeking an actual legal parting of ways. 2. Chile 3% Somewhat surprisingly, people in Chile are also living with a very low divorce rate. This is surprising only because life in Chile is certainly quite different from life in India. Chileans live with rules regarding marriage that are connected to the countrys Constitution. In this document it states that the family is the fundamental basis of society. It was not until 2004 that the Civil Marriage Law was enacted in Chile. This was the first time that marriage was regulated by the law in the country. As such, it was also at this time that divorce existed in law for the first time for Chileans. It could be for these reasons that the divorce rate is so low in the country, although more Chileans are divorcing now than before. 3. Colombia 9% A marriage ceremony in Colombia. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Colombia may have a low divorce rate, but the prevalence of cheating in marriage in Colombian culture is high. It is also true that Colombians may not officially get divorced, as most Colombians are Catholics, but that couples do break up and go their separate ways. Up to an eyebrow raising 66% of Colombian men and women admit to cheating on their partner at least once, making this the most unfaithful country in all of Latin America. Does marriage count if the quality goes down the drain? Thats up for debate. 4. Mexico 15% Typical regional Mexican Wedding parade know as Calenda de Bodas - Oaxaca, Mexico. Image credit: Diego Grandi/Shutterstock.com Here is another predominantly Catholic country with a low divorce rate. Again, couples do separate, but statistics show that few actually divorce. The number of people who get divorced is going up in this country, however. From 2001 to 2017, registered divorces in Mexico rose from 57,370 to 147, 581, more than doubling. Some sources say that this rise is due to the fact that fewer Mexicans are actually getting married in the first place, which is inadvertently pushing the divorce rate higher. In 2008 almost 60% of couples between 15 and 29 years old decided to go ahead and get married. By 2018, that percentage had dropped to 42.8%. Couples in this age group are still together, but existing without a legal union. 5. Turkey 22% A traditional turcoman nomad wedding festival. Bride and groom are dancing in Koycegiz, Mugla, Turkey. Image credit: Umut Rosa/Shutterstock.com In Turkey, civil law states that if a marriage has broken down irretrievably, a couple can get divorced. Still, there is much stigma attached to getting divorced in Turkey. This is a Muslim country and as such allows for divorce as it was originally sanctioned over 1,400 years ago in Islamic law but the practice is looked on poorly in reality. Divorce in Turkey is generally seen as something controversial that simply breaks a family apart, and leaves women more often than men being ostracized by their community. The main reason women seek a divorce in this country is because of domestic violence. Reports say women are seeking divorce more often now not because they are facing more conflict but because they now have more confidence to follow through in seeking their own freedom. More women now work in Turkey, and as such, have become more aware of their rights as individuals. About 15% of marriages in Turkey are still child-bride marriages but peoples views are becoming more modernized. These factors all contribute to what will likely be a rising divorce rates in years to come, but a current national divorce rate that remains quite low. Depending on the country and reasons behind couples splitting, both a higher divorce rate and a low one can be seen as a positive force. The important thing overall is not that people stick together in their promised unions but that they are true to each other and themselves, and move on if they are unhappy. At least, that's what we think. This webinar discusses legal issues relating to zoning and land use. Navigating the complexities of local land-use and zoning laws is critical to virtually any commercial real estate transaction as well as to the long-term flexibility and continued use and operation of a property. Zoning laws may limit the types of operations that can go on at the property. Legal issues relating to land use include easements (the right of access or other limited non-ownership interest in property) by government, utilities, and other entities, and issues relating to eminent domain. The ability of an owner or potential owner of property to obtain required permits and approvals from local planning boards, zoning boards, construction officials and other government/public entities is central to the interests of sellers, buyers, lenders, neighbors, and in some cases even competitors, all of which may take a position in the applicable proceedings. This webinar covers these topics. To learn more and register, click here. The webinar will be available on-demand after its premiere. As with every Financial Poise Webinar, it will be an engaging and plain English conversation designed to entertain as it teaches. About Financial Poise Financial Poise has one mission: to provide reliable plain English business, financial and legal education to investors, private business owners and executives, and their respective trusted advisors. Financial Poise content is created by seasoned, respected experts who are invited to join our Faculty only after being recommended by current Faculty Members. Our editorial staff then works to make sure all content is easily digestible. Financial Poise is a meritocracy; nobody can buy their way into the Financial Poise Faculty. Start learning today at https://www.financialpoise.com/. Back in June and July 2020, months before the presidential elections, former Vice President Joe Biden's various policy platforms were misinterpreted by critics and were picked apart. One of those who misinterpreted the platforms of the Democratic candidate is President Donald Trump. A particular statement that Biden made about health care for undocumented immigrants was twisted and was reported without context as his policy. Biden's take on immigrants Social media users are now asking if the Democratic candidate said that U.S taxpayers had the obligation to shoulder the healthcare of 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. According to the site Snopes, Biden was misquoted and his words were twisted by the right-wing party. The quote was from a clip shared by BlazeTV, a right-wing media organization. The clip was shared back in May 2019 with the title "Joe Biden Says the U.S Obligated to Give Free Healthcare to Undocumented Immigrants." In the video, a reporter asked the former Vice President if he thinks that undocumented immigrants that are law-abiding should be given federal benefits such as Medicaid and Medicare. Also Read: Fact Check: Did George Floyd Appear on 'Judge Judy'? Biden said that anyone who is in a situation where they are in need of healthcare, regardless of whether they are documented or not, the government has the obligation to see that they are cared for and that is the reason why there should be more clinics in America, as reported by CNN. During the June 2019 Democratic presidential debates, Biden said the same thing. In an interview with Telemundo back in December 2019, he also talked about his plan of having undocumented immigrants buy into the system like everyone else under the Affordable Care Act of ACA. Trump using Biden's statement On July 14, 2020, President Trump misrepresented Biden's policy after it was presented by the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces. Trump then said in his speech at the White House that Biden wants health care for all illegal aliens. However, the task force actually recommended extending the Affordable Care Act coverage to DACA recipients. The extension will allow undocumented immigrants to purchase the unsubsidized coverage in the ACA marketplaces. The plan can help ensure that everyone in the United States has access to health care. Under the proposal, it is not true that taxpayers will be the ones to pay for the health care of undocumented immigrants. The undocumented immigrants could have the choice to pay for their health coverage through the ACA exchange marketplace but they won't have access to the government subsidies that U.S citizens use. Brookings estimated back in 2019 that there are 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Currently, undocumented immigrants can't enroll in Medicaid, purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace, or access the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP. There are some state-funded or locally-funded health programs that provide coverage to undocumented immigrants. Safety-net clinics and emergency health services are available to undocumented immigrants, which Biden is an advocate of. In conclusion, even though Biden did say that the United States had an obligation to make sure that immigrants get health care, his views were twisted and misrepresented and do not reflect his current policy. Biden would extend health care access to undocumented immigrants through the marketplace, it was different from the taxpayer-funded, government-subsidized plan that Trump made it out to be. Related Article: Mike Pence Says Biden Is a 'Trojan Horse' With a Similar Radical Agenda to Sanders @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The worlds first limb transplant from a living donor was successfully conducted in April by surgeon Nguyen The Hoang and his colleagues at the Upper Limb Surgery and Microsurgery Department of Hanois Central Military Hospital 108. Dr. Nguyen The Hoang, Deputy Director of Hanois Central Military Hospital 108 (Photo: thoidai.com.vn) Hoang was the first Vietnamese and the fourth Asian person to receive a German award in the field of science. In 2008, Dr. Nguyen The Hoang was among five who made history in world medicine by carrying out the worlds first double arm transplant in Munich, Germany. In 2013, Hoang returned to work at Hanois Central Military Hospital 108. He had always nurtured a wish to perform such a surgery in Vietnam. In 2020, Hoang and his colleagues performed the first successful limb transplant from a living donor. Pham Van Vuong was given a new left hand after losing it four years previously in a work accident. The surgery took 8 hours. Vuong recalled Doctor Hoang called me to inform me that I would receive a hand from a living donor. 4 days later, the surgery was performed. After the surgery, I was elated to see my new hand. After the surgery, Vuong was taught how to move the fingers of his new hand. A month later, he could hold objects. According to the hospital, there have only been 89 successful limb transplants anywhere in the world, including 24 in the US, 13 in China, and 11 in France, but this is the first transplant of a hand donated by a living, conscious donor. Dr. Hoang has previously performed thousands of microsurgery and free-flap reconstructions. He said We must be very careful to ensure the patients safety. We need to take into consideration functioning so that the transplanted hand will function like a normal hand. After receiving the German science award, Hoang received many job offers, but he decided to return to Vietnam to work. I want to use what I have learned to contribute to Vietnamese medicine. Vietnam is my homeland, Hoang added. Dr. Hoang led a field surgical team during the years of fighting in Cambodia. Back then, Hoang, 22, had just graduated from the Military Medical Institute and volunteered to serve in a combat zone. VOV5 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 19, 2020 14:37 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066789608 1 Books #literature,#Illustration,#literary,#books,#LalaBohang,#author,#people,#profile,#artist Free Fresh off her residency in Berlin and Kassel, Germany, artist and author Lala Bohang said she originally applied two years prior, but did not receive the spot until a year later. Those who know me would know Im generally a slow person when it comes to new things, so applying for a residency outside Indonesia is really a brave move on my part, she said in an Instagram Live session hosted by Goethe-Institut Indonesien. Hailing from Makassar, South Sulawesi, Lala has always been interested in fairy tales, as can be seen from her whimsical and fantastical illustrations. Though she received her degree in architecture at Parahyangan University in Bandung, West Java, she would find her passion in her drawings and writings, which soon propelled her to become a household name in the Indonesian illustration scene. Whimsical: Artist and author Lala Bohang majored in architecture, but was drawn toward writing and illustrating. (Courtesy of Lala Bohang/-) Luckily for Lala, the residency program she applied for Literarisches Colloquium Berlins Crossing Borders gives artists freedom on their chosen topics, as long as their work relates to Germany. Because of this, she applied to research the social construction of female characters in German and Indonesian fairy tales, noting the similarity in both countries enthusiasm for the genre. Since German fairy tales are largely synonymous with the works of the Brothers Grimm, it is only fitting that Lala spent some time in Kassel, where the museum Grimmwelt Kassel is located. The museum was amazing, and I saw how the brothers would collect these tales from women in the 1800s. Whats interesting is why they collected these tales, which turned out to be because many women were illiterate at the time. One of the things women at the time would do to amuse themselves is by getting together and telling these tales. Because the brothers were philologists and interested in the origins of German language, they decided to compile these oral tales, she explained, adding that the narrations were often influenced by the womens interests. While in Kassel, Lala also interviewed several people, and asked what gender they would assign to the tales. Surprisingly, all of her respondents said that the gender was male, even though tales came from women. Lala said she became interested in researching the Brothers Grimm tales because her childhood was spent with her grandparents, who would read her fairy tales. I think that influenced a lot of how I think about women I still remember up until my 20s, my dream was to get married quickly because of value instilled [in me] was that marriage would solve all lifes problems, even though it generally adds more of them, she said. The second value she got from all those years of fairy tales is a black-and-white sense of morality, where one is either good or bad, and that good people will come across many misfortunes in their lives. Slowly, as these values changed in my head for me, I then realized that these tales can be dangerous, as Im sure there are other kids like me out there who are just as naive. Personal reflections: Lala's books are often filled with musings on life, both general and personal. (Courtesy of Gramedia/-) As for both countries folk tales, she noted that in terms of characters, the Disney-fied versions of the Grimm fairy tales and Indonesian folk tales were the same in terms of presenting a black-and-white duality, and also focusing on young women longing for a man to marry. But even so, these Disney-fied stories are sanitized versions of the originals. For example, in Disneys Snow White, the ending sees the eponymous character living happily ever after with her prince, whereas in the original, the queen is put to death via dancing in red-hot slippers. In her research, Lalas aim is to create a mash-up book of sorts, set in a universe where characters from both Indonesian and Grimm folk tales meet and interact with each other. Of course, the characters here are more than just mere crossovers, but rather a reflection on their original stories. After all, Lalas books have been vessels for reflection, such as The Book of Invisible Questions, which muses on topics both general and personal, as well as The Book of Forbidden Feelings musings on life. The context is that they live in different eras; they interact and retell the circumstances of their respective stories. I want them to no longer be black or white, good or bad, but for each to have their reasons. (ste) A SIGNIFICANT quantity of cannabis was seized when gardai searched a car which was parked on the main street of a Limerick village. Ten separate packs of the drug, worth an estimated 54,824, were found in a black plastic bag which was located on the passenger seat of the vehicle. Alan Callinan, 40, of Mohane, Bruff, has pleaded guilty to possession of the cannabis resin at Main Street, Hospital, on February 7, 2018, for the purpose of sale or supply. During a sentencing hearing, Sergeant David McGrath said the defendant was the sole occupant of the car and that he was very cooperative with gardai when they approached the vehicle. The drugs, he said, were wrapped in individual slabs which are known in the drugs trade as nine-ounce bars, When questioned, Mr Callinan told gardai he had collected the drugs from another person earlier in the evening and that he was waiting for instructions when arrested. The drugs were put into the car near the village, he was told it was cannabis. He was waiting for a phone call as to where and when to deliver the drugs, said Sgt McGrath. Judge Tom ODonnell was told the defendant owed a debt of between 35,000 and 40,000 and that he admitted carrying out two other deliveries in the weeks preceding his arrest. Michael Collins SC said his client a father-of-two was part of the process of delivery and that he was transporting the drugs for other individuals. He was a delivery man, he was bringing the drugs from the wholesaler to the distributor, he said adding Mr Callinan was under pressure. In reply to a question from Mr Collins, Sgt McGrath accepted the defendant had no choice but to comply and that he did not receive any payment. The barrister said his client, who had a cocaine addiction in the past, had enjoyed a party lifestyle for a time and had accepts responsibility for his actions. He pleaded early, he took ownership day one, he said urging the court to be as lenient as possible. But for his addiction, he would not be in the bind he is on, said Mr Collins who added that the defendant has worked in the past. Judge ODonnell was urged to note the defendants cooperation and his guilty plea as well as his efforts to address his addictions. The judge said the quantity of drugs seized was of concern and he adjourned the matter to facilitate the preparation of a probation report. For a place where some didn't have a problem when boys in balaclavas ruled the roost, we're proving remarkably reluctant to embrace face masks. I get it that they can be uncomfortable and inconvenient, but please let's drop the conspiracy theories and the bleating about how we are being 'muzzled'. This is from the same people who equated lockdown with "house arrest". Certainly question the science behind face masks and why there's been a u-turn in official advice on wearing them. But don't present it as a major civil-rights infringement by an authoritarian state. Get angry with Big Brother for the Investigatory Powers Act which allows the government to hack our phones, computers and tablets to collect all communications. But spare me your rage about how covering your mouth and nose when you're in a shop is a gross violation of your human rights - especially if you've had nothing to say about the gross violations exposed in the cases of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. Some desperately try to equate the government's stance on face masks with those countries which force women to wear the niqab. But there is no issue of discrimination with face masks. They are not about dehumanising one gender, turning them into anonymous things. They are not based on seeing the bodies of one group of people as dirty or shameful. They are focussed on stopping the spread of a killer virus. This is about protecting the most elderly and vulnerable in our society, not about subjugating anybody. Men and women, people of all classes, religions and political views are being asked to wear masks to save lives. Northern Ireland looks set to follow Scotland and England this week and make masks compulsory to enter shops. They are already mandatory on buses, trains and ferries. Masks are certainly not a panacea, and there is conflicting scientific evidence on their effectiveness. They're not bullet-proof. But if surgeons and theatre staff have worn them for decades to reduce the risk of infection, they clearly have merit. There's some protection for the wearer, but the stronger evidence is that they protect others from catching the virus from you. Personally, I find masks hot, stuffy and claustrophobic. I hate wearing them, but I'd hate more to have a tube connected to a ventilator inserted down my throat. Sacrifice is not a shopper donning a face covering for a half-hour visit to the supermarket. It's an NHS worker wearing full PPE for a gruelling 12-hour shift. It's our care home residents being locked away without visitors for four months. When the Executive, as anticipated, this week approves Robin Swann's recommendation on wearing face masks, there must be clear public health education on how to wear them properly. Many people don't, and so risk cross-contamination. The argument that mandatory mask wearing will scare the public away from shops and increase the likelihood of a prolonged recession is false. Unless we keep Covid-19 under control, we're facing a second lockdown or, at the very least, lots of localised lockdowns, which will inflict far greater damage on the economy than comprehensively dealing with the virus now. Surveys show that men are more resistant than women to facial coverings because they fear it make them looks weak and vulnerable. The opposite is true. Opting for protection is a sign of strength and responsibility. It's about caring for yourself and your community. So quit this constant complaining. Just wear the damn mask and stop being a snowflake. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available The mayor of Portland, Oregon, blasted the Trump administration Sunday for the way federal agents have been responding to the protests that have engulfed the city over the past weeks. The tactics that the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are abhorrent, Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, said on CNN. People are being literally scooped off the street into unmarked vans, rental cars, apparently. They are being denied probable cause. And they are denied due process. They dont even know whos pulling them into the vans. The people arent identifying themselves. And, as far as I can see, this is completely unconstitutional. Advertisement The mayor criticized the Trump administrations tactics as Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late Friday sued the Department of Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court as part of an effort to obtain a court order that would prevent federal agents from arresting people in Portland. Demonstrations against systemic racism have continued nightly in Portland since police killed George Floyd on May 25. Videos from the protests have shown agents arresting protesters and putting them in unmarked SUVs. Rosenblum is seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Although Wheeler had been among the local officials who complained that a small group of violent demonstrators were taking attention away from the larger group of peaceful demonstrators, he is now accusing the federal agents of making the situation worse. The complaint filed by Rosenblum on Friday says unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off the street without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action. Rosenblum went on to blame the federal agents for the current escalation of fear and violence in downtown Portland. Advertisement Advertisement The stories out of Portland recently have been reminiscent of those that come out of authoritarian governments. Mark Pettibone, for example, says he was detained by men wearing military fatigues and generic law enforcement patches as he walked home from a protest and was later put in an unmarked minivan. No one ever told him why he was detained. On Sunday, three House committee chairs demanded that government watchdogs investigate the use of force by federal agents against protesters. Reports from Oregon this week make clear that this misuse of resources and personnel remains a growing threat, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, and House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney wrote in a letter to the inspectors general of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. The Democratic lawmakers noted that the Trump administration appears to have increasingly abused emergency authorities to justify the use of force against Americans exercising their right to peaceful assembly. Advertisement Advertisement Early Sunday, Trump pushed back against criticism by tweeting that we are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. He also defended his administrations actions in Portland during an interview on Fox News Sunday. If you look at whats gone on in Portland, those are anarchists, and weve taken a very tough stand, Trump said. If we didnt take a stand in Portland, you know weve arrested many of these leaders. If we didnt take that stand, right now you would have a problem. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. LEAMINGTONPolice say a woman was shot and wounded in Leamington early Sunday. Essex County provincial police say they are looking for a female suspect. The incident, which apparently followed an altercation, occurred at a home around 1:30 a.m. Police had no information on what might have prompted the shooting. They did say the victims injuries were not life-threatening. They also warned against approaching the suspect. A feared bikie boss has been stabbed to death in a violent street fight just days after fronting court over a pub brawl with a rival gang. Pitasoni Tali Ulavalu, president of the Comancheros' Canberra chapter, died from knife wounds to his neck at a Canberra bar about 12.05am on Sunday. The 48-year-old was at Kokomo's nightclub in the CBD when he was stabbed in the melee before staggering outside and collapsing on the pavement. Witnesses reported screaming and seeing punches being thrown amid the chaos as the fight spilled down the road. Photos showed what appeared to be a body within the crime scene covered by a white cloth, with just his shoes poking out. Pitasoni Tali Ulavalu, president of the Comancheros' Canberra chapter, died from knife wounds to his neck at a Canberra bar Photos showed what appeared to be a body covered by a white cloth Blood and bloodied clothing were also left strewn across the street, The Canberra Times reported. One witness said she saw a body lying at the scene unresponsive for some time. At least 35 police officers converged on the nightclub from around Canberra but Ulavalu was already dead by the time they got there. ACT Police said 'a number of people' were involved in the fracas, and that his death was being treated as suspicious. No one has been arrested. Detective Acting Superintendent Matthew Reynolds said a second man was injured in the brawl and rushed to hospital. The 48-year-old was at Kokomo's nightclub in the CBD when he was stabbed in the melee before staggering outside and collapsing on the pavement Ulavalu (left) has ACCA - a gang motto that means 'Always Comanchero, Comanchero Always' - shaved into his head and took over the chapter in 2018 'The second man has non-life-threatening injuries and we will be speaking to him when we are able to,' he said. The fight was captured on CCTV inside the nightclub and police called for anyone who may have other footage of the fight to come forward. 'There is CCTV of the incident and there were quite a number of people involved in the disturbance at the licenced premises,' he said. Ulavalu faced court on Tuesday fighting charges of affray and assault over a brawl with the rival Nomads gang in January last year. Police allege he and three other Comancheros walked into the Southern Cross Club in Woden and confronted four Nomads. The court heard one of the Nomads was punched in the face and suffered a broken nose that was bleeding profusely in front of onlookers. About 35 police officers were called to Bunda Street after the brawl broke out outside the Kokomo's nightclub and spilled down the road Police are pictured at the scene early on Sunday morning. Several other people are believed to have been injured in the chaos AFP forensics teams pictured examining the scene outside the Kokomo's nightclub on Sunday morning A woman dining at the pub with her family told the court she feared they would be 'collateral damage' from the fight. Ulavalu has ACCA - a gang motto that means 'Always Comanchero, Comanchero Always' - shaved into his head and took over the chapter in 2018. He was the victor in a power struggle with Peter Zdravkovic, who was later shot by junior Comanchero Axel Sidaros who was jailed for attempted murder. Bars and clubs in the territory have only recently been allowed to welcome up to 100 people as social distancing restrictions are eased. Police are expected to comment further on the incident later on Sunday morning. The deadly brawl follows a 44-year-old man being killed in a fight outside the Kingston Hotel in Canberra's inner-south on July 5. Portland Police Association Building Burned During Another Night of Rioting The Portland Police Associations office building was set on fire over the weekend as rioting continued in Oregons largest city, with no signs of easing. Rioters broke into the associations office around 10:45 p.m. on July 18, according to the Portland Police Bureau, while others blocked nearby North Lombard Street with dumpsters, which were soon also lit on fire. Within a few moments of the break-in, the rioters, many of whom wore helmets and carried clubs and shields, ignited a fire inside. As the fire was set, some chanted, black lives matter! Video footage showed a desk in the building on fire, which police officers were able to put out later. As police officers arrived to respond to the break-in and arson, most of the rioters fled. Officers declared the situation a riot due to the violent conduct of the large group creating a grave risk of public alarm, the bureau said in a statement. Federal law enforcement officers use pepper spray and tear gas on demonstrators in Portland, Ore., July 19, 2020. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters) Officers and rioters clashed. People in the crowd hurled projectiles, including rocks, smoke bombs, and paint-filled balloons, injuring some officers. Order was restored by 11:30 p.m., police officials said. At the same time, a different crowd of hundreds of people was downtown, barricading doors around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. They used fencing that had been erected around two city parks where people tried establishing a so-called autonomous zone. While most of the groups energy was focused on the federal courthouse, others blocked a gate to the Justice Center, which typically houses several hundred inmates and police officers. Federal officers deployed tear gas and other crowd-control measures in response, according to video footage from the area. People remained downtown for several more hours, police said. The Portland Police Association didnt respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Rioters use garbage cans, umbrellas, and other materials as makeshift shields during clashes with law enforcement in Portland, Ore., on July 19, 2020. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters) Meeting Portland officials are trying to get federal officers to stop making arrests and ultimately leave the city. Federal officials have pushed back. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who traveled to the city on July 16, said he wouldnt order officers to withdraw. A federal courthouse is a symbol of justiceto attack it is to attack America, he said in a statement, referring to the Hatfield courthouse, which has become the epicenter for many of these protests. Instead of addressing violent criminals in their communities, local and state leaders are instead focusing on placing blame on law enforcement and requesting fewer officers in their community. This failed response has only emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, told reporters in a virtual briefing July 17 that he wasnt invited to meet with Wolf, and wouldnt have met with him even if he was invited. Rioters use fencing to barricade an exit from the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore on July 17, 2020. (Mason Trinca/Getty Images) Things appeared to be winding down before federal officers stepped up their enforcement, Wheeler asserted. Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he didnt meet with Wolf; the bureau later said that the Portland Police Associations president, Daryl Turner, attended an event with the secretary. Turner has spoken out against Wheeler and other officials. In a statement released July 8, he said the police union has no confidence that City Council will stop the rioting and looting and protect the safety and livelihoods of all Portlanders. Officers have been called murderers, pigs, and white supremacists by activists and others, including members of the council, Turner said, urging Councilmembers to remind people that officers are humans and to stand up to condemn the violence unfolding in the streets. The council includes Wheeler, Commissioner Amanda Fritz, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, and City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero. Wheeler is also the police commissioner. Federal officers prepare to disperse a crowd outside the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland, Ore., on July 17, 2020. (Mason Trinca/Getty Images) Hardesty, who has supported defunding the Portland police department, called on Wheeler to transfer control of the police to her. We know that Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner met with DHS Secretary Chad Wolf. We know Portland Police are collaborating with this federal occupying force, she said in a statement. Wheeler should stop denying that violence is perpetrated by his own officers and urge the police not to collaborate with federal officers, Hardesty said, adding: I demand action right now. Mayor Wheeler, if you cant control the police, give me the Portland Police Bureau. Wheeler said July 18 that he directed staff who work for federal law enforcement to remove themselves from the police bureaus incident command. While sharing a space helped facilitate clear communication, based on recent actions by federal law enforcement officers, I am not comfortable having them in our space, he said. Wolf responded July 19, calling the decision dangerous and arguing that it puts lives at risk. Local police & federal law enforcement benefit by regular communicationnot less. This decision defies logic & plays politics with officer safety, Wolf said on Twitter. MANDEL NGAN, Contributor / AFP via Getty Images (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trumps presidential campaign is paying for ads on Facebook Inc.s social media platforms urging supporters to sign a petition banning Bytedance Ltd.s TikTok, as the White House ramps up rhetoric to restrict the video app in the U.S. TikTok has been caught red handed by monitoring what is on your phones Clipboard, read all the ads that are running on Facebook and Instagram. Viewers are encouraged to sign the petition now to ban TikTok, according to the ads, which direct users to a survey where they have to input personal information including their email address and mobile number. Amritsar, July 19 : A controversy has erupted over the placement of a picture of two semi-naked women striking different poses -- similar to those depicted in Ajanta and Ellora caves -- at an upcoming renovated photo gallery at the Jallianwala Bagh amid portraits of national heroes and first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev. The International Sarv Kamboj Samaj has lodged a strong protest with Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- who is the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust President -- and demanded the removal of the offending picture from the national memorial to the Indian freedom struggle. The Jallianwala Bagh complex is currently undergoing a massive makeover in this historical city of Punjab. Authorities say the renovation/restoration began on February 15 under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India and will reopen to the public from July 31. The Centre has allocated Rs 20 crore in the first phase through the Ministry of Culture. The renovation work is supervised by BJP member of Parliament Shwait Malik, who is also a trustee of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust. He last visited the galley on July 17. "The Jallianwala Bagh is no less than a pilgrimage centre for every Indian. Hundreds of people, comprising schoolchildren and families, visit it every day to pay respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the country," International Sarv Kamboj Samaj President Bobby Kamboj told IANS. He said it was a "shame for us when we came to know on Saturday that authorities had put on display the picture of semi-nude women in the gallery, which houses a collection of portraits and paintings of national heroes and Sikh gurus". He said the martyrs have been "insulted" by such display of an offensive picture in the gallery. In a letter to Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he said the trust had also insulted the martyrs by setting up a ticket window right in front of the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh at the main entrance. It demanded the shifting of the ticket window as well. The objectionable picture is placed close to a portrait of Sikh monarch, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, also known as Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab) for his bravery and one of the most revered heroes in Indian history. A large portrait of Guru Nanak Dev is installed on the right side of that picture. A big statue of Sikh warrior Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, who had the distinction of consolidating the Sikh rule in India in 1711, has also been set up in the gallery along with depiction of glorious contribution of 'Gadri Babas' (revolutionary fighters) in the national freedom struggle. "I have no information about the installation of the picture of two semi-naked women in the gallery," trustee Malik told the media on Saturday. In fact, he was caught on camera while standing in front of the offensive picture during his last visit to the gallery. "I will inquire (about the semi-naked picture) and only then comment," he added. Located in the vicinity of the Golden Temple complex, the Jallianwala Bagh witnessed one of the bloodiest massacre of the pre Independence era when at least 379 civilians were gunned down on April 13, 1919, by British India Army on the orders of Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer. Over 1,000 others were injured. The incident catalysed the Indians' struggle for freedom. Under renovation is an old well -- the martyrs' well -- within the park, which is a silent witness to the brutal killings on April 13, 1919. It is going to be put under a dome-shaped see-through fibre-glass canopy. (Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in) Dr Da Costa Aboagye, the Director of Health Promotion of the Ghana Health Service, on Sunday called on Ghanaians to strictly adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols to help overcome the virus. He noted that the country's COVID-19 recovery rate of about 85 per cent was encouraging and said if citizens followed the safety protocols, the infection rate would continue to fall. Four months after recording our first case, though the cumulative case count has exceeded 27,000 we have defied alarming predictions of overwhelming infection rates and deaths, Dr. Aboagye told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra. The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, together with all health care workers, he said, were managing the recorded cases well thereby contributing to the high recovery and low mortality rates compared with other countries. With the current ease of restrictions, Ghanas active case count has seen a sustained decrease trend amidst a few spikes, Dr Aboagye said. From around 7,000 active cases in June to 5,000 plus cases in early July and currently about 3,500 cases. Though this pandemic is caused by a novel virus and is full of uncertainties, the current trend is a good sign of reduced infection rate at a time when some activities are allowed. Dr Aboagye, who is also the leader of the Risk Communication for the National COVID-19 Response Team, said Ghanaians must continue to adhere to the safety protocols in the midst of sustained health education and promotion. He asked the public not to be discouraged by the increasing cumulative case count as it included a large proportion of recoveries and did not tell the true picture of the nations current state. The focus should be on the active cases which stand at 3,871 since this represents the current number of positive cases we are managing in our hospitals and isolation centers, he added. The Ghana Health Service explains that part of the 488 new cases recorded on July 19, 2020 was from samples taken between the periods of June 13 to July 13, 2020 but reported from the laboratory on July 14. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 21:50:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe recorded one COVID-19 death on Saturday, bringing the country's death toll to 25. The deceased is a 36-year-old woman who was admitted in a Bulawayo hospital on July 16 with a persistent cough and tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said in an update Sunday morning. COVID-19 cases rose to 1,478 after 58 new cases were reported Saturday. These include 21 citizens who returned from South Africa, 16 from Botswana and 21 local cases. Two of the local cases are contacts of known confirmed cases and the minstry said investigations were underway to establish the source of infection for the other 19 cases. One person recovered from the infection, increasing the total number of recoveries to 439 while active cases are 1,014. To date, the country has done a cumulative total of 100,376 COVID-19 tests. Enditem LOMIKO TAKES ACTION ON CRITICAL METALS Vancouver, B.C., July 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR, OTC: LMRMF, FSE: DH8C) (Lomiko or the Company) announces that it has engaged Kenmar Securities, LLC of New York (The Advisor) to raise $ 40 million Cdn for acquisition and development of critical metals projects. Kenmar Securities, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability corporation and SEC-registered securities broker-dealer and FINRA member. The Advisor will assist the Company in analyzing its business, operations, properties, financial condition and prospects, prepare suitable marketing materials, contact any potential partner companies, assist and advise the Company with respect to the financial form and structure of any potential transaction. This year is the start of the Electric Vehicle Revolution. Lomiko would like to become part of the Battery Material supply chain stated Mr. A. Paul Gill, CEO. The Company agrees that, should the Company, or any affiliate of the Company, consummate any Transaction with a Referral pursuant to this Advisory Agreement, from the Effective Date through a period lasting until the twenty-four (24) month anniversary of the cancellation or termination of the Advisory Agreement, the Company shall pay to the Advisor, or cause the Advisor to be paid, at the funding of such Transaction, a success fee (the Success Fee) equivalent to five percent (5.0%) of the gross proceeds raised from the Transaction, which is equivalent to the total amount received or to be (and actually) received by the Company, from one or more Referrals. The Advisor cannot be certain that any amount of financing will be made available by its Referrals. The payment of fees under any transaction is subject regulatory approval. For more information on Lomiko Metals, review the website at www.lomiko.com, contact A. Paul Gill at 604-729-5312 or email: info@lomiko.com. On Behalf of the Board, A. Paul Gill Story continues Chief Executive Officer We seek safe harbor. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Attachment A. Paul Gill Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR) 6047295312 apaulgill@lomiko.com Cairns has been flagged as a new schoolies hotspot for grounded Year 12 leavers unable to travel abroad due to the pandemic. South Pacific and Asian countries such as Bali and Vanuatu have grown increasingly popular in recent years as teenagers ditch overcrowded sites along Australia's east coast. But with international flights likely to remain off the cards until next year, adventure tourism company Schoolies XP has put forth a new contender for the end-of-school celebration. Cairns has been pitched as a new schoolies alternative for grounded school leavers unable to travel abroad. Pictured is the Cairns Esplanade The 'Island Dayz' all-inclusive package gives Schoolies the option of a week-long island hopping cruise tour around Far North Queensland, departing in Airlie Beach and arriving in Cairns. 'Whether it be partying on a boat in the Whitsundays, exploring Magnetic Island, bungy jumping in Cairns, or snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, Island Dayz incorporates the best tours, experiences and destinations on Australias East Coast,' the companys co-founder Chris Braat told the Cairns Post. 'We have put together a trip that incorporates some of the most Instagrammable destinations, hottest parties, and unforgettable experiences on the planet, cramming the best of the best into one all-inclusive week.' Year 12 Cairns graduate Elyra Callander said she cannot wait to disembark on the first tour leaving the Whitsundays on November 22. 'This tour looks awesome,' she said. South Pacific and Asian countries have grown increasingly popular for Schoolies celebrations in recent years. Teenagers attend a party in a nightclub during Schoolies Week following the end of the year 12 exams on November 25, 2013 in Kuta, Indonesia 'I was looking at going to the Gold Coast, but to be honest we want something more than just drinking and partying and we are finding it hard to get our entire group in the same hotel.' Schoolies Week, a three-week graduation festival celebrated by Australian Year 12 school leavers each year, usually begins around mid-November. The Gold Coast is home to the country's largest schoolies celebration but events are also held in Byron Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Airlie Beach and Lorne. Island Dayz tickets go on sale from 6pm on July 21 and cost from $1299. President Trump famously prefers to deny, distort and obstruct difficult truths rather than contend with them. That has held constant from Russian interference to the Ukrainian affair and from an ill-attended inauguration to a hand-altered hurricane forecast. But a pandemic, measured by such incontrovertible facts as positive tests, crowded hospitals and lost lives, is considerably more difficult to cover up. That hasnt stopped him from trying. The Trump administration last week abruptly shifted control of important coronavirus data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to top officials at Health and Human Services, the Cabinet department that includes the CDC, alarming public health experts within and outside the administration. The move took information on virus-related hospitalizations, intensive care capacity, staffing and crucial equipment and medicine away from an ostensibly apolitical, science-driven agency charged with managing pandemics and health statistics, putting it in the hands of political appointees close to the president. Bizarrely, administration officials also threatened to get the military involved in collecting the data. Hospitals have reported the statistics in question to the CDC since March using a long-established system known as the National Healthcare Safety Network. As of last week, however, Health and Human Services directed hospitals to start submitting the information to the department through TeleTracking, a Pittsburgh company awarded a $10 million no-bid contract to create the new system in April. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the chambers health committee, questioned the contract last month in a letter to CDC Director Robert Redfield, noting that despite deficiencies in existing data, the establishment of the TeleTracking system at significant cost duplicates the collection of data that was already being reported. While the CDCs data and processes could certainly be improved, that doesnt justify cutting the agency out of a long-standing core function. A chorus of epidemiologists, hospital officials and virus trackers have joined in Murrays concern, noting the lack of a convincing rationale for the change and fearing the agency would be sidelined as a source of transparent, objective, scientific information on the pandemic. The tracking website COVID Exit Strategy reported Wednesday that the centers data on hospital capacity had gone dark. A CDC scientist supervising coronavirus data collection told National Public Radio that the new system lacks the track record and the expertise that were able to provide. Administration officials maintained that the change was meant to speed and improve reporting of the data and that the information would continue to be available to the CDC and the public. Their track record does not recommend confidence in their good intentions, though. The White House, after all, is bullying the CDC over school safety guidelines that Trump considers too stringent to accommodate his political goals. Four former CDC directors spanning Democratic and Republican administrations wrote in response that they could not recall over our collective tenure a single time when political pressure led to a change in the interpretation of scientific evidence. The White House also attempted to discredit the nations single most trusted source of information about the pandemic, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, by deploying opposition research with all the grace and subtlety of a mudslinging city council campaign. And despite the continued struggle to mount enough testing to stem the outbreak, Trump has often questioned the value of detecting cases on the grounds that revealing the scope of the pandemic makes him look bad. None of this constitutes a departure from the presidents habit of distorting reality to serve his purposes. But it is Trumps most audacious and destructive adventure yet in managing perceptions at the expense of managing the country. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. I cant believe Im doing takeaway food. I dont do takeaway. Never used Uber Eats, never Deliverood. Apart from the odd fish and chips by the beach, I havent eaten takeaway since the special combination fried rice from Mee Ging in St Kilda as a kid. It took a global pandemic to change me into a takeaway king. Suddenly, the restaurants I missed the most began to offer takeaway. Not just any takeaway, but takeaway for people who dont normally do takeaway, by people who dont normally do takeaway. Illustration by Simon Letch. Credit: The real pivot came when chefs redesigned the format so the cooking was finished at home. This changed the end result (as long as you didnt stuff it up) from something lukewarm and steamy to something fresh, hot and delicious. By refusing to compromise on quality and detail, they have inadvertently created a whole new dining sector. In Sydney, Josh Nilands daily-changing Mr Niland At Home menu was a revelation. One day, it was whole Murray cod ready for you to bake at home in a crust of salt pastry, the next, swordfish moussaka or smoked red gurnard and seaweed pie, ready to pop in the oven. In 1969, Matt was elected President of the Mid-State Associates. Utilizing the business knowledge he had acquired in Milwaukee, he guided the firm on an expansion program. In 1970, the firm moved to a new and larger building at 1111 8th St. The firm had grown to 16 full-time employees by this time and MSA had broadened its areas of expertise to include more environmentally oriented projects and expanded its Architectural Division. As the firm continued to grow over the course of the next few years, by 1976 it was necessary to add 1,500 square feet to the existing 8th Street building. By this time there were about 25 full-time employees and the company had opened branch surveying offices in Mauston, Wis., and Galena, Ill. During this six-year period, engineers, surveyors, and environmental staff were added to make MSA a stronger and more diversified firm. By 1983, it became apparent that it would be necessary to either expand the 8th Street building or build a new one. Matt and the Board of Directors had the foresight to construct a new 16,000-square-foot building in the Madalon Industrial Park on the Citys west side that continues to serve as their corporate headquarters. When Mid-State Associates moved into their new building in May 1984, the number of full-time employees had swelled to over 34, making them the 13th largest consulting engineering firm in Wisconsin. Shortly after moving into their new facility, Mid-State Associates saw the need for the expansion of testing facilities to provide sampling and analysis of both water and wastewater in accordance with EPA regulations; consequently, the firm added environmental testing services with three full-time employees. Within three years, a new laboratory building was erected on a site adjacent to their main office building and the laboratory staff grew to seven employees. A subsequent expansion of the laboratory building allowed for staff growth to 23 scientists and assistants with space for state-of-the-art computer technology to serve the companys growing list of clients. KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSNW) - A 47-year-old Kansas priest who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Christopher Rossman, who formerly served at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Baldwin City, admitted that investigators found child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy tablet. Medha Dutta Yadav By Hugh Edwards perfectly clipped British voice welcomes you as you log in for a tour of Cardiff Castleshaped by almost 2,000 years of history. From Romans to the Victorian aristocracyall have left an indelible mark on the structure and the atmosphere around the castle. As you let your cursor take you wandering over the Roman and Norman features of this Welsh castle, you come to what is perhaps the most recent addition to the castlethe North Gate, built in the 1920s. The gate was originally Roman, informs Hugh, before the English decided to fortify it further. In fact, zoom in and you can still see a few reddish bricks of the Roman age that are a part of the gate. With Hugh explaining the various cosmetic changes the castle underwent over the years, other characters enter with their opinions. You have the Reverend Richard Warner, for example, sounding extremely unhappy about the initial changes brought on by Lancelot Capability Brown. We were not pleased, he says, thrilling you with the dramatics as you almost envision the deep frown on his face. The app uses inputs by archaeologists, members of the Bute family who last owned the castle, and also the staff who worked under them. The tour is divided into two partsone a detailed tour, and the other a smaller one for family. The role play wonderfully draws the viewer in. The castle may ooze charm today, but it has had its fair share of darkness thrust on it by the many occupants. In a hushed and solemn voice, Hugh speaks of Rollins White, a local fisherman and a Protestant, who was imprisoned here at The Black Tower during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary in the 16th century and later burnt at the stake. Later, as times changed, two Catholic priestsFather Philip Evans and Father John Lloydwere locked up here till they were finally hanged, he says. Probably one of the best things about the audio guide is the fact that the grandson of the Fourth Marquess of Butewho once spent his childhood years herelends his insights. Peregrine Bertie and his brother stayed as children in a nursery in what was reputedly the most haunted part of the castle. Now, in his sunshine years, Peregrine remembers how one night his brother was gently pushed out of his bed, as if by a ghost hand. But we did not actually see anything, he says. Makes it sound even more alluring, we say! Cardiff Castle was finally handed over to the city of Cardiff. Today, it is a favourite with tourists and is also leased out for weddings and functions. Press Release July 19, 2020 Drilon to LGUs: No need to dance Cha-cha; SC ruling on higher IRA for LGUs cannot be reversed or set aside by Congress or executive Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon expressed readiness to block fresh attempts to push Charter Change (Cha-cha) in Congress amid a pandemic that has infected over 65,000 Filipinos, left over five million in the country out of work and crippled the economy. "Ang kailangan natin ngayon ay pagkain hindi sayaw na Cha-cha. Yung walang hanap-buhay ang malaking problema ng bansa ngayon. Kaya dapat i-lockdown na ang Cha-cha na ito dahil masyadong divisive," Drilon said in an interview over radio station DzBB on Sunday. Drilon believes that the real motive behind fresh attempts to revive Cha-cha is to postpone the 2022 national and local elections and remove politicians' term limit. "Ako ay may tiwala sa ating kasamahan na makikita nila na hindi para sa kapakanan ng bayan ito. Haharangin ito sa Senado," Drilon added. "The chance of it being passed in the Senate is very small. We in the minority are ready to fight it." Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said that Cha-cha is not among the priorities of the Senate. Drilon said the local government units should not be worried about their higher IRAs, saying that the Executive nor Congress cannot set aside nor revise the ruling of the Supreme Court in the Mandanas case in 2019. Last week, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) had passed a resolution seeking the Charter amendments purportedly to institutionalize the Mandanas ruling of the Supreme Court and lift the restrictions on foreign investment. Drilon, a veteran lawmaker and a former justice secretary, however, said there is no need to institutionalize the so-called Mandanas ruling as he explained that the ruling of the Supreme Court that the"just share" of local government units under the Constitution should be computed and sourced from all national taxes and not just from the national internal revenue taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue cannot be disregarded nor changed by the executive nor Congress. "The interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court cannot be repealed or revised by Congress. Under our system, the interpretation of the Supreme Court as to what the Constitution means is supreme and cannot be revised," Drilon said. "When the Supreme Court ruled that the 'just share' of the LGUs under the Constitutions means all taxes collected by the state, then the higher IRAs for LGUs must be implemented and Congress nor the executive cannot disregard it. Therefore, there is no need for institutionalization of the decision, because it is already institutionalized," he stressed. "Yung sinasabing pag-i-instutionalize ay rason lamang iyan na ginagamit dahilan sa kahit hindi natin institutionalize iyan, iyan ay institutionalized na dahilan sa decision ng Korte Suprema," he added. Pursuant to the ruling of the Supreme Court, the higher IRA for LGUs is set to take effect three years after the promulgation of the decision. The Department of Budget and Management in news reports said the higher IRA for LGUs will take effect in 2022, Drilon noted. The minority leader also said that the objective of removing restrictions on foreign investment, something that he supports, could be achieved by way of legislation. He cited, for instance, the various economic laws in the past Congresses, including the Cabotage Law that allows entry of foreign cargo vessels to call at multiple ports, and Republic Act 10641 that allowed the full entry of foreign banks in the country. In the 18thCongress, he has authored twin economic bills: the amendments to the Public Service Law and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act. "Huwag na po tayong sumayaw ng Cha-cha. It can be done through legislation and we will do it in the Senate,"Drilon said. Robert Hoyt, the founding editor of the National Catholic Reporter, liked to tell the story of naming the groundbreaking independent weekly newspaper in 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri. As a courtesy, he met with the local bishop hoping for his blessing if not his support. Overseas Arrivals Limited to 350 in Sydney International arrivals in Sydney will be limited to 350 people a day under tighter COVID-19 restrictions to ensure returned travellers dont overwhelm the New South Wales health and hotel quarantine system. Announcing the decision on July 19, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the step was necessary to make sure the state stays in a strong position to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease. Our number one priority is the health and safety of the people of NSW, and this new cap will help us protect our state from COVID-19, Berejiklian said in a statement. NSW is the gateway to Australia and it is important that passengers returning home do not overrun the capacity of NSW Health and hotel quarantine. The new airport cap will apply from 12.01 a.m. on July 20 under an agreement with the federal government. It further reduces the current cap of 450 people introduced on July 5. Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres said Australians have been given plenty of time to return from overseas. It is incredibly important the volume of returning travellers does not undo the great work of the people of NSW, Ayres said in a statement on July 20. The people, businesses and industries of NSW can only operate in this new normal if we effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19, and further limiting the cap on returning travellers will help ensure this. Meanwhile, the retail, fast-food and warehouse workers union is urging people to not visit the shops after being tested for coronavirus. If you are getting tested it is out of a concern you might have COVID, the SDAs NSW/ACT secretary Bernie Smith said in a statement on July 20. Dont go to the shops after you are tested. Wait for your test results. Dont go until you know. Dont put the health of the workers in the store and other shoppers at risk. Particularly in the wake of these new COVID-19 clusters in some parts of Sydney, the community needs to be extra vigilant and ensure were doing everything we can to keep each other safe. The union says it has written to Health Minister Brad Hazzard asking for additional signage around testing areas and shopping centre precincts to remind people to go straight home after being tested. In the 24 hours to 8 p.m. on July 17 NSW recorded 15 new COVID-19 cases. Of these, five are connected to patrons who attended Casulas Crossroads Hotel in southwest Sydney. That cluster now numbers 45 people, 30 of which were not hotel patrons. One case, reported on Friday afternoon, was linked to a developing cluster at the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park. Four cases are returned travellers in hotel quarantine, while another five remain under investigation by contact tracers. Two of those cases include a pair from the same household who visited a bistro at Batemans Bay on July 13 and a fast-food restaurant in the Shellharbour area on July 15. One additional case was also recorded after 8 p.m. It is linked to Planet Fitness at Casula, the sixth infected individual to attend the gym on July 8. By Heather McNab Apple is hosting the Apple Days sale on Amazon India. The sale started on July 18 midnight and it will go on until July 25. Check out the top offers here. Its time to shop! Apple is hosting the Apple Days sale on Amazon India. The sale started on July 18 midnight and it will go on until July 25. During the course of the sale, Apple is offering heavy discounts and interesting offers on the purchase of various Apple products including the iPhone 11 series smartphones, Apple Watch and MacBook. The company is offering a discount of 5,000 on the purchase of the Apple iPads. This offer, however, is available only on the purchases made using HDFC bank credit and debit cards. Apart from the iPad, Apple is offering a discount on the purchase of a bunch of its devices. So, here are the top five deals that you need to check out now: -- iPhone 11: Apple is offering a discount of 5,400 on the purchase of the iPhone 11. During the ongoing sale, the base variant of the iPhone 11 with 64GB of storage space will be available for 62,900. -- iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max: While Amazon India is offering a discount of 5,400 on the purchase of the iPhone 11 series smartphones. HDFC bank debit and credit card users can get an additional discount of 4,000. -- iPhone 8: During the ongoing sale, the iPhone 8 is getting a discount of 46%. It is available at a price of 41,500 on Amazon India. -- MacBook Pro: During the ongoing sale, HDFC bank credit and debit card owners will get a discount of 7,000 on the purchase of the Apple MacBook Pro. -- Apple Watch series 3: Apples Watch Series 3 smart watch is available at a discount of 1,000. This offer, however, is available only on the purchases made using HDFC bank debit and credit cards. 1870: A town ordinance was passed ratifying the articles of incorporation of the Lincoln Street Railroad Co. 1880: W.H. Lowe, one of the oldest settlers in Otoe County, was in Lincoln with a wagonload of apples gathered from trees he had planted nearly 20 years earlier. 1890: Blue Hill had fires at both ends of the main street. Seventeen buildings were in ashes as a result, and little of the contents of any building was salvaged. 1900: The increase in business made it necessary for Nebraska railroads to add locomotive power. 1910: Nebraskans were estimated to have $15 million invested in automobiles. 1920: Thomas P. Kennard, one of the founding fathers of the city of Lincoln, died at age 92. 1930: Two people were killed and 21 injured when a roller coaster in Krug Park in Omaha plunged off the track and dropped 35 feet to the ground. A timber supporting the track had given way. 1940: The mercury in Lincoln soared, giving the city the dubious honor of having the highest official reading in the nation: 113 degrees. Q: Hello from Washington state. Hoping you could help with a legal question. I found an AR-15 driving around the state forest grounds. I called the local sheriffs department and had the serial number ran. It came back clean as in not reported lost or stolen. Question is am I under any obligation to turn the rifle over to law enforcement or can I keep the weapon? As a side note, I am planning on turning the rifle in, but am just curious.John H A: I can try to answer but if I get it wrong then run to Idaho to hide out (just a joke dont actually do that). I did find Washington state code that might help me out here in sounding smart (I said sounding, not actually being). Washington code 63.21.010 reads: Procedure where finder wishes to claim found propertyNotice of intent to claim (1) Any person who finds property that is not unlawful to possess, the owner of which is unknown, and who wishes to claim the found property, shall: (a) Within seven days of the finding acquire a signed statement setting forth an appraisal of the current market value of the property prepared by a qualified person engaged in buying or selling like items or by a district court judge, unless the found property is cash; and (b) Within seven days report the find of property and surrender, if requested, the property and a copy of the evidence of the value of the property to the chief law enforcement officer, or his or her designated representative, of the governmental entity where the property was found, and serve written notice upon the officer of the finders intent to claim the property if the owner does not make out his or her right to it under this chapter. The item must be posted at least twice in the paper and if not claimed the following applies from what I read: Washington state code 63.21.030 reads: (1) the found property shall be released to the finder and become the property of the finder sixty days after the find was reported to the appropriate officer if no owner has been found, or sixty days after the final disposition of any judicial or other official proceeding involving the property, whichever is later. The property shall be released only after the finder has presented evidence of payment to the treasurer of the governmental entity handling the found property, the amount of ten dollars plus the amount of the cost of publication of notice incurred by the government [governmental] entity pursuant to RCW 63.21.010, which amount shall be deposited in the general fund of the governmental entity. If the appraised value of the property is less than the cost of publication of notice of the finding, then the finder is not required to pay any fee. (2) When ninety days have passed after the found property was reported to the appropriate officer, or ninety days after the final disposition of a judicial or other proceeding involving the found property, and the finder has not completed the requirements of this chapter, the finders claim shall be deemed to have expired and the found property may be disposed of as unclaimed property. I could not find anything that prohibited claiming firearms in the codes so you might be able to claim it. However, your local law enforcement agency will know more than me on this one. Officer down Please put these officers, killed in the line of duty, and their families in your prayers. They fought the good fight, now may they rest in peace. God bless these heroes. Officer Edelmiro Garza, Jr., McAllen Police, Texas Police Officer Ismael Chavez, McAllen Police, Texas Have a question for Policemandan? Email your question(s) to policemandan@cableone.net or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button. Mail to: Box 147, Heyburn, Idaho 83336 Dan Bristol is the City of Heyburn Chief of Police. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A video of a rhino resting on a highway as cars pass went all sorts of viral yesterday. Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve took to Twitter to inform that the animal had strayed away from the park and was seen resting on the side of the road. The park authorities, along with Nagaon District Police, quickly reached the area to guard the animal and try to guide it back to the rescue centre. The park has now shared a happy updated on Twitter prompting people to tweet tons of appreciative comments. They wrote that the rhino is now back inside the park territory. With the help of the Kaziranga staff, who are feeding him his natural food, the animal is also regaining his strength. We along with @nagaonpolice are guarding the area for his safety. Thank you everyone for the support, the park tweeted and concluded the post. They also shared a video which shows the animal eating leaves. He (Rhino who strayed out) has moved into the Park Territory. He is regaining his strength. Team @kaziranga_ is giving him his natural food. We along with @nagaonpolice are guarding the area for his safety. Thank you everyone for the support.@CMOfficeAssam @ParimalSuklaba1 pic.twitter.com/9xeCRMdVDf Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve (@kaziranga_) July 19, 2020 Since being shared a few hours back, the video has gathered over 2,600 views and counting. People lauded the efforts of the officials. Congratulations to the entire team for doing such commendable work. Ankit Kumar, IFS (@AnkitKumar_IFS) July 19, 2020 Wow! Hearty Congratulations to CWRC, Cops, Kaziranga officials. Everyone is doing an incredible Job. Really we must appreciate ur Level of work Pawan Sharma (@PawanSharmazz) July 19, 2020 Wow. Kaziranga staff is taking care like a kid. Wow Shashank (@Shashank_1981) July 19, 2020 Awesome! Keep going green soldiers!! Akshay Kumar Bakshi (@akshaybakshi94) July 19, 2020 What do you think of the video? Mickey Rourke and Robert DeNiro have had a long-standing feud in the media since they starred together in the 1987 psychological horror film, Angel Heart. And over the weekend, Rourke seemingly reignited one of their most recent war of words that began last year when he claimed famed director Martin Scorsese wanted him to be in his 2019 crime film The Irishman, but De Niro refused to work with him. 'Hey Robert De Niro, thats right i am talking to you, you big f***ing crybaby,' Rourke, 67, wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. 'A friend of mine just recently told me that a few months back you're quoted as saying to newspapers Mickey Rourkes a liar he talks all kind of s**t!' War of words: Mickey Rourke reignited his feud with Robert DeNiro in an Instagram post Rourke made the revelation about Scorsese wanting to set up a meeting about a possible role in The Irishman, and DeNiro's rebuttal of him being in the film, during an appearance on an Italian talk show last September. DeNiro's reps were quick to respond at the time with a statement saying Rourke was 'never asked to be in The Irishman nor was he ever even thought of, discussed or considered to be in the movie,' in a Page Six article titled -- Robert De Niro: Mickey Rourke is lying about The Irishman snub. 'Listen Mr.Tough Guy in the movies, you're the 1st person that ever called me a liar and it was in a newspaper,' Rourke continued in the Instagram post. Call out: Rourke called DeNiro a 'crybaby' and a 'Mr. Tough Guy in the movies' in an Instagram post on Friday Longstanding feud: Rourke has claimed DeNiro snubbed him when he introduced himself on the set of the the 1987 film Angel Heart It's at this point that The Wrestler star made a harsh promise to the two-time Academy Award-winner. 'Let me tell you something, you punk a**, when i see you i swear to God on my Grandmother, on my brother and all my dogs, i gonna embarrass you severally 100%.' He concluded the post by signing-off: 'Mickey Rourke 'as God is my witness.' Rourke has been very open about how he used to look up to DeNiro as an acting role model before they starred together in Angel Heart. But that all changed for him when he went to introduce himself on the set. Snubbed again? Rourke claimed famed director Martin Scorsese wanted him to be in his 2019 crime film The Irishman, but De Niro refused to work with him 'About five minutes later, [De Niro] comes over he said, I think it's better if we don't talk because of characters in the movie. It's better if we dont say hello, talk or anything,' Rourke added in the 2019 interview. 'It hurt my feelings a little bit 'cause I looked up to him.' He added, 'I don't look up to [DeNiro] no more; I look through him, I came up from the s***. He doesn't know that life. I lived that f***ing life, so every time I look at him in the face, I look right through his ***hole.' Maharashtras highest-ever single-day spike of 9,518 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday took the states tally to 3,10,455, the state health department said. It is for the first time that the number of new cases crossed the 9,000-mark in a single day. Out of Sundays new cases, 1,037 were from Mumbai which now has a tally of 101,388. Maharashtras highest-ever spike so far came on a day when the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that community transmission Covid-19 has set in. The death toll in the state mounted 11,854 with 258 more people dying of the disease. Sixty four of the casualties were in Mumbai where the toll has gone up to 5,714. The recoveries rose to 1,69,569 after 3,906 patients were discharged in the day, the health department said. The number of active cases in Maharashtra now stands at 1,29,032. Meanwhile, the ongoing lockdown in Thane district of Maharashtra, which was scheduled to end on July 19 midnight, has been extended till July 31 in select areas following a spurt in Covid-19 cases, PTI reported.. The extended lockdown is applicable for municipal corporations of Mira Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivali and Bhiwandi-Nizampur, which all fall under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) where cases of the pandemic are on the rise. E ngland's contact tracers have failed to reach around 50 per cent of people who have had close contact with someone with Covid-19 in Blackburn with Darwen, a leaked report suggests. The area of Lancashire saw a spike in infections, with cases rising to 47 per 100,000 people last week. This prompted the local council to ask residents to limit visitors to their homes and wear face masks in enclosed spaces. But a report seen by The Independent showed that across northwest England, the national tracing service is reaching only 52 per cent of all close contacts. The data also suggested that fewer than half of contacts were reached in Oldham, St Helens, Manchester and Rochdale. It is not clear why the contacts provided were not able to be reached. The analysis was carried out by Professor Dominic Harrison, the public health director of Blackburn with Darwen borough council. The Government promised a "world class" contact tracing system / Getty Images In the report, sent around the region earlier today, Prof Harrison said: I have to advise you that I think that the structure, funding, operation and performance of the current test and trace system in particular the contact tracing system element, is now contributing to the increased risks of Covid-19 in Blackburn with Darwen. He warned: With larger numbers of contacts per case and only just over half of the contact tracing of confirmed cases completed, we are at significant risk of losing control of the capacity to manage this risk due to the failure of the contact tracing." Prof Harrison pressed the importance of an effective contact tracing system, adding: I need an urgent response in order to mobilise the local capacity asap. A dog walker watches the sunrise on Blackburn hill. The region could see tighter restrictions introduced following a spike in coronavirus cases / PA He called for testing and tracing to be carried out at a local rather than national level, and for Public Health England to share more data with local authorities. He also said that PHE had only begun sharing data about the postcode areas in which new infections were being registered on 29 June. In the Government's most recent contact tracing figures, 17.1 per cent of people in England who tested positive for Covid-19 between 2-8 July could not be reached. Afurther 4.1 per cent did not provide their phone number. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images It also said 71.1 per cent of the contacts provided were reached, but 21.8 per cent of those who originally tested positive said they had not been in close contact with anyone during the required time frame The latest data published on Saturday shows the northwest region has the highest overall rate of infection with 600 cases per 100,000 people It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a "world beating" test and trace system. Blackburn with Darwen has seen a spike in cases / Google Maps The NHS test and trace scheme, which was rolled out on June 1, is central to the government's plan for containing the spread of the virus. But the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said that 80 per cent of contacts must be reached within 48 hours to prevent coronavirus from spreading. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: NHS Test and Trace has already helped test and isolate more than 180,000 cases - helping us control the spread of the virus, prevent a second wave and save lives. The service is working closely with local authorities across England to help manage local outbreaks and data is shared daily. We urge anyone with symptoms to get tested for coronavirus as quickly as possible, self-isolate, and you should not leave home unless it is to get tested. "The service relies on everyone playing their part please book a test if you have symptoms, self-isolate and help us trace anyone youve been in contact with. Anirban Ganguly By When he was asked a line of thought on the Korean conflict sometime towards the end of June 1950, Sri Aurobindo replied that the whole affair was as plain as pike-staff. It is the first move in the Communist plan of campaign to dominate and take possession first of these northern parts and then of Southeast Asia as a preliminary to their manoeuvres with regard to the rest of the continentin passing, Tibet as gate opening to India. In 1949, while he was revising his opus, The Ideal of Human Unity, against the backdrop of current events, Sri Aurobindo had included a Postscript Chapter, in which he clearly wrote on how the Communist powers would eventually overshadow with a threat of absorption South-Western Asia and Tibet and might attempt to overrun all up to the whole frontier of India, menacing her security If one were to go by the editorials of the fortnightly Mother India, then published from Mumbai and edited by one of Sri Aurobindos most articulate and politically astute disciplesKD SethnaSri Aurobindo was against the move of according a hurried recognition to Communist China. Sethna is on record having said that the Mother India editorials, between 1949 and 1950 were whetted, altered and cleared by Sri Aurobindo himself before the issue was finalised. On China, the Mother India editorials were remarkably prescient and sharp, Whether India recognises Red China or no, she will never cease to be marked out by the latter as a field for subversive activity and therefore, not to see Red Chinas basic antagonism to democracies like India is political childishness. ALSO READ | Cant afford to lose Galwan, says kin of man valley is named after Nehrus much-vaunted neutrality, his unwillingness to be teamed up with either bloc will not make Mao the least bit affectionate towards India, it argued. On Nepal, another Mother India editorial was equally farsighted when it warned Indian policymakers that Indias recognition of Maos government will not stop his coveting Nepal. Interference in Nepal was an item already included in the Communist plan for self-aggrandisement in Asia. Another editorial written sometime towards the end of 1950, when China had already invaded Tibet, spoke of Maos mechanised millions posing a threat to democracy in the region. The significance of Maos Tibetan adventure, the editorial noted, is to advance Chinas frontiers right down to India and stand poised there to strike at the right moment and with the right strategy the primary motive of Maos attack on Tibet is to threaten India as soon as possible In 1963, President Kennedy was shown Sri Aurobindos predictions. Poring over them several times, Kennedy blurted out to Sudhir Ghosh, diplomat, parliamentarian, who had presented him a copy of The Ideal of Human Unity following a meeting at the White House, that Surely there is a typing mistake here. The date must have been 1960, not 1950. "You mean to say that a man devoted to meditation and contemplation, sitting in one corner of India, said this about the intentions of Communist China as early as 1950? To think that Sri Aurobindo foresaw all this between 1949 and 1950, while Nehru indulged in a rudderless Non-alignment, devoid of all strategic depth, is indeed striking. On December 6, 1950, just a day after Sri Aurobindos passing, the Indian Parliament discussed the International Situation. Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee in a detailed intervention displayed an incisive understanding of Communist China. Cautioning Nehru against adopting a policy of drift and indecision vis-a-vis China, Dr Mukherjee argued, We must also guard against the possibility of trying to please everyone. That is a dangerous pastime. On China, he articulated what ought to have been free Indias approach towards the hegemon. We have no quarrel with China so long as China is anxious for the liberation of her own people. Everyone will have sympathy with the Chinese people but if China takes on herself the task of liberating other people also who may not be anxious to obtain liberation at her hands, naturally that creates complications which will affect not China alone, but the rest of the world, particularly Asia. Twelve years later in 1962, the ideological and political justification proffered by communist cartels in support of Chinas aggression on India was the same liberation theory. On China, Sri MS Golwalkar too displayed a far-seeing vision. In one of his last interviews, Guruji observed that the Chinese have not broken with their past. Wait for some more time. All their traditional ways will become patent again. Their present designs to spread their tentacles of power and influence are in keeping with the tradition of their old emperors. But just as he foresaw the collapse of the Soviet Union, for Guruji, Communism in China was also a temporary phase. On China, all these stalwarts could see what Nehru sadly did not. Today once again on China, Modi sees what Rahul cannot! ALSO SEE: Passenger restrictions on international voyages into Australia have caused the price of flights to jump to nearly double what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced a daily cap on the number of arrivals into Australian airports on July 13 to ease the impact of travellers returning to coronavirus stricken areas. The cap will be tightened further from Monday, with 30 passengers per flight able to land in Sydney Airport - reducing the total number of people who can pass through the airport to 350 per day. Travel restrictions have caused international flight prices coming into Australia to soar. Pictured: return travellers in Sydney Airport wearing face masks with their luggage on July 9 AUSTRALIAN AIRPORT PASSENGER LIMITS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS: Sydney: 30 per flight. 350 per day. Brisbane: 30 per flight. 500 per week. Melbourne: 0 Adelaide: 150 per flight Canberra: 250 per flight Perth: 50 per flight. 525 per week. Advertisement With limited seats available, airlines have been criticised for prioritising higher fares and replacing economy seats with more expensive business or first class travellers. A one way Qatar Airlines business class flight from Doha to Sydney on July 25 costs $11,700. It is one of the limited seats available until mid-August on the Qatar Airlines website. Singapore Airlines have stopped advertising online sales for their flights once they have reached capacity under the new restrictions. The capped international traveller restrictions mean Perth receives 525 passengers per week, with 50 on each plane. Brisbane takes 500-a-week with 30 per plane, Adelaide can take 150 per flight and in Canberra the overall limit is 250. No international travelers are currently able to enter Melbourne. Capped flights have made it difficult for Australian citizens and permanent residents to return home. Pictured: travellers wearing face masks arrive in Brisbane in January Sydney, Melbourne and Perth's restrictions are set until August 8, while Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne's sanctions are scheduled until further notice. Restrictions on outbound travel by Australian citizens and permanent residents remain in place. The cap was introduced to reduce strain on Australia's beleaguered hotel quarantine system - with New South Wales' budget for accommodating return travellers during the coronavirus pandemic already exceeding $50million. Tightened restrictions will further limit Sydney's daily allowance of returned travellers from 50 to 30, with many Australians unable to secure flights even before the reduction in numbers. Jim and Cathy Collins thought they had found a way home from the UK when they were re-booked onto a flight to Sydney last week Jim Collins said he and his wife Cathy were bumped off a flight to Sydney from the UK last week in favour of business passengers. 'As best as I know, all economy passengers were cleared off the flight to make room, with a 50-person limit for premium passengers only first class and business class,' Mr Collins told 7.30. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Australian Financial Review they would continue to assist Australians trying to return home during the pandemic. 'The Australian government continues to explore options to support Australians to access flights on a commercial basis,' they said. 'Our global network of overseas embassies and consulates continues to provide consular services to Australians impacted by COVID-19 and the subsequent restrictions that have been put in place by governments.' KARACHI/QUETTA, Pakistan -- For over 11 years, relatives of people who disappeared in the murk of a separatist insurgency in southwestern Pakistan have gathered outside the Press Club of Quetta wanting to know who took their fathers, husbands, and sons. The daily sit-in protest in the provincial capital of Balochistan began on June 28, 2009, after a doctor, Deen Muhammad, was abducted by "unknown men." Relatives suspect Muhammad, like many other missing ethnic Baluchis, was snatched by Pakistani security forces hunting separatists, who for decades have waged a campaign for greater autonomy or independence. Sometimes less than a dozen join the daily protest, other days many more, but Muhammad's two daughters have been among the regulars since they were 8 and 10 years old. "Our little hands were holding pictures of our father back then; now we have grown up and we still have no clue if he is alive," Sammi Baloch, now 21, told Reuters by telephone from Quetta. Even when the weather is too extreme in Quetta to hold protest, a sit-in is observed by Baluchis in front of the press club in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and a melting pot for different ethnic groups. The insurgency in Balochistan -- a sparsely populated, mountainous, desert region bordering Afghanistan and Iran -- has sometimes waned and sometimes intensified over the years. But for all the durability of the Baluch struggle, the conflict has seldom drawn international attention. It grabbed headlines however, in late June when a group of young Baluch militants launched an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. On July 14, three soldiers were killed and eight wounded in an area known for attacks by Baluch fighters. But beyond giving the grinding casualty toll, the veil of secrecy over the conflict is seldom lifted, and foreign journalists are often discouraged from visiting Balochistan. Multiple calls, texts, and emails to Pakistan's Human Rights Ministry, the military, and Balochistan's provincial government seeking comment for this story went unanswered. The military did issue a statement last year sympathising with families of missing Baluchis, while saying that some may have joined militant groups and "not every person missing is attributable to the state." Pakistan has repeatedly blamed India for fanning militancy in Balochistan, a charge New Delhi has consistently denied. More Missing Last month, the Balochistan National Party (BNP) quit Prime Minister Imran Khan's parliamentary bloc, frustrated by unfulfilled promises to address Baluch grievances including the festering issue of the disappeared. When he led the BNP into an alliance with Khan's coalition two years ago, Akhtar Mengal gave the government a list of 5,128 missing persons. Since then, over 450 of the people on the list have been found or returned to their families, but during the same period Mengal says another 1,800 were reported to have disappeared. "If you cannot recover people, at least stop disappearing more people," Mengal said. Another Baluch party set up in the months prior to the 2018 elections with backing from the military establishment, according to political analysts, is in a coalition with Prime Minister Khan's party at both the federal and provincial level. Balochistan Awami Party Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar told Reuters the numbers of missing are "exaggerated." But Mama Qadeer, who heads a group called Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, keeps his own count. "In last six months, the number of Baluch missing persons has risen," he told Reuters by telephone. His son disappeared a decade ago. In February last year, Qadeer's group handed a list of 500 missing to provincial officials. Since then, nearly 300 have been returned to their homes, but 87 others disappeared in the first half of this year, according to the group. China Raises Stakes A federal commission set up nine years ago listed 6,506 cases of enforced disappearances nationwide by the end of 2019. Most came from the northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Only 472 were registered from Balochistan. Advocacy groups say Balochistan's number is far higher, pointing to difficulty in having cases accepted by the commission. "There's hardly a home in Balochistan that hasn't had a relative or loved one picked up," Mohammad Ali Talpur, an activist who once fought alongside Baluch insurgents in the 1970s, told Reuters. The conflict has a long, complex history, but the stakes have risen as Balochistan's wealth of copper, gold, gas and coal deposits caught China's eye. The prospects of Pakistan's most reliable ally pouring in money excited successive governments, while fueling Baluch resentment over how little would come their way. Separatist militants have frequently targeted Chinese construction in Gwadar, a port on the Balochistan coast, near the entrance to the strategically important Gulf. And in 2018, the Balochistan Liberation Army launched an assault on the Chinese consulate in the southern port city of Karachi, killing four Pakistani police and civilians. It was the most high-profile attack by the group until June 29 this year, when its fighters attacked the stock exchange, again killing four people. The attack came a day after hundreds of relatives of missing Baluchis gathered in Quetta to mark the 4,000th day of their protest since Muhammad's disappearance. It started out as a call for investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds and financial recklessness, but turned into a dirty fight between the Niger Delta Development Commission and the National Assembly. This has happened in a space of about two weeks. It is however, not surprising to Nigerians. The sour relationship between both parties dates back to previous assemblies. Present and past officials of the commission have accused past and present lawmakers of budget padding and other fraudulent activities. Most of the commissions budget defence sessions in past years have been filled with discrepancies and controversies, not forgetting the constant failure of the agency to submit audit reports. The current National Assembly had also threatened not to pass the commissions budget, telling President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate an earlier approved permanent board for the agency. The lawmakers rescinded after the president withdrew his earlier nominees for the board and instead nominated an interim management for the commission. The Investigation The Senate on May 5 set up a seven-member ad-hoc committee to probe the financial recklessness of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC. The committee was specifically asked to probe the IMC for allegedly squandering N40 billion in three months and seek account of other financial transactions within this period. The committee commenced investigation almost immediately, inviting the necessary officials for questioning. In the same vein, the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta commenced investigative hearing on the mismanagement of N81.5 billion between January and July, 2020 by the commission. These hearings have not only led to shocking revelations, but also indicted lawmakers of both the Senate and House. At the Senate hearing last week, the acting deputy director, projects, NDDC, Cairo Ojougboh, accused unnamed members of the parliament of hijacking the commissions budgets over the years. Acting Managing Director of the commission, Daniel Pondei, also admitted that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as COVID-19 relief funds. Daniel Pondei, Acting Managing Director of NDDC. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official web page of NDDC ||www.nddc.gov.ng/] Similarly, when Mr Pondei and other officials appeared before the House committee, he accused the chairman of the panel, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of corruption. For this reason, he and other management staff of the commission refused to speak. They eventually walked out on the panel and vowed to only return when a committee without an indicted lawmaker is set up. This prompted the panel to issue a warrant for the arrest of the NDDC boss. And it gets messier Shortly after the Senate hearing, the ex-Managing Director of NDDC, Joy Nunieh, accused the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, of fraud. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. Ms Nunieh assumed office as the acting MD of NDDC 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 reported how Mr Akpabio played a major role in the removal of Ms Nunieh. She said during her brief tenure at the commission, Mr Akpabio repeatedly pressured her to take an oath of secrecy that was meant to keep her from exposing fraud at the commission. Joy Nunieh [PHOTO CREDIT: Businessday.ng] This triggered a back and forth between the two. In his response, Mr Akpabio said she has temperament issues and suggested she sees a doctor. He said Ms Nunieh was not relieved of her appointment because of corruption but because of insubordination. And then came the claim that she slapped the minister for sexually harassing her an allegation he denied. Police invade Ms Nuniehs home Amidst the clash between Mr Akpabio and the ex-NDDC boss, security officials, in the early hours of Thursday, laid siege to Ms Nuniehs residence in Port Harcourt in an attempt to arrest her. Dozens of policemen are circling the House of Joy Nunieh, the former MD of NDDC, who is scheduled to testify before a House of Reps panel today as part of the ongoing probe of NDDC. [PHOTO CREDIT: Fisayo Soyombo @fisayosoyombo] She was scheduled to catch a flight at the Port Harcourt International Airport, to Abuja where she was expected to testify before the House committee. Advertisements Ms Nunieh was however, rescued by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who took her into protective custody at the Government House. Ms Nunieh said she suspects that Mr Akpabio may have had a hand in the police blockade of her private residence. Wike, police clash Following his rescue mission, the governor condemned the siege by security operatives on Ms Nunieh describing it as a disgrace, a show of shame and an attempted abduction. He wondered why the ex-NDDC boss was not properly invited if she had committed an offence. The governor also called on the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, to investigate the invasion. Nysome Wike rescuing Nunieh But on the other hand, the Rivers State police commissioner, Joseph Mukan, said the command expects Mr Wike to release Ms Nunieh. Nobody says he shouldnt protect his citizens, but everything should be done within the confines of the law. If you rescue your citizen, we expect you to turn her over to the police, who are in a better position to protect her, the police commissioner said. He added that the police were investigating a petition written against Ms Nunieh. More revelations From the Government House, Ms Nunieh was able to appear before the House panel on Friday, to give her testimony. This is hours after she vowed to make more revelations about the corruption in the agency. At the hearing, she told the committee that only N8 billion of the said N81.5 billion spent between October 2019 and May 2020 was spent under her watch. She also said that she was under pressure by Mr Akpabio to abuse processes and engage in financial recklessness, and accused him of hijacking the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari. The panel thereafter summoned Messrs Akpabio and Pondei for questioning. Buhari wades in Amidst the clashes between the NDDC officials and lawmakers, President Muhammadu Buhari warned ministers and heads of government agencies not to disrespect or undermine the National Assembly. He said this at a meeting he had with Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, Thursday night. President Muhammadu Buhari receives in audience Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila at the State House, Abuja.[PHOTO CREDIT: @BashirAhmaad] Mr Buhari also gave directives for better coordination among security and investigating agencies handling the probe of the NDDC. He asked that such investigations should be done within a short period. The Senate has concluded its investigative hearing but that of the House continues next week. As it stands, Nigerians are not only looking forward to more revelations but also the reports of the committees which will contain findings and recommendations. By Hessa Al Hammadi ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 19th Jul, 2020) Mars, our closest, yet mysterious planetary neighbour, will welcome soon new unmanned visitors from planet Earth, among them is the first mission to the red planet by any West Asian, Arab or Muslim majority country: Probe Hope- the UAE's Mars mission 'Al-Amal'. The probe will fly around Mars in a way that's never been done before, and herein lies our contribution to humanity at large. If all goes well as planned with these three projects, the year 2021 could pave the way for extraordinary discoveries to unravel more mysteries about the Roman god of war and agriculture! Hope Probe The UAE is launching the Arab worlds first-ever interplanetary orbiter spacecraft. This comes after a successful launch in 2018 of KhalifaSat, an earth-observation satellite. The Hope Probe will launch from Japan, and, if all goes well, should reach Mars by February 2021, the year that marks the UAEs milestone Golden Jubilee. The objectives of the Emirates Mars Mission, EMM, are set forth to focus on the weather dynamics of Mars, as well as studying the Martian atmosphere in a way that helps explain why the Red planet is losing its atmosphere by tracking the escape of hydrogen and oxygen. The probes analysis data will help build a comprehensive image that should result in a better understanding of Mars transition from a once wet and flourishing world to the dry and cold planet now. The EMMs goals go in unison with a much bigger and ambitious purpose: building a human settlement in the red planet within the next 100 years, a milestone that will go down in the annals of history! The Hope Probe will remain in orbit for a whole Martian year, equivalent to 687 days on Earth and will take 55 hours per loop at an average speed of 121,000 kph. The probe will be controlled from Dubai, and will be launched with the first Arabic Countdown ever! Tianwen-1 Another country vying for the treasures our vast universe abounds in is China, which is entering the Martian race with its anticipative trifecta spacecraft. The Tianwen-1 is an orbiter, rover, and lander; a first of its kind. The spacecraft is due to launch somewhere around July 23 but the date is not yet confirmed, if successful, will be a dramatic progress for Chinas space programmme. China has previously successfully landed several lunar landers, but landing on Mars is far trickier due to the planets atmosphere. Mars atmosphere will require some sort of heat protection for the craft, and the air would be too thin to rely on parachutes alone for a safe and slow descent. Landing is not the main objective for the mission, though. Tianwen-1 will explore and gather as much data as possible about the red planet. The orbiter will study the magnetic field and atmosphere of the planet, as well as mapping the surface using a high-resolution camera. While the rover, equipped with a ground-penetrating radar, GPR, will focus on mapping the subsurface of Mars and investigate the presence of ice on the planet. Perseverance Rover The US, the only nation successful of landing a spacecraft on Mars yet, will land a new rover to accompany its already two operating siblings there, InSight and Curiousity rovers. Perseverance will launch on July 30 and will land on the Jezero Crater, an area with high potential of finding signs of past microbial life. Breakthrough, if discovered, will mark a historic finding and a solid evidence of Mars being once thriving with at least simple molecules of microbial life. A buoyant proof once and for all that life can form on planets other than Earth. The rover will be collecting samples of the red planets rocks to bring back to Earth, it will also study Mars past climate and geological conditions embedded in its rocks. Rocks in the Jezero Crater, which was once a probable oasis in the past, could have preserved the ancient rivers organic molecules. Studying those rocks will give us a deeper reflection of the planets former self. NASAs Perseverance will also deliver to Mars a groundbreaking new project, Ingenuity, the first-of-its-kind Mars helicopter. Ingenuity will be the first aircraft to attempt a controlled flight on a different planet. The task is not as easy as it sounds, as Mars has a cruel frigid climate and a very thin low-density atmosphere. Beating the Clock! There is a very limited time span for sending spacecrafts to Mars in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible. In order to use the minimum energy and fuel consumption required to reach Mars, the two planets need to be aligned on the same side of the sun. The trip would usually take around 7 months to reach its destination. If these trips are successful in reaching the red planet and yielding fruits, we will be looking forward to tremendous discoveries thatll give us a better understanding of our neighbor, evident that it was once quite similar to Earth. Space exploration is a necessary step to understand the vast universe that holds as many secrets as it holds stars, as well as giving us a greater understanding of our own planets past and future. Mars will not only give us a better chance at knowing whether life existed elsewhere in the universe, a fundamental humankind question that we are yet to find an answer to, but would also be an obvious and perfect destinations for future human exploration and perhaps settlements outside of Earth. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 22:53:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 511 to reach 25,425 on Sunday amid a resurgence of infections across the country, according to Japan's health ministry and local governments. The total number of infections excludes 712 from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama earlier in the year. The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 999, including 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 188 new cases of infections on Sunday after three straight days of nearly 300 infections, bringing the cumulative total for Tokyo to 9,411. Among the 188 new cases, those in their 20s and 30s accounted for about 70 percent. Following Tokyo, Osaka Prefecture recorded 89 new cases, while Tokyo's neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba reported 30, 38 and 24 new cases on Sunday respectively, the latest figures showed. The health ministry also said there are currently 43 patients considered severely ill on ventilators or in intensive care units. The ministry added that in total, 20,235 people have been discharged from hospitals after their symptoms improved, according to the latest figures released Sunday. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) Four streets in a barangay in Pasig City will be placed under a localized enhanced community quarantine starting this evening due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The streets of Pipino, Labanos, Okra and Ubas in Napico, Barangay Manggahan will be on lockdown until further notice, the city's local government announced Saturday. "Strict implementation will begin Sunday evening," the LGU said. "Residents will only be allowed to leave their houses for work and emergency reasons." Mayor Vico Sotto said food packs will be distributed to the affected residents to minimize health risks. As of Saturday, Pasig City has 1,212 COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 109 are from Manggahan with 53 active cases. The city has recorded 661 recoveries and 94 deaths overall. Six areas in Antipolo City, Rizal were also put on a one-week lockdown from July 18 to July 24 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. In Metro Manila, some areas in Quezon City, Taguig, Manila City, and Muntinlupa were previously placed on localized quarantine, with guidance from health authorities and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases following a spike in transmissions. The Philippines has logged 65,304 COVID-19 cases to date, with 22,067 total recoveries and 1,773 deaths. Iran suspended the execution of three young men who participated in a November protest after the country's Supreme Court decided to review their case, state TV reported on Sunday. An appeals court had upheld their death sentence over leading riots, committing robbery and sending video of their activities to foreign media. But lawyers for the three expressed hope that a new review of the case would lead to a "nullification" of the death sentence. If the Supreme Court agrees, Iranian law allows those convicted to appeal again even after an appeals court has upheld the original verdict. The death sentence identifies the three as Amir Hossein Moradi, Mohammad Rajabi and Saeed Tamjidi. Their case has prompted an outcry in the country and a popular hashtag for stopping the implementation of their death sentence topped Iran's Twitter trends and had been retweeted more than 4 million times. Protests swept across the country last November fueled by anger over the country's anemic economy. Amnesty International reported that at least 300 people were killed in the unrest, many shot dead by security forces, and thousands were detained. The demonstrations showed the widespread economic discontent gripping Iran since May 2018, when President Donald Trump imposed crushing sanctions after unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal that Tehran struck with world powers. That decision led to Iran beginning to break limits of the deal, as well as a series of attacks across the Mideast that America has blamed on Tehran. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Spectrum Healths new Womens Health and Wellness Center is designed to make it easier for women to receive a broader range of preventive, specialty, and lifestyle services. The new center, scheduled to open at the end of August, will offer a wide range of services to meet womens specific health care needs such as preventative care, nutrition, breast and bone health. Officials say the 10,000-square-foot center, located at 4069 Lake Dr., will offer the convenience of same-day appointments in a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. We recognize that women dont always put themselves first when it comes to health and wellness because they are focused on their familys well-being, said Suzette Hershman, senior vice president, medical group operations, Spectrum Health West Michigan, in a press release. The new Spectrum Health Womens Health & Wellness Center is designed specifically for womens health needs, taking into consideration lifestyle factors and the many competing priorities in their lives. Our goal is to make it easy for them to be healthy and well. Officials say preventive and wellness exams to address specific needs may take hours to complete, including travel and multiple trips to the doctor. By combining multiple specialty services in one location, women at the center can maximize their visit by being able to schedule a few appointments, making better use of their time. For example, a woman would be able to schedule her annual wellness exam along with a mammogram and have the option to schedule psychotherapy all on the same day. Personalized care, including virtual visits, will be tailored for each patient. The center will also have dedicated spaces for classes on relevant topics such as healthy eating, meditation and managing stress. An online health and wellness portal will be offered to provide easy access to information regarding womens health, lifestyle manager tips, and classes among other things. According to the news release, the inspiration for the center was made possible by a generous donation from the DeVos families who saw the need and supported program development, research and fellowship training, demonstrating the importance of creating this resource to better meet the unique health care needs of women. The amount of the donation was not provided. The centers approach and model is designed to be inclusive of all women and does not require a membership. More information is available at spectrumhealth.org. More on MLive: This is the same hotel where the BJP kept MLAs from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (during political dramas in those states) Bhopal: Blaming the BJP for the political drama in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday asked Sachin Pilot not to leave the grand old party. In an interview to PTI, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said Pilot should not follow Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP, as he has bright future in Congress. His remarks follow Pilot's open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government, which has been on shaky ground with at least 18 legislators backing the rebel leader. Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief recently and the Congress has accused the BJP of making efforts to topple the Gehlot-led government by indulging in horse-trading. "The BJP is behind the crisis in Rajasthan," Singh said. The Congress veteran said he tried to call Pilot but his calls and text messages went unanswered. "Age is on your side. Ashok (Gehlot) may have offended you, but all such issues are best resolved amicably. Dont make the mistake that Scindia made. BJP is unreliable. Nobody who joined it from any other party has succeeded there," Singh said. He said this is the first time that Pilot hasn't responded to him. "Sachin is like my son. He respects me and I also like him. I called him three-four times and also texted him. He didn't revert. He used to respond immediately earlier," he said. "It is good to be ambitious. How can one move forward without having ambitions, but along with ambition, one must also have commitment to your organisation, ideology and the nation," Singh said. "I heard that he (Pilot) may form a new party. But what is the need for it. Has Congress not given him anything? He was made an MP at 26, a Union minister at 32, the state Congress president at 34 and deputy chief minister at 38. What else does he want? Time is on his side," Singh said. If Pilot had any issue, then as the state party unit president, he should have called a meeting and discussed the matter, he said. Pilot could have involved Congress national general secretary and Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande in talks with Gehlot to resolve differences, he added. "If you have faith in your legislators, why have you have confined 18-19 of them in ITC Grand hotel at Manesar in Haryana," Singh said. This is the same hotel where the BJP kept MLAs from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (during political dramas in those states), he said. Pilot should forget whatever has happened, come back and sit across the table to discuss how Congress could be strengthened, he said. A former Senate Chief Whip and national leader of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Roland Owie, on Saturday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr Owie announced his defection at a ceremony in his hometown of Ilobi-Isi, near Ehor in the Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo. While speaking, the former Senate Chief Whip urged his supporters to work for the second term bid of Governor Godwin Obaseki. Mr Owie said he was a founding member of the PDP who, alongside others such as a former Senate President, the late Chuba Okadigbo, was forced out of the party. The event, which had in attendance several notable leaders of the PDP from Edo South Senatorial District, was led by Owere Imasogie, a party chieftain. Mr Imasogie said there exists an agreement, after consultation across the country, that founding members of the party should return to salvage Nigeria. He said Mr Obaseki, whom he described as a son of Isi, has performed creditably and deserved a second term. I have spent the better part of the last 17 years outside of the PDP family, except for a brief return between 2011 and 2015, Mr Owie said. Recent developments in the polity of our dear nation has reignited my conviction to realign with positive and progressive mainstream political forces on a rescue mission. Impunity came into the PDP, the leadership became abusive and vindictive, and all we were hearing was `no vacancy in government house, `no vacancy in presidency, to the extent that a sitting governor was deregistered. But PDP has woken up because the APC has adopted the same style. Over the past 15 months, I have been consulting with political associates, former colleagues and elder statesmen on the need to get our nation back on track. A recurring issue that emanated from that consultative process was the need for all founding members of the PDP to return to the party so that it can achieve its strategic goal of emancipating Nigerians. Therefore, today I am returning to the PDP, the party I can call home, with a keen sense of purpose and a mission to work with the leadership and members in developing a sustainable developmental blueprint for Nigeria and jealously guarding the implementation of same. Because all politics is local, I must add that on the home front, my return to the party will also ensure that Gov. Godwin Obaseki is re-elected for a second term. Beyond the continuity in the progressive institutional policies, commendable and visible physical developments accomplished by the Obaseki-led administration, his second term will engender equity and co-existence, as the governorship will then rightly move to Edo Central Senatorial District in 2024. Today, the nation is still greatly divided, and almost back to her primordial lines. Our country is troubled, our people are afraid, and our future is uncertain. We cannot build a great nation without unity at home. We cannot be a nation where people are hated, branded and then hounded and ostracised. We stand here to declare that the Edo people remain an integral part of the Nigerian Project. PDP is the hope of the masses and we will ensure that its mandate of ensuring that all citizens have equal access to opportunity and resources is fully achieved. This mandate will be achieved in Edo and it will be achieved in Nigeria. I call on all our supporters to rise up today and lift with me the symbol of our pride the Umbrella, an exemplar of royalty in the Benin Empire and march shoulder to shoulder in our typical heroic step from the land of our ancient past to a glorious future for our state and country. Also in Edo State, but at a separate local government, Fred Aimienwanwu, Vice-Chairman, Ovia South West Local Government of Edo, has raised an alarm on threats to his life and that of his family. He said the threats were over his refusal to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP. Mr Aimienwanwu in a petition to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 5, Benin, alleged that the council chairman, Destiny Enabulele, and one General Peres were after his life. In a petition signed by his wife, Lauretta Aimienwanwu, the vice-chairman said boys numbering over 30 had stormed his residence in Benin on Wednesday at about 5 p.m. Advertisements He said they forcefully gained entry to his compound by knocking down the gate. When they could not gain entry to the apartment, they, however, made their mission clear that they would eliminate my entire family should I fail to defect to the PDP like our council chairman has done. Mr Aimienwanwu added that the boys, who specifically said they were sent by Mr Enabulele, also said he (vice-chairman) should return the councils property in his possession. The boys, numbering about 30, stormed my house and forcefully broke the gate. My gateman was assaulted in the process of forcing the gate open. They were armed with dangerous weapons like battle axes and cutlasses. Mr Aimienwanwu s wife added that she overheard one of the boys issuing a threat over the phone to her husband. I was in my room and heard one of them making calls. I never knew he was calling my husband. I heard him say `we are in your house and threatened that if he (Aimienwanwu) fails to decamp from APC to PDP, his entire household would be eliminated. READ ALSO: Meanwhile, Mr Enabulele has denied any involvement in the alleged threat. He, however, acknowledged that the councils secretary had written to the vice-chairman to return the local governments property in his possession. I dont have any business with the vice-chairman. The council has asked him to return its property. In any case, let him produce the people that went to his house. I am not involved, the council chairman said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the local government has been embroiled in crisis following the refusal of Mr Aimienwanwu and six of its 10 councillors to defect to the PDP. The crisis degenerated to a situation where the other four councillors announced that they have suspended the six councillors, as well as the vice-chairman. The Edo State governorship election holds on September 19. (NAN) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there is a lot of good will, but there are also a lot of positions in the talks, which have have laid bare divisions about how the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, such as Italy and Spain, should be helped. She said the talks, which were initially scheduled to end on Saturday, could still end without a deal. Millions of dollars in funding could be on the way for military projects in New Mexico if the U.S. House version of the defense spending bill becomes law. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2021 sent to the floor for a vote by the House Armed Services Committee also includes funding for the cleanup of toxic chemicals caused by the use of fire suppression foam at military bases around the country. U.S. Reps. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., and Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., are members of the committee. The Senate version of the bill has already been sent to the floor in that chamber. The NDAA is an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a future where New Mexico is at the forefront of innovation, everyone who seeks a long military career has access to success, and our military is ready for the challenges climate change presents, Haaland said of the legislation. More than $100 million would go toward projects at Kirtland Air Force Base, according to her office. That includes $50 million for an infrastructure program that would provide improvements for schools, day cares, roads, energy upgrades and other infrastructure and $46.6 million to update an administrative building. Another $5 million would be used to expand the solar photovoltaic microgrid pilot project at the base. The House legislation includes $120 million for upgrades for Los Alamos National Laboratorys facilities. Another $10 million would be used for testing hypersonic weapons capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, and additional funding would be secured for directed energy testing at the missile range, Torres Smalls office said. Holloman Air Force Base would receive $5 million for a high speed test track. The Magdalena Ridge Observatory would receive $5 million for its interferometer telescope to help track satellites, missile launches and deep space objects. Sandia National Laboratories would receive $4.8 million for facility upgrades. Haalands office said the NDAA sets aside $1.5 billion for environmental remediation and cleanup, of which $190 million will go to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination cleanup around military bases that was caused by decades use of fire suppression foam. An additional $150 million would be provided for the research and development related to PFAS remediation and disposal technologies and fire suppression foam replacement. Torres Smalls office said the legislation would require the Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture to notify dairy farmers if there was PFAS contamination in their area. The legislation also includes $135 million for the oversight, maintenance, and management of privatized and government-owned military family housing, Haaland said. HAALAND NAMED TO BIDEN PANEL: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens campaign named Haaland to its Climate Engagement Advisory Council. The council will advise the campaign on mobilizing voters who are involved with climate change and environmental justice issues. Scott Turner: sturner@abqjournal.com The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced on Saturday that people who had stayed in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa 14 days before boarding a flight to Hong Kong must provide documents showing their negative results for COVID-19. Hong Kong had recorded 234 imported cases of COVID-19 from June 20 to July 17, according to the HKSAR government. A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau of the HKSAR government said that as the epidemic situation evolves and develops, taking into account the limited capacities of Hong Kong's quarantine and isolation facilities, the HKSAR government needs to implement measures to prevent imported cases. "To this end, having regard to the latest public health risk assessment, we consider it necessary to impose conditions on travellers coming to Hong Kong from high risk places to reduce the health risk they may bring to Hong Kong," the spokesman added. According to the specifications by the Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR government, travelers from the above seven countries planning to come to Hong Kong are required to undergo a nucleic acid test for COVID-19, the sample for which was taken from the relevant traveller within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure of the specified aircraft. The operator of the specified aircraft should submit to the Department of Health of the HKSAR government, before the aircraft arrives in Hong Kong, a document confirming that each relevant traveller has produced such documents. The travelers will have to undergo the COVID-19 test on arriving Hong Kong and wait for the results at a designated location. If their test results are negative, they will be allowed to go to the hotels for which they made the reservation to continue the 14-day compulsory quarantine. If their results are positive, they will be transferred to hospital for isolation and treatment, according to the specifications. The specifications were made in view of the development and severity of the COVID-19 epidemic situation in Hong Kong. They will come into effect on July 25 and will remain effective until further notice. People who are in transit in Hong Kong and those who are exempted from compulsory quarantine will not be affected. Any traveler coming to Hong Kong fails to comply with the requirements to provide information, or knowingly or recklessly provides any information that is false or misleading in a material particular, is liable to a fine of 10,000 HK dollars (about 1,289 U.S. dollars) and imprisonment for six months. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 HK dollars) A Prayer for Taking the Next Step By: Alisha Headley And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear or be dismayed. - Deuteronomy 31:8 Sometimes we allow fear from stopping us from taking the next step. Maybe you feel God calling you to step into a new career, into ministry, a new relationship, new church, new city, or a new group of friends. Maybe you feel so strongly that God has spoken to you, but the fear of the unfamiliar seems to far outweigh the action of taking the next step. You believe God is trustworthy, yet youre content with where youre at, so you sit back and stay where you are rather than take a bold next step. Do you know every hero we read about in the Bible did not know what was on the other side of that next step as well? We know the ending to their stories, but at the time, they did not. In todays Scripture, Joshuas life helps us understand that he was given assurance before He led Gods children to their promised land. Before he took the next step, God told him: I will go before you I will be with you I will not leave you nor forsake you do not fear or be dismayed Joshua did what he knew he could not do. Like us, he was told in advance hed be able. Joshua never faced anything so frightful or potentially disparaging that God didnt see him through it. Isnt it encouraging to know that whatever that next step you feel the Lord calling you to, He has already gone before you and is faithful to not leave you? He will be with us throughout the entire journey, one step in front of the next. God is faithful when we walk by faith with Him, just as Joshua did along with many other heroes in Scripture. We are appointed, equipped, and empowered. We dont have to take the next step alone. Rest in the assurance of His faithfulness. Through Christ, we can absolutely, unequivocally do anything God places in front of us. Grab onto the hem of His garment and find the faith to go where He leads. Dear Lord, We thank you that no journey ahead of us is too far out for you. That you know the plan, and every step in between. Father, thank you that we have nothing to fear with you leading the way. We thank you for promising us that you go before us giving us assurance before we take the next step. You are aware that we needed this confidence and assurance to rest in before we embarked on the unfamiliar. Thank you, Lord, that you have given us examples of men and women in the Bible like Joshua that have already paved the way proving their inadequacy yet your mighty power. We ask you Lord for boldness and faith to take the next step you have called us to take. Help us to trust you more, help us in our unbelief. We choose to believe you are able when we are not. We choose faith over fear as fear is not from you. We thank you in advance for your provision and for your care as we boldly take next steps. Thank you for your love of every detail of our lives down to every step we take. We love you Lord, and we trust you who has already gone before us. In Jesus Name, Amen. Alisha Headley is a writer and speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom and power to overcome those lies with the truth written in Gods word. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram. Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. OTTAWAThe Canadian Armed Forces has issued new orders to military personnel as senior commanders seek to address allegations of having been soft on hate in the ranks. The orders, which aim to take a harder line on hateful conduct, follow a rash of high-profile incidents in which the military was caught flatfooted as service members were publicly linked to hateful actions or groups. The year before, it was more like a reaction kind of approach, acknowledged Maj.-Gen. Marc Gagne, who oversees strategy, plans and policy within the chief of military personnels office. We were reacting to cases. The new direction also comes as the military is actively working to recruit more women, visible minorities and Indigenous people to ensure it reflects Canadian society and is better able to operate in diverse theatres. The new order aims to leave no doubt about what constitutes hateful conduct by banning anything words, images or symbols that encourages, justifies or promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups. That includes discrimination based on nationality or ethnic background, race, colour, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or disability. We were talking about different forms of misconduct: sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, Gagne said. But hateful conduct was never clearly articulated. ... We broke new ground by developing this definition. Troops are required to report any and all incidents while military commanders are expected to take action when incidents are brought to their attention. All have been warned that they will be held to account if they do not. A database has also been created to track such incidents, based on the system created to monitor sexual misconduct in the ranks. New training for troops and screening for recruits is being developed. The idea is basically as soon as you join, its crystal-clear and were going to keep reinforcing through education and training as you move through the ranks and as you assume more responsibility, Gagne said. Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, described the new orders and definition as a positive and long overdue step. But he said only time will tell whether the military follows through in addressing hate in the ranks. Right now, these are just words, he said. They are good words ... But too often in the past, when they investigated, it has really only resulted to the best of our knowledge in a slap on the wrist. What we need to see from the Canadian Armed Forces is they take meaningful actions. The new approach follows a number of incidents in recent years in which the military has been accused of not doing enough to root out hate from the ranks. Those incidents have ranged from sailors associated with the Proud Boys group disrupting a Mikmaq ceremony in Halifax in 2017 to the case of a Manitoba army reservist who was accused of being a recruiter for a neo-Nazi group. Patrik Mathews is currently in custody in the U.S. with two other men after disappearing from his home in Beausejour. The FBI have accused them of plotting to start a race war on behalf of The Base, a white-supremacist group. Senior commanders also faced months of questions and criticism after a military intelligence report in 2018 identified 30 service members as belonging to hate groups or having otherwise made discriminatory or racist statements. The Armed Forces eventually reported in November that 16 of those members had been warned, disciplined or ordered to take counselling but allowed to stay in uniform. A number of other cases were described as ongoing. It also comes amid concerns about systemic racism within the military, RCMP and other government institutions. Chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance and Defence Department deputy minister Jody Thomas last month apologized for their slow response to questions about systemic racism. Service members have been told that more detailed policies and orders on systemic racism are coming soon. Gagne said the new orders are just the first step in a much longer effort to change attitudes within the Armed Forces and ensure the military is leading by example when it comes to hate. To change culture, to change group dynamics, to change or modify perceptions and beliefs will take time, he said But we had to take action. Somebody may think this is a one-off. But those little one-offs could erode the institution. Read more about: Egypt confirmed on Saturday 698 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of cases nationwide since mid-February to 87,172, said the health ministry, Trend reports citing Xinhua. It marked the 10th consecutive day for Egypt's daily COVID-19 infections to be below 1,000, with a record of 1,774 infections on June 19. In a statement, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said 63 patients died from the virus, bringing the death toll 4,251. He added that 566 others were cured and discharged from hospitals, taking the total recoveries to 27,868. Egypt announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Feb. 14 and the first death from the highly infectious virus on March 8. The North African country resumed international flights on July 1 after more than three months of suspension, amid a coexistence plan to maintain anti-coronavirus precautionary measures while resuming economic activities. The government has recently lifted a partial nighttime curfew it had been imposing since late March, and reopened restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas, as well as hotels, museums and archeological sites for tourists, all with limited capacity. NEW YORK A Black Lives Matter mural painted on the street in front of President Donald Trump's namesake New York City tower has quickly become a target for vandalism, defaced with bucketfuls of paint three times in less than a week. In the latest incident, two women were arrested around 3 p.m. Saturday after police said they poured black paint on the block-long mural outside Trump Tower on Manhattans chic Fifth Avenue. Bystander video showed police officers surrounding one of the women as she rubbed the paint on the mural's bright yellow letters and screamed: they don't care about Black lives and refund the police." One of the officers slipped on the paint and tumbled to the ground, sustaining injuries to his head and arm, police said. He was listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital. A police department spokesperson said the womens names and information on possible charges against them weren't immediately available. The city's largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association, tweeted: Thankfully our brother will be OK, but this nonsense needs to stop. Our city is in crisis. Paint on the street helps no one. Saturday's vandalism happened less than 24 hours after three people were caught on surveillance video smearing blue paint on the mural around 4 p.m. Friday while a woman littered it with flyers that referenced the recent shooting death of a 1-year-old boy in Brooklyn, police said. Officers found the trio nearby a short time later with blue paint on their hands and clothing, police said. According to the video of the incident, one of them was wearing an All Lives Matter shirt as well as other apparel indicating support for President Donald Trump. They were arrested, charged with criminal mischief and released with a order to appear in court at a later date. The woman, 64, was issued a criminal court summons for illegal posting of flyers. A photo provided by police showed one of the flyers designed like an internet meme, with a close-up picture of 1-year-old shooting victim Davell Gardner Jr. under the words "DID MY LIFE MATTER" followed by a crying emoji. Next to Gardner's picture was a message written in red marker: I wasn't killed by a cop. I was killed by a Black person. Where's BLM? Police have released surveillance video showing two men running and pointing guns who are believed to be suspects in the July 11 shooting. Witnesses say they jumped out of a car and fired multiple shots at the group before driving away. No arrests have been made. Meanwhile, police are continuing to look for a man in black shorts and a dark blue T-shirt who was seen splashing red paint on the Black Lives Matter mural around noon on Monday. The words Black Lives Matter have been painted on streets in New York and elsewhere in recent weeks to show support for the movement demanding justice and reforms after the recent police killings of George Floyd and other Black people. Mayor Bill de Blasio helped paint the mural in front of President Donald Trumps namesake tower last week. Trump said last month in a tweet that affixing the words to Fifth Avenue in front of his building would denigrate this luxury Avenue. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18 Trend: The successful operation of our army, the results we achieved and the military victory have naturally inspired the Azerbaijani public, inspired our public, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socio-economic development in the first quarter of 2020 and future objectives, Trend reports. As I said, the letters addressed to me express full support for our work. Yesterday, a group of patriotic people went to Martyrs Alley to express their attitude to this, their support for the Azerbaijani army and for me as Commander-in-Chief. I welcome this patriotic step. I was informed that these people covered a long distance on foot and on the way to Martyrs Alley chanted patriotic slogans about me, about our army, our people, about Karabakh. This shows once again that on difficult days the Azerbaijani people can be together. It was yet another picture demonstrating the unity between the people and government. Unfortunately, after these people came to Martyrs Alley, some provocative groups apparently also blended with them, having learned about it from somewhere. Their identities are being established now, said President Ilham Aliyev. He noted that these provocative groups committed hooliganism there, attempted to disrupt public order and resisted the police. I instructed bodies of internal affairs to ensure that people reach Martyrs Alley, to protect their safety, regulate traffic because in many cases people moved along the road. Yesterday evening, I gave all these instructions to Minister of Internal Affairs Vilayat Eyvazov. At the same time, I said: be vigilant because it is possible that some provocative forces and those who do not like us, representatives of the fifth column, traitors may commit some kind of provocation there. Because unpleasant incidents sometime do occur at such mass events, including those not organized in advance. Therefore, along the way to Martyrs Alley, police officers performed their official duty with dignity, said President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state pointed out that when people gathered in Martyrs Alley, order was also fully ensured. But I want to say again, a group of provocateurs tried to cast a shadow on this wonderful and noble deed, to commit illegal actions. Naturally, internal affairs bodies very quickly put an end to their actions. Currently, their identities are being established. All of them will be held accountable, not a single person I said it this morning will be able to evade responsibility. Of course, they will receive the punishment they deserve within the framework of the law if they are sentenced to this punishment by court. We ask the public for assistance in identifying these people. In order to fully establish these provocateurs, I also ask the patriotic people who gathered there yesterday to inform us if they know someone who got into the video footage, tried to organize riots, so that we could find them all and punish, said President Ilham Aliyev. Its that time of year again. Earnings season is in full swing, and investors are bracing for some bad news as companies report their second quarter results. Ahead of the upcoming prints, the Street is calling for a sharp profit decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heavy blow it dealt to the economy. While the results could be rough for many, the pros from RBC Capital argue that the health crisis has altered consumer behavior for the foreseeable future. To this end, the investment firm, which lands within the top four on TipRanks list of Top Performing Research Firms, reevaluated several large-cap names in its coverage universe before their earnings releases, locking in on two FAANG stocks poised to emerge from the crisis as winners. Using TipRanks database, we pulled up the details on these two stocks to find out how the rest of the Street thinks each will fare when they publish their second quarter numbers. According to the platform, both have received plenty of love from other analysts, earning a Strong Buy consensus rating. Facebook (FB) It has been anything but smooth sailing for social media giant Facebook, with several of its advertisers boycotting the company. Still, RBC sees plenty of positives ahead of its July 29 earnings release. Representing the firm, five-star analyst Mark Mahaney acknowledges that a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases and the resulting reinstatement of lockdowns as well as the increasing number of advertisers taking their ad spend elsewhere could spur headwinds for this FAANG stock. However, after looking at intra-quarter data, he told clients, ...we view current Street June quarter and H2:20 estimates as reasonable to modestly conservative, given a material data point that suggests a stronger-than-expected recovery in U.S. Online Ad Spend and our analysis on U.S. Political Digital Ad Spend. What are the exact estimates? Mahaney is calling for revenue, operating income and GAAP EPS of $17.62 billion, $4.15 billion and $1.23, respectively, versus the $17.13 billion, $4.73 billion and $1.37 consensus estimates. Story continues During the release, Mahaney will be paying close attention to advertising revenue growth, which he believes will slow significantly from Q1. That said, the analyst sees a recovery taking place at a much faster pace than other members of the Street, forecasting a near-full rebound in Q4. When it comes to political digital ad spend, he commented, Our analysis suggests this spend could contribute as much as 6% to FBs H2:20 North American Ad Revenue, which we believe is underappreciated in current Consensus numbers. Margin levels are expected to dip, but investors could get good news when FB reports figures for user growth and engagement. Based on RBCs eighth social media survey, FBs penetration gained sequentially for the first time since June 2017, and the time spent and future Intent metrics notched record highs. On top of this, satisfaction and engagement for Instagram reached all-time highs, and commercial activity on Facebook Marketplace and Instagram got a boost. Expounding on the commerce activity uptick, Mahaney stated, By making its properties more transactionable thru Facebook Shops, advertisers should find greater utility in its ad units, thus potentially translating to higher eCPMs over time. The uptick in commercial behavior on its sites gives us greater confidence that Facebook can further penetrate e-commerce advertiser budgets. In line with his optimistic take, Mahaney stayed with the bulls. In addition to reiterating an Outperform call, he kept a $271 price target on the stock, suggesting 12% upside potential. (To watch Mahaneys track record, click here) Looking at the consensus breakdown, most other analysts agree with Mahaneys assessment. With 28 Buys and 5 Holds, the word on the Street is that FB is a Strong Buy. At $256.92, the average price target implies shares could rise 6% in the next year. (See Facebook stock analysis on TipRanks) Amazon (AMZN) With respect to RBCs other FAANG stock pick, its no secret that e-commerce titan Amazon has been one of the key beneficiaries of the COVID crisis, which should be reflected in its earnings release on July 30. Analyst Mark Mahaney, who also covers FB, recently lifted his estimates for the June quarter, now predicting $80.7 billion in revenue. How does this compare to the consensus? It is in line with consensus as well as at the high end of managements guidance. For GAAP operating income and GAAP EPS, the figures could land at $1.5 billion and $1.90, respectively, based on Mahaneys estimates. The key areas to focus on, according to Mahaney, will be the impact of COVID-related spend and operating margin trends. We will be listening for details on AMZNs $4 billion spenddid the company spend at expected levels; did the spend help the company get back to par in terms of speed of delivery; how much more does AMZN need to spend to get back to normal i.e., when will One Day mean One Day and not one day, he explained. As for Q2 GAAP operating margin, the analyst expects the figure to come in at 1.8%, which would reflect a year-over-year decline of 300 basis points thanks to COVID-related costs and higher fulfilment and shipping expenses. Additionally, Mahaney is eagerly waiting to see if its AWS segment has been a structural winner from this crisis. For this area of the business, he is calling for significant revenue growth of 33% year-over-year. When it comes to ad revenues, the analyst stated, AMZNs Ad revenue platform proved to be the most resilient in the March quarter, and we will be looking to see if it is true for the June quarter as well. It should also be noted that a majority of consumers said the COVID-19 crisis increased their willingness to purchase online versus in-store, according to an RBC survey. Add to this the fact that eBays intra-quarter announcement suggests that eCommerce continued to see a material demand surge, and Mahaney thinks AMZN is positioned for success. Mahaney does point out that theres still plenty of uncertainty going forward, so there is a broader range of H2 outcomes than is typical. However, all of the above make him optimistic about the giants long-term growth prospects. To this end, Mahaney maintained an Outperform rating and $3,300 price target. Should the target be met, a twelve-month gain of 11% could be in store. Few disagree with Mahaneys take on Amazon. Out of 39 total reviews published in the last three months, 36 analysts rated the stock a Buy, while 2 said Hold and only 1 said Sell. So, AMZN gets a Strong Buy consensus rating. Given the $2,991.34 average price target, the upside potential comes in at 1%. (See Amazon stock analysis on TipRanks) The Congress leader takes to Twitter to lash on the BJP on allegations of horse-trading in order to topple the Rajasthan government; demands for anti-defection law in the name of 'vaccine' for what he labels is the 'Delhi virus', after a number of Congress governments fall across the country in recency. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday launched a veiled attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by comparing the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan with the pandemic. Need for Vaccine: Virus of corrupt means to topple elected governments has spread through a Wuhan like facility in Delhi. Its antibodies lie in amending the Tenth Schedule. Ban all defectors from Holding the public office for 5years. Fighting the next election, he tweeted referring to the allegations made by the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of horse-trading and the collapse of the Congress government in Karnataka. Need for Vaccine : Virus of corrupt means to topple elected governments has spread through a Wuhan like facility in Delhi Its antibodies lie in amending the Tenth Schedule Ban all defectors from : Holding public office for 5years Fighting the next election Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) July 19, 2020 Notably, Rajasthan political crisis has gone to such an extent that two FIRs were registered a couple of days back based on the complaint filed by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi about audiotapes, which Congress said, had conversations about an alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. Gajendra Singh, Bhanwarlal Sharma, and Sanjay Jain have been named in the FIR. Also read: Rajasthan political crisis: Eight-member team constituted to investigate the matter Also read: Rajasthan Royal Storm: Home ministry steps in, asks for report in tapegate charges Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs have approached the Rajasthan High Court challenging the disqualification notice issued to them by Assembly Speaker. Rajasthan Congress continues to remain in turmoil after simmering differences between Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. The pilot was sacked as Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief on July 14. Gehlot has blamed the BJP for attempting to destabilize the state government by poaching MLAs. Pilot was miffed after the SOG sent him a notice to record his statement in a case of alleged poaching of Congress MLAs in the state. Also read: Vasundhra Raje on Rajasthan political crisis: Its unfortunate, people are suffering For all the latest National News, download NewsX App OPINION: "Despite some adults fears, the students dont pursue frivolous projects. They go for the practical: bathroom renovations, cafeteria seating improvements," writes Sybil Francis of the Center for the Future of Arizona. In the eyes of the World Health Organization, Georgias COVID-19 test positivity rate was too high for it to completely reopen. On May 12, the WHO advised governments that, before reopening, positivity rates in COVID-19 testing should remain at 5% or lower for at least 14 days, according to John Hopkins University. What is positivity rate? COVID-19 test positivity rate is the percentage of tests that come back positive out of the total number of tests given. Positivity rate is important in analyzing COVID-19 data because it shows the proportion of people who got tested who have the disease. Two states can have the same number of reported cases, but if one is doing double the testing, its outbreak is probably much less serious positivity rate lets you compare between the two. If the positivity rate is rising, that means the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is increasing faster, which suggests that an increase in reported cases likely cannot be fully explained by an increase in testing. President Donald Trump has suggested that an increase in testing is the reason for the countrys increase in COVID-19 cases, according to CNBC. Johns Hopkins 5% positivity rate goal would mean that, out of all tests conducted over a 14-day period, only 5% would come back positive for the disease. Georgias positivity rate was 16% on June 17, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Since it began collecting data on Feb. 1, Georgias average positivity rate is 10.3%. If a positivity rate is too high, that may indicate that the state is only testing the sickest patients who seek medical attention, and is not casting a wide enough net to know how much of the virus is spreading within its communities, according to John Hopkins website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, recommends a three phase reopening for state governments. In phase three, test availability should be widespread as to produce 10% or less positivity rate for 14 days before reopening. A low rate of positivity could be seen as a sign that a state has sufficient testing capacity and is testing enough of its population to make informed decisions about reopening, according to Johns Hopkins. The countrys test positivity rate increased from March to April. The U.S. did almost 25 times as many tests on April 15 as on March 15, but both the daily positive rate and the overall positive rate went up in that month, according to The Atlantic. There are 33 states with above a 5% positivity rate, according to John Hopkins. Regionally, the South had a positivity rate of 13% over the past seven days, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Nationwide, there was a 9.2% positivity rate during the week of July 6, according to the CDC. The red zone A private document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force also suggests that more than a dozen states should revert to more stringent protective measures, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer, closing bars and gyms and asking residents to wear masks at all times. The report was published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C. The document says that 18 states are in the red zone for coronavirus cases, meaning that there are more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in a population. Eleven states are in the red zone for test positivity, which means more than 10% of COVID-19 test results come back positive. Georgia is in the red zone for both categories. Disease trends are moving in the wrong direction in Georgia with record numbers of new cases occurring in urban, suburban and rural areas, according to the report. Test positivity continues to increase. The number of tests has increased, but more testing is needed. When the report was published on July 14, Athens-Clarke County was in the red zone, meaning that in the previous week new cases were above 100 per 100,000 and the positivity rate was above 10%. Recommendations for county governments in the red zone include closing bars and gyms, creating outdoor dining opportunities with pedestrian areas and ensuring that all business retailers require masks. It also recommends that local jurisdictions should be able to implement more restrictive policies and that cloth face coverings be mandated outside of the home. Gov. Brian Kemp specifically blocked local governments from mandating the use of masks and sued the city of Atlanta over the issue on July 16. For citizens of counties in the red zone, the report recommends that masks are worn at all times outside the home, gatherings are limited to 10 people or fewer, people stop going to bars and gyms, people use take out or eat outdoors socially distanced and people reduce public interactions and activities to 25% of their normal activity. In Georgia, Gwinnett, Fulton and DeKalb counties had the highest number of new cases over the past three weeks, Kemp said in a July 17 press conference. Stroud Payne contributed to this report. At long last, the self-styled freedom fighters who loudly protested Gov. Phil Murphys mask mandate have made us throw in the towel and say it: Listen to Mitch McConnell, people. Im here to tell you, put it on, the Senate Majority leader told wackos in his home state of Kentucky on Thursday, as they pushed back against their governors new mask requirement. He finds it astonishing that this has become a political issue in the middle of a pandemic. The single best way all of us can be responsible to ourselves and sensitive to the health of others is to wear a mask and to practice social distancing, said McConnell, who regularly masks up in public. On the flip side, we have rebel mascot Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, who this week became the first U.S. governor to test positive for COVID. He refused to consider requiring masks, and almost never wore one in public himself, as he aggressively pushed to reopen his state and disregarded expert recommendations. I really dont second-guess anything, he told reporters on Wednesday. A fitting slogan for the movement. America now has the highest growth rate of new COVID cases in the world, precisely because of leadership like this. Here in New Jersey, state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Morris, told us he hasnt changed his mind about Murphys mask order since the federal Centers for Disease Control released a new study this week, recommending mask mandates to fight coronavirus. Wheres the science? he asked, rhetorically before going on to declare that this should be left purely to personal beliefs, including in schools, and supplying his own conclusion on what experts say is one of the most important unanswered questions about the virus: These kids are almost immune to having and spreading COVID. On the one hand, we have 17,000 children whove tested positive for COVID in Florida, and experts warning of a risk of lifelong pulmonary damage. On the other, we have the personal beliefs of a man who previously admitted that he contacted no actual scientific experts before siding with anti-vaxxers on legislation. Even officials in the Trumpian stronghold of South Jersey called for everyone to wear masks outdoors before Gov. Murphy did, so its hard to see how hes exploiting a public health crisis for power, as Sen. Mike Doherty put it. He refused to come to the phone to explain. Neither did Jamel Holley, a Democrat on the Assembly Health Committee, when we called to inquire why he posted on Instagram about the nations top infectious disease specialist: Dr. Fauci is a double agent. Like Mitch, he provides some consolation in these divided times: Not all lunacy is naked partisanship. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Alisha Aitken-Radburn has been announced as the latest intruder to appear on Bachelor In Paradise this year Alisha, who starred on Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins' season of The Bachelor in 2018 and Bachelor In Paradise season two in 2019, will return to the franchise for a third time this week. 'I really enjoyed my first round of Bachelor In Paradise Australia (despite the heartbreak)', the 27-year-old told Channel 10 on Sunday. She's back! Alisha Aitken-Radburn, 27, has been announced as the latest intruder to appear on Bachelor In Paradise this year 'And there's still a bit of me that hopes I will get my little Bach fantasy and round off my experience by meeting someone who could actually be my future,' she added. Alisha famously enjoyed a steamy romance with Jules Bourne last season, but things fizzled out after he dumped her to pursue his connection Tenille Favios instead. But things did not work out in Jules' favour when Tenille 'friend-zoned' him. Third time's a charm? Alisha, who starred on Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins' season of The Bachelor in 2018 and Bachelor In Paradise season two in 2019, will return to the franchise for a third time this week Afterwards, Jules pleaded with Alisha to keep him in Paradise and she eventually decided to give him a second chance. However, the series ended with Jules dumping Alisha for a second time after she gave him an ultimatum to admit they are more than 'mates'. After leaving Fiji, the couple went on to secretly date each other on-and-off in Australia, before Alisha chose to end things at the Bachelor In Paradise reunion. Alisha famously enjoyed a steamy romance with Jules Bourne (left) last season, but things fizzled out after he dumped her to pursue his connection Tenille Favios instead Second rejection: However, the series ended with Jules dumping Alisha for a second time after she gave him an ultimatum to admit they are more than 'mates' Slamming Jules in front of a live studio audience, Alisha accused Jules of giving her false hope of a romantic future by sleeping at her house and talking about children. 'Sometimes you have to be like, "OK, this is a cycle. It's going to continue and actually I'm the only person who can change this",' she said. 'So, I'm going to change it and this is my night for closure. It doesn't mean you're not going to be in my life. You're going to be in my life as like a fun girlfriend.' Bachelor in Paradise continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 Prime Minister Modi calls up Assam CM Sonowal, vowing his support on the ongoing flood situation, spread of Covid-19 in the state, and on conditions of fire in Baghjan oil well, as the state sees a cumulative destruction of lives and assets in a series of incidents transpiring of late. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation regarding floods in the state, COVID-19, and Baghjan oil well fire scenario. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji took stock of the contemporary situation regarding Assam floods, COVID-19 and Baghjan Oil Well fire scenario over the phone this morning, the Assam Chief Minister said. Sonowal said that the Prime Minister expressed concern and solidarity with the people of Assam and assured all support to the state. At least 79 people have lost their lives in Assam due to severe flooding, informed the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday. Also read: Delhi Rains: Houses collapse in Anna Nagar after heavy downpour, video goes viral Also read: 2 dead as heavy rains lash Delhi-NCR A Flood Report issued by the ASDMA stated that the river Brahmaputra was flowing above danger level in several places in the state, and a total of 26 districts have been affected so far. The total number of revenue circles affected is 79 and over 2,678 villages were devastated by the floods. The gas well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan, Tinsukia had caught fire on June 9. While according to the Union Health Ministry, there are 22,918 COVID-19 cases in the state. Also read: Assam floods: 76 dead, 54 lakh affected in 30 districts For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Though severe COVID lockdowns and troubling transmission rates across Victoria may fuel a scale of apprehension and despair not witnessed in generations, they are the very reason that state and national leaders need to rally the country. Lockdown bites: An empty Flinders Lane. Credit:Getty Its not just about Victoria. Yes, we are an outlier. And there will be time enough to properly investigate the missteps and incompetence that seem to lie behind the current outbreak. But that should not be an invitation for petty point-scoring between jurisdictions in what must be, now more than ever, a sustained and unwavering national effort to inspire hope and project the optimism that will carry us through the current crisis. Victoria is certainly paying the price for a botched hotel quarantine system, but other states and territories should not vaunt their current numbers too much. I certainly hope they continue to enjoy no or low infections, but COVID-19 has proved difficult to tame. Despite the debate, principally among health and medical experts, between those urging upon governments a policy of eradication and those supporting a strategy of suppression, the better view seems to be that eradication is not viable and could not be as effective. Consequently, no one is immune completely from outbreaks. The propellor of their 35ft (10m) vessel became jammed at approximately 10.20am this morning Lifeboat crew towed the yacht to Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Weather conditions at the time were describes as good with a slight wind and good visibility. Speaking following the call out, Mark McGibney, Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat Coxswain said: "This can happen to anyone but its great to see the people involved wearing lifejackets and have the correct means of communication to call the Irish Coast Guard for help, which was the case today. "Id like to take this opportunity to ask everyone to make sure that their vessel engines and safety equipment are checked and in working order before taking to the water." By PTI BENGALURU: COVID-19 cases may peak in India as early as mid-September provided strong public health measures are in place and people behave in a responsible manner to contain the virus, President of Public Health Foundation of India, Prof. K Srinath Reddy, said on Saturday. Speaking to PTI, he expressed concern over the microbe spreading with renewed vigour, as confirmed infections and deaths crossed one million and 25,000 respectively in India earlier this week. "Ideally we could have and should have prevented it reaching this level, but even now we should try our best and contain it as quickly as possible", the public health expert said. "Different places (States) would peak at different times", Reddy said on the rising COVID-19 cases. He, however, added that India may see COVID-19 cases peaking as early as in two months if there are strong public health measures and people take all precautions like wearing face masks and maintaining physical distance. "If everybody does what needs to be done", he said when asked if he is confident that the cases would peak within two months. "It depends on public and government action". Reddy, who formerly headed the Department of Cardiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, said up to the second phase of lockdown, control measures were very strict as India tried to contain the spread. But subsequently after May 3, when relaxation started -- resumption of economic activities were important -- very strong levels of public health activities like household survey for any cases with symptoms, quick testing and isolation and vigorous contact tracing, among others, should have been maintained, he said. "All those precautions. public health measures, as well as personal cautionary measures in terms of how to behave in a public place, started slipping since then, and slipped further after lockdown was fully lifted", according to him. So it appeared as though we were in a "sudden release phenomenon". It was almost like students celebrating immediately after school exams, even though results were a few months away, Reddy, who presently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard, said. There has been slipping up of necessary cautions in public gatherings, as well as in public health activity, he said. "We spent too much time focusing on hospital bed capacity. That was also necessary, but the whole area of contact tracing was left essentially to policemen rather than seen as a public health function", he said. "Building up strong contact tracing, household surveillance of people with symptoms, getting them tested quickly, all of these measures should have been taken much more". Not following up with strong public health measures and a dilution of cautionary behaviour in public contributed to the rapid spread of the virus, said Reddy, who has been involved in several major national and international research studies, having been trained in cardiology and epidemiology. "Our main thing now is to prevent the virus getting deep into rural India. Small towns and rural areas must be protected as much as possible, particularly rural areas because that is where two-thirds of India is. If we can prevent that, we can still prevent the damage", Reddy added. Nueces County in Texas has confirmed that 85 infants under the age of one have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic as they urge the public to use greater caution. Among the children who tested positive was a baby boy under six months old, who died from the infection. Another was a newborn whose mother also had the virus, according to KIITV. It is not known how the children are suspected to have become infected and an update on their condition was not given. Nueces County Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez confirmed that 85 infants under the age of one have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic Public Health Director Annette Rodriguez confirmed in a press conference Friday that the 85 infants are each younger than one but offered no other details. 'These babies have not even had their first birthday yet. Please help us to stop the spread of this disease', Rodriguez said. She warned the public that they need to stop the spread of coronavirus by staying home except for necessary trips, socially distancing and wearing masks in public. Rodriguez has also urged people to not take their children to the store or places where they know there's a greater risk of catching the virus, KIITV reports. 'These children are not two yet, they are under one,' Rodriguez said. 'They cannot wear a mask and so they are unprotected. 'Some people may say 85 doesn't sound like a lot compared to 8,000. It's all how you look at it you know. Are these your children?' According to USA Today, the number of children under the age of one who have tested positive for coronavirus in the area has now reached one percent of the county's total cases. Earlier this month, a baby young than six months old died from coronavirus in the county, Nueces County Medical Examiner Adel Shaker revealed. 'Its not anything that anyone can be prepared to face, even with the best plan,' he said. KIITV also reported that another child under the age of one who tested positive for coronavirus died at home from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Officials did not know if the death was related. Nueces County and Corpus Christ has seen a dramatic spike in cases in July Nueces County, which contains the city Corpus Christi, has 8,176 cases in total, as of Friday. It had avoided a high number of coronavirus cases when the pandemic first hit the United States but is now experiencing one of the fasted growing outbreaks in the state, according to the Texas Tribune. In the last two weeks, the beachfront location has added more than 2,000 cases. 'Nueces County has the fastest growth in new cases on the seven-day average than any other metropolitan county in the state,' Corpus Christi city manager Peter Zanoni told CNN. 'You can see the trend line is relatively flat until July, and this is where we have had that huge spike in cases, and this is why its turned into a major problem for Nueces County.' Texas has also emerged as one of the new largest coronavirus U.S. hotspots in recent weeks. Texas health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday and said 130 more people have died due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. It bring the total number of reported cases in Texas to 317,730 and the number of deaths to 3,865. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is stressing that the widespread use of face coverings could avoid another lockdown, which he hasn't ruled out as cases in the state continue to mount. Yet local officials are calling on him to allow individual counties to introduce their own lockdowns, as cases in Cameron and Hidalgo counties become so dire that refrigerated trucks have been called in for bodies. 'Texas is now not where it should be relating to fighting Covid-19. Therefore, your office should take immediate action to rewind the efforts to reopen the state quickly; which came about by ignoring CDC guidelines,' state representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Joaquin Castro said in a letter. 'We need to provide local authority to local counties and cities to do what is in the best interest of their communities.' Imperial Valley News Center President Donald J. Trumps Historic Deregulatory Actions Are Creating Greater Opportunity and Prosperity for All Americans Washington, DC - "Weve begun the most far-reaching regulatory reform in American history." ~ President Donald J. Trump LEADING HISTORIC REGULATORY REFORM: President Donald J. Trump has led a historic effort to eliminate unnecessary and costly regulations that hurt American businesses and families. Under President Trumps leadership, Federal agencies have taken more than 7 deregulatory actions for every significant regulatory action. President Trumps deregulation efforts have already reduced regulatory costs by $50 billion and are on track to reduce regulatory costs by at least that much in fiscal year 2020 alone. The Presidents Governors Initiative on Regulatory Innovation is working to reduce outdated regulations, advance occupational licensing reform, and align Federal and State regulations. The Administration continues to take action to modernize and accelerate environmental reviews in order to complete infrastructure projects in a timely and efficient manner. The President is rolling back regulations that harm American workers, including providing relief to farmers by repealing the burdensome Obama-era Waters of the United States Rule. In 2019, the President signed two executive orders to increase transparency in Federal agencies and protect Americans and their small businesses from administrative abuse. LIFTING UP AMERICANS: President Trump is driving down costs for consumers and helping low-income Americans, who are disproportionately burdened by overregulation. Deregulation is lowering costs for all Americans, particularly benefitting low-income individuals who are disproportionately burdened by overregulation. The Administration cut red tape in the healthcare industry, providing Americans with more affordable healthcare and saving Americans nearly 10 percent on prescription drugs. Deregulation of both prescription drugs and internet access helped the poorest fifth of households eight times more than the wealthiest fifth of Americans. The Administration replaced costly Obama-era fuel standards with the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles rule, making cars more affordable for low-income Americans. This rule is expected to lower the price of new vehicles by $2,200, according to the Council of Economic Advisers. The President established a council to reduce regulatory barriers to affordable housing. SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES: The Administrations historic deregulatory efforts are putting money in Americans pockets and helping businesses prosper. They found fame in the 2018 David Attenborough documentary "Dynasties". But numbers of painted dogs in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park are at their lowest level in 10 years. Predators, poor soils, inbreeding, tourism operators and some film crews could be among the reasons why. In 2010 there were around 100 painted dogs, also known as African wild dogs, in Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage Site along the Zambezi River in the north of Zimbabwe. That number has dwindled to as few as 20, according to the Painted Dog Conservation group (PDC). Right now the population is really fragile and we dont really understand the reasons why, said Peter Blinston, executive director of PDC, which has a research team stationed in the park. One big factor may be the soil at Mana Pools: it's hard to dig unlike softer soils in Hwange National Park, where there's also a population of painted dogs. When painted dogs want to move their dens as they do when the dens become flea-riddled or when predators like lions and hyenas become too much of a threat it's much harder in Mana Pools because the dogs can't dig out new ones. In fact in Mana Pools the dogs typically return to the same dens year after year. In other parts of Zimbabwe, the animals dig new holes each denning season, which typically lasts from June-August. If the Mana dogs feel absolutely compelled to move, they have to resort to using holes already made by burrowing animals like aardvarks or porcupines. Genetic bottleneck Evidence of inbreeding has now been accurately recorded in the park for the first time a likely consequence of the drop in numbers. "There is much we do not know about the dynamics of rapidly shrinking populations and how that affects their survival and persistence," says Ellie Armstrong, a Stanford University biologist and PhD candidate who, together with other researchers, has been working with PDC to gather genetic data on wild dogs, including those in Mana Pools. Story continues "Our initial results reveal incredibly low genetic diversity and signs of inbreeding. We have also detected parasites and bacterial infections in several individuals," she told RFI. "It is our hope that we can shed light on some of the driving factors affecting the wild dogs at Mana Pools before they are locally extinct." Across Africa, painted dog numbers have plummeted from a high of around 500,000 in the early 1900s to just 7,000 now. Zimbabwes total painted dog population is estimated at just 700, including the Mana Pools population. New blood A pack of painted dogs was recently relocated there. This was done primarily to prevent the dogs eating the goats of livestock farmers in the Mpindo area, near Hwange National Park but there's also a possibility they could boost the Mana Pools gene pool. The newcomers have been kept in an acclimatisation pen at Wilderness Safaris for the past 10 months with support from Zimbabwe's national parks authority. The three adults and 16 pups are due to be released in early September. Falling populations may require a shift in behaviour by those keen on viewing the animals. Weve seen in the past 10 years dogs move their den, and those have [sometimes] been in instances where there has been a lot of foot traffic from tourists, Blinston said. He could not say "100 percent" whether this was to do with human disturbance or rather harassment from hyenas and lions. But because the dogs don't move den often, safari operators know where to find them, bringing tourists close. Film crews can also be a threat because of how near they need to be to the animals. If [the dogs] are disturbed, theyll move more often. And often pups perish on that move, says Blinston. Finding a balance Zimbabwes national parks closed to the public on 30 March as part of a coronavirus lockdown. They have since reopened. Conservation group the Zambezi Society says painted dog dens should be out of bounds, except for legitimate research, while the pups are still in them. This season is different, but in the prior couple of seasons there has been real abuse by certain tour operators, said Richard Maasdorp, the societys strategic director. Ive tried to bring this to the general tour operators attention that theyre starting to lose the ambience of Mana by crowding in on animals, he said. "In the interest of tourism and conservation it is recommended that the relevant parties meet to develop protocols for viewing painted dogs and other iconic species." The PDC's Blinston says curiosity shown towards the dogs by visitors to the park should be weighed against the animals' well-being. If nobodys interested in them their future is even more bleak. So, its finding that balance you want people to want to see the dogs, but to also be respectful. Ontario education requires transformational leadership, July 12 We do now need transformational leadership. We are so fortunate that we finally have it through this government and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who has made it clear that not only is there systemic discrimination within all levels of the system, but that action must be taken now to bring about meaningful change. Discrimination within the system has been reported for years. Students of different races, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds and needs have suffered for far too long. Previous governments allowed boards of education, staff, teacher unions and the college of teachers to deny, delay, deflect and find excuses for not addressing the root of the problem: institutionalized racism and able-ism. Thanks to Lecce for letting everyone know they must begin to take appropriate and meaningful actions to achieve equity and inclusion for all students. Their roles and responsibilities have one major common component: to serve the students and to act in their best interests. Christin Ferreira, Scarborough Because Black Lives Matter, we applaud the Ministry of Educations decision to end streaming in Grade 9 and to stop suspending elementary school students. It is essential to address systemic racism and promote equitable education and life opportunities. The good news is that many teachers can and already do provide effective instruction for students of all backgrounds and abilities, learning together. Faculties of education prepare educators to respect and encourage students as individuals, not according to levels and limits. Students who are valued members of diverse classrooms learn better academically and learn how to create a more equitable society. Paula Boutis, Integration Action for Inclusion Sick Kids has recommended a full return to school in the fall, yet this is not Education Minister Stephen Lecces plan. Instead, there is a potential plan for part-time schooling. This only serves those who do not work full time or have regular access to daycare. It does not address the needs of working parents. Part-time school or hybrid models serve to create economic separations. When child care spaces are not available, and family members are not able to help with care, it will be the parents, most likely mothers, who are forced to leave their employment or become under-employed. A responsible government would be working directly with school boards, teachers and parents to ensure our children are cared for physically and mentally. A responsible government would fund more janitorial services, have a cleaning plan for schools, stagger entrance and break times, and hire more teachers to reduce class sizes. A responsible government would have a plan to support the mental well-being of our children who have suffered great stresses during this time. Brenda Mackey, Burks Falls, Ont. Step away from streaming a good first move for PCs, Cohn, July 11 Martin Cohns column on destreaming math makes some good points. And, in a perfectly funded classroom, with smaller class sizes so teachers can help students more effectively, and teacher assistants to provide one-to-one help, destreaming might live up to its promise. However, one problem that has been overlooked is the math curriculum: For years it has been too wordy and confusing. Students have been subjected to a math curriculum that has left most of them confused and unable to do math. So they view themselves as being no good at math and have no interest in considering careers that need math. Its our loss as a community. Destreamed math courses in Grade 9 will have students who are products of this poorly designed and implemented grade school math curriculum. This combination will not add up to success. Dianne Ness, East York Ontario education requires transformational leadership, Gooch, July 12 Tiffanys Goochs column raises issues with which I agree completely: about the need for the government and the education sector to approach the very challenging opening of schools in a safe manner for all concerned in a collaborative manner. However, when she places the blame solely on the minister for having sown distrust during the recent negotiations, I think she is missing some balance. Salary negotiations between unions and employers are set up, by their very nature, as oppositional. Positions are taken, angry things are said in the heat of those sessions by both sides. It would be nice if it werent so. But it is. It would be nice if co-operation were the way of conducting these negotiations. It would certainly be helpful at this time. But to blame the minister solely for this state of affairs is not fair. The union leadership must take some responsibility. Bill McInerney, Fonthill, Ont. Ending streaming is long overdue, Editorial, July 6 The problem isnt streaming, but rather chronic neglect and underfunding of applied level programs by a succession of governments, both Liberal and Conservative, since the 1990s. When I was a teenager in the 1980s, my small-town high school could boast of its first-rate woodworking, welding, auto and machine tool shops, all packed with industrial grade equipment. The instructors were knowledgeable about their crafts and dedicated to the students who werent especially bookish or academically inclined, but loved to fix engines or create beautiful ironwork and hardwood furniture. Sadly, fiscal austerity executed in the name of the Harris governments commonsense revolution decimated many of these courses, all of which are quite expensive to operate. Much needed reinvestment in applied-level learning, not de-streaming, is what Ontario requires as part of a post-pandemic economy recovery. Alec Lalonde, Ottawa Streaming is an insidious form of systemic discrimination, Letters, July 9 Streaming was never created to discriminate against students of different races, backgrounds and abilities/disabilities; it was intended to give students an alternative to university who had little chance or interest to succeed in academics, but could enter into applied arts. Faculties of education do teach all teachers the best practices to enable them to teach all students. But placing students of all levels in one classroom has proven to be an unworkable situation. There are numerous barriers that exist for students in achieving equity in the classroom. But removing streaming wont solve that. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, July 19, 2020 06:43 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066776d49 4 City omnibus-bill,omnibus-bill-on-job-creation,riot,Jakarta-police,protest,rally,suspect,hip-bill,pancasila-ideology-bill Free The Jakarta Police has named one of 20 arrested protesters a suspect for reportedly inciting a riot during a protest against the omnibus bill on job creation in front of the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday. Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said the suspect had allegedly thrown rocks at a police officer standing guard during the rally, without providing further details about the suspect. We have yet to find out [who started the riot] because most of the detainees were students or unemployed, Yusri said on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com. Read also: Thousands stage rally against controversial bills currently under deliberation Labor groups, university students and other civil groups staged rallies in front of the House complex demanding that the legislative body stop deliberating the controversial omnibus bill on job creation, as well as revoke the Pancasila Ideology Guidelines (HIP) bill from the National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). The rally turned into a riot, however, after several protestors began throwing rocks at the police, who responded by shooting tear gas. Twenty people were arrested for allegedly inciting the riot. Yusri went on to say that the police had released the other 19 detainees on Saturday. They were questioned as witnesses and the police can summon them again at a later date, according to tempo.co. (dpk) The coronavirus crisis has left many UK businesses in a worse position to cope with a no-deal Brexit, according to a think tank. Three out of five firms have not even begun to prepare for the end of the transition period on 31 December due to ongoing uncertainty about the future relationship with the EU, the Institute for Government said. Some are unwilling to spend money on preparations that may prove unnecessary and many feel they have been burnt before by the near miss of 2019, it added. Since the pandemic took hold in February, and with the formal lockdown taking effect in late March, government and business resources have been focused on responding to the pandemic, rightly prioritising this over Brexit preparations, the IfG said in its latest report. Firms reeling from the economic consequences of coronavirus are poorly placed to prepare for Brexit: in many cases, in a worse position than in the months leading up to the potential no deal in October 2019. The think tank argued that the pandemic has starved firms of cash, derailing Brexit preparations such as investing in new customs processes or stockpiling. It also suggested that even the best-prepared businesses could be severely affected by new friction at the EU-UK border. Brexit does not end on 1 January 2021, the authors of the report say. Some aspects of a deal could take several months, or even years, to be implemented fully, and negotiations on certain areas may also continue. Unilateral decisions taken by the UK or EU could, at a later point, alter the shape of the relationship and necessitate further legislative or practical steps to be taken by both sides. The UK will be adapting to the effects of Brexit for many years to come which both business and government should be prepared for. The IfG urged the government to take account of Brexit in its economic response to coronavirus and provide targeted support for the businesses least prepared for the end of the transition period. It also criticised the Get Ready for Brexit campaign run in the lead-up to the possible no-deal Brexit 31 October. Any communications campaign needs to build on clear, signposted information about what steps business needs to take and when, the think tank said. The government should learn the lessons of the flawed Get Ready for Brexit campaign and present information in a way that reflects how business operates on the ground. In rejecting an extension to the transition period, the government has set itself a monumental task. With time running out it must now begin fighting on two fronts: keeping the public safe while also preparing it for 31 December and beyond. Thousands in Khabarovsk, Russia Protest the arrest of regional governor By VOA News July 18, 2020 Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Russian city of Khabarovsk Saturday to protest the arrest of the region's governor on charges related to multiple murders in 2004 and 2005. Local media reported that 15,000 to 50,000 people joined the rally in the Far East city, 6100 kilometers from Moscow. The protests of the arrest of Sergei Furgal have taken place every day this week in the city of 590,000 residents. Many of the demonstrators believe the charges are politically motivated. They have questioned why investigators waited so long to accuse a public official. Furgal, the popular Khabarovsk region governor and a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, has denied the charges. He was arrested two weeks ago and flown to Moscow where he was ordered jailed for two months. Russia's Investigative Committee said he was suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen, before his political career began. Furgal was elected governor in 2018. His unexpected victory was seen as a challenge to President Vladimir Putin's policies and the main Kremlin party, United Russia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal For weeks, the 2020 U.S. Census update/leave process through which census packets are hand-delivered to homes without traditional mailing addresses was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In counties where most residents receive census packets this way, such as Rio Arriba and Taos counties, the self-response rates remained much lower than other counties, such as Los Alamos. In Rio Arriba, where nearly every resident gets their mail through a post office box, 97.5% of residents receive packets. These packets invite residents to participate in the census and provide them with a 12-digit identification number that officials say is the most accurate way to respond. Operations resumed in May when workers with the U.S. Census Bureau began dropping off census packets at residents doors in some of the most rural parts of the state. Since the Bureaus update/leave operation resumed, response rates in harder to reach counties have started increasing, while still lagging behind many other parts of the state. As of Thursday, Rio Arriba had a response rate of 23% and 28% of households in Taos County responded. Catron County had the lowest rate, at 18%. Officials with the bureau have said update/leave is now completed in New Mexicos non-tribal areas and their offices will now shift focus to door-to-door visits from census workers set to start in August. However, census organizers from local counties and former bureau employees told the Journal that the bureaus update/leave process has left a lot to be desired. We didnt start out on a level playing field, said Cristina Caltagirone, who heads census efforts for Rio Arriba County. Caltagirone said many people have still not received their packets, while some residents have seen up to five packets on their doorstep. Others, not knowing they needed their packets, threw them away entirely. Even she, whose full-time job is to focus on the census, has not received any packet from the bureau. Half my road got their packets, half of them didnt, said Caltagirone, who lives in Velarde. Officials from the state have also taken notice of the number of packets not dropped off. State Demographer Robert Rhatigan said its not clear why, but that the lack of forms received has become obvious in many counties, such as Rio Arriba and Taos. It just continues to happen, Rhatigan said. Clearly, something in that operation has gone wrong and I dont know what that is. For many residents in update/leave areas where telephone and interview services can be minimal at best not receiving a packet means they have to wait for a census taker through a process called Nonresponse Follow-Up (NRFU). Gillian Joyce, 2020 Census outreach coordinator for Taos County, said getting a packet to someone the bureau missed is sometimes impossible. If we have individual people who didnt receive packets, we dont have a way to get that information to the bureau, she said. All those interviewed, including the bureau, said it is unknown how many people did not receive census packets. Millions at stake How, exactly, packets did not get dropped off or came in duplicates during the update/leave is unclear. Mercy Alarid, senior partnership specialist for the bureau in New Mexico, said the bureau has worked to update and verify addresses through the Local Update of Census Addresses program (LUCA), which gives state and local governments the chance to review addresses before the census begins. Alarid said they are not concerned about completing the census, even given the households that do not respond. However, an October 2019 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the bureau reviewed only 16% of the more than 5 million address updates sent by local governments. All those unreviewed address changes could make for additional field work for the bureau. Avoiding this unnecessary fieldwork could have saved the Bureau millions of dollars when following up with non-responding households, the report states. The report also notes that while the state did participate in the LUCA program, many local and county governments in New Mexico did not, limiting the number of addresses verified. In fact, more than half of the counties, including Rio Arriba and Taos, did not participate at all. Alarid said counties were given the opportunity to participate if they wanted. On June 23, the Rio Arriba County Commission passed a resolution asking Attorney General Hector Balderas to investigate problems with the census, which sets the stage for a historic if not catastrophic undercount of our residents, the resolution states. The catastrophe, county officials say, is the millions of dollars in federal funding lost if households are not counted. In Rio Arriba, a 1% undercount would result in $11 million less in federal funding over the next decade. Operating in isolation For local organizers, the lack of packets distributed comes after weeks of communication issues with the bureau. These issues were laid out in a June 9 letter sent by Rio Arriba and Taos counties, and other census organizers to New Mexicos Congressional delegation. The Census Bureau is operating in isolation from our outreach operations at both the State and County levels, the letter states. The letter goes on to highlight multiple alleged issues, including contradictory messaging from the bureau, the Census Bureaus lack of awareness of challenges facing northern New Mexico and census workers not wearing personal protective equipment. Caltagirone said she is not allowed to communicate with local staff. Others interviewed for this story acknowledged organizers can contact only a select few within the bureau. The lack of cooperation and collaboration at the local level to try to tailor the campaign to meet that situation is really striking, said Caltagirone, adding tribes are especially hard hit by the lack of communication. Alarid said that communication between the bureau and complete count committees has been consistent and she denied many of the assertions in the letter to the Congressional delegation. I dont agree with what theyre saying, that our messaging was inconsistent, she said. Still, communication has improved slightly since the letter was sent, county organizers said. The bureau has now begun shifting to the NRFU process, but some fear the same problems with finding correct addresses in update/leave areas will persist. I feel for those folks, Rhatigan said of census workers. Theyre going to have a very hard time in some of our communities. Peacetime effort Caltagirone said the rural nature of many addresses makes it difficult for census takers to visit residences, especially if they are not from the area. Theres no way they can get people to go to the fragmented and dispersed number of houses we have across the county, she said. Caltagirone said its unlikely that the bureau will have enough workers for the NRFU process, given that theyve had trouble staffing what few events they have been able to put on. Others interviewed also said turnover in the bureau has been high, leading to a revolving door of employees that makes organizing difficult. Alarid said they have enough workers for NRFU. However, she declined to disclose exactly how many workers and whether shes witnessed high turnover in the bureau. I cannot disclose that, she said. We do not share that with the media. We just dont. Thats internal information for us, but we do have enough staff. Alarid also said they have hired thousands of employees who will be on-boarded at an undisclosed location, since swearing in must be done in person. Despite the organizing efforts surrounding NRFU, some feel the mistakes made with packets during update/leave have put some communities too far behind, leaving many rural residents unlikely to be counted in the census. I feel at this point its inevitable, Caltagirone said. The census is often referred to as the nations largest peacetime effort but for some residents more can still be done. It is the largest peacetime operation, but it still seems like its just falling short, Caltagirone said. Residents have until October 31 to respond to the census, after the federal government extended the deadline due to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Biodiesel to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: On the basis of Feedstock, the Biodiesel Market is studied across Algae, Animal Fat, Jatropha, and Waste Vegetable Oil. New York, July 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Biodiesel Market Research Report by Feedstock, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913591/?utm_source=GNW On the basis of Application, the Biodiesel Market is studied across Automotive Fuel, Cleaning, Heating Oil, Power Generation, and Solvents & Cement Manufacturing. On the basis of Geography, the Biodiesel 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 Biodiesel Market including ACCIONA Energy, American Energy Producer, Archer Daniels Midland Company, BIOX Corp., Cargill Inc., China Biodiesel International Holding, Crimson Renewable Energy, Deerfield Energy, Green Earth Fuels LLC, Imperium Renewables, Neste Corp., and Wilmar International Limited. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Biodiesel 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 Biodiesel Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Biodiesel Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Biodiesel Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Biodiesel Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Biodiesel Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Biodiesel Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913591/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 Arguing that there is a statue of Robert Clive in Kolkata, a council in England has rejected a petition signed by thousands of people to remove the statue of the controversial 18th century colonialist in the wake of the Black lives matter campaign. The Shropshire council has voted in favour of retaining the statue of the man who is credited with laying the foundation of the British empire in India. The first governor of the presidency of Fort William, Bengal, Clive died in London 1774, leaving behind a controversial legacy. Peter Nutting, the Conservative leader of the council, mentioned the statue in Kolkata as one of the reasons to retain it, implying that when post-colonial India has chosen to retain it, the statue in the England should also be kept in place. Steve Charmley, deputy leader and portfolio holder for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said the statue, which has stood in Shrewsburys square since 1860, is listed (a protected monument) and would require consultation with authorities to remove it. Reports from Shropshire said that at the full council meeting, 28 councillors voted in favour of the recommendation of no further action on the removal of the statue, while 17 voted against the proposal and one councillor abstained. After thousands signed a petition to remove the statue, thousands more signed a counter-petition, insisting that removing statues does not change history nor help us learn from it. Shropshire has been influenced by the actions of Robert Clive, whether we condone all of his actions or not. Clives statue is among several across the UK sought to be removed by campaigners. They include Mahatma Gandhis statue in Leicester, where the local council is due to decide on a petition calling for it to be removed from the arterial Belgrave Road, the hub of Asian culture and business. The BLM campaign witnessed protests across the UK after George Floyds death in the US, gathering momentum after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol in early June. The campaign has prompted a review of public spaces in London and elsewhere on symbols of racism, colonialism and slave trade. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Patna, July 19 : Dubbing the coronavirus situation in Bihar as "explosive", a state Congress leader on Sunday demanded speeding up of the testing process and taking up this exercise at the doorsteps of people. Senior Congress leader and former state Youth Congress President Lallan Kumar said that increase in corona cases in the state and decline in the recovery rate was a cause for "concern". "The decreasing recovery rate is exposing Bihar's public health system," he told the media in Patna. He said that the recovery rate in Bihar on Saturday was 63.17 per cent compared with 64.36 per cent a day earlier. On July 12, Kumar added, the recovery rate among cured patients was 73.31 per cent while on July 13 and July 14 it fell to 70.97 per cent and 69.06 per cent respectively. "The Health Department data confirms that the recovery rate is declining. On July 15, Bihar's recovery rate was 67.08 per cent while on July 14 the rate dropped to 69.06 per cent. This exposes the health system of Bihar," Kumar added. The Congress leaders said that the detection of corona patients in Bihar was more than many states while the state government was busy covering it up. Testings have to be increased and people need to stay safe by following social distancing, he added. Government is likely to make a decision today regarding the closure of schools that will attempt to satisfy those both for and against the closure of schools, according to a report by the City Press. Department of Basic Education (DBE) minister Angie Motshekga has been in discussions with various stakeholders this week regarding whether schools should remain open. According to the report, most unions contended with Motshekga on Friday that since South Africa has one of the highest rates of infection in the world, school closure discussions are urgent. SADTU general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said that the call to shut down schools is about saving lives. We cannot, as a developing country, adopt the Western countries approach in building community immunity by sacrificing lives. We must protect the public by suppressing transmission, said Maluleke. Professional Educators Union president Johannes Motona agreed that schools needed to close. More and more cases are being reported, and this makes the school environment not conducive for quality teaching and learning because there is a lot of anxiety for teachers and pupils, said Motona. In response, Motshekga reportedly asked unions whether teachers should expect to be paid while not working. A DBE representative said that this could set a bad precedent for the future. This could just demoralise the whole public service, said the representative. School calendar On 11 June, Motshekga published the amended school calendar for 2020. The four school terms for 2020 are gazetted as follows: Term 1: 15 January 18 March 15 January 18 March Term 2: 8 June 7 August 8 June 7 August Term 3: 12 August 23 September 12 August 23 September Term 4: 5 October 15 December This means that between Term 2 and Term 3 there will only be a single days holiday, as Monday 10 August is a public holiday and all but one of the other days between these two terms fall on weekends. However, to make up for this, Term 3 will only comprise seven weeks. Earlier this month, however, the government postponed the return dates of some grades. It had been gazetted that Grade R, 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, and 11 learners would all return to school on 6 July. However, only Grade R, 6, and 11 learners returned on this date. We will adjust the reopening phases based on the risk-adjusted strategy, which is a considered attempt to balance our approach to school reopening taking into account all factors that affect the work we do, said DBE minister Angie Motshekga. She said the DBE has come to this decision by observing the rising numbers of community COVID-19 transmissions throughout the country. We recognised that schools are based in communities and learners live in the same affected communities and therefore a careful balancing act must be maintained, said Motshekga. Big delays to original reopening The DBE was criticised earlier this year for the significant delays in its strategy to return learners to school. Following the closure of schools on 18 March, Grade 7 and 12 learners were set to return to school on 1 June. However, this date was postponed by a week because schools had not been prepared for these learners return. According to Godwin Khosa of the National Education Collaboration (NEC) Trust, learner PPEs were not widely available by 1 June. Khosa said that many of the issues regarding PPE were on the supplier side. These included shortages of stock particularly in the cloth mask market while some of the appointed suppliers did not have adequate stock themselves or the ability to produce them, said Khosa. Some suppliers misrepresented their ability to supply this PPE, Khosa added. The Christian Council of Ghana has raised concerns over what it describes as demonic forces Ghanas politics must be devoid of. According to Rt. Rev. Prof. J. O. Y. Mante, I have observed some four demonic forces in Ghanas politics that must be exorcised. We may in future make time to break down and expatiate on them more carefully, but for the sake of time, I will only touch on them briefly. To him, the demonic in Ghana's politics include sabotage, tribalism, hate speech, and abuse of power are the four activities they want to be addressed in the political sphere. This was contained in the Councils Chairman, Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mantes speech read during the outdooring of the groups Eminent Persons. The Four Demonic Forces in Ghana'[s politics include; 1. The demon of wishing the downfall of a ruling government just to gain political points. We should note that anytime this demonic trait is triggered we all lose as a country; we never progress in our development as a country in that kind of environment. This spirit must be exorcised. 2. The demon of ethnic or tribal polarization. There are people in this country who sometimes give the impression that some tribes are more Ghanaian than other tribes. The worse thing is that they use it politically during the elections period. This is a demon that must be exorcised. This position can be held by either the ruling government in power. Ghana does not belong to any particular ethnic or tribal group; it belongs to all of us-Dagombas, Kusaasis, Bonos, Asantes, Ewews, Fantes, Kwahus, Akyems, Akuapems, etc, we are all one people. The politics of tribal polarization during the electioneering campaign is demonic and it must be stopped immediately and exorcised from our growing democracy. 3. The demon of uncultured and hate speech and lies. Just because of elections people insult other peoples character and personalities; some very young men (small boys and girls) just insult others who are far older than them to even be their fathers and mothers. Sometimes one wonders who nurtured such people. This attitude is a disgrace in Ghanas politics and it must be eschewed. Do we want to teach the younger generation that politics ais a dirty game? Is that what we want to leave with our children? This is a shame and a demon that must be exorcised. 4. The demon of violence and abuse of power. There are people who talk about violence and act violently. They exhibit these characteristics during electioneering campaigns. Sometimes their leaders acquiesce and support them by not saying anything. When those who speak and act violently are supported by those in power then there is no country but anarchy. This is definitely evil. 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 (CNN) Two towering figures of the American civil rights movement died Friday, a major loss for a nation still grappling with protests and demands for racial equality decades after their struggle. John Robert Lewis died at age 80 after a battle with cancer. Rev. Cordy Tindell "C.T." Vivian died at age 95 of natural causes. Both men were the epitome of "good trouble" -- Lewis' favorite saying and approach to confronting injustices guided by his belief in nonviolence. They worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the forefront of the historic struggle for racial justice in the 1960s. At the time, their bloody beatings during protests shocked the nation and galvanized support that led to key changes in the fight for racial justice. For their years of jailings, confrontations and unyielding demands for justice, they both received the highest civilian honor from the nation's first Black President. John Robert Lewis John Lewis was more than an icon of the civil rights movement. He was also a beloved Georgia congressman, a political force and an ally for marginalized communities nationwide. "Today, America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history: Congressman John Lewis, the conscience of the Congress," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. Lewis, a Democrat who served as the US representative for Georgia's 5th congressional district for more than three decades, was considered a moral conscience of Congress because of his belief in a nonviolent fight for civil rights. He called it good trouble. His passion for equal rights was backed by a long record of action that included dozens of arrests during protests against racial and social injustice. A follower and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr., he participated in lunch counter sit-ins, joined the Freedom Riders in challenging segregated buses and -- at the age of 23 -- was a keynote speaker at the historic 1963 March on Washington. "We do not want our freedom gradually; we want to be free now," he said at the time. "Sometimes when I look back and think about it, how did we do what we did? How did we succeed? We didn't have a website. We didn't have a cellular telephone," Lewis has said of the civil rights movement. At age 25, he also helped lead a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where he and other marchers were met by heavily armed state and local police who attacked them with clubs, fracturing Lewis' skull. Images from that "Bloody Sunday" shocked the nation and galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Cordy Tindell Vivian C.T. Vivian was also a major force in the civil rights movement. He worked alongside King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the struggle for racial equality. He was also part of the Freedom Riders. His civil rights actions started decades ago with his first nonviolent protest in 1947 -- a lunch counter sit-in in Peoria, Illinois. Vivian had a strong religious upbringing and he and other ministers founded the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference, an affiliate of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The group helped organize sit-ins and civil rights marches. Some of the marches ended in violence against him. He once led a group of people to register to vote in Selma, Alabama, despite defiance by a local sheriff who blocked the group. "We will register to vote because as citizens of the United States we have the right to do it," he told the sheriff. The sheriff responded by beating Vivian until blood dripped off his chin in front of rolling cameras. The images helped galvanize wider support for change. Vivian also created a college readiness program to help care for children kicked out of school for protesting racism. The US Department of Education used his program as a guide to create Upward Bound, which was designed to improve high school and college graduation rates for students in underserved communities. In the late 1970s, Vivian founded an anti-racism organization that focused on monitoring the Ku Klux Klan. Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. This story was first published on CNN.com "The US loses two icons of the civil rights movement in one day." Most of the festival's activities are being planned for outdoors venues, including the opening and closing ceremonies Related Egypt's Gouna Film Festival delayed by one month The fourth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, which will take place from 23 to 31 October, will hold many of its activities at outdoor venues, including the opening and closing ceremonies, amid the challenging circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic. To ensure social distancing, the festival will allow less than half of the total capacity at events inside cinemas, the festival organisers said on Wednesday. The festival will also enhance its virtual capabilities to allow greater online participation, the statement said. The dates of the event had been postponed by a month in light of the coronavirus. The festival founder, businessman Naguib Sawiris, has renewed the leadership of director Intishal Al Timimi, assisted by co-founder and chief operations and foreign relations officer Bushra Rozza, artistic director Amir Ramses, and festival co-founder Kamal Zadeh, who is also financial advisor. It will be the first public event hosted at the Gouna Conference and Culture Centre (GCCC). Held in El Gouna, a luxurious Red Sea resort town established by businessman Samih Sawiris, the film festivals activities are organised by CineGouna Platform. It is sponsored by Orascom Development Holding. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi: With the highest single-day spike of 38,902 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's total COVID-19 tally on Sunday reached 10,77,618, informed the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Sunday. The death toll has gone up to 26,816 with 543 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. The Health Ministry said the total number of cases includes 3,73,379 active cases and 6,77,423 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. This was the fourth consecutive day when the number of COVID-19 cases increased by more than 30,000. Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with 3,00,937 cases reported until Saturday. Here's the state-wise data of coronavirus cases across India: S. No. Name of State / UT Active Cases* Cured/Discharged/Migrated* Deaths** Total Confirmed cases* 1 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 53 145 0 198 2 Andhra Pradesh 22260 21763 586 44609 3 Arunachal Pradesh 373 274 3 650 4 Assam 7700 15165 53 22918 5 Bihar 9392 15536 208 25136 6 Chandigarh 203 485 12 700 7 Chhattisgarh 1551 3658 24 5233 8 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 186 414 2 602 9 Delhi 16711 101274 3597 121582 10 Goa 1425 2038 21 3484 11 Gujarat 11233 34035 2122 47390 12 Haryana 5885 19318 344 25547 13 Himachal Pradesh 410 1036 11 1457 14 Jammu and Kashmir 5797 7165 236 13198 15 Jharkhand 2685 2611 46 5342 16 Karnataka 36637 21775 1240 59652 17 Kerala 6420 5199 40 11659 18 Ladakh 173 985 1 1159 19 Madhya Pradesh 6193 14864 706 21763 20 Maharashtra 123678 165663 11596 300937 21 Manipur 709 1182 0 1891 22 Meghalaya 350 66 2 418 23 Mizoram 117 167 0 284 24 Nagaland 546 432 0 978 25 Odisha 4678 11937 86 16701 26 Puducherry 800 1066 28 1894 27 Punjab 3092 6454 246 9792 28 Rajasthan 6803 21144 553 28500 29 Sikkim 185 90 0 275 30 Tamil Nadu 49455 113856 2403 165714 31 Telangana 12764 30607 409 43780 32 Tripura 914 1735 5 2654 33 Uttarakhand 1143 3081 52 4276 34 Uttar Pradesh 17264 28664 1108 47036 35 West Bengal 15594 23539 1076 40209 Total# 373379 677423 26816 1077618 Meanwhile, as per the information provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 1,34,33,742 samples have been tested for COVID-19 till July 18, of these 3,61,024 samples were tested yesterday. The Duchess of York put on a very animated performance as she read a children's book for her YouTube Channel today. Sarah Ferguson, 60, was reading The Dinky Donkey by Craig Smith for her series Story Time With Fergie and Friends. Fergie has been very dedicated to her channel since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, sharing a video every day, and has not taken a break in spite of her own daughter getting married on Friday. The video was shared just two days after the wedding of Sarah's eldest daughter Princess Beatrice, who tied the knot with Italian beau Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge on Friday. The Duchess of York put on an animated performance as she read a children's book for her Youtube Channel today. Sarah Ferguson, 60, read The Dinky Donkey by Craig Smith for her series Story Time With Fergie and Friends The mother-of-two, whose daughter Princess Beatrice tied the knot on Friday, appeared to have great fun in the video Accompanied by an adorable toy donkey, the mother-of-two seemed happy and excited to share the story of Dinky Donkey with her 4.580 followers. The Dinky Dinkey is a follow up to the viral sensation the Wonkey Donkey and marries Smith's prose with the charming illustrations of Katz Crowley. It follows the adventures of the daughter of Wonky Donkey, who has the same boisterous character as her father. The Dinky Donkey book is a fun ready full of tongue twisters sure to make little ones laugh all the way through. Sarah's dog also made a guest appearance in the back of the camera shot - but Fergie appeared to engrossed in her story to notice Royal fans took the opportunity to congratulate the Duchess on her daughter's beautiful wedding when she announced today's video on Instagram this morning. 'Congratulations to you all on Princess Beatrices wedding day, such beautiful pictures and she looked absolutely stunning,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'Congratulations Sarah ...your daughter looked absolutely gorgeous. What a lovely couple they make.' A third added: 'Your daughter looks stunning in her wedding pictures,' while a fourth commented:'Congrats for your daughter Princess Beatrice, my favorite royal.' Beatrice's wedding was initially due to take place on May 29, but had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She eventually decided to have an intimate ceremony in front of 20 close ones, which included her mother Sarah, father Prince Andrew, grandmother the Queen and grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Beatrice, 31, tied the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge on Friday A dog travelled around 60 miles a week after missing from his family's home in Olathe, Kansas. The canine showed up at the front door of his former house surprising the present residents. Colton Michael with his family had moved into their home in Lawson, Missouri two years ago, in November 2018. Where did the dog come from? She wouldnt let us quite come near her, said Michael. Michael checked the 4-year-old Labrador, named Cleo, for a microchip. It is 57 miles door-to-door and Cloe would have had to cross a river at some point to make it back to her former home. Michael came across Cloes owners Facebook post mentioning the missing of his dog, a week earlier. He discovered that the dog belonged to the house's former residents, who now live in Olathe. "She finds her way home, and theres some strangers living in it. That would be scary for anybody, Michael said. When Michael decided to inform Drew, Cleos, owner about the dog, he couldnt believe she walked home. Nonetheless Drew felt happy to be reunited with Cloe as she meant everything to him and his family. Neither of the families is able to understand and explain Cleo's long expedition. Its a mystery, something we will probably never know, said Michael. Islamabad, July 19 : In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan government went public with the assets and nationalities of all 15 Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPM), bringing to light that seven of them were either dual nationals or held another countrys permanent residency. The details of their assets and nationalities have been put up on the website of the Cabinet Division, reports The Express Tribune. Information Minister Shibli Faraz tweeted on Saturday that the information had been made public on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The list, however, does not include Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood. The move comes in response to growing criticism and calls for declaring the assets of the people close to the Prime Minister. The seven SAPMs are Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari (UK), Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada), Nadeem Babar (US), Moeed Wasim Yusuf (US), Shahzad Syed Qasim (US) and Tania Aidrus (Canadian by birth and holds the permanent residency of Singapore). Meanwhile, SAPM on Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill, holds a Green Card. News Washington, DC - Friday, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Andre Bauer, of South Carolina, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Belize. Andre Bauer is a political leader, commentator, and real estate developer in South Carolina. Mr. Bauer served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives as a State Senator, and as the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 2003- 2011. He was the National Chairman of the Republican Lt. Governor Association in 2005 and he appeared as a political analyst and commentator on CNN from 2016 2019. Mr. Bauer also served as a Major in the South Carolina State Guard from 2010 2015. He has worked in real estate development since 1991 and currently is the proprietor of Bunk Aviation, a real estate holding company in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Bauer received his B.A. degree from the University of South Carolinas College of Applied Professional Sciences in 1991. He is the recipient of a number of honors including the South Carolina Republican Party Terry Haskins Awards for Legislative Leadership. Sue Ghosh Stricklett, of Maryland, to be Assistant Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (Bureau for Asia). Sue Ghosh Stricklett is an attorney in private practice with over twenty-five years of experience in national security law and foreign affairs. The scope of her practice includes Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance, intellectual property licensing and technology transfer, U.S. dual-use and defense trade control licensing, and sanctions law enforcement. She has served as an Asia policy advisor to three Presidential campaigns and several major Indo-American advocacy organizations. Ms. Stricklett hails from Queens, New York, and is a graduate of the State University of New York, Buffalo. She earned her J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. Friday, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key positions in his Administration: Michael Miklos, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security. Mary G. Vought, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability. Daniel C. Schreck, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the National Council on Disability.. The noble family of Pacai (Pacowie) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Lithuanian baroque (Kaunas, Lituanie) Universite Vytautas Magnus, Kaunas, Lituanie The noble family of Pacai (Pacowie) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Lithuanian baroque International scientific conference, dedicated to the 400th birth anniversary of the GDL Chancellor Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac (16211684) Universite Vytautas Magnus, Kaunas, Lituanie 13-14 mai 2021 The noble family of Pacowie (Pacai) is important to the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in many respects. The members of the family famous statesmen, public figures, the mouthpieces of religious culture, the patrons of art. The prominent members of the family: the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac, his father Stefan Pac, the Vice-chancellor of the GDL, the Grand Hetman of the GDL Micha Kazimierz Pac, the Bishop of Vilnius Mikoaj Stefan Pac, the Bishop of Samogitia Kazimierz Pac, Samogitian Doyen Piotr Pac and the others. The noblemen Pacowie (Pacai) were extremely active and profitable in the Baroque period. The Baroque of the GDL is hardly imaginable without the churches and monasteries establishes by them. Not only their mansions in Vilnius and Warsaw astonished everybody with magnificent architecture, but the palaces in the provinces (in Jieznas, for example) as well. Nevertheless there are not enough fullscale research works analysing the influence of Pacowie (Pacai) on social-political life in the GDL and on the development of artistic culture. Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac was the Chancellor of the GDL for a long period of time, during the reign of three kings (16581684); he was the founder of several churches and of the monastery, had his residence in several mansion-houses and constantly participated in diplomatic contests in the Commonwealth of Both Nations and abroad. The Chancellors French wife Claire Isabelle Mailly de Lascaris was the first lady at the Queens manor. Our international conference The Noble Family of Pacowie (Pacai) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Lithuanian Baroque is being organised feeling the need to spotlight the significance of the Pacowie (Pacai) and especially of the nobleman Krzysztof Zygmunt Pac for the Baroque culture. We kindly invite historians, art critics, literary researchers and other scholars of the humanities and social sciences to participate in the conference and to discuss the issues we propose: The problems of the genealogical research of Pacowie (Pacai) family, the biogramsof the most prominent members of the family The influence of Pacowie (Pacai) on the political life in the Commonwealth of Both Nations The political consciousness of the nobility in the GDL in early modern times Cultural contacts of the nobility in the GDL in the Baroque period Baroque art, the Church and the society in the GDL The tradition of Baroque Rhetoric and its expression in the GDL culture The phenomenon of church foundation and patronage by Pacowie (Pacai) The destiny of Pacowie (Pacai) heritage in Lithuania and abroad. We kindly ask you to send the title and short abstract of your paper till October 15 via e-mail: ricardas.jaramicius@vdu.lt The languages of the conference: the languages of the historiography of the GDL and English. The conference will be held in Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas) and in Pacowie (Pacai) mansion in Jieznas. The steering committee: Prof. Dr. Irena Buckley (chair) Prof. Dr. Vaida Kamuntaviciene Prof. Dr. Mindaugas Paknys Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indre Zakeviciene Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ausra Vasiliauskiene Ricardas Jaramicius Milda Gineikaite Sponsors: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas City Municipality, The Embassy of France in Lithuania, Jieznas Eldership Life will never be quite the same for any of us after 2020. When Boris Johnson appointed me Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in February, I was honoured to be given a chance to take forward the huge advances which have been made in Northern Ireland. After a three-year absence of devolved government, the New Decade, New Approach deal struck in January 2020 ensured Northern Ireland politics was in a positive place; a place of hope. The Irish Government played a key role alongside the UK government in working together with Northern Ireland's political leaders to bring about a deal to get the Executive up and running again. Last Thursday, I was glad to meet Taoiseach Micheal Martin during his first official visit to Northern Ireland since taking up office. I am pleased that Mr Martin has re-appointed Simon Coveney as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I very much look forward to continuing our good working relationship. Of course, there were bound to be challenges as the new Executive settles into a rhythm of work, but there was, and still remains, a real sense of purpose and a determination that all the political parties would put their shoulder to the wheel. Little did any of us realise that the first challenge, not only for the Executive but for all of us was dealing with the global coronavirus pandemic. Close working between the health departments and administrations across these islands was a vital tool in the effort to fight coronavirus. Together with our health service professionals and the public, we put in place comprehensive measures to protect our families and communities across the island of Ireland. We also saw many young doctors and nurses fly home to Ireland and Northern Ireland from right across the world to use their knowledge and skills in helping fight this pandemic. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Earlier last week, I had the opportunity to attend a virtual meeting of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. As well as delivering our guarantee on unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to the whole of the UK market, it was clear from the conversations with key business partners that we must continue to work together to maximise future opportunities for all businesses across these islands. The UK has left the European Union and we are now in the final six months of the transition period, which ends on December 31. During this time, it is important that we build upon the close relationships that we have. In the ongoing UK-EU negotiations, we want a relationship with the EU that is based on friendly co-operation between sovereign equals and centred on free trade. We want to strike the best, fairest deal with the EU as has been successfully done with other friendly countries like Canada or Australia. Throughout those negotiations, and as we implement the protocol, our top priority remains to preserve the huge gains from the peace process and the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. The protocol is a practical solution which means there will not be a border on the island of Ireland. It was also never intended, and does not include any provision for creating a border in the Irish Sea. The protocol says, it "should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities". We will proceed in a way that can command the broadest possible support across the community. That means a consensual pragmatic approach that respects the integral links across the UK on which so many rely for the flow of goods, for their businesses and to live their daily lives, and protects both the UK Internal Market and the EU's Single Market. At the end of this year, the process of transition to this new relationship will be complete, and the UK will chart a new course into the future, in control of our laws, our borders and our own trade for the first time in decades. But the Taoiseach was right when he observed last week that where we have common ground, we should work together to maximise the benefit for all. That is why the UK government will guarantee in law that NI businesses will have unfettered access to the whole of the UK - there can be no tariffs on goods remaining within the UK customs territory and there will be no need for any new customs infrastructure in Northern Ireland. But we also want to see those same businesses having the opportunity to trade with their partners across the island of Ireland, and vice-versa. Finally, but importantly, looking ahead to 2021, we will also mark 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland, and the formation of the United Kingdom as we know it today. We want to use this opportunity to promote Northern Ireland on the world stage and celebrate its people, culture, traditions and enterprise as well as its vital contribution to the United Kingdom, the island of Ireland and internationally. I look forward to working with the Irish Government in reflecting on our past, as we have done throughout this decade of commemorations, also celebrating what Northern Ireland has become and its bright future - a vibrant, peaceful place, brimming with opportunities. We want to celebrate our unique people and their history, and provide a platform for renewed and even stronger cooperation between our two countries. Brandon Lewis CBE MP is Secretary of State for Northern Ireland To the Times: My state representative, Chris Quinn,R-168 of Middletown, sent me his weekly update and announced the passage of a bill to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to ensure representation during emergencies. He proudly crowed the people you elected to represent you in these matters have been shut out of the process, effectively silencing your voice. We must ensure this never happens again. I am irate. Quinn and the Republican leadership in the House and Senate have shut me out of the process and effectively silenced my voice for years as they failed to bring HB 23/22 to a vote. Since 2016, I have volunteered and supported Fair Districts PA to end gerrymandering in our commonwealth. I helped organize educational programs, collected signatures, called my representatives, contributed money, and rallied in Harrisburg. In the past four years, over 100,000 citizens have signed petitions in support of independent citizen commissions to draw the voting district boundaries. 354 governing bodies in the commonwealth, including 21 counties representing 8.8 million citizens, have passed bipartisan resolutions to urge redistricting reform. Two thirds of the citizens in the state support these efforts. I had a personal meeting with Mr. Quinn on this important topic. He was pleasant and was a sponsor of these bills. However, it is completely obvious that he has no influence on the Republican leadership and that his party consistently refuses to bring important and widely supported bills out of committee. Chris Quinn does not deserve a second term as my representative. I am voting for Democrat Deb Ciamacca in the 168 District. I urge you to vote for Deb or the Democratic candidate in your district to make sure that the Republican Party cannot silence our voices in the future. Martha B. Bryans, Newtown Square COLONIE The number of New Yorkers who report being affected by opioid abuse has grown in the last two years, with 59 percent reporting that they or someone they know has abused opioids and 29 percent reporting they know someone whos died of an opioid overdose, a new Siena College Research Institute poll shows. Those figures are up 5 percentage points each since the poll was first taken in 2018, from 54 percent and 24 percent, respectively. Notably, however, a shrinking majority of New Yorkers believe the opioid crisis is getting worse: Just 65 percent say the problem of opioid abuse has gotten worse over the past two years, down from 83 percent in 2018. Theres a sense that its still an incredibly serious and demanding problem, but theres a lessening of the worsening, said Don Levy, director of the Institute. I dont like to put those two words together, but thats the best way to describe it. The degree to which the problem is worsening is slowing. A big caveat about the data: Siena surveyed New Yorkers on the opioid epidemic just as the coronavirus pandemic was starting to be felt in New York. More than 1,370 people took the online poll from March 3 to 21. Since then, counties across the state and Capital Region have reported a significant increase in opioid and drug overdoses a problem that public health experts believe is undoubtedly linked to the pandemic and the stress, isolation and upheaval it has caused. Courtesy of Siena College Research Institute Still, the survey reveals some important things about the publics shifting attitudes toward the opioid crisis, their beliefs about whos to blame and who should be held accountable, and their support for various solutions that have been proposed. It also showed that opioids werent the only public health issue on peoples minds prior to the pandemic. Concern about e-cigarette use and vaping rose a whopping 20 percentage points from 2018 to 2020, with 85 percent of New Yorkers now reporting such use as very or somewhat serious. Concern for marijuana use rose 4 percentage points from 52 percent to 56 percent. While the latter may reflect increased legalization talk in recent years, both attitude shifts follow last summers outbreak of vaping illness, which largely impacted those who had used THC-containing vapes from the black market and other informal sources. Doctors have gotten the message A majority of New Yorkers say awareness of the opioid crisis has grown and believe institutions are working collaboratively to solve it, the Siena poll found. They say doctors and pharmacies are behaving more responsibly when it comes to filling opioid prescriptions and warning of the risks associated with them. Nearly seven in 10 New Yorkers said doctors have become more careful in the past two years about prescribing opioids. Of the 29 percent who said they were prescribed opioids in the past two years (this is up from 25 percent in 2018), 76 percent said they feel they were prescribed the right amount compared with 70 percent who said that in 2018. Only 19 percent said they were given too many opioids by a doctor, down from 23 percent. Courtesy of Siena College Research Institute Additionally, New Yorkers say doctors and pharmacies are talking more about the risks associated with opioids. Of those who were prescribed opioids in the past two years, 64 percent said their doctor talked about risks and 61 percent said their pharmacist talked about risks, up from 51 percent and 42 percent, respectively. The data points to doctors having, in effect, gotten the message, Levy said. Theres a sense that doctors are not prescribing to the degree that they were, that theres more of a tendency to prescribe the right amount of pills, and that theres far more effort being made when they prescribe to say, here are the risks. Those are all, I think, real positives. More pursue treatment, but barriers remain Survey responses suggest that more people may be pursuing treatment for opioid addiction and that, when they do, theyre finding it easier to access. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they, a family member or close friend has pursued treatment for opioid addiction in the past two years, up from 18 percent two years earlier. The stigma, maybe, is lessening a bit, Levy said of the increase. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. There is also a growing perception that treatment is easier to access: 48 percent of respondents said they believe it is very or somewhat easy to access treatment in their area, up from 40 percent in 2018. Courtesy of Siena College Research Institute However, respondents also recognized that barriers to treatment exist: 48 percent of survey-takers said that insurance refusing to cover the cost of adequate treatment is a barrier they have heard of in their area. Other barriers respondents reported hearing of include: treatment programs not working with individuals for a long enough period (42 percent), poor follow-up after a patient completes a treatment program (42 percent), and insufficient space in treatment facilities (31 percent). Support for once-controversial, evidence-based treatment modalities also appears to be growing: 68 percent of survey-takers said they would support improving access to medications like methadone and buprenorphine, which have been shown to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Thats up from 60 percent in 2018. More people also support syringe exchange programs (63 percent, up from 59 percent in 2018). More striking was the 7-point increase (41 to 48 percent) in people who say they would support funding for supervised injection sites. The sites which allow people to use illicit drugs under trained, hygienic supervision have reduced fatal overdoses and infectious disease spread in Canada, Europe and Australia but remain controversial. A number of them have been proposed in the U.S., including in New York City, but have been either outright blocked or stalled from moving forward. Leaders of progressive cities and states, such as New York, have said they support the sites but claim they fear legal retaliation by the Trump administration, which has threatened to shut them down. A judge in Philadelphia last year ruled that the sites, which would operate as pilot programs, do not violate federal drug laws. According to the Siena poll, support for the proposal in New York comes largely from Democrats, Levy said. The idea remains unpopular among Republicans and Independents, he said. New York is always so interesting in terms of, you know, where do the moderates, where do the independents fall on that type of issue, and at present theyre not on board, he said. So this is one of those issues where moderates look more like Republicans than they look like Democrats. The Siena poll was commissioned by Prescription for Progress a Capital Region-based coalition of leaders in health care, business, government, media and law enforcement working to combat the opioid epidemic locally and statewide. The death of a one-month-old baby due to alleged lack of medical care spiralled into a controversy on Sunday, as opposition parties lashed out at the government here on Sunday. The Congress blamed rampant corruption and incompetency in handling the Covid crisis for the childs death. The incident came to light after father of the child, Venkatesh Naik, staged a protest in front of the chief ministers residence on Saturday. His son was diagnosed with a heart-condition around a week ago and was recommended immediate hospitalisation. Though he along with his wife visited multiple hospitals in the city, they refused to admit the infant resulting in his death. Its tragic that a one-month-old baby died due to lack of medical care. The devastated father protested in front of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappas residence. This governments rampant corruption and incompetency in handling this crisis is making peoples lives miserable, KPCC president D K Shivakumarvsaid. He said that Venkatesh had travelled for 36 hours in Bengaluru and at least 10 hospitals denied him admission. Will you take responsibility for this tragedy? Shivakumar asked, adding that ministers in the government were busy looting while people suffered. The Aam Aadmi Party also attacked the government over the infants death. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-20 01:06:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, July 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Navy teams began to be deployed in Texas to help combat the spread of COVID-19, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday. Abbott announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has sent five U.S. Navy teams to four locations in south and southwest Texas. Beginning Sunday, one U.S. Navy Acute Care Team will provide support in southern Texas. Another four U.S. Navy Rural Rapid Response Teams will support hospitals in south and southwest Texas, said the governor. These teams consist of medical and support professionals which are being deployed to help meet medical needs in hospitals throughout the state, Abbott added. "The support from our federal partners is crucial in our work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our communities throughout Texas," he said. "The State of Texas will continue to utilize every resource available to protect public health and keep Texans in every community safe." At the governor's request and as part of a whole-of-nation approach, U.S. Army Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces (UAMTF) arrived in Texas to support the Houston and San Antonio areas earlier this month. Confirmed COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalization continue to soar in the southern state. According to Texas Health and Human Services, Texas added 10,158 new confirmed cases on Saturday, making the total number to 317,730, with 3,865 deaths. Enditem A seven-feet-long crocodile, which had ventured out into the fields in Kelanpur village of Vadodara district, has been rescued and handed over to the State Forest Department. We got a call from Kelanpur village about a crocodile entering their village. When we reached there, we found the crocodile in the field. We rescued it and handed it over to the Gujarat Forest Department for rehabilitation, a person involved in the rescue work said. A crocodile was rescued by wildlife rescuers from Kelanpur. Crocodile was handed over to Forest dept.#vadodara #wildlife pic.twitter.com/r9MDkrw9Ex My Vadodara (@MyVadodara) July 18, 2020 Gujarat: A crocodile was rescued by wildlife rescuers from Kelanpur village of Vadodara. It was later handed over to the Forest Department. pic.twitter.com/t2QAr11epM ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2020 He said this is the seventh incident of crocodile entering an area with settlement in Vadodara district. We have to keep our safety in mind while rescuing the animals as they dont know that we are trying to help them and may attack us, he said. Also Read | Team rescues baby gator chilling in family pool in Florida, netizens love the tiny reptile People hold signs during a rally in support of the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in San Diego, California June 18, 2020. About 7,000 Indian American youth receive protection under the DACA program, allowing them to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation, and also to work. (Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images) New Delhi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who tested positive for coronavirus last week, is constantly sharing updates from the hospital on his social media accounts. In his latest post, he expressed gratitude to people for their wishes and prayers for him and his family. The picture shared by him also features his son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and granddaughter Aaradhya Bachchan, who are also COVID-19 positive. "We see your love .. we hear your prayers .. we fold our hands .. in gratitude and thanks," Big B wrote. Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya and Aaradhya are admitted to Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital. Earlier, only Big B and Abhishek were hospitalised. However, on Friday, Aishwarya and Aaradhya, who were home qurantined, were also rushed to the hospital after they showed mild symptoms. Amitabh Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda and her kids Navya Naveli and Agastya, meanwhile, have tested negative for coronavirus. The Bachchans' Jalsa residence has been declared a containment zone and sanitisation drive was carried out there and their other three homes in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Saturday told Zee News that Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek are stable at present and as per BMC protocol, Nanavati Hospital will decide upon the next date for the Bachchans' swab test. ALSO READ: Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar urges Rekha to get tested for coronavirus COVID-19, updates on Amitabh Bachchan-Abhishek Bachchan health Of Aishwarya's health, Kishori Pednekar said that the actress complained of slight fever and cough after which she was admitted to the hospital. Amid the rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in the country, the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has decided to conduct a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the BCG vaccination in preventing morbidity and mortality due to the highly contagious virus in elderly individuals between 60 to 95 years of age. The ICMR teams will conduct the study on the people living in COVID-19 hotspots across the country. It is learnt that the ICMR will carry out the study in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi. The stidy will be lead by Chennai-based ICMR's National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT). In Chennai, the ICMR will conduct the study in collaboration with the Greater Chennai Corporation and Tamil Nadu's Department of Public Health. "The study will document whether BCG vaccine can prevent the occurrence of the SARS-CoV-2 infection and its progression and death associated with COVID-19 among elderly individuals. The study uses the same BCG vaccine that is administered to newborn babies as a part of National Immunization programme for more than 50 years in this country," Dr Subash Babu, Scientific Director at National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis told ANI. "Based on the capacity of BCG to reduce the incidence of respiratory tract infections in children and adults, to exert antiviral effects in experimental models; and to reduce viremia in an experimental human model of viral infection, the hypothesis is that BCG vaccination will partially protect against mortality in high-risk, elderly individuals," he added. Babu also noted that several clinical trials using BCG vaccine are alreayd under progress on elderly individuals in different parts of the world. "We have to evaluate the effectiveness of BCG vaccination in terms of reduction in the cumulative incidence of hospital admission and Intensive Care Admission, reduction in the incidence of other respiratory febrile illness, to determine the innate and adaptive immune responses, IgM, IgG and IgA antibody titers generated by BCG vaccination (both total and SARS-Cov2 specific) in a subset of individuals and to measure biomarkers induced by BCG vaccination as correlates of risk or protection against SARS-Cov2 in a subset of individuals," added Dr Babu. Apart from Chennai's NIRT site, the five other centres are National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai Maharashtra, National Institute for Implementation Research on Non-Communicable Diseases in Jodhpur and AIIMS, New Delhi. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 19:23:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Witness testimonies in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criminal trial will begin in January 2021, the Jerusalem District Court announced on Sunday. The trial's evidentiary stage will take place three times a week, said judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, head of a three-judge panel, decided. The sessions will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Under Israeli law, Netanyahu is expected to be present at every session. The trial has resumed on Sunday morning after a two-month break and amidst growing public criticism over the government's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the ensuing financial crisis. During the session, Netanyahu's lawyer Yossi Segev asked for a postponement in the beginning of the trial due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We cannot investigate witnesses when the witness is wearing a mask," he told the judges. Netanyahu was not present as he and other defendants in the case were not obliged to attend. Netanyahu's trial over bribery, fraud and breach of trust began on May 24. He is accused of receiving expensive gifts from billionaire friends and exchanging regulatory benefits with the control holder of a media conglomerate in return for positive coverage in the news. Netanyahu, the first prime minister in Israel's history to stand to trial while in office, denies the allegations, charging they are part of "a witch hunt." Israel's longest-serving leader is facing also a widespread public anger over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Enditem Dispatch from Crame No. 854: Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the malicious editing of Duterte's public speeches 7/18/2020 The surfacing of the unedited audio recording of the President's address in Sulu reveals not only the two-faced persona of the man but also the reprehensible propaganda machine that this regime operates on full blast, to hide the unvarnished truth from the Filipino people. It shows that even the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) cannot trust their own President in his public speeches, that they had to sort through his ramblings and edit out parts so that the media and the general public would be given a washed-out and tamer version of the state of mind that this sick man has. Then comes the ever so lively Presidential Spokesperson who "interprets" and magnifies the "polished" statements of his boss, so he can survive through the questions asked by eager, truth-seeking reporters in daily press conferences. Ito malamang ang dahilan kung bakit hatinggabi o madaling araw na ipinalalabas ang mga taped pronouncements ni Duterte. Bukod sa wala talaga siyang respeto sa oras natin, kailangang "ayusin" at "retokehin" pa ito para magmukhang matino at "on top of his game" siya. I wonder what garbage he really churns out in those COVID-19 government response meetings with the IATF members. The saddest part of it all is we're being deprived knowledge of the true state of the President's physical and mental health with no less the Supreme Court's complicity. ### (Access the handwritten version of Dispatch from Crame No. 854, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_no._854) The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency of the Savannah Region have vowed to stop the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency Mr David Sei Demah from moving hundreds of people in the neighbouring Sawla-Tuna-Kalba Constituency to the the Bole Bamboi Constituency to register in the ongoing Electoral Commission Voter registration exercise. A statement signed by the NDC Communication Officer for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency Mr Bashiru Amantana on 17th July, 2020 said; we intercepted a group of people, on our way to Gbogdaa Methodist polling station (in Bole-Bamboi) for monitoring numbering over 80 in six tricycles, some on motorcycles moving to Gbogdaa to register for the voters ID cards and in the course of our interrogation with the group, we were told by some of them that, they were going to register for Ghana cards at Gbogdaa which in actual fact there was no staffs at Gbogdaa doing Ghana card registration but rather voters ID and the group also revealed that Mr. David Sei Demah was the sponsor of their trip and that he was at their community three days ago to convince them to come and register at a community where they have never reside. Mr Amantana said; Our further interrogations also revealed that they had no trace of origin in the community and were typical strangers of the community and as at the time we were interrogating them, some had already passed the Ghana card registration point (Doli) moving towards Gbogdaa community, the few that had passed were already at Gbogdaa Methodist polling station in the queue awaiting to be registered. According to the Bole- Bamboi Constituency NDC Communication Officer, early on 17th July, 2020 around 8:30am they had information from some natives of Chencheri in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency that people from Chencheri in tricycles were entering Horriyiri from Sawla to register for the voters identify card. In fact I expected Mr. Demah as a candidate who have successfully won his primaries and willing to represent the people of Bole-Bamboi in parliament to defend and protect the laws of the land which is stated in article 42 chapter 7 of the 1992 constitution, laws on registration in registration of voters public elections regulations, 1995. C.I.12, qualification for registration that says A person who is a citizen of Ghana and is of 18 years of age or above and is of sound mind and is resident or ordinarily resident in an electoral area; and is not prohibited by any law in force from registering as a voter. Mr Amantana said it has now become clear that Mr. Demah is desperate and wants to use every means to violate the laws for his personal gain. A candidate who is supposed to support peace in the constituency is rather displaying acts that can easily erupt confusion; he stated. The Bole- Bamboi NDC Communication said; We are going to remain vigilante, and make sure that no foreigner gets into our territory with the attempt to register for votes ID. He further said; We have so far monitored this voters registration process peacefully and have built consensus with other political parties in this constituency but that does not mean we are going to allow Mr. Demah to make the process a flaw one with this desperate and barbaric actions of his, for this matter we want to send a clear warning to Mr. Demah and his followers that we will face them boot for boot and within the remit of the law. Leah Juarez is many things. Shes an accomplished entrepreneur, running several businesses in and around Casper. Shes a community advocate, helping a local movement to save Mills fire department last year after the mayor there threatened to defund it. Shes a proud Latina woman whos happy to talk about what her community means to her. Juarez is also a member of a demographic that has long been underrepresented in American politics: a Republican woman running for elected office. Traditionally, government at almost every level from state legislatures to U.S. Congress has been dominated by men. In Wyoming, just 14 of the 90 lawmakers in the statehouse are women. And when women do seek office, they usually run as Democrats. In the 2018 midterms, Democratic women ran for Congress at a rate three times higher than their Republican counterparts, according to the Center for American Women in Politics, while women continue to be chronically underrepresented in the statehouse. Its an acknowledged problem in state and national politics, enough so that U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and the Republican Party have committed to efforts to boost female representation throughout the GOP at the federal level through a mix of fundraisers, political events and candidate mentorship, according to Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler. Its an issue that Juarez, a Mills resident and House District 59 candidate, has encountered herself. On Wednesday, Juarez speaking at a candidate forum in Casper told audience members that someone on her campaigns Facebook page called her a traitor for running as a Republican and, in their view, turning her back on her community and womens issues because of her conservative beliefs. Juarez, however, sees her campaign as emblematic of the need for women to have an equal say in all levels of public life, whether they consider themselves a Republican or Democrat. I think its important for people to understand that I can be a minority and I can be a woman and still have Republican values to the core, she said in a Friday interview with the Star-Tribune. I just think its so important for people to step up and not be intimidated by the political platform. Even if youre running for city council, it shouldnt be something that looks a specific way. It should encompass everybody and represent many different types of people. Declining representation Wyoming has a proud history of women in politics. The birthplace of womens suffrage, Wyoming notably appointed the nations first female justice of the peace, had the first town in the country to be governed entirely by women and elected Americas first female governor. More recently, women held a number of key positions within the Wyoming Legislature in the 1980s and, within the past decade, both the House Minority and Majority Floor Leader positions within the Legislature were both occupied by women a rare feat for a state body long dominated by men. That legacy hasnt been reflected in Wyoming recently, however, where the states citizen legislature bears little resemblance to the composition of the citizenry it serves. According to a Star-Tribune analysis last year, state lawmakers are typically older and much more affluent than the citizens of their districts, while men outnumber women by a rate of more than 5:1 despite women making up 49 percent of the states population. It basically sends a message right out of the gate that you dont belong here, said Jen Simon, the executive director of the nonpartisan Wyoming Womens Action Network. This, in turn, has had a profound effect on policy: Conversations on womens issues and hot-button topics like child care access and abortion are dominated by men. Meanwhile, the Legislatures most powerful committees including the influential Joint Appropriations Committee have zero female members even as they discuss issues impacting all Wyomingites. Were in a budget crisis, Simon added. And when you turn on during appropriations, and there are 12 white men who are making those decisions. There is no way that can possibly accurately reflect the lived experience of a huge portion of our state. Working for change Stories like Juarezs are why Simon and other women around the state are working for change. Earlier this year, Simon announced a partnership with several other women in Wyoming politics to form the Cowgirl Run Fund, a nonpartisan political action committee committed to increasing the number of women represented in Wyoming politics, regardless of their party affiliation. The PAC which officially launched last Friday with a bipartisan list of 29 candidates it was supporting hopes to provide its candidates with the financial support and mentorship needed to overcome a number of the systemic disadvantages facing women running for office in Wyoming. Like with anything else, if theres something you want to get involved in but dont know anything about like if I really want to start trail running or I really want to start fly fishing, but dont know anything about it ... if there was a group that said, Come, well show you how to do this, it makes it manageable, JoAnn Skeim-True, a member of the Natrona County Republican Partys executive committee and a co-founder of the fund, said in an interview. It makes it a target that you can actually do. Simon hopes the groups efforts help draw attention to the many barriers to public office that women face not just in the Equality State, but around the country. On Thursday, Simon who also serves as a senior policy adviser with the Equality State Policy Center hosted a forum featuring a number of key figures helping to elect more women in politics. The panelists which included Vote at Home Institute founder Amber McReynolds and RepresentWomen CEO Cynthia Richie Terrell outlined a number of policy decisions that have impacted womens ability to run for and hold office across the country, some of which could feasibly be implemented in Wyoming. One solution, recommended by Richie Terrell, could be the return of multi-member districts, which allows voters to select numerous people to represent them in the Legislature, which could encourage voters to choose from a diverse field of candidates. These districts which were once prevalent in Wyoming before being ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in 1991 have been shown to increase the number of women holding elected office. Other reforms, like ranked-choice voting, have been shown to substantially increase the amount of women elected in the cities that use it. Then theres the financial side of the conversation, where the gatekeepers in state and national politics be it wealthy donors or political action committees tend to focus their attention on incumbents, reinforcing the often male-dominant status quo. By introducing organizations focused on electing women, like the Cowgirl Run Fund, women of all ages and incomes can participate on a more even playing field with male candidates who already benefit from the advantages that help elevate them to power, be that personal wealth, familial expectations or other factors. Searching for success Ultimately, the change that matters wont come until more women run for and are elected to public office. So far, that hasnt happened in Wyoming. However, its not for a lack of trying. This year, 39 women are running for the Wyoming Legislature, according to candidate filings with the Wyoming Secretary of State, slightly up from the 34 who ran in 2018 and the 36 who did in 2016. Ultimately getting past that barrier, Simon said, will take time, and making a conscious effort to get women engaged at all levels of leadership, from the city council to Cheyenne. Were trying to make sure that there are women in the pipeline, and that they are running for things like the (Laramie County Community College) board, said Simon. We need them running for these nonpartisan local offices so that there are women who understand the process, who have gotten the experience of running the campaign at a hyper local level, and are really building that base of women and creating a broader group of people who can not only rely on each other, but can also start to feed all those higher levels of office, too. By not doing so, the state loses something valuable, Juarez said: the ability to legislate for all people, not just with good intentions, but with an innate understanding of what they need. We really have to understand that women have a perspective on the world that is unique and should be valued, she said. Its not to say that men dont have our best interests in mind. But you know, when we walk through motherhood in pregnancy, thats just an experience that men unfortunately will never be able to understand. And so our views may differ slightly, but at the end of the day, we want the same goal. But you should be able to look at the House of Representatives and to see yourself there. I hope that I can be a representation for other minorities or other women to say, Well, if she did it, I can do it, she added. I want them to think I can make a change, too. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Centre on Saturday sought a report from the Rajasthan chief secretary on allegations of phone tapping after two audio clips of conversations purportedly regarding a 'conspiracy' to topple the state's Congress government emerged amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state, officials said. In a communication, the ministry of home affairs told the Rajasthan chief secretary to send a report on the allegations of phone tapping, an official said. The chief secretary has been told to provide the details of the incident after two audio clips emerged, the official added. The Rajasthan Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the two clips of conversations purportedly regarding a 'conspiracy' to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's government. The ACB Director General Alok Tripathi said it has registered a first information report on a complaint by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi. The FIR mentions details of conversations of (Congress rebel MLA) Bhanwarlal Sharma with Gajendra Singh (Congress claims it is a reference to Union minister Gajendra Singh) and a third man called Sanjay Jain. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan resorted to 'unconstitutional' methods to tap the phones of politicians and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into what it called a 'saga of illegalities and concocted lies'. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said senior Congress leaders, including chief minister Gehlot, have been claiming that these audio clips are authentic even though the FIR registered by police does not say so. Rajasthan police forms special team to probe audio tapes Meanwhile, a special team of Rajasthan police officers has been formed to investigate and arrest the accused in the case registered with the special operations group in connection with audio tapes. The eight-member team headed by SP CID (Crime branch) Vikas Sharma was formed Friday. Other members of the team are Dharmendra Yadav (Additional SP-ATS), Jagdish Vyas (Additional SP-CID CB), Kamal Singh (assistant police commissioner-Jodhpur), Manish Sharma (Deputy SP- ATS), Kailash Jindal (inspector- CID CB), Suman Kaviya (Inspector- ATS) and Ramesh Pareek (inspector-ATS). The team was formed by Additional Director General (ATS and SOG) Ashok Rathore. The SOG has already arrested one Sanjay Sharma in connection with the conspiratorial conversation in the audio tapes and he is under police remand. New Delhi: Secretary Economic Affairs, Shaktikanta Das on Friday gave strict instructions to petrol pumps and government hospitals to accept demonetised currency of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination till midnight on Friday. Any demand of commission or rejection at these places would invite serious action, he announced through a series of tweets. The central government on Nov 8 banned the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from immediate effect to fight black money and corruption, barring their limited use in emergency services till . "Govt hospitals must receive old 500 & 1000 notes upto midnight (). Any refusal will invite serious action," he tweeted. He also announced, "Petrol/diesel bunks must accept old 500 & 1000 notes upto midnight (). Any refusal will invite serious action." Also read | Live updates: Chaos all around as ATMs go dry, protesters lathicharged in UP Reacting over the reports of scuffles and illegal activities at petrol pumps in view heavy rush at the fuelling stations, Secretary Economic Affairs said that 'demand of commission by Petrol/diesel bunks is illegal and will invite very serious action.' He, however, suggested people to fil their tanks for Rs 500 or Rs 1000 so that they do not have to go through any hassle for change. "In Petrol/diesel bunks customers have the choice of filling upto full 500 or 1000 rupees.Can avoid problems of getting back the change," he tweeted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra on Friday asked the Army to heighten vigil along the international border in Jammu region in the wake of continued attempts of infiltrations, ceasefire violations and militant activities. Maj Gen Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, GOC, 26 Infantry Division on Friday called on Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here and briefed the Governor about the security situation along the IB in the area of his responsibility, an official spokesman said. Considering the continuing attempts at infiltration, ceasefire violation and militant activities in the hinterland, the Governor stressed on the need for heightened surveillance on all fronts. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Auditors have wrapped up a four-month investigation into concerns Australia's government-owned green bank improperly awarded lucrative contracts to fintech RateSetter, with Energy Minister Angus Taylor set to review the findings shortly. Mr Taylor in March requested his department secretary carry out an inquiry into the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation's decisions to award contracts worth $100 million to RateSetter without going to tender, following widespread complaints by rival energy lenders. An independent review was conducted into alleged conflicts of interest between the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and RateSetter. Credit:Justin McManus Documents seen by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald show the probe was carried out by auditors RSM Australia. Spanning four months, the auditors looked into Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) seed-funding decisions in 2016-17, whether there was evidence of improper treatment in dealings with RateSetter and what arrangements were in place for future engagements with the company. RSM's inquiry is now complete and has been submitted to the government. "The independent review has been provided to Minister Taylor who will consider the report," a spokesman for the minister said. San Francisco City Hall will be illuminated in red, white and blue Saturday night in honor of Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights icon who died on Friday at age 80. Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco will also lower its flags to half-staff to honor the congressman, whose legacy of racial and social justice activism in the United States spanned more than half a century. He put his whole life into fighting the injustices that have long plagued this country, and he never stopped demonstrating unparalleled strength, perseverance, and dignity, Breed said on Twitter. So many of us stand on his shoulders, and our hearts grieve for the loss of a true hero, Breed said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Lewis a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation. He was revered as one of the Big Six leaders of the civil rights movement, was one of the original Freedom Riders who protested racial segregation on public transportation, and led hundreds of protesters in a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., where Pelosi said he faced down violence and death. Every day of John Lewiss life was dedicated to bringing freedom and justice to all. As he declared 57 years ago during the March on Washington, standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial: Our minds, souls, and hearts cannot rest until freedom and justice exist for all the people, Pelosi wrote. How fitting it is that even in the last weeks of his battle with cancer, John summoned the strength to visit the peaceful protests where the newest generation of Americans had poured into the streets to take up the unfinished work of racial justice. His visit with Mayor Bowser, the Mayor of Washington, painted an iconic picture of justice. In December 2019, Lewis announced he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. In a series of tweets, California Sen. Kamala Harris described Lewis impact on social justice movements in the United States. She shared undated photos of Lewis and Harris at events, one in which they linked arms and another where they were holding hands, deep in conversation. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. John Lewis was an icon who fought with every ounce of his being to advance the cause of civil rights for all Americans. I'm devastated for his family, friends, staff and all those whose lives he touched, Harris wrote. He carried the baton of justice until the very end. Its now on us to pick it up and march on. https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1284336828162637824 California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement that Lewis became a voice of justice for the nation. John Lewis was a liberal lion, but he also had a fierce independence and innate decency, Feinstein said. He spoke his mind and wasnt afraid to rock the boat when he felt it was the right thing to do. Thats why John was called the conscience of Congress. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez In the wake of George Floyds killing, the term structural racism has moved from the academic world into the public conversation a shorthand way to talk about why Black Americans can do everything right and still find themselves with less income and wealth than white Americans of similar education, consigned to live in poorer neighborhoods, with fewer opportunities, more repressive policing and worse life outcomes. If the idea still sounds abstract to policymakers in Washington, they dont have to look far to observe its realities. They can just drive an hour north, to Baltimore and see what is not there. Sorely missing is a long-planned east-west transit route that would connect isolated Black Baltimore neighborhoods to downtown and suburban job centers and to other rail lines. In 2014, the Obama administration offered Maryland a selective New Starts grant of $900 million to finally build what was called the Red Line a project that would not only have connected thousands of Black Marylanders to better jobs but would also create a comprehensive transit system that might restart the Baltimore regions economy and improve race relations by building literal connections between communities. Today, theres no construction of rail in Baltimore. The $900 million has been returned to the federal government. The state of Maryland redirected $736 million of state funds originally set aside for the Red Line to building roads instead in predominantly white areas. And the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was supposed to investigate whether that decision was illegal and discriminatory, quietly closed the case without making any public findings. Transportation investment and disinvestment have been central in Baltimores long saga of racial segregation and inequity, and the Red Line was the most recent chapter. Since Gov. Larry Hogan killed the Red Line in 2015, it has become a rallying cry for transit and racial-justice activists in Baltimore and beyond. Story continues But the full extent of the injustice is just coming to light. Material obtained by a legal clinic I worked with at Georgetown Law School, through Marylands freedom-of-information statute, shows that federal officials acknowledged the potential racial impact of the decision to cancel the Red Line and the possibility that the decision violated civil rights law and then for unclear reasons, dropped their investigation. It was Hogans decision to cancel the Red Line. To give an idea of how insidious structural racism can be, as a matter of politics, consider that Hogan is considered one of the good guys among national Republican governors. He has a high approval rating in a blue state and is considering running for president in 2024. Hogan is also a Trump critic who advocates for a bigger-tent GOP that is inclusive and avoids divisive rhetoric. But his budgetary treatment of Baltimore tells a very different story one that is woven deeply into decades of discriminatory American policy. In 1965, urban planners mapped routes for six rapid-transit lines that would radiate from downtown Baltimore to the suburban edges. But white suburbanites massively resisted both transit and open housing policies that would enable Blacks to move to their neighborhoods. As a result, Baltimore County grew whiter and Baltimore city blacker and more isolated from jobs and amenities. Plans for a comprehensive rail system remained a paper dream and only two transit lines were built. What got built and where is telling. One of the lines is a light-rail route that largely serves whites in the northern reaches of the city and suburbs who wish to travel south to Baltimores tourist-centered Inner Harbor and the retro-style Camden Yards baseball stadium; it continues south to the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The other is a subway line that runs 15 miles northwest from Baltimore to Owings Mill though the line stops well short of that suburbs signature town center and shopping mall, rendering it not entirely effective for commuters. These two lines do not even connect to each other. In 2002, Gov. Parris Glendening, an advocate of so-called smart growth which integrates transit and housing development, supported new planning for what would be called the Red Line. (The name is ironic for a proposed corridor in which the majority of residents are Black Americans living in historically segregated and redlined neighborhoods.) The proposed 14-mile line included a 3.4-mile tunnel that would have allowed riders to glide under congested downtown streets where cars crawl at less than 12 mph at peak periods. Planners also proposed stops connecting to Amtrak and the regional MARC train routes, to create a comprehensive rail system. Baltimore was more than a century overdue for racial healing and the city was going to be united, at least physically, through transit. The planning process did begin to repair trust and relations between the city and its Black neighborhoods and between those neighborhoods and predominantly white ones. Dozens of individuals, organizations and state and local government officials signed the Red Line Community Compact a blueprint for ensuring that Baltimore residents and businesses participated in construction, that the Red Line improved the environment, and citizens had a voice in fostering community-centered development. West Baltimore communities denuded of commerce were rezoned for mixed uses, anticipating new economic and civic activity around each station. Each proposed station had an advisory committee to help shape their neighborhoods renewal. Edmondson-Westside High School, for example, was going to train local adults and students to enter jobs in construction, maintenance and transit operations. One elder advocated for new trees to beautify their station. Citizens planted many ideas the kind of civic roots, if allowed to grow, that might discourage violence in poor neighborhoods. By 2015, all the needed planning, engineering, environmental and health impact assessments, financing and political compromise for the Red Line route had been completed. The state of Maryland had spent $288 million on planning and right-of-way acquisitions. The Maryland General Assembly had approved a gas-tax increase to fund the project and the state had committed to pay $1.2 billion from the State Transportation Trust Fund for the states share of construction costs. Maryland had applied for and won the $900 million New Starts grant from the federal government. Construction was set to begin later in 2015. In Jan. 2015, Gov. Hogan took office. Less than six months later, in June 2015, he announced that the Red Line was canceled. Hogan at his Jan. 2015 gubernatorial inauguration. Hogan, founder of an eponymous commercial real estate business, was an established skeptic of transit rail, which he deemed too expensive, and a believer in highway asphalt. In his first bid for governor, he argued against light rail which opposing suburbanites sometimes derided as loot rail and strenuously advocated for roads. Rail, no; roads, yes polar positions that helped to defeat Black Democrat, Anthony Brown. As governor, Hogans decision to reallocate funds away from the Red Line came two months after the uprisings in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray after mistreatment by Baltimore police officers. The violence had put Baltimore at the center of national debates and protests about anti-Black policing and disinvestment in Black neighborhoods. But Hogan called those who vandalized "thugs," and complained aloud about the $20 million the state had to spend in response to the protests. He all but used this extra cost to further justify canceling the Red Line. Hogan dismissed the project as "a wasteful boondoggle" and defended rescinding it because he oppose[d] wasteful and irresponsible spending on poorly conceived projects. The planned 3.4-mile tunnel provoked him the most. He viewed it as a costly indulgence, even though running the Red Line under the worst of Baltimore traffic in order to facilitate rapid transit was a central feature of a system designed to dramatically reduce commute times and ease downtown congestion for everyone. He returned the $900 million selective federal grant for the project and reallocated all of the state money that had been earmarked for the Red Line's first construction phase $736 million to road projects in exurban and rural areas. In the end, not a single road or pothole in Baltimore would be paved with the money that had been set aside for the Red Line. Yet not all light rail got the ax. Hogan did not cancel the Purple Line, which will open in 2022 and run through Prince Georges and Montgomery counties in wealthier suburbs of Washington and connect to D.C.'s Metro subway system. The Purple Line and Hogans other budgetary priorities at the time of the Red Line cancellation suggest a pattern of favoring white communities over Black communities in the allocation of public funds. Upon taking office he declared that Baltimore was declining rather than improving, and cut $36 million from its schools budget, but approved $30 million to build a youth jail in the city a breathtaking message signaling what Hogan thought of the city and its youth. Hogan also cut or lowered tolls on suburban highways and bridges while Baltimoreans endured fare increases on buses, rail and commuter lines. He supported expensive road projects of dubious necessity in sparsely populated rural areas while not scheduling needed road projects for Baltimore. For Black Baltimoreans and allies watching, the pattern of investing public funds in white areas and disinvesting from Black neighborhoods could not have been more obvious. The racial injustice of these decisions mobilized civil rights groups. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a complaint with the federal Department of Transportation, arguing that whites received a 228 percent net increase in benefits from the Red Line cancellation and reallocation while Black Americans lost benefits at minus 124 percent and that this racial disparity violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI is a key provision in U.S. civil rights law, one that holds decision-makers accountable for the effects of their decisions, not just their avowed rationale. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance and prohibited racial discrimination may be intentional or unintentional. Most critically, the result of allegedly neutral practices can have a disparate impact on a racial group, and Title VI, as implemented in federal regulations, renders that illegal. The iconic distressed neighborhoods of East and West Baltimore along the proposed corridor of the Red Line, on average, were 80 percent Black, 30 percent poor and 65 percent female-headed. Forty-four percent of residents along the planned corridor did not own a car. Fewer than 2 percent of jobs in Baltimore are located in Black neighborhoods along the proposed Red Line corridor. For carless residents of those neighborhoods, without the Red Line, commuting to the job-rich parts of the Baltimore region is a nightmare. In this March 20, 2018 photo, student Imani Holt walks to a bus stop after school at Excel Academy in Baltimore. The lives of carless single Black mothers who needed to get children to school and themselves to work were made incredibly difficult by a maddeningly slow MTA bus system in which a 20-minute car commute would stretch to 90 minutes on the bus. With the Red Line canceled, they lost the opportunity for nearly halving their commute times, for gaining a projected 10,000 new jobs in Baltimore that Black residents might apply for, and for spurring renewal and transit-oriented development in chronically disinvested Black neighborhoods. Lost, too, was the possibility of reducing air pollution for the city with the poorest air quality and highest rates of pediatric asthma in the state. The Obama administration's Department of Transportation opened an investigation on the assertions that appear in the Legal Defense Funds complaint and a similar one filed by Baltimore transit activists. But the Trump administration closed the investigation without making any findings. In lieu of an investigation of the joined complaints, it said it would conduct a comprehensive review of Marylands transportation programs for compliance with Title VI. The Georgetown Law Civil Rights Clinic sought to find out whether the Transportation Department followed through with that investigation. In January of this year, the Clinic filed freedom of information statutory requests with both the Maryland Department of Transportation and the federal Transportation Department. The Trump administration has yet to release any material in response to the Freedom of Information Act request, citing the Covid-19 pandemic for the delay, but this spring, MDOT disclosed a trove of documents and emails that my dedicated research assistant and I recently perused. Most telling were email communications between U.S. and Maryland officials in 2018. Federal officials had opened a Corrective Action and informed MDOT that it had to conduct a comprehensive Title VI analysis of its transportation spending. They rejected MDOTs initial response, saying it had simply provided a conclusion that disparate impacts did not exist, which was insufficient evidence of compliance with Title VI. MDOT tried again; in a subsequent email it claimed that there was no disparate impact violation because large amounts of both State and federal funded investments in transit and other transportation modes closely correlated with the Census tracts with higher minority population. In its answer, MDOT did not quantify what these large amounts were, for what projects or which minority communities allegedly benefited. It referred to funding formulas and maps provided in its previous, rejected explanation and offered a link to a previously published 565-page consolidated report that catalogued where transportation funds were allocated in given years. Those reports do not mention race at all. They were not designed to, and did not, assess racial equity. Perhaps it is true, as MDOT claimed in its emails, that minority census tracts were near road projects in outlying areas and ostensibly benefited from those road investments and that the Washington and Baltimore regions, where many minorities live, received large amounts of transportation funds. It is also possible the alleged large amounts do not make up the difference from the cancellation of the Red Line. But we dont know, because the Trump administration officials accepted MDOTs answer at face value and closed the corrective action without any explanation of its reasoning. In other words, the Trump and Hogan administrations never gave a considered response to the Title VI petitioners core claim: that in canceling the Red Line and reallocating its funds to other projects, Hogan and Maryland favored white areas to the detriment of Black citizens. The citizens and communities that toiled for more than a decade planning the Red Line, building trust and a multiracial coalition for renewal, deserved a published, reasoned answer that could be reviewed by a federal court to determine if the agencys logic was arbitrary or evaded the demands of Title VI. There was no opportunity, in short, for any public accountability. Two years after rescinding the Red Line, Hogan did offer Baltimore a consolation project, $135 million for BaltimoreLink, an ostensibly revamped bus system. It was hardly a substitute, though, for the $2.9 billion unified rail system that was first envisioned in 1965. Though Hogan claimed the new bus system would be transformative, angry riders complained that commutes worsened as bus lines were eliminated. Baltimore's iconic row houses sit behind a man waiting at a bus stop. In the distance, the downtown skyline looms. The same year Hogan canceled the Red Line, Baltimore ranked last in the nation on Harvard economist Raj Chetty's rankings for social mobility of poor children. This is what structural racism looks like and it is a product of public policy. For decades, governments have spent public funds disproportionately on white communities, particularly those that have more than enough, while excluding Black communities and Black people from government investments in mortgages, education, infrastructure and other services. One epochal example that shaped segregation in the Baltimore region and everywhere else African Americans in the Great Migration landed: The Federal Housing Administration invented the 30-year mortgage to bring homeownership to the white masses. Under this New Deal policy created by Democrats, from 1934 to 1962 whites received 98 percent of government-insured loans. Blacks were intentionally cut out of Americas signature wealth-building policy and the suburban American dream. This explains why today, for every dollar of wealth held by a typical white family, a typical black family holds 8 cents. After a century of redlining, urban Negro Removal, intentionally concentrating poor Black Americans in segregated housing, disinvestment, foreclosures and predation, without an insistent effort to disrupt a legacy of plunder, the modern descendants of slavery in Baltimore cannot thrive. Black Democrats are not immune to the zero-sum politics of segregation. Despite being governed by a series of Black mayors, a recent equity analysis revealed that Baltimore neighborhoods that are less than half Black received nearly four times more the investment than neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly Black. ` Education is supposed to be a ladder of social mobility, but education remains separate and unequal in America. Hogan recently vetoed a bill known as the Blueprint for Marylands Future that would have been a down payment on recommendations to transform Maryland public education from mediocre to world-class recommendations from a commission, known as the Kirwan Commission, that Hogan himself helped set up. According to Marylands Department of Legislative Services, Baltimore City Schools are underfunded by $342 million annually, causing Charm Citys children to endure among the highest student-to-teacher ratios in the state. All told, the Kirwan Commissions proposals, after a 10-year phase-in, were estimated to cost $4 billion annually. Last year, Hogan condemned the Kirwan proposals, dubiously claiming the plan would demand $6,000 in taxes from every Maryland family. Then the Covid-19 pandemic gave him a blunt fiscal defense for his veto. The damage from Covid-19 extends far beyond the educational system, also wreaking havoc on Marylands economy and government tax revenues and laying bare the effects of structural inequality on Black lives. Black Americans die from the virus at higher rates than whites while having less access to health care. And now half of Black adults are unemployed. As the pandemic shreds budgets, there is a serious risk that state investment in elites and preying on Black people for fees and revenue will worsen. Repair or reparation of racial inequality in Baltimore would include funding the Red Line, the proposals of the Kirwan Commission and other possibilities. Yes, in Baltimore and elsewhere resources should be reallocated from policing to redress perennial defunding of Black communities. Other systemic work is also required, including encouraging rather than discouraging integrated schools and neighborhoods that offer opportunity to all. But heres the crux: Dismantling unjust budgetary habits and reducing systemic racism will require sacrifices from white communities that have disproportionately benefited from these policies for decades. In a revolutionary moment where 96 percent of Americans are acknowledging that Black Americans face discrimination, are we finally ready to readjust our spending priorities? If so, Baltimores Red Line would be a good place to start. Eight people have now tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting a club on the NSW South Coast, with fears the venue could become the next virus cluster. The cases come after a Sydney father and son, who unknowingly had the virus, dined at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club's bistro on July 13. The club will now be closed for two weeks for a deep clean. Anyone who attended the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club on the 13th, 15th, 16th or 17th is being urged to immediately self isolate. Credit:Google Maps NSW Health announced late on Sunday that four new cases had been linked to the club including one staff member, two cases who dined at the club and one case who is a close contact of the previously reported cases. Four cases who dined at the club had previously been reported, all members of the same family. One of the eight cases is a local resident. With job cuts mounting and costly furlough programs that cant last forever, Europe is at risk of a devastating increase in unemployment that wont be easy to reverse. Economies across the continent are recovering and company sentiment is brightening, but its a different story when it comes to hiring. After months of crisis, the outlook remains too uncertain for firms to commit to spending. Many may not even reinstate all furloughed workers when governments end subsidies that kept millions on payrolls. All that raises the prospect of a job-poor -- or even jobless -- recovery, where unemployment stays high for a prolonged period even as growth appears to pick up. That could threaten consumer demand, hitting retailers, restaurants and bars that are already struggling, and feeding a damaging loop through the economy. The initial phase of the recovery will be jobless, and thats very typical for a European recovery, said Nick Kounis, an economist at ABN Amro. A lot of the job losses are still ahead of us. The potentially bleak employment outlook for Europe underscores how even a combination of policies that generally set the continent apart both in halting the spread of the coronavirus and mitigating its economic fallout cant ultimately completely protect labor markets. In the euro area, unemployment could hit almost 10% by the end of the year as the economy slumps, according to a Bloomberg survey. A rebound in growth in 2021 wont be enough to reverse the damage. UK joblessness is forecast to reach 8%, more than double its tally earlier this year. Furlough schemes to subsidize payrolls in the euro zones four biggest economies supported 26 million people at their peak, according to Bloomberg Economics. But even with such huge programs, the fallout on jobs is spreading. In recent weeks, Airbus SE, Commerzbank AG and Sanofi were among major companies to signal staff cuts. The situation could deteriorate further once furloughs are wound down. If business hasnt recovered enough when that happens, dole lines will grow. The worst of the impact on labour markets may be yet to come, European Central Bank Executive Board member Fabio Panetta said this month. Some workers on short-time work schemes and temporary lay-offs may not be able to return to their jobs, and hiring looks likely to stay subdued. At Bank of America, analysts point to the European Commissions monthly confidence data, where the jobs outlook in key economies is lagging that for industrial output. If production expectations improve more than employment expectations, the recovery may be job-poor, with implications for the labor market and household consumption, economists including Ruben Segura-Cayuela and Evelyn Herrmann said in a report. That prospect is already troubling consumers. An Ipsos Mori poll covering 27 countries showed their second-biggest worry after the coronavirus was unemployment. In France, Italy and Spain, its the top concern, more even than the virus that killed almost 100,000 in those three nations. Policy makers are acknowledging the dangers, highlighting issues such as scarring in the labour market as millions lose work. Layoffs in the wake of bankruptcies are likely to leave many jobseekers struggling to retain their skills and attachment to the labor market, the European Commission warned on July 7. What Bloombergs Economists Say... If the furloughed become jobless, generous social safety nets mean the immediate impact on incomes would be limited. But, with millions more out of work, a model of saving behaviour suggests nervous consumers would cut back on spending, deepening the downturn. The Bank of England also sees a threat of higher and more persistent unemployment. When its chief economist, Andy Haldane, offered a relatively optimistic take on the economy last month, it was tempered by labor-market worries. Of these risks, the most important to avoid is a repeat of the high and long-duration unemployment rates of the 1980s, especially among young people, he said. Governments are desperate to get ahead of the problem. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced a new program to protect jobs this month to counter what he described as the most urgent challenge of unemployment. That announcement came two days after an Opinium survey showed almost half of businesses expect to cut staff when Britains furlough program ends in October. German politicians are currently discussing an extension of their own program, while France has created a furlough mechanism that could last up to two years for companies that strike deals with unions on reduced working time in exchange for job guarantees. The French government has also pledged an annual incentive of as much as 4,000 euros ($4,566) for hiring young people. The costs of such measures are too high for politicians to make them permanent, even if central bank bond-buying stimulus has bought them room for manoeuvre by containing yields for now. Analysts also wonder if even all that support will be enough to mitigate permanent economic damage. For some industries, you can see structural changes which may mean that some jobs might not come back, ABNs Kounis said. The people who are sometimes laid off in an industry that is downsizing dont have the right skill sets straight away to fit into industries that are moving forward. Democratic Representative Donna Shalala said Floridas Covid-19 outbreak is totally out of control and called for a lockdown of the third most-populous U.S. state. Its terrible, and talking about reopening schools is ridiculous, Shalala, whose South Florida district sits within Miami-Dade County, said Sunday on ABCs This Week. She faulted the Trump administration and Governor Ron DeSantis for reopening the state too soon, adding that low-income minority residents were bearing the brunt because employers are demanding they return to work. Its the working poor, its seniors, its now young people and its totally out of control, said Shalala, who served as Health and Human Services Secretary under President Bill Clinton. We need to close down again in Florida. DeSantis has declined to impose a mask-wearing mandate in Florida, which reported a record 156 virus-related deaths among residents on Thursday. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has signaled he wouldnt rule out a full lockdown after imposing restrictions including a 10 p.m. curfew in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. Florida deaths and new infections have slowed in the last two days; on Sunday the state reported that cases had risen by 3.7% against the previous 7-day average of 4.1%. I care deeply about the economy, but first I care about human life, Shalala said. With our hospitals filled and the lack of appropriate testing and getting results, the lack of medicines -- weve had to beg for medicines that would save lives -- we simply cannot protect the economy if we dont protect the lives of the people in our community, she said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Kyodo News) Tokyo Sun, July 19, 2020 12:48 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066784bd2 2 World Tokyo,Japan,travel Free Japan's prefectural governors decided on Sunday to ask the central government to consider excluding more areas from a travel campaign when necessary to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The governors said they hope the 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion) subsidy initiative aimed at sparking domestic trips will help revive their virus-hit economies. But "we have to avoid (the campaign) causing the virus to spread," they said in proposals to the central government compiled at an online meeting to discuss responses to the coronavirus. The central government said Thursday that it will launch the Go To Travel Campaign on Wednesday as planned, but is excluding Tokyo from the program after a recent spike in cases in the capital. "We are facing a critical phase where we have to deal with the movement (of people) in wider areas and prevent the spread of the virus at the same time," Tokushima Gov. Kamon Iizumi, president of the National Governors' Association, said in the opening speech, referring to a rise in nationwide infections. Read also: Japan plans to expand airport PCR testing capacity to 10,000 per day Tokyo remains the hardest-hit area with its new cases accounting for about a third of the nationwide tally. The Tokyo metropolitan government is expected to report at least 180 new infections later Sunday, Gov. Yuriko Koike said at the meeting. Tokyo saw the figure reaching nearly 300 for three straight days through Saturday including a single-day record of 293 cases on Friday. The daily figures reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions in the capital. Across the country, total cases stood at 24,860 Saturday, with more than 660 new cases reported, the highest since April 11, as a resurgence in infections has also become more apparent in other urban areas. The tally excludes 712 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo in February. The governors urged the central government to run the campaign over the long term, as some areas in the Kyushu region are not able to accept tourists any time soon in the wake of devastating floods caused by torrential train. They also asked the government for timely disclosure of information about infections at US bases in Japan after an increasing number of new cases has been reported by the US military. In Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan, 143 military personnel have tested positive, according to the prefectural government. Topics : Tokyo Japan travel By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Employees of five National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills in the state, including Vijayamohini Mills in Thirumala here, have urged the Centre to restart operations in textile mills, which were shut down in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdown. According to the joint trade union, the employees have been living penniless since the past four months. The NTC, in a circular, had announced the shutting down of all mills on March 23 along with a 50 per cent cut in wages of workers. This was in contradiction to the circular published by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, which advised employers of public and private establishments to not terminate casual or contractual workers or reduce their wages. On May 17, when the Centre allowed factories to continue operations following Covid-19 norms, NTC decided against reopening all its 23 units across the country. The south regional chapter of NTC even announced that all employee allowances would be done away with and that workers will only receive 50 per cent of wages from May 17. However, the workers are yet to receive even this paltry sum. The management even asked workers to sign a petition stating that the latter only required 50% of wages. The delay in payment has caused hunger and poverty among workers, one of whom committed suicide on June 15. He was a permanent worker at a mill in Mahe. As per the staff union, Vijayamohini Mills alone has been paying a GST of Rs 40 lakh. But none of the mills care about their employees,said union members. Private radiology practices have been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the steps they take to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their practice will shape the future of radiology, according to a special report from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) COVID-19 Task Force, published today in the journal Radiology. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread disruption to the global economy. The resulting reduction in demand for imaging services had an abrupt and substantial impact on private radiology practices, which are heavily dependent on examination volumes for practice revenues. Examination volumes in radiology practices have decreased by 40%-90%. The volume reduction is anticipated to persist for anywhere from a few months to a few years. Private practice radiologists make up a substantial proportion of the specialty, accounting for approximately 83% of all practicing radiologists in 2019. The report describes specific experiences of radiologists working in various types of private practices during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and presents a detailed case study of a private radiology practice impacted by the pandemic. The authors outline factors determining the impact of the pandemic on private practices, the challenges practices have faced, and the financial adjustments made to mitigate losses. For many practices, caring for patients with COVID-19 increased the complexity of the financial impact. Volumes of advanced imaging, a higher reimbursement service for many practices, were reduced while low reimbursement services, such as radiography, often increased. At the same time, performing these low reimbursement services in ways that minimized the risk of virus transmission to staff and other patients increased the time and resources required to perform these services. These challenges were often most pronounced in private practices that included a hospital-based component to their practice, and which cared for COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe symptoms." Richard E. Sharpe Jr., M.D., M.B.A., lead author, senior associate consultant at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona In addition to financial burdens, tremendous variability in interpretations of state-level practice guidance existed, even in the early affected Seattle area. For example, some practices in Seattle maintained elective imaging appointments, while other groups only indicated plans to reschedule screening examinations. Still others requested that patients postpone all elective imaging. One group directed patients to reschedule only if they were symptomatic for coronavirus. In the report, Dr. Sharpe, along with coauthors Brian S. Kuszyk, M.D., and Mahmud Mossa-Basha, M.D., lay out strategic efforts that practices are making to their mid- and long-term plans to pivot for long-term success while managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Private radiology practices have crafted tiered strategies to respond to the impact of the pandemic by pulling various cost levers to adjust service availability, staffing, compensation, benefits, time off and expense reductions. In addition, they have sought additional revenues, within the boundaries of their practice, to mitigate ongoing financial losses. Some practices may opt to adjust employed physician contracts to better mitigate practice risk from potential future volume disruptions. Base salary may comprise a smaller portion of overall compensation, with the balance dependent on the overall financial performance of the organization and/or individual productivity. The longer-term impact of the pandemic will alter existing practices, making some of them more likely to succeed in the years ahead. Some groups may prove unable to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially fueling trends either toward consolidation into larger radiology groups or toward increased employment by hospitals. "We anticipate that small radiology practices may be at greatest risk for consolidation with larger radiology groups that have a more diversified practice model regarding inpatient-outpatient mix, subspecialty service lines, and geography," said Dr. Kuszyk, president of Eastern Radiologists in Greenville, North Carolina. RSNA is committed to providing trusted resources to the radiology community as they prepare for and manage patient surges caused by the spread of COVID-19. RSNA established the COVID-19 Task Force to lead RSNA's efforts in educating radiologists and health care professionals about the impact of COVID-19 and develop needed tools to help radiology departments handle the crisis. RSNA's COVID-19 Resources page houses the latest guidance, original research, image collection and more. A 56-year-old person found dead near waterlogged Minto Bridge in New Delhi on July 19, police said. The man, identified as Kundan Kumar, was a resident of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. He was driving a Tata Ace from the New Delhi Railway Station to Connaught Place when he got stuck in the waterlogged area, they said. While he was trying to manoeuvre his vehicle through the waterlogged underpass, Kumar got stuck and allegedly died due to drowning, said a senior police officer. He used to drive the vehicle, owned by his cousin Pritam, to transport goods, police said. Kumar used to live near a taxi stand in Shankar Market area and is survived by his wife and two daughters, they said. His body has been shifted to a mortuary at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital wherein it will be handed over to his family after a post-mortem. Police said they suspected that he died due to drowning since no external injury marks were found on his body. Inquest proceedings have been initiated in this regard, they said. Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister said that waterlogging has been removed from the Minto Bridge. "Since this morning, I was in contact with agencies and was monitoring the process of removing water from there. We are keeping an eye on more such places in Delhi. Wherever water is collected, it is being pumped immediately," the CM tweeted in Hindi. North Delhi Mayor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jai Prakash held the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) responsible for the incident and said it will continue to occur until Delhi government gets rid of its irresponsible attitude. Such incidents will continue to occur until the Delhi government gets rid of its irresponsible attitude. The Chief Minister should take responsibility and announce an ex gratia for the kin of the deceased. The government should ensure that such incidents don't happen again, Prakash told the news agency. The national capital witnessed waterlogging in several areas due to heavy rains on July 19. The Delhi Traffic Police posted alerts on Twitter to inform commuters about waterlogged roads. Delhi received its first spell of heavy rains in the morning which inundated low-lying areas. Several stretches where construction work is going on also reported waterlogging. England's royal family is the most famous family in the world. That means that the spotlight is always on them and that they are not safe from conspiracy theories and rumors. Tabloids have been releasing numerous articles about the royal family for years, and although some of them were true, there are those that are just outright absurd. Here are some of the craziest rumors about the Royal Family of England. Kate Middleton used a surrogate Duchess Kate Middleton of Cambridge is now a mother of three: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. However, people are starting to wonder why hours after giving birth, she already looked all dolled up. This is why a Russian newspaper released an article suggesting that the Duchess did not give birth to Princess Charlotte, but instead used a surrogate. According to the article, Duchess Kate used a fake baby bump while she was out in public. Another story suggests that she gave birth to Princess Charlotte but she gave birthdays before her supposed birthday. Both stories are not true. Also Read: Kanye West Still Running for President, Files for FEC Prince Charles and Princess Diana had a secret child The tabloid The Globe wrote an article that said Prince William and Prince Harry have an older sister. The alleged older sister was born through a surrogate and is the next in line to the throne after Prince Charles. According to the rumor, before Prince Charles and Princess Diana were engaged, Queen Elizabeth had Princess Diana undergo testing to make sure that she can bear children. T he rumor then continued that Princess Diana's embryos were stolen by the doctor and implanted them in his wife. The alleged older sister, Princess Sara, was sent to the United States. This rumor was completely made up. Archie is not Prince Harry's son The latest rumor surrounding the royal family is that Prince Harry is not the biological father of Archie Harrison. The tabloid The Globe posted an article about it just two weeks after Archie was born. The article stated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received results from a DNA test days before the birth. The results allegedly confirmed that Prince Harry was not the father. This rumor turns out to be false since Archie is now looking more and more like his father, Prince Harry, as he grows. Also, it is unlikely that the royal family would conduct a DNA test and get the results days before Meghan Markle gave birth. Prince Charles will never become King Now, it is not a secret that many British people are still bitter about Prince Charles' infidelity, especially since Princess Diana was so well-loved by the public. This rumor may have rooted in that fact. Prince Charles is next in line for the throne when Queen Elizabeth passes or steps down, but according to a royal butler who used to work for Princess Diana, the line-up might not happen. The royal butler, Paul Burrell, thinks that Prince Charles will do the right thing and pass the throne to his son, Prince William. But if this is not true, then Prince Charles will become King. Related Article: Most Absurd Celebrity Rumors of Katy Perry, Beyonce, Taylor Swift and more @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Six people were killed and at least 20 others injured when the private bus they were travelling in fell off the Lucknow-Agra Expressway after hitting another vehicle in Uttar Pradeshs Kannauj district on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred at around 5:15am 122 kilometres from the state capital of Lucknow. The bus, according to police, had started from Darbhanga in Bihar and was going to Delhi. A private bus with around 40 passengers toppled down the highway after colliding with a stranded SUV. Five passengers were killed on the spot while another died minutes after reaching the hospital, Amrendra PD Singh, Kannaujs superintendent of police (SP), said. Around 20 other passengers have also sustained injuries. They have been admitted to hospital, Singh added. Condition of some of the injured is said to be critical. It appears that the bus driver failed to spot the SUV in time that led to the collision and then failed to control the bus which toppled down, Singh said. A police team reached the spot within a few minutes and called an ambulance that carried the injured to hospital. They were trying to identify the dead and the injured by the time this report was filed. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences over the death of the passengers and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of those injured. Egypt re-launched culture activities two weeks ago after a four-month suspension amid the coronavirus shutdown Popular Egyptian band Massar Egbari will give a live concert on 22 July at the Cairo Opera House's newly-established open-air stage Fountain Theatre. The band will introduce original songs addressing social topics, such as 'Fakrah' (Do You Remember), 'Mafish Haga' (Nothing), 'Hawy' (Magician), 'Tareeq Tany (Another Road) and many others. Massar Egbari's last appearance was an online streaming concert in early June during the first season of the WE Online Music Festival. Founded in 2005 and coming to prominence a few years later, Massar Egbari is at present one of the leading independent bands in Egypt, with the line-up of well-known musicians Hani El-Dakkak (guitar and lead vocal), Ahmed Hafez (bass guitar), Tamer Attallah (drums), Ayman Massoud (keyboards), and Mahmoud Siam (guitar). The band has remained active during the general shutdown of cultural activities. It was the first independent Egyptian band to livestream a concert on 24 March. After a four-month suspension amid the coronavirus shutdown, the Cairo Opera House re-launched activities on 9 July amid strict precautionary measures. Programme Wednesday 22 July, 8pm afoura (Fountain) Theatre, Cairo Opera House grounds, Zamalek, Cairo Search Keywords: Short link: Photo: The Canadian Press Asmaa Ali is photographed at home in Edmonton, Friday, July 17, 2020. She is the co-creator, along with her friend Habon Ali, of a Canada-wide comprehensive list of resources for survivors of sexual assault. This image was directed remotely while Aisha Ali operated the camera, because of COVID-19 related restrictions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken Two Somali-Canadian advocates have created an online resource specifically for racialized survivors of sexual assault, saying a centralized guide is necessary to fill gaps in both the health-care and justice systems that leave marginalized women behind. Habon Ali of Toronto and Edmonton's Asmaa Ali said existing resources are either scarce in nature or scattered across the internet, making it difficult for victims to track down the help they need. The women contend the issues persist both in the immediate aftermath of sexual violence and further down the road when victims need medical rather than legal support. Spurred on by both the patchwork of systems at home and the death of a Black Lives Matter activist abroad, the women compiled a 28-page document listing resources including help lines, legal services and places to obtain sexual assault kits across the country. "It was important for us to put together these resources because there's a barrier in finding them and we did our best to remove them," said Asmaa Ali, a registered nurse and recent graduate of the University of Alberta. She said sexual violence resources in Canada are seldom geared towards intersectional communities and often leave Black, Indigenous and other people from racialized communities out of the conversation. She and Habon Ali sought out resources that included those communities, adding their focus was on providing support to vulnerable women with intersectional experience. The guide is also intended to provide additional help for students and immigrants, groups Habon Ali cited as particularly likely to fall through the cracks of Canada's current systems. She said language barriers often make it difficult for ethnic minority groups to find and secure the help they need. "Sexual violence is pervasive across all social and cultural boundaries globally and its important we acknowledge the systemic inequalities that result in racial health disparities," she said. Asmaa Ali said both women felt moved to take action in Canada after reading about the suspicious death of a young activist in the United States. Oluwatoyin Salau was a 19-year-old advocate who went missing in early June after tweeting about being sexually assaulted by a man. She was found dead in Florida days later. Aaron Glee Jr. 49, is now charged with second-degree murder,kidnapping and sexual assault in connection with her death. Both Canadian advocates said Salau's death highlights a stigma Black women face when they speak up against their assailants. The fact that some pay a heavy price for self-advocacy, bolstered by a growing number of online anecdotes detailing similar treatment, is what prompted them to make sexual assault supports more readily available at home. "It's sad to see the way survivors are treated when they speak up about their sexual violence," Asmaa Ali said. "When BIPOC women online began to speak up about their experience it made it all the more real." The decision to include students in the guide's scope was welcome news for Sara Reza, who attends York University's Schulich School of Business and founded the social media account SilencedatSchulich, where racialized sexual assault survivors can share their experiences of violence and racism. She said the number of students of color who dont know where to turn after an alleged assault is "overwhelming and heartbreaking." "Oftentimes, women of colour who are victims of sexual violence in this country come from marginalized communities that are underfunded and do not have the adequate resources to help them," Reza said. That holds true long after the trauma of an assault, according to Siham Rayale at the University of Toronto. The women and gender studies lecturer said systemic racism exists throughout the health-care system, citing questionable assumptions about women of colour that shape the way medical professionals have historically responded to their concerns. "We know there have been countless studies that show what medical professionals are taught about the tolerance that women of colour have for pain," Rayale said, adding such attitudes give women in need of care short-shrift when they need help the most. She described the new online resource guide as "necessary and lifesaving" for those who may not know how to navigate Canada's complex systems. Shincheonji Church of Jesus members who have recovered from COVID-19 wait in line to donate blood plasma at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, 300 kilometers south of Seoul, July 13, to support the development of a vaccine or drug to treat the virus. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji The most promising drug shown to treat COVID-19 patients so far is remdesivir, an antiviral medication made by Gilead Science, but it requires more rigorous clinical trials at least here in Korea, according to the health authorities. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said it has administered remdesivir to 42 COVID-19 patients from July 2 to 10. On July 13, it reported results from the group given the drug in different hospitals; nine showed an improvement, 15 showed no change, and three showed a worsened condition. Because the result has yet to be compared with a control group, KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook said the quarantine authorities would seek experts' opinions as well as conduct further analysis in order to ascertain its efficacy. Plasma transfusions is one of two therapies that many researchers have proposed to treat the novel coronavirus with remdesivir. In a recent guideline of National Health Commission in China, Zhang Dingyu, director of Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, said a new treatment using the plasma of the patients recovered from the virus was effective in other patients battling it. He said the plasma contained a large number of immune antibodies. Plasma extracted from blood of recovered patients is used to make products that are the most effective treatment for COVID-19 when there is no drug or vaccine. These products can significantly lower the fatality rate of patients with severe symptoms, Zhang was quoted as saying by The Global Times. "Blood from recovered patients contains a high concentration of antibodies. Trials on patients in a severe condition using plasma from recovered patients have been carried out in Jinyintan Hospital, a facility designated for COVID-19 treatment, and we have seen good results so far," he said. In the absence of a vaccine experts said the plasma appears to be the most reliable alternative. Kwon said a clinical trial for plasma therapy is likely to start here in September, while the government already started a joint study on the treatment in March. The number of plasma samples needed for the clinical trial is at least 130. As of July 14, health authorities received the plasma from 182 out of 390 recovered patients who expressed their intention to donate their blood plasma for the government's research. The number is expected to increase as more than 4,000 followers of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the country's minor religious sect, who have recovered from COVID-19 have said they will donate their blood plasma to support the development of a treatment. Shincheonji was at the center of the early stage of the virus outbreak in Korea from February to March. Some 4,000 followers, most of whom were from its branch in the southeastern city of Daegu, were infected with the virus. Experts said the massive donation of blood plasma by the religious group could accelerate the development of blood plasma treatment in the country. In particular, the treatment success in cases previously identified in Korea has raised expectations for the development. In April, a group of doctors at the Severance Hospital in Seoul, which administered plasma therapy on two elderly patients, uploaded their method of treatment to the website of the Journal of Korean Medical Science. The two patients were a 67-year-old woman with a medical history of hypertension who tested positive on March 6, and a previously healthy 71-year-old man who was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Feb. 22, according to the article. Both patients recovered after being treated with plasma from coronavirus survivors. Limitation to therapy Blood plasma is the perfect medicine in theory, but in fact, there are many limitations and no country has yet succeeded in developing a vaccine. The theory goes that giving the plasma containing the antibody to people currently infected with COVID-19 helps them recover. This approach has been used in the past to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola, but results were mixed. "It's an old technique," Scott Koepsell, medical director in the division of transfusion and transplantation support services at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who has collected plasma from Ebola survivors was quoted as saying by The Verge. He says that while plasma transfusions have been used for over a century, it's still a treatment of last resort. "It's a really well-meaning approach, but it has a lot of variability and limitations," he said. For example, every person who survives an infection will have a slightly different mix of immune substances in their plasma. Each sick person treated with plasma, then, is getting a slightly different treatment. That can make it really difficult for researchers to tell whether plasma therapy is generally effective (or ineffective) or whether it depends on if a patient gets a really good (or bad) batch of plasma. Choi Joon-yong, an infectious medicine professor at Severance Hospital, who conducted an earlier study on the plasma treatment, said, "The treatment has its own side-effects and there is not enough scientific evidence as there have been no large-scale clinical trials yet." "But it will be an alternative treatment for severe patients who are not seeing effects with anti-virus treatment if it can be combined with other drugs including steroids," he said. GC Pharma, a Korean biopharmaceutical company, is in charge of developing the domestic plasma treatment. The company is currently preparing for clinical trials of the plasma with the aim of commercializing it in the second half of the year. China's Y-9 medical aircraft completes maiden mission PLA Daily Source: Xinhuanet Editor: Li Wei 2020-07-18 16:29:55 CHENGDU, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese air force's Y-9 medical aircraft has completed its maiden transfer mission this week, according to military sources. A Y-9 plane refitted for medical transfer purpose flew a sick serviceperson surnamed Zhang from a plateau area to a major city in northwest China. The trip lasted about 4.5 hours. Zhang was injured during a training session, and his conditions deteriorated in a local hospital, the sources said. Equipped with advanced facilities, the Y-9 medical aircraft can perform difficult medical transfers and enables medical workers to provide in-flight emergency treatment. It was displayed in public for the first time during a grand military parade in Beijing marking the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China last year. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ALBION, MI Colleges and universities across the state are pressed for money right now, but Albion College recently received a $7.5 million unrestricted gift the largest in Albion College history that will be used for a multitude of things, including COVID-19 testing. Robert Richmond attended Albion College from 1959-61, and while he didnt receive a degree from the college, his stepdaughter, Lori Troop, said it left an impression on him and his passion to help students learn. He still had his Albion yearbook, so it must have meant something to him, Troop said. He just valued education in general. Albion College President Mathew Johnson said the college received the gift almost a month ago, and because the funds are unrestricted, it can be used for a number of things. First and foremost, Johnson said the gift will be used to underwrite Albions Michigan 2020 Promise, which covers all tuition and fees for families making under $65,000 a year. As the college prepares for the fall semester, though, Johnson said the funds from the gift will help outfit classrooms with new technology and health and safety measures, including automatic door openers, plexiglass in certain areas of campus and new desk configurations so students can maintain their physical distance. Theres a whole sort of category of expenses we would not normally have that we have to prepare for bringing students back to campus, Johnson said. According to Johnson, 95% of students want to return to campus, and the gift will help pay for COVID-19 kits that each student will receive when they arrive on campus, complete with cleaning solutions, a mask and other materials so theyre safe on campus. Students will also be tested multiple times for COVID-19 throughout the semester to keep track of any infection and to stop the spread of the virus. Richmonds gift will be used over the next two and a half years as Albion College adjusts to the changing world, and Johnson said getting an unrestricted gift is essential for small colleges like Albion to remain relevant. Unrestricted gifts allow for small colleges to be at their best, to be strategic, to seize opportunity and to focus with their students on the current challenge, issue or opportunity, Johnson said. Unrestricted gifts make that possible and allow for colleges to be nimble as well as strategic. After attending Albion for two years, Richmond went to the University of Michigan before graduating from Central Michigan University with a degree in business administration, a college news release said. He went on to a career with IBM and helped businesses set up their computers. If he had known the college would be using the gift for scholarships and to keep students safe, Troop says he would have been happy. He would be happy that hes helping individuals, Troop said. He wasnt the type that would like some grandiose building with his name on it. More information on Richmonds gift can be found here. READ MORE: Michigan leaders react to death of civil rights icon John Lewis Woman upset with pizza shops mask request causes stir, then runs over officers foot: police Detroit woman accused in $2M unemployment insurance scheme The British government asked Japan to help build its 5G wireless networks without Huawei Technologies, the Nikkei said on Sunday, a further step in a global technology and security war between the United States and China. Britain named NEC Corp and Fujitsu Ltd as potential alternative suppliers to Huawei, the business daily reported, without citing sources. British officials met with their counterparts in Tokyo on Thursday, two days after Britain ordered Huawei equipment purged from its 5G networks by the end of 2027, the Nikkei said. As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, fears over the security of Huawei have forced Prime Minister Johnson to choose between the United States and China, weighing a critical alliance against billions in investment. The Nikkei said the latest move reflects Britain's effort to bring in new equipment suppliers to foster competition and help reduce costs for the country's wireless carriers. The British embassy in Tokyo and Fujitsu did not immediately respond to email or text inquiries on Sunday. Japan's Cabinet Secretariat and NEC did not answer calls. Huawei and China's foreign ministry had no immediate comment. British digital minister Oliver Dowden last week said Britain was working with its allies to foster stronger rivals to Huawei, naming firms from Finland, Sweden, South Korea and Japan. ANTAKYA, Turkey Millions remain displaced as the nine-year long civil war continues in Syria between Russian backed forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels in the conflict-ridden country. But even as the fighting continues, parliamentary elections began on Sunday in areas controlled by the long-time leader whose country has become an insoluble problem for world powers, drawing in the United States, Russia and Turkey. Around 7,400 polling stations have been set up across the country for Sunday's vote, according to Syrias state-run SANA News Agency, which reported that 2,100 candidates will compete for 250 parliamentary seats. For some Syrian citizens and experts alike, the result is a forgone conclusion Assads Baath Party is expected to win comfortably. "This is not an election, this is an absurd and cheap play done by the Syrian regime," Haitham Darwish told NBC News by telephone from a refugee camp in Syrias northern Idlib province. "There is no such thing called democracy in the areas that are controlled by Assad's forces," said Darwish, 47. The father of six added that elections should be done when the country is united and when people can go back to their hometowns." Image: Campaign posters of candidates in Syria (AFP - Getty Images) His comments were echoed by Hatem Ismail, a member of Syrias Yeketi Party of Kurdistan, from the northern city of Raqqa. Its not an electoral process, but rather a process that appoints the names of the parliamentarians who support the current regime, Ismail, 40, told NBC News by telephone. Where is the democracy here? Lina Khatib, head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at London think tank Chatham House, agreed that the elections would not be free nor fair. Assads regime was hoping to show that the Syrian state is functioning despite the pressures it is facing economically and politically, she said, adding that many of the candidates were business people who were internationally sanctioned, while some have close connections with Russia or Iran. Story continues The elections were more of a preparatory step for the presidential elections that are due to take place next year, she said. Assad, who has maintained a tight grip on power since he became president just over 20 years ago, expected to win those elections, she said. While his rule has been mired by a nine-year civil war, which erupted in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings that swept across the Middle East, with the backing of Russian forces, in recent years his regime has gradually been able to reassert control. It currently holds around 70 percent of the country, according to the London-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Turkish and Kurdish forces, along with other rebel groups hold the remaining territory. The bloody conflict has caused "unprecedented devastation and displacement," according tothe United Nations, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and the country economically exhausted. More than 5 million Syrians have fled the country many to nearby Lebanon and Turkey and the U.N. estimates that at least 6 million people are displaced within the country, so it is unclear how many people will be able to vote. Some like Mohamed Sharif, who lives in the northeastern city of Qamishli have vowed not to vote in what he called an illegal election. "The regime for nine years until now never presented a plan for national reconciliation, never presented a plan to solve the existing problems in Syria," Sharif, 51, told NBC News by telephone. But Khatib said the election was nonetheless a way for the Assad regime to present itself as legitimate domestically, and to send a message of defiance to the international community. Image: Bashar al-Assad (Rabih Moghrabi / AFP - Getty Images file) NBC News has approached Syria's Presidential Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment about the election. After casting his vote, Syria's Information Minister Imad Sarah told reporters: The elections confirm the true image of democracy in Syria." It will be the second time parliamentary elections have taken place in the country since the conflict began. When the first took place in 2016, Western powers denounced the vote as illegitimate, while Russia, a staunch Syria-ally, said the elections were necessary to avoid a power vacuum. This years election has already been postponed twice because of concerns about coronavirus in the country where 496 cases and 25 deaths from the disease have been recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Preventative COVID-19 measures are in place, such as social distancing and the use of personal pens, the SANA News Agency reported, but aid agencies have nonetheless expressed concerns about outbreaks in Idlib. For Sharif however, it is not fear of the virus that is stopping him from voting, but anger about the election. "We are mad They are illegitimate," he said. Ammar Cheikh Omar reported from Antakya, Charlene Gubash from Cairo and Adela Suliman from London. Reuters contributed to this report. Kevin Penn, a Black store owner who was punched by a white police officer and knocked face down to the floor in March after initiating a 911 call about a shoplifting attempt, says he and other Black men in Decatur face a serious dilemma when they need police assistance. Ive met some good officers, but there are some bad, and you dont know whos coming to the scene, Penn said in a lengthy interview detailing his recent encounters with police. Are you going to have a professional officer thats an asset to the department, who really understands how to serve and protect? Or are you going to have a rogue one thats capable of doing anything? As a Black man, youre rolling the dice. Police Chief Nate Allen, who also is Black, does not discount the vulnerability Black civilians feel when encountering white policemen. I hear that quite frequently, and I believe it to be true, he said. Just look at it this way: It doesnt matter what your race is, when a police officer gets behind you, everybody tenses up. Oh God, Im going to get a ticket. It could be even worse on a Black male, in light of all the things that are going on around the nation and world. Yes, I can see the tension there. The March 15 punch and takedown that left Penn with a broken jaw and missing teeth, and a later encounter in which another Decatur police officer pulled a gun while Penn was leaving a downtown cigar club, have definitely made the 48-year-old Penn tense. Ill be driving and Im looking at a police officer driving. Everybody whos Black says the same thing it has their head on a swivel, said Penn, the owner of Star Spirits & Beverages. Because if we get pulled over, we might not come out of that. You see a big pothole and you dont want to swerve around it. You just slow down and ease over it. You dont want to be looked at as swerving. Penns encounter with police at his liquor store received national attention when an in-store security video of the incident began circulating on social media June 7, almost three months after it happened. That was followed by a June 8 press conference in which Allen played an edited snippet of a policemans body camera footage from the same incident. The security video showing the officer's fist making contact with Penn's jaw released less than two weeks after a white Minneapolis policeman was videotaped killing a Black man, George Floyd quickly became an exhibit in the Black Lives Matter movement. A change.org petition started by Giovanni Orozco of Decatur demanding "Justice for Kevin Penn" has collected more than 58,000 signatures. Orozco, 22, had never met Penn, but he said after seeing the video he couldn't let it drop. "I already felt really strongly about the injustices that I've been seeing. I'm Hispanic myself, so I've seen what minorities go through firsthand," Orozco said. "I saw the video and I couldn't believe it, and then I saw it was in my own city, in the place that I grew up in. I can't change what's going on in Minneapolis or New York, but I can do something about what's happening in my own community. "I wanted to be part of the change that I wanted to see." While Penn had filed a citizens complaint with the department immediately after the March 15 incident, it was not until the social media post and media attention that Allen placed the officer who punched Penn, Justin Rippen, on nondisciplinary desk duty as the departmental investigation continued. The investigation is over, Allen said in a recent interview, and Rippen has been dealt with. The city of Decatur has thus far failed to produce requested documents pertaining to the investigation or any discipline. Beyond his statements at the June 8 press conference, Allen has refused to provide details on the incident, saying the threat of litigation by Penn prevents him from being transparent. The incident Penn gave a detailed account of the March 15 events. At about 8:30 p.m. March 15 a man entered Star Spirits, Penns liquor store on Sixth Avenue Northeast near downtown. Based on the mans behavior, Penn suspected he planned to steal something. The man grabbed two bottles of liquor and ran toward the door, at which point Penn activated a magnetic door lock that he accessed from behind the shop counter. Penn, who has a concealed carry permit, then pulled a gun to apprehend the shoplifter. He drew the gun, he said, in part because a past shoplifter had broken out of the store by throwing liquor bottles at the glass door, so not only did we lose the product, there was damage to the store. At Penns request, a friend of his who was in the store called 911. According to Allen, the caller reported a robbery, so police came to the store thinking a robbery might be in progress. The city of Decatur has blocked The Dailys efforts to obtain a transcript of the 911 call because, according to City Attorney Herman Marks, it is part of a criminal proceeding. The proceeding to which he referred is not a prosecution of the robber or Rippen, but of Penn. Minutes after the 911 call, several police officers showed up with guns drawn, standing outside the locked perimeter door. Penn, who had been standing near the shoplifter and holding his gun, said he motioned to the officers and went behind the counter to unlock the door for them and to place his gun on the counter. Two of the officers ordered the shoplifter to lie down, which he did. I knew immediately I didnt want to be perceived as a threat, so the first thing I do is put the weapon on the counter and I dropped the magazine from it, Penn said. He also removed a bullet from the guns chamber. Just as they are outside the perimeter door, I had laid the weapon on the counter unloaded, unchambered, and I was putting the round into the magazine when they were starting to come in. Thats when problems began, and they unfolded in seconds. We do know there was a gun there, we do know the magazines were there, we do know that he was reloading the magazine, Allen said at the June 8 press conference. Penn does not dispute this, except to point out that the magazine had been removed from the gun, the unloaded gun was on the counter, and he was merely returning the unchambered bullet to the detached magazine. The store security video contains no audio, but in the short body-cam video played by Allen at the press conference, an officer can be heard yelling at Penn to drop his gun. Penn can be heard yelling back, but what he says is not clear. Asked why he would argue with police who had guns pointed at him, he said it was because they clearly thought he was a robber and they were demanding something of him that was impossible. Theyre asking for a weapon thats not in my hand. Im figuring, what are you planning to do to me? I dont have a weapon in my hand. Youre fixing to do something to me, and Im unarmed, Penn said. I said, Its on the counter. Ive got a permit for it. I have a right to it. I kept telling them, Im the owner. Im the owner, and thats when one of them said, You could be the robber. And I said, Listen, I called you! Penn said the store security video suggests his pleas got through to one officer, who appears to be holstering his gun. At the same moment, however, Rippen rushes Penn and punches him in the chin. I felt the popping of the bone in my jaw, Penn said. He would later spend six weeks with his jaws wired together and eating through a straw. Allen said Penn is wrong in suggesting the situation had deescalated before Rippen intervened. The tension never subsided. I wish it would have subsided on either side, but no, the tensions never subsided on either side, Allen said. But thats all part of the litigation, so I really cant get into more of that case until it gets settled. No lawsuit is pending, although Penn and his lawyer, Carl Cole, submitted a notice of their intent to sue. After the punch, Penn said, Rippen grabbed one of his arms, another officer grabbed his other arm, and a third grabbed him around the neck from behind, all of which is visible on the store video. So my jaw is already broken, and when they go around my neck they take me down. My floor is concrete and brick, so when I went down I couldnt brace myself. So when I went down, my face hit the floor. Thats when my teeth came out, Penn said. Only seconds had elapsed between the arrival of the police and Penn finding himself face down on the floor with handcuffs being snapped on, and he said he was bewildered. I kept telling them, Im unarmed. Im unarmed. Im the owner. You punched me in the face and Im unarmed. Im no threat to you. I was just so stunned, Penn said. Thats when the pain started to hit me in the face. And my friend, the customer, kept saying, Thats the owner! He was trying to explain it to them, too. They didnt believe I was the owner. 'I felt helpless' He said he was moved to a police car in the store parking lot, handcuffed so tight that he felt searing pain under my arm, and his jaw was swollen and he was bleeding. He said police called an ambulance and it arrived, but they would not let it transport him to the hospital. Eventually police took him to the hospital, then transported him to the Morgan County Jail where he was advised he was being charged. Im thinking they must be charging me with robbery, Penn said. Instead, Rippen the officer who punched him swore out a complaint against Penn for misdemeanor obstructing governmental operations. And when I heard the charge, Im like, What is this? I called you all for help. Im assaulted, Im sent to the hospital, Im embarrassed, Im going through all these feelings. Now Im getting arrested? Man, I could not even rationalize what was happening to me, Penn said. It was a night that Penn said affected his view of the world. The whole thing just landed on me, man, Penn recalls. I felt helpless. It was one of the times in my life when I felt the most vulnerable. I felt like the police could do anything to you, and theres nothing you could do about it. Absolutely nothing. Penn's lawyer, who is defending him on the misdemeanor, said the charge is ludicrous. "It's really a retaliation charge," Cole said, a response to Penn's expressed determination to initiate an internal affairs review of the incident. "Maybe the most frustrating thing about this aside from the injuries is that he's got to deal with an arrest, that he's out on bond, on a case that probably won't be heard until next year because of the coronavirus. "It just speaks to the awesome power of an individual police officer to disrupt somebody's life. You can have a great appreciation for police and still want them held to a high standard and held accountable for misconduct." Allen wont comment on what went wrong March 15 at Penns liquor store, but he acknowledges that police, like everyone else, are affected by prejudices. I try not to use the term color blind, because color is always going to be a factor, Allen said. Its always going to be something Im going to see. We all have biases, he said. While Allen believes many Blacks fear white police officers, he said the fear is not reciprocal. What some Blacks perceive as fear or hostility, he said, has more to do with training. I dont think white police officers fear the Black guys, he said. I think its an officers safety strategy. We teach officer safety from the time they come to the academy to the time they retire. We teach awareness and we teach distance. He said he's working hard to improve relations between police and the community generally, and especially between white officers and the Black community. "I do have a very, very difficult role," Allen said. "Being a Black police chief makes it very difficult. The Black people feel that if you don't side with them, you're a sell-out. The white people feel like I'm going to side with the Black folks because I'm Black, and they're concerned about whether they can trust me on it." Penn is convinced he suffered a broken jaw because a white police officer immediately assumed the Black man he encountered must be a robber and a threat, not a store owner seeking police assistance. How many thousands of times have I thought, What could I have done? I cant see a thing I did that constituted a threat. Im unarmed. Im the owner. I had the magazine in my hand, Penn said. I dont know what I could have done to make them feel any safer than I did. Im not oblivious to the fact that we have to deal with a systemic issue across the nation. But it starts local. Everything starts local. Part 2, coming this week: Another policeman drew his gun during an encounter with Kevin Penn last month, and Police Chief Nate Allen outlines his efforts to improve relations between police and the community. eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer. 2020 The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) Visit The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) at www.decaturdaily.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. After the traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) issued an appeal to boycott Chinese rakhis, ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival next month, local residents are preferring Made in India rakhis over Chinese ones. From the past many years, rakhi imported from China has been ruling the market due to its looks, varieties and cheap cost. It is considered to be the biggest wholesale and retail market for festive items. A wholesale trader in Gurmandi Sumit Jain said that even traders are not interested in selling any Chinese products. Buyers are looking for India-made rakhi even though they are sold at a much higher price. Many people are coming to stores and asking for Indian rakhis, said Sumit. Mainly, rakhis are manufactured in Kolkata and Ambala, but over the years Chinese rakhis, particularly the ones with cartoon characters and electronic bands, had swept the market. The estimated business of China-made rakhis was over 1 crore. This year, there is no demand for Chinese rakhis. This inclination towards local rakhi may be due to the ongoing stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley. After so many years, we have witnessed that people are preferring to buy local rakhis. If such sentiment prevails in other festivals as well then it would be boon for the local industry, said Rajinder Singh, a local dealer. Divya Jain, a resident of Sunder Nagar said that earlier she used to purchase Chinese rakhi but this time she decided to boycott Made in China products. Sanjiv Sharma, a resident of Sarabha Nagar, said, After witnessing the India-China tensions at the border we have decided not to buy Chinese products. Further, Raksha Bandhan is purely a Hindustani festival so at no point in buying Chinese products for the occasion. We are encouraging our children to buy Indian products as much as possible. Recently, the Confederation of All India Traders had issued an appeal to boycott Chinese rakhis. The CAIT, which has 40,000 trade associations has called for the boycott of Chinese products, the move which may cause a dent to Chinas estimated 4,000 crore of trade during the festival, said Badish Jindal, president of Federation of Punjab Small Industries Associations. Iran Spokesman Says 'Stop Execution' Hashtag Was 'A Straightforward Demand' By Public Radio Farda July 18, 2020 The Iranian government has for the first time reacted to the "Stop Executions in Iran" hashtag that has been used by more than 10 million Twitter users since Wednesday evening July 15. The hashtag was first used to stop the execution of three young men who were arrested during the November protests in Iran, but it gradually turned into a call on Iranian officials to abolish capital punishment. In a commentary published by the Iran newspaper, the mouthpiece of the presidential administration administration, on Saturday July 18, Ali Rabiei the spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government called for "respecting the natural call made by public opinion." Rabiei described the promotion of the hashtag by millions of Iranians as "a civil action by citizens who want to be heard" and called for "the rulers' response and hearing out the people's straightforward call." However, he criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's use of the hashtag and his support for Iranian netizens as "an unbelievable outrageous attempt to ride the wave." Over 10 million tweets and retweets using the Persian hashtag "Stop Executions in Iran" created a storm in cyberspace after the Iranian Judiciary issued death verdicts for Amir Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi for taking part in the demonstrationss against a sudden three-fold rise in the price of gasoline in November which soon turned into a nationwide protest against economic problems and financial corruption. Some protesters had even called for an end to the rule of clerics in Iran. Using the same hashtag, President Trump wrote in tweets in Persian and English on July 15: "Three individuals were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. The execution is expected momentarily," President Trump tweeted, adding, "Executing these three people sends a terrible signal to the world and should not be done! #StopExecutionsInIran." Trump's tweets were followed by more similar posts by other statesmen from the rest of the world including the Foreign Ministers of Swede and Denmark who said they were "deeply shocked" by the verdict. The spokesman for the Iranian government described these reactions as "noise" and opined that "They ride the waves in order to disrupt the process of dialogue in Iran and to create a deadlock." Meanwhile, Rabiei who was a high-ranking intelligence official for many years, added that some of the reactions by the people were "fabricated voices guided by the enemies' propaganda machine." The users who promoted the hashtag against executions in Iran also reminded each other and the government of many cases of murders, executions and tortures that took place during the past four decades, in a large part of which Rabiei was a key intelligence official at least partly responsible for "state-sponsored crimes." In other parts of his commentary, Rabiei tried to distance himself and the administration from the events in the past, by blaming the Judiciary for the executions. Iranian Judiciary officials have still not officially reacted to the hashtag. However, the action on social media appears to have had some impact as Babak Paknia, a defense lawyer for the three prisoners sentenced to death as well as two other lawyers, Hossein Taj and Mostafa Nili were allowed access to their case files for the first time. Paknia said that Judiciary officials have finally agreed that the defense lawyers may intervene in the case. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-spokesman- says-stop-execution-hashtag-was-a- straightforward-demand-by-public-/30734801.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 Coronavirus Updates: All activities, except essential services, will be restricted during the lockdown, said chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Auto refresh feeds With over 37.2 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa. The total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 1.43 crore, according to the Reuters tracker. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 6.01 lakh. In just one week, the United States records about as many deaths as the 5,600 lives Sweden has lost since the pandemic began earlier this year. America is losing about 5,000 people to the virus every week. By contrast, neighboring Canada has reported total deaths of 8,800 since the pandemic started. US deaths from the novel coronavirus topped 140,000 on Saturday as cases continued to rise in 42 out of 50 states over the past two weeks, according to a Reuters tally. The rainfall, decrease in temperatures and cooling of the atmosphere coupled with progression towards winter may environmentally favour the spread of COVID-19 in the country, according to the study led by V Vinoj, Assistant Professor of the School of Earth, Ocean and Climatic Sciences at IIT-Bhubaneswar. A study conducted jointly by researchers at IIT-Bhubaneswar and the AIIMS here has shown that the spread of COVID-19 may pick up pace during peak monsoon and winter with a fall in the mercury. The AIIMS Ethics Committee HAD gave its nod for a human clinical trial of the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin following which the premier hospital is likely to begin the exercise by enrolling healthy volunteers from Monday. President Donald Trumps failure to contain the coronavirus outbreak and his refusal to promote clear public-health guidelines have left many senior Republicans despairing that he will ever play a constructive role in addressing the crisis, with some concluding they must work around Trump and ignore or even contradict his pronouncements, reports The New York Times. The city's death toll reached 976 with 41 more people succumbing to the infection in the last 24 hours, the official said. A total of 730 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, he added. With the single-day spike of 1,508 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the overall count of Pune city in Maharashtra went past the 37,000-mark, reports PTI. The number of positive cases now stand at 37,386, he said. Assam reports 1,018 fresh cases and four deaths. With this, the states tally is now 23,999 and the toll is 57, says Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma. The extended lockdown is applicable for municipal corporations of Mira Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivali and Bhiwandi-Nizampur, which all fall under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where cases are on the rise. The ongoing lockdown in Thane district of Maharashtra, which was supposed to end on 19 July midnight, has been extended till 31 July in select areas in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases, reports PTI. The FDA said that it reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics to use its COVID-19 test with pooled samples. It is the first test to be authorized to be used in this way. The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to a new approach to coronavirus testing that combines test samples in batches instead of running them one by one, speeding up the process. India's COVID19 case total crosses 11 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 40,425 new cases and 681 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total cases stand at 11,18,043 including 3,90,459 active cases, 7,00,087 cured/discharged/migrated & 27,497 deaths, said health ministry. With 3,10,455 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu (1,70,693) and Delhi (1,22,793). American professional golfer Jack Nicklaus has revealed during the CBS telecast of the Memorial that he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus at the onset of the pandemic. Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, turned 80 a month apart at the start of the year. India tested 2,56,039 samples on Sunday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research. 1,40,47,908 samples tested for COVID-19 up to 19 July, the ICMR adds A circular sent by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), has also asked for parents expectations from schools as and when they reopen. The education secretaries of all states and union territories have been asked to revert with the feedback by 20 July (today). The Union education ministry has asked states and union territories for parent's feedback on a likely period when they will be comfortable with reopening of schools, reports NDTV. Srinivasamurthy Dikshitulu, the former Pradhana Archaka of TTD, succumbed to the virus in the wee hours today, the official told PTI. He was 73. He had served the TTD for more than three decades. The former head priest of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) that manages the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at nearby Tirumala, died due to coronavirus at a COVID care facility in Tirupati on Monday, a hospital official said. Indias COVID-19 recovery rate now stands at 62.6 percent. As many as 7,00,086 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far and the reported active COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 3,90,459, according to the Union Health Ministry. The minister had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on 17 June. In his absence, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was looking after the health and home departments, and PWD headed by Jain. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who has recovered from COVID-19, will resume work from Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. Jain will be resuming work after a month. Rajasthan records 401 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the states total to 29,835. With four more deaths, the toll stands at 563. Odisha reports 673 new COVID-19 positive cases and 6 deaths, taking the total number of positive cases to 18,110 including 5,533 active cases, 12,452 recoveries and 97 deaths. "Different COVID-19 numbers are being given for Bihar by Centre and state. People are receiving test report even when they have not given any sample for test. Medical staff at COVID centres do not have PPE kits. We demand that state govt must give a clear picture, "said Yadav. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took a swipe at the Bihar government over irregular data on coronavirus cases in the state. Demanding a "clear picture" from the Centre and the state government, Yadav alleged that there was inconsistency on the number of cases being reported. Capital Complex reported the maximum number of the new cases at 56, followed by 14 in Papum Pare district. For the first time, Arunchal Pradesh reported 90 COVID-19 infections in single day, taking the overall count to 740, a senior Health Department official said. With 673 new coronavirus cases being reported in Odisha, the overall count climbed to 18,110 on Monday, said the state health department. Six more patients succumbed to the viral infection. The lockdown will stay effective till 28 July in both the areas, according to the order issued by the Raipur District Administration. Essential services, however, will be exempted during this phase. A seven-day lockdown will be enforced in municipal limits of Raipur and Birgaon beginning 22 July in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, an official said on Sunday. Thirty-three more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Nagaland. Of the total fresh COVID-19 infections, 16 were reported in Dimapur, 12 in Mon and five in Kohima, said the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland. The inmates have been accommodated in a hostel facility in Devanampattinam. As many as 18 inmates, including three life convicts, who were transferred from various sub-jails in Villupuram and Cuddalore districts to the Cuddalore Central Prison, have tested positive for COVID-19, reported The Hindu. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Monday confirmed that there is COVID-19 community spread. "There is spread in community, now it's very technical to say either it's local or community spread. Source of many (COVID-19 positive patients) remains unknown after test. Let's leave the technical battle on Center to decide over community spread," said Jain. The district now has total 51,885 COVID-19 cases, while the toll due to the disease has reached 1,343, the official said. As many as 473 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Pune district on Monday, taking the overall count over 50,000, ANI reported quoting an official. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar on Sunday said that schools would be reopened only after making the atmosphere safe for students, reported The New Indian Express. The Karnataka government has refuted claims that schools are reopening on 1 September. It has clarified that what was said during the HRD ministry meeting on 15 July was an opinion and not the final decision. An experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in people, news agency AP quotes scientists at Oxford University as claiming. According to the BBC, the injection was trialed on 1,077 and showed the shot led to them making antibodies and white blood cells that can fight coronavirus. In research published Monday in the journal Lancet, scientists said that they found their experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted at least two months after they were immunized. The experimental COVID-19 vaccine caused minor side effects like fever, chills and muscle pain more often than in those who got a control meningitis vaccine. Larger trials to evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness are underway, said the scientists. nternational Cricket Council has postponed this year's T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be held in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The I nternational Cricket Council has postponed this year's T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be held in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Union Health Secretary Preeti Sudan & ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava have written to all States to ramp up testing capacity. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/OzUdbqfUJo "With strong leadership, community engagement and a comprehensive strategy to suppress transmission and save lives, #COVID19 can be stopped. We do not have to wait for a vaccine. We have to save lives now"- @DrTedros World Health Organisation's (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a daily briefing said that the research for a COVID-19 vaccine need to be sped up, even while working with existing tools to prevent the further spread of the disease. Human clinical trials of the country's indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine is set to begin this week at a Bhubaneswar-based institute one of the 12 centres selected by the ICMR for conducting phase one and two of the process, a senior official told PTI.The human trials of BBV152 COVID Vaccine or Covaxin will begin on Wednesday in a special laboratory set up at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM (IMS & SUM) Hospital, in accordance with the protocols laid down by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), said the official, "All necessary arrangements have been made for conducting the human trials. We expect to start from Wednesday," Dr E Venkat Rao, the principal investigator of the trial process and professor of community medicine at the hospital, told PTI. West Bengal recorded a new high of 2,282 COVID-19 cases, pushing the total in the state to 44,769, the health department said on Monday. At least 35 people succumbed to the infection, raising the death toll to 1,147, it said. The number of active cases climbed to 17,204. There will be lockdown for two days consecutive days every week, including Sundays, in districts with high incidence of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday. The government has also decided to enforce the night curfew in every district from 8 pm to 5 am in view of rising cases."All activities, except essential services, will be restricted during this period," Chouhan said in a review meeting. The two-day lockdown will include Sundays, but another day, either Saturday or Monday, will be decided by the district crisis management group, he said. This is very positive news. A huge well done to our brilliant, world-leading scientists & researchers at @UniofOxford . There are no guarantees, were not there yet & further trials will be necessary - but this is an important step in the right direction. https://t.co/PRUTu8rlPF UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government helped fund the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine research, termed the results from the early human trials of the vaccine as "very positive news" but struck a note of caution by saying that there are no guarantees yet and further trials need to be carried out. A visiting three-member Central team on COVID-19 Monday expressed apprehension that Bihar could see a further rise in coronavirus cases in days to come, and recommended ramping up of the state's medicare facilities.Winding up its two-day visit to the state during which the health ministry team inspected some containment zones and dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Patna and Gaya, the team assured all assistance to the state in fighting the virus, spreading fast in Bihar. As per the latest official count, Bihar has a total of 27,455 confirmed coronavirus cases while the death toll stands at 187. A total of 17,535 patients have recovered. "The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week's time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes," SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said. With the trials of COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University showing encouraging results, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday said it will apply for licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time. SII, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has been chosen by Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine once it gets ready. Human trials of #Covaxin , an indigenously developed vaccine for #COVID19 has begun at Redkar Hospital in Goa. This is a testimony of India's immense potential in healthcare innovation. My best wishes to the entire team working on #Covaxin . #IndiaFightsCOVID19 Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar on Monday ruled out the possibility ofcommunity spread in the state and said an expert committee is undertaking a study on it."There is a larger spread in containment zones. We accept that reality, but that cannot be termed as community spread. We have already formed an expert committee to study about it. Once their report comes, I can say something," he said. Coronavirus LATEST Updates: There will be lockdown for two days every week, including Sundays, in districts with high incidence of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday. The International Cricket Council has postponed this year's T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be held in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The IBC Board will also continue to evaluate the situation with regards to the 2021 women's World Cup in New Zealand in February. In the meantime, planning for this event continues as scheduled. Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot. Stressing that a large number of asymptomatic coronavirus patients are still hiding their infection, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday asked officials to allow home quarantine only if all protocols related to the disease are followed. Pune district now has total 51,885 COVID-19 cases, while the toll due to the disease has reached 1,343, the official said. The lockdown will stay effective till 28 July in both the areas, according to Raipur District Administration. Essential services, however, will be exempted during this phase. India's COVID19 case total crosses 11 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 40,425 new cases and 681 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total cases stand at 11,18,043 including 3,90,459 active cases, 7,00,087 cured/discharged/migrated & 27,497 deaths, said health ministry. Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aslam Shaikh has tested positive for COVID-19. 'Im currently asymptomatic and isolating myself. I request all those who have come in close contact with me to get themselves tested,' Shaikh said in a tweet. India's COVID-19 case fatality rate is "progressively falling" and is currently at 2.49 percent, which is one of the lowest in the world, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. This statement came even as coronavirus cases in the country rose by more than 30,000 for the fourth consecutive day. The focused efforts of the Centre and state and UT governments on efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases have ensured that India's case fatality rate has fallen below 2.5 percent, the ministry said. The country reported 38,902 COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, pushing its tally to 10,77,618 on Sunday, while the total number of recoveries increased to 6,77,422, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The toll due to the disease rose to 26,816 with new 543 fatalities even as 23,672 patients have recuperated in the past 24 hours, the highest so far in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed. There are 3,73,379 active cases presently in the country. The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners. Case fatality rate falling, says govt From 2.82 percent over a month earlier, India's COVID-19 case fatality rate declined to 2.72 percent on 10 July and has further reduced to 2.49 percent presently. Under the guidance of the Centre, the state and UT governments have ramped up testing and hospital infrastructure by combining public and private sector efforts, the ministry said. Many states have conducted the population surveys to map and identify the vulnerable population like the elderly, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities. This, with the help of technological solutions like mobile apps, has ensured keeping the high-risk population under continuous observation, thus aiding early identification, timely clinical treatment and reducing fatalities, the ministry said. "At the ground level, frontline health workers like ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) and ANMs (Auxiliary Nursing Midwives) have done a commendable job of managing the migrant population and to enhance awareness at the community level. "As a result, there are 29 States and UTs with CFR lower than India's average. This shows commendable work done by the public health apparatus of the country," the ministry said. Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have zero case fatality rate. States and Union Territories having a CFR below the national average include Tripura (0.19 percent), Assam (0.23 percent), Kerala (0.34 percent), Odisha (0.51 percent), Goa (0.60 percent), Himachal Pradesh (0.75 percent), Bihar (0.83 percent), Telangana (0.93 percent), Andhra Pradesh (1.31 percent), Tamil Nadu (1.45 percent), Chandigarh (1.71 percent), Rajasthan (1.94 percent), Karnataka (2.08 percent) and Uttar Pradesh (2.36 percent). State-wise cases and deaths Of the 543 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 144 are from Maharashtra, 93 from Karnataka, 88 from Tamil Nadu, 52 from Andhra Pradesh, 27 from West Bengal, 26 from Delhi, 24 from Uttar Pradesh, 17 from Haryana, 16 from Gujarat and nine from Madhya Pradesh. Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan have reported seven fatalities each followed by Telangana with six deaths, Jammu and Kashmir five, Odisha and Puducherry three each, Assam, Tripura and Kerala two each, while Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand have registered a fatality each. Of the total 26,816 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest with 11,596 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,597 deaths, Tamil Nadu 2,403, Gujarat 2,122, Karnataka 1,240, Uttar Pradesh 1,108, West Bengal 1,076, Madhya Pradesh 706 and Andhra Pradesh 586. So far, 553 people have died of COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 409 in Telangana, 344 in Haryana, 246 in Punjab, 236 in Jammu and Kashmir, 208 in Bihar, 86 in Odisha, 53 in Assam, 52 in Uttarakhand, 46 in Jharkhand and 40 in Kerala. Puducherry has registered 28 deaths, Chhattisgarh 24, Goa 21, Chandigarh 12, Himachal Pradesh 11, Tripura 5, Arunachal Pradesh 3, Meghalaya and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two each, while Ladakh has reported one fatality. The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 3,00,937 followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,65,714, Delhi at 1,21,582, Karnataka at 59,652, Gujarat at 47,390, Uttar Pradesh at 47,036, Andhra Pradesh at 44,609 and Telangana at 43,780. The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 40,209 in West Bengal, 28,500 in Rajasthan, 25,547 in Haryana, 25,136 in Bihar, 22,918 in Assam and 21,763 in Madhya Pradesh. Odisha has reported 16,701 infections, Jammu and Kashmir 13,198, Kerala 11,659, while Punjab has 9,792 cases. A total of 5,342 have been infected by the virus in Jharkhand, 5,233 in Chhattisgarh, 4,276 in Uttarakhand, 3,484 in Goa, 2,654 in Tripura, 1,894 in Puducherry, 1,891 in Manipur, 1,457 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,159 in Ladakh. Nagaland has recorded 978 Covid-19 cases, Chandigarh 700, Arunachal Pradesh 650 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 602 cases. Meghalaya has reported 418 cases, Mizoram 284, Sikkim has registered 275 infections so far, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands has recorded 198 cases. COVID-19 cases may rise in monsoon, winter: study A study conducted jointly by researchers at IIT-Bhubaneswar and the AIIMS has shown that the spread of COVID-19 may pick up pace during peak monsoon and winter with a fall in the mercury. The rainfall, decrease in temperatures and cooling of the atmosphere coupled with progression towards winter may environmentally favour the spread of COVID-19 in the country, according to the study led by V Vinoj, Assistant Professor of the School of Earth, Ocean and Climatic Sciences at IIT-Bhubaneswar. The report titled "COVID-19 spread in India and its dependence on temperature and relative humidity" took into account the pattern of the coronavirus outbreak and the number of such cases in 28 states between April and June. The study revealed that the rise in temperatures leads to a decline in the transmission of the virus, Vinoj said. "The study, which is in its pre-print stage, shows that the temperature and relative humidity have a significant impact on the disease growth rate and doubling time. "It suggests that a one-degree-Celsius rise in temperature leads to a 0.99 per cent decrease in cases and increases the doubling time by 1.13 days, implying a slowdown of the virus spread," he told PTI. The study also found that an increase in relative humidity tends to decrease the growth rate and doubling time of coronavirus cases by 1.18 days. The researchers, however, said since the study was not conducted during the period of high humidity starting from the monsoon and the onset of winter, more research needs to be undertaken to establish its exact impact. Over 3.5 lakh samples tested in past 24 hours The country's testing infrastructure has been substantially ramped up. The testing strategy prescribed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) allows all registered medical practitioners to recommend testing. The Rapid Antigen Point of Care (POC) Test, coupled with the facilitation of widespread gold-standard RT-PCR based testing by states and UTs, has resulted in a surge in the number of samples tested. A total of 3,58,127 samples were tested on Saturday. With a total of 1,37,91,869 samples tested so far, the testing per million (TPM) for India has reached 9994.1, the health ministry said. With inputs from PTI ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Private jet charter operator ExecuJet just took delivery of the first Bombardier Global 5500 in late-June, flying it back to its new home in Zurich. The world's newest private jet is an upgrade to the existing Global 5000 but boasts a greater range and maximum speed thanks to new Rolls-Royce engines. Business Insider obtained exclusive photos of the $46 million jet with the newest interior products and cockpit from Bombardier onboard. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The world's newest private jet has arrived at its new home and is ready for action. Switzerland's ExecuJet was the first to take delivery of Bombardier's newest private jet, the Global 5500, just last month. An enhanced version of the Global 5000, the newest member of the family boats greater range and speed at a time when long-range jets are peaking in popularity with the wealthy turning to private jets for their aviation needs. Bombardier had already debuted the Global 7500, which can fly the furthest of any wide-cabin jet from competitors Gulfstream and Dassault, in 2018 with swanky add-ons like a shower and bedroom. But while the Global 7500 is the largest in the family, the Global 5500 is among the smallest, catering to those who want the longer range but don't need a larger plane. The Canadian manufacturer introduced new Rolls-Royce engines with the Global 5500 and also gave it the newest cabin interior products and a highly-advanced cockpit. So while it may not be the largest, it's still a massive upgrade from its predecessor. Business Insider was given exclusive photos of the plane that arrived in Switzerland less than a month ago and has been flying around Europe since from its new home in Zurich. Take a look inside the $46 million private jet. Here she is, the very first Global 5500 to roam the skies. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Switzerland's ExecuJet has the honor of being the first to fly the Global 5500, using it for private charter operations based in Zurich. Story continues ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The jet is painted in the red, white, and blue colors of the Luxembourgish flag as ExecuJet is a subsidiary of the Luxaviation Group, based in the tiny but incredibly wealthy European country of Luxembourg. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The Global 5500 has the same build as its predecessor, the Global 5000, but the improvements are in the aircraft's engine, speeds, range, and interior cabin. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The interior cabin features three living areas with an open concept configuration in the forward sections. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The Global 5500 can seat up to 16 but ExecuJet opted for a 12-passenger configuration. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The first communal section is the club suite, with two pairs of seats facing each other on each side of the cabin. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet It's the quintessential space found on nearly all wide-cabin private jets, ideal for sitting during take-off and landing. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The jet features the new Nuage seat offered by Bombardier that uses a new tilt system to offer a deep recline. It can also go fully flat for sleeping and rotate to different angles. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Each seat pair has a retractable table that's stored in the sidewall and can be used in-flight for enjoying drinks, eating meals, doing work on a laptop, or even a one-on-one card game. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The next section is the dining and conference area, similarly with two pairs of seats that face each other. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet It's located at the center of the jet directly over the wings. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The large dining room table is ideal for use during mealtimes and is another staple of wide-cabin jet travel. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The adjacent counter can also hold food items for a cabin attendant to easily serve the passengers or put out a spread of food for passengers to enjoy in-between meal services. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet When not being used for meals, the table can also be used as a conference room table to hold business meetings. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The final passenger compartment is the private suite in the very back of the jet. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The enclosed space usually features a pair of divan couches that face each other but can be converted into beds for longer flights. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet With a range of 5,900 nautical miles, the Global 5500 is easily capable of flights over 10 hours in duration, making the beds useful. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The jet can sleep seven passengers in total across six beds with each couch and seat pair able to be converted into a bed. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The "executive" style is another option for the private suite that includes a couch opposite another seat pair. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering Bombardier Individual aircraft owners tend to prefer this configuration as it acts almost like a private office while also offering the couch as a bed. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering Bombardier Charter operators prefer the dual-divan couch configuration at is allows for a higher seat count while also offering more beds. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet The Global 5500 also offers pilots a modern cockpit with an advanced avionics suite. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Bombardier calls this cockpit the Vision flight deck. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering. Bombardier Heads-up displays also give the pilots additional information when flying thanks to cameras and sensors located in the aircraft's nose. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering. Bombardier The business end of the jet offers high-definition displays and traditional W-shaped control yokes for pilots. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering. Bombardier The new jet can fly at a top speed of Mach .90, thanks to new Rolls-Royce Pearl engines, as opposed to a top speed of Mach .89 with the Global 5000. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Accessible city pairs include Zurich-Los Angeles, San Francisco-Buenos Aires, and London-Cape Town. A Bombardier Global 5500 rendering. Bombardier Bombardier also claims that the new wing design gives the Global 5500 the "smoothest ride" out of other aircraft in its class. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Contending with the Global 5500 is the Gulfstream G500, one of the American manufacturer's newest offerings. A Gulfstream G500. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The Gulfstream jet can fly just slightly faster at Mach .925. Gulfstream G500 Thomas Pallini/Business Insider But Bombardier bests the Gulfstream is cabin width and length, with the Global 5500 offering a 7-foot, 11-inch cabin. A Gulfstream G500. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider ExecuJet also allows pets onboard its Global 5500. ExecuJet's Bombardier Global 5500. Niclas von Planta/ExecuJet Read the original article on Business Insider Australias coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, will enforce a mandatory face cover rule in view of rising new coronavirus infections in the state. Victoria reported 363 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths in the last 24 hours, said state Premier Daniel Andrews. We are going to be wearing masks in Victoria, and potentially in other parts of the country, for a very long time. Theres no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus, and its a simple thing but its about changing habits, Andrews said. Common sense will guide the new rules, and despite being mandatory, Andrews advised the measure be done whenever practical. If you are out of your home for one of the four (permitted) reasons, then you need to be wearing a mask and I stress it need not be a hospital-grade mask, he said, adding, Any face covering is better than no face-covering. Andrews said the move was the powerful next step in mitigating the spread of coronavirus in the state. It doesnt come at an enormous cost to the Victorian economy, he said. It still allows us to go about our business particularly those who cant work at home and for going shopping for the basics. Anyone who fails to wear a mask could be fined 200 Australian dollars (Rs 10,479) with some exceptions including for those with a medical reason, kids under age of 12 years, those who have a professional reason. The new rule will be enforced from 11.59 pm (local time) on Wednesday night. Victoria is currently struggling with the second wave of coronavirus cases that has taken the states death toll to 38 as of Sunday and the national toll to 122. About 80 per cent of our new cases since mid-May are being driven by transmission in workplaces, including private sector aged care, Andrews said. Currently, there are 2,837 active cases in Victoria, 130 people in hospital and 28 of those in intensive care. Meanwhile, New South Wales recorded 18 new cases in the last 24 hours while no new cases were recorded in Queensland and Western Australia. NSW Health deputy chief health officer Jeremy McAnulty has asked residents to remain vigilant. It wouldnt take much for us to be in Melbournes situation and we need everyones assistance, he said, adding, Everyone has got a role to play. Dont be complacent. CLEVELAND, Ohio An 8-year-old boy was hurt Saturday when he was hit by a vehicle, Cleveland police said. Few details about the incident were made available Sunday morning. The boy was hit just before 10 p.m. Saturday on the 1900 block of Columbus Road in Ohio City, Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said. He was taken to MetroHealth in a private vehicle. The extent of the boys injuries was not immediately clear. Police did not say whether the vehicle that hit the boy stayed at the crash scene. No arrests have been publicly announced. This post will be update if more information is provided Sunday afternoon. More Cleveland crime news: 63-year-old disabled woman shot in stairwell of Cleveland apartment complex, police say Driver injured after crashing into Cleveland bus shelter, concrete median, police say Man killed, two others injured in shooting during dice game in Cleveland, police say Education is a hot topic this Legislative session. Here's what bills we're watching. Here are some of the hot-button education bills were tracking at the Argus Leader. Check back each day to see where they stand as we update. This is an opinion column. This one hurt. They all hurt now. Each loss. Each brick from the foundation upon which we all stand. Each departure from this place of the men and women lived and march and bled for an America that truly embodied its founders self-evident truths. This one, though. This one, it hurt. Early Friday evening, I chatted with a friend about the loss that morning of C.T. Vivian, the vibrant, erudite preacher, sit-in organizer, Freedom Rider, and valued lieutenant of Rev. Martin Luther King. Vivians name isnt likely found in Alabama school childrens history books. But in the early 1960s, he helped 702 Alabama young people obtain college scholarships through a program called Vision, which conceived to [create] new leadership for the South, he once said in an interview. I wanted every kid, particularly black kids, to get a college education, if they were capable of it, he said. Vision was later renamed Upward Bound. My friend and I talked about how so few were left so few soldiers. Front-line, elbows-locked soldiers. Soldiers usually the first in harms way. Andrew Young. Harry Belafonte. Rev. Jesse Jackson. Diane Nash. Congressman John Lewis was on the list, too. Of course. Then he was not just a few minutes after we hung up. And it hurt. A lot. Ive shared having crossed paths with Lewis several times. As early as the late 1980s when I was a columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, arriving a year after he was elected to Congress, in 1986. Then often throughout the 1990s as he grew into the conscience of the institution and after moving to Birmingham in 2014. In 2016, I marched just a few feet to his right during the annual re-enactment of Bloody Sunday, the 1965 crossing of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Two years later, my daughter and I happened upon him as we strolled across the bridge on a sunny day before the commemoration. He was mostly alone, and, as always, friendly and sharing. Willing to pour a few moments of historic wisdom into a young woman. On Friday evening, Lewis crossed the final bridge. He was with us for 80 years. Lewis death, not surprisingly, unleashed a torrent of support for re-branding the bridge now named for a grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in honor of the diminutive giant whose DNA was spilled on the crossing by the butt of a state troopers baton. Social media is clogged with calls for renaming, and an online petition boasting 100,000 signatures in June is now rocketing towards a half-million names. If you think, though, the emotional swell makes the renaming an all-but-forgone conclusion, Ive got a 250-foot steel through arch bridge to sell you. A real famous bridge. A bridge that right now does nothing for an economically deprived city struggling to breathe, struggling to live. Literally. Between 2010 and 2019, Selma lost 17 percent of its population, the most of any Alabama city with more than 10,000 residents. Even the annual influx of tourists and national politicians who come to town to pay homage to the iconic structure and the people who crossed it to gain equal voting rights for Blacks leaves behind little more than the change that falls out of their pockets. Folks walk across that bridge, then go to Montgomery and spend the night, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell told me Saturday afternoon. The Selma native represents the Congressional 7th District that includes her hometown. Because theres little there to keep them hardly anywhere for them to sleep and few places to spend their money. Many structures near the bridge are in embarrassing disrepair like the federal courthouse where Sewells district office is the only tenant. Selma, she says, is overwhelmed by needs. Many in Selma, too, are either against the change or agnostic about it unless it comes with a level of economic investment from Washington the city has yet to see. Last month Sewell, in a reversal of an earlier stance, said she now favored re-naming the bridge for Lewis. On Saturday, she shared a caveat. As a daughter of Selma, I understand completely that [re-naming the bridge] is controversial for those of us who grew up there, she said. While I think theres no better name for the bridge than John Lewis, it has to be decided by the community. Selma should decide. A name change would have to come by a vote of the state legislature. Because lawmakers tend not to meddle in business in other legislators districts (unless the target is Birmingham, but thats another column), a bill renaming the bridge would most likely come from Sen. Malika Sanders-Fortier (she took over the seat long-belonging to her father, Hank Sanders, in November 2018) or Rep. Prince Chesnut in the House. In June, Hank Sanders, in an op-ed, said the bridge should be renamed to The Bridge to Freedom. Think his daughter will initiate a bill to the contrary? Chesnut isnt likely to be of much help, either. In a three-page statement Chestnut outlines numerous objections to those seeking to rename the bridge. Those persons not of Selma who want to see this change should be equally concerned about the lack of equity for Selma, the statement says, in part. I am in the trenches and I get no help from any of the people demanding a rename. Selma is left to its own devices. So, it seems trying to initiate a name-change at this delicate juncture would not be with homage to Lewis signature phrase good trouble. It also pales relative to the sweat and shoe leather Lewis put into the Sewells most personal bill, H.B. 4: The Voting Rights Advancement Act. It reinstates federal preclearance requirements for election changes in states with a history of voting rights violations. Translation: It protects us from states doing creepy things to suppress voter participation. Like that doesnt happen. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives in early December and has languished on the desk of Senate leader Mitch McConnell, along with about 275 other bi-partisan bills, Sewell says. Man, clean your desk. Now is a good time to dust it off and either vote on it or renegotiate and discuss what can work, she says. Putting teeth back into the Voting Rights Act is truly his legacy. And doing it now. Before November. Sewell calls this moment of national grief a perfect storm she hopes leads to an economic infusion for her hometown and the revival of national voting policies John Lewis spilled blood to gain. They are how we must honor him in ways that matter. More than whose name adorns the bridge he and so many others tread, and risked their lives, to build a better nation. A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj Written statement by H.E. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the ECOSOC high-level conversation "Multilateralism after COVID-19: what kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary?" 17 July 2020 Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Seventy-five years ago, our fathers' generation won the epic victory of the World anti-Fascist War following a heroic struggle. The ensuing decades witnessed the founding of the United Nations, countries working together to promote peace, development and human rights, and an inexorable trend toward multilateralism. Over the past three quarters of a century, the UN has traversed a momentous journey. It has evolved into the most representative, authoritative and full-fledged cooperation platform, and the centerpiece of global governance and the international system. It has played an irreplaceable role and made indelible contributions to maintaining world peace and promoting sustainable development. Seventy-five years on, our world has seen profound shifts, accentuated by the enormous impact of COVID-19. The myriad challenges before us have driven home the fact that this is an era of intertwined traditional and non-traditional security threats as well as inter-connected interests of all countries, and our world is increasingly an indivisible community with a shared future. What kind of UN do we need amid the once-in-a-century changes? This is a question requiring deep reflection by all. From China's perspective, our times calls for: - A United Nations that safeguards world peace and security, and fairness and justice. Peace is humanity's eternal quest, and one of the core founding purposes of the UN. However, the dream of peace is yet to become reality. In 2019, ten conflicts left more than 20,000 civilians killed or injured in military attacks, and millions were displaced. The specter of the Cold War continues to haunt us, and the road to peace remains tortuous. To live up to its mission of "saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and untold sorrow", the UN must speak and act impartially and hold high the banner of fairness and justice. The Security Council needs to deliver on its primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. The UN must stick to the three principles of peacekeeping, facilitate peaceful settlement of conflicts through dialogue, mediation, negotiation and other peaceful means, maintain strategic balance and stability, and push forward the international arms control and non-proliferation processes. It must prioritize development as a route to peace, break the vicious circle of poverty, conflict and lack of development, and tackle root causes while addressing the symptoms. This is conducive to long-lasting peace, stability and security at the regional and international levels. - A United Nations that advocates harmonious co-existence across different races, systems and cultures. With 193 member states, the UN is a family of more than seven billion people of over 2,000 ethnicities. No race, system or culture is superior to others. We do not subscribe to the idea of superiority of certain civilizations, even less the "clash of civilizations". The UN should be a voice for mutual respect, equality and harmonious co-existence, and for a world where diversity is appreciated, differences are respected, and the people of all countries can choose their social systems and development paths in light of their national realities. It should reject the export of ideologies and interference in others' internal affairs, and encourage exchanges and mutual learning. Good-faith dialogue will help bring down the wall of estrangement and misunderstanding, and enable common progress of all with openness and inclusiveness. - A United Nations that champions common development by addressing the North-South gap. The right to subsistence and development are basic human rights. Peace and development would remain elusive if a billion people suffer persistent, abject poverty and hunger. With the launch of the SDG Decade of Action, the UN needs to advocate a people-centered, pro-development agenda, strengthen its coordinating role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It needs to make development front and center of the global macro policy framework. It needs to steer the course of reform of international financial and trading systems, and foster an enabling global environment conducive to open, inclusive and balanced development beneficial for all. It should be sober-minded about the difficulties and challenges COVID-19 brings to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and take concrete measures to help developing countries eliminate poverty and address the humanitarian crises caused by COVID-19. This will open up a bright prospect for a world free from want, and a world of development and dignity for all. - A United Nations that keeps abreast of the times and effectively responds to global challenges. Our world faces a host of complex challenges, from peace and development to climate change and infectious diseases, and from terrorism and strategic security to new frontiers such as digital economy and artificial intelligence. None of them can be addressed without global efforts. COVID-19 has accelerated the once-in-a-century shifts and exposed the deficit in global governance. Crises have renewed the de-globalization clamor, further fragmented the international trading system, and given rise to populist ideologies. There are growing attempts to stoke major country confrontation and decouple economies and systems. Such acts of regression must be stopped with united efforts. The UN needs to stay committed to mutually beneficial cooperation, and take concrete actions to bring its member states together to improve global governance and tackle emerging challenges. It needs to remain a member states led organization that abides by the principles of respecting countries' national realities and common but differentiated responsibilities, and advance reforms in various areas as appropriate to better reflect and safeguard the common interests of member states as much as possible and increase their resilience against risks and challenges. Ladies and Gentleman, To meet the challenges of our time, whether it is to pursue peace and stability, achieve common development, combat COVID-19 or improve post-COVID global governance, the world needs a stronger, not weaker, UN. The UN's authority must be upheld, not undermined. We all have a duty to respond to the call of the times. We need to firmly support the central role of the UN, advance multilateralism and work for a community with a shared future for mankind. First, we need to uphold multilateralism and reject unilateralism and protectionism. Unilateralism is causing serious damage to the order and governance system of our world. It has put the common interests and development space of all countries in jeopardy. Protectionism only leads to self-constraint. Isolation, self-centeredness and beggar-thy-neighbor practices will never make any country great. This is not about differences between particular countries, but rather the choice to be made between win-win cooperation and zero-sum game and between right and wrong. We must always stand on the side of multilateralism and international justice. We must uphold the international system built around the UN, safeguard the WTO-centered multilateral trading regime and speed up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We need to say no to unilateralism. We need to oppose any act of walking away from international organizations and treaties or replacing them with something out of nowhere. No one should challenge or undermine universally recognized rules out of selfish interests. Second, we need to support greater democracy in international relations and reject hegemonism and power politics. The future of humanity must be decided by people of the world together. Issues that matter internationally must be addressed through consultation between nations and governments. Any country claiming that its own interests should always come first and be placed above the common interests of the global community is morally unjustified and doomed to failure. The basic norms governing international relations, such as respect for national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs, must be observed by all. Countries, irrespective of their size, strength and wealth, are equal. Consultation, cooperation and benefit for all should be our guiding principle to help make sure that the global governance system is responsive to the concerns and needs of the majority of countries, in particular the developing ones. Dialogue and consultation should be the way forward in addressing differences and disputes, rather than unwarranted unilateral actions such as economic blockade, financial sanctions, acts of bullying and power politics, and still less gross interference in other countries' internal affairs. Third, we need to safeguard the international order underpinned by international law and reject unlawful acts and double standards. We all live in a global village. Development and progress will not be possible without order and the rule of law. Upholding the international rule of law is what our people want and what this globalized world needs. Honoring the spirit of contract and the international rule of law are essential. Commitments must be kept; rules must be followed; agreements must be fulfilled. We must firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and oppose unauthorized use of force, withdrawal from international organizations and agreements and other such behaviors that weaken the authority and sanctity of international law. We need one single set of rules, not double standards or selective application of these rules, when determining the merits of an issue. It is unacceptable to use the rule of law as a pretext to infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of other countries or even undermine peace and stability. Fourth, we need to call for solidarity and cooperation and reject self-conceit and beggar-thy-neighbor practices. Solidarity and cooperation is the most powerful weapon against common challenges. COVID-19 has infected tens of millions of people and claimed over 500,000 lives worldwide. Cooperation against COVID-19 has become an urgent task. In fighting the disease, we must always follow a people-first approach and put saving lives above all else. The world needs to come together and give the World Health Organization (WHO) full support in playing its statutory role. Any politicization, stigmatization or name-calling associated with the virus must be rejected, so should scapegoating and blame-shifting. We need to keep global industrial and supply chains stable and uninterrupted and seize the important opportunities provided by the Fourth Industrial Revolution to boost the growth of new business forms and industries. The world calls for healthy competition, rather than technological hegemony. Decoupling in whatever form must be rejected, so must smears and suppression. National security should not be used as a cover for discriminatory or exclusive policies. If a country shuts its doors, puts its own interests before anyone else's and habitually points fingers at others, these practices may not serve to protect itself, they may only pose risks to the common interests of the international community and even bring disasters on our world. Ladies and Gentlemen, China is a firm proponent and practitioner of multilateralism. As a founding member of the UN and the first country to put its signature on the UN Charter, China has all along supported the UN in playing an active role, upheld its authority and stature and followed the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter. China's response to COVID-19 has been open, transparent and responsible. We have provided timely information of the disease and made all-out efforts to cut off its transmission routes. We have shared our containment experience and fully supported the work of the UN. We have donated US$50 million to WHO and provided medical supplies in emergency assistance to over 150 countries and international organizations. China will fully deliver on the actions announced by President Xi Jinping at the 73rd World Health Assembly. China will help affected countries, especially developing countries, with their COVID-19 response and economic and social development. As part of China's contributions to the global COVID-19 response, we will set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China and implement the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries. Let us come together for peace and development in keeping with the trend of our times and guided by multilateralism. Let us build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful post-COVID-19 world that enjoys lasting peace, security and prosperity for all. A Dambusters hero's relative has been branded a racist after her petition to restore the name of RAF legend Guy Gibson's dog to its gravestone amassed almost 20,000 signatures. Sarah Hobday, 41, launched a campaign to return black Labrador N****r's name to the headstone at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire amid fury over its removal on Thursday. Ms Hobday, whose great uncle Sydney Hobday was part of the crew who breached the Eder dam in May 1943, initially set a goal of 15,000 signatures which was eclipsed by Saturday. She has since gathered 19,574 supporters. The campaigner wants the stone tablet 'back where it belongs' after RAF top brass paid for a new memorial, replacing where the dog's name was with an outline of the canine and the words 'The Dog.' Ms Hobday, who called the act an 'eradication of history,' has now been 'reported for being a racist' amid the petition. Sarah Hobday, 41, launched a campaign to return black Labrador N****r's name to the headstone at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire amid fury over its removal on Thursday Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC (right), Dambusters hero with his devoted dog 'N****r'. The black labrador was kiiled by a hit-and-run driver just hours before Gibson led the RAF's crack 617 squadron to drop 'bouncing bombs' on German dams in May 1943 David Green, who grew up at RAF Scampton in the 1980s and regularly visited the dog's grave, said: 'I hope people do support Sarah Hobday with this petition. 'It means a lot to her as a member of Dambusters, Sydney Hobday, was a family member. 'Sadly, due to her putting a lot of effort into this, some silly minded people have reported her for being a racist. 'I know her personally and she is not racist at all but so passionate about this cause. She isn't in the best of health and this is only adding extra health issues on her. 'I have to say well done to her for getting the petition going and all she has done to voice her views on this.' The stone tablet honours Gibson's black Labrador N****r, who was run over by a car and killed just hours before his Wing Commander owner led the famous World War Two raid. But the RAF carried out a 'review of its historical assets' and decided the term which is an offensive slur against people of colour had to go. The airfield said it 'did not want to give prominence to an offensive term'. Ms Hobday, whose great uncle Sydney Hobday was part of the crew who breached the Eder dam, initially set a goal of 15,000 signatures which was eclipsed by Saturday. She has since gathered 19,574 supporters Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, Officer Commanding No. 617 Sqn, was awarded the VC for his part in leading the Dambusters raid but died in 1944 aged 26 when his plane crashed over Germany The memorial had remained untouched at RAF Scampton - the World War Two base of 617 'Dambusters' Squadron for years in the dog's honour. The switch was only revealed when headstone firm Draper Memorials posted an image of the new tablet online. Royal Air Force veteran Mark Dewberry told the company he was disgusted about the monument being changed. He said: 'You have questions to answer about replacing N****r's memorial stone. 'You have upset thousands of veterans, like myself. 'Are you going to delete this post and start to disrespect your countries veterans. You all should be ashamed of yourselves.' Despite having been paid for the work, Drapers' original comment next to their now-deleted post seemed to hint at their own disquiet over the change. It said: 'This morning we have been out to replace the plaque to Guy Gibson's black Labrador at Raf Scampton. You can't rewrite history'. Richard Todd played Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC in the 1955 film The Dam Busters The dog, who served as the mascot of 617 Squadron, was run over by a car and killed on the day of the famous raid in May 1943. He was buried at Scampton at midnight, the very moment his owner, who was killed a year later aged 26 during a late night sortie over Germany, was leading the daring attack on a series of dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley for which he won the Victoria Cross. The gravestone was marked with his name at the top and the story of his demise beneath it. An RAF Spokesperson said: 'As part of an ongoing review of its historical assets, the RAF have replaced the gravestone of Guy Gibson's dog at RAF Scampton. 'The new gravestone tells the story of Guy Gibson's dog, but the name has been removed.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) The Office of the Vice President will temporarily suspend its operations after several of its staff tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement Sunday, Atty. Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Vice President Leni Robredo, said a staffer who had been active in COVID-19 response operations tested positive for the virus last week. "Following our safety protocols, office work was immediately suspended, and testing was done for concerned OVP personnel working at the office or deployed in the field, including Vice President Leni Robredo," he said. While Robredo's test came out negative, three more staffers tested positive for COVID-19. "The office has already started contact tracing procedures to identify all those who have interacted with the four staffers that tested positive. But as a consequence of this unfortunate development, office operations at the OVP will temporarily be suspended to make way for a full disinfection procedure," said Gutierrez. In a separate statement on her Facebook page, Robredo said office work has been suspended since Thursday and would remain so until disinfection was completed. "We will be managing all our other programs remotely but our operations will resume as soon as all the protocols have been followed strictly," she said. Meanwhile, Gutierrez said they would not be deterred by this incident. "This virus will not slow us down. This virus will not beat us," he said. The Indian government on Saturday expressed appreciation for the Afghanistan government and the tribal leaders there for their efforts in rescuing Hindu and Sikh community leader Nidan Singh Sachdeva who was abducted by the terrorists. "We convey our appreciation to the Government of Afghanistan and tribal elders from the area, whose efforts secured the return of Nidan Singh," Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. We welcome the safe return of Shri Nidan Singh Sachdeva, a leader of the Hindu and Sikh community in #Afghanistan. We convey our appreciation to the Afghan leadership, security forces and tribal elders whose efforts secured the return. Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) July 18, 2020 READ | Full Interview: Kangana Ranaut Speaks To Arnab, Talks About Sushant Singh Rajput Case READ | MHA Seeks Report From Rajasthan Secretary On Phone Tapping Amid Political Tussle: Sources In a statement, the MEA said the "targeting and persecution" of minority community members by terrorists at the behest of their external supporters remains a matter of grave concern. The day Sachdeva was kidnapped the Indian Government had condemned the act of the terrorists and hoped that the Afghanistan Government would be able to secure safe and early release of the Sikh leader. Sachdeva, a leader of the Hindu and Sikh Community of Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Chamkani district of Paktia province on June 22. "We strongly condemn the abduction of Nedan Singh, a leader of the Hindu and Sikh Community of Afghanistan, by terrorists. The targeting and persecution of the minority community members by terrorists at the behest of their external supporters is a matter of grave concern," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said. This is not the first attack on the minorities in Afghanistan as the terror forces in the region with the help of their "external supporters" carry out attacks and abductions of minority leaders and community members. On March 25, a heinous and cowardly attack on the Kabul Gurudwara had killed at least 25 people and injured another 15 according to reports. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which is an arm of Islamic State (IS) in Pakistan and Afghanistan, claimed the attack, while Indian intelligence also hinted at the role of Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Indian Government has also decided to facilitate safe passage and return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members who are the minority of the land and are facing persecution or security threats in Afghanistan to India. READ | Pakistan Charge DAffaires Summoned By MEA Over Ceasefire Violations Along The LoC READ | Pakistan Makes Another Failed Attempt To Rake Up Kashmir At UN High-Level Session (With ANI inputs) 316 Shares Share We are grateful to be avoiding the need to use draconian measures for resource allocation. We have been afforded the blessing of lead-time here in Los Angeles and have the chance to learn from other parts of the world, as well as other areas within the United States. We are preparing our personal protective equipment, re-organizing team structures and hospital workflow, taking new precautionary measures, and expanding the skillset of providers to maximize manpower. In case resource utilization reaches capacity, frameworks are in place to guide decisions in the most ethical and morally appropriate manner possible, and such frameworks remain available in future disaster scenarios. While we as health care providers address COVID-19 from the frontlines, there are still many ways the public at large can contribute to the battle against this pandemic that we all face, though the storm seems to slowly be calming. Alexander Connelly is an internal medicine physician. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, A Los Angeles response to the pandemic. Did you enjoy todays episode? Please click here to leave a review for The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out! Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to anyone who wants to hear health care stories filled with information, insight, and inspiration. Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. Gardner said his constituents are pressing him for more federal assistance and said he supports extending the enhanced unemployment benefit, although he is open to an amount less than the additional $600 per week. He said he is also open to Democrats demands for more aid for states and localities, although he didnt specify how much. McConnells proposal, as of now, is not expected to include new money for state and local aid, but rather flexibility for how cities, states and towns use their existing aid. President Donald Trump has said he would not order Americans to wear masks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, saying people should have a "certain freedom." His comments came after Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious diseases expert, appealed to state and local leaders to be "as forceful as possible" in getting people to wear masks in public places. In a 'Fox News Sunday' interview, Trump said, "I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wear a mask, everything disappears." Commenting on the initial comments from top health officials, Trump said: "Hey, Dr Fauci said don't wear a mask. Our Surgeon General - terrific guy - said don't wear a mask. Everybody who is saying don't wear a mask - all of sudden everybody's got to wear a mask, and as you know masks cause problems, too." Trump, who has been seen wearing a face mask only once, said, I'm a believer in masks. I think masks are good." But Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said social distancing, an important factor in blunting the spread of the coronavirus, can be difficult with more people going out. "When you're living your life and trying to open up the country, you are going to come into contact with people. And for that reason, we know that masks are really important, and we should be using them everywhere," he said during a US Chamber of Commerce virtual event. Americans are actually slowing down the re-opening the country by not wearing a mask, CNN quoted Fauci as saying during a US Chamber of Commerce event. "If we could get more people to understand that, hopefully we'll get more people who'd be willing to wear masks," he said. He said he would "urge the leaders -- the local political and other leaders -- in states and cities and towns to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks." The country needs to concentrate on the problems at hand and not worry about a second wave, he said. "When you're having up to 70,000 new infections ... that's something you need to focus on right now, as opposed to looking at what's going to happen in September or October," he said. There were 77,255 new cases reported on Thursday, crossing a previous record set two days ago, according to Johns Hopkins University. Coronavirus in India: Highest-ever single day spike of 38,902 cases; tally at 10.7 lakh Coronavirus vaccine: AIIMS to start COVAXIN human trials from Monday The Empire Kosher poultry processing plant in Miffilintown, Pa. can be seen behind this chain-link fence. Due to strict kosher food processing requirements, rabbis from New York, New Jersey and Maryland commute here, increasing risk of COVID-19 transmission. For the Inquirer/Kalim A. Bhatti Read more MIFFLINTOWN, Pa. Every few minutes, the endless chain of poultry moving through Empire Kosher in Juniata County comes to a halt so a rabbi can inspect the knife he uses to cut clean through chicken necks. The ritual blade, known as a chalef, must be kept impossibly sharp, so the rabbi runs a fingernail over its edge to check for nicks. Then he sharpens the tool once more, and the slaughtering at the nations largest kosher poultry supplier continues. There cannot be any imperfections, Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division, said of the blade. Empire is unique among Pennsylvania poultry suppliers because the company must have rabbis on the killing floor at all times, putting 65,000 chickens to death daily in the manner prescribed by the Torah. The Jewish community is small here near the states center, but Empire is one of Juniata Countys largest employers, with a workforce of 601 employees. Sixty of them are rabbis who travel back and forth between the rural plant and their homes in more densely populated areas including New York, New Jersey, and Maryland places hit far harder than Mifflintown by the coronavirus. Given the commuting rabbis, some of whom carpool, Empire has faced a unique challenge in keeping COVID-19 at bay over the last four months. A lot of people depend on that plant for food, said Gregory Martin, a poultry expert for the Penn State Extension. Thats why the plant made such an extensive effort to keep its workers safe. READ MORE: Lebanon County poultry processor Bell & Evans hit with another month of bad salmonella test results In May, according to a memo obtained by The Inquirer, the Pennsylvania Department of Health requested technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in six food processing and distribution centers in the state. The CDC subsequently visited three facilities: a Tyson plant in New Holland, Nicholas Meats in Loganton, and Empire. A July CDC report found 17,000 cases of COVID among U.S. meat-processing employees for April and May. Pennsylvania had 1,169 during that period, fourth highest among the 23 states that reported cases. Nebraska topped that list, with 3,438. Some of those Pennsylvania cases stemmed from Bell & Evans, a poultry processor based in Lebanon County that sells its pricey organic birds at Whole Foods. In April, The Inquirer exposed a coronavirus outbreak at the companys Fredericksburg campus that killed at least three people and sickened many more. Workers who contracted the virus said recently that they were pressured to return before they fully recovered a violation of CDC guidelines on limiting the virus spread. Empire took a different approach. The company closed voluntarily for two weeks in early April, during the height of the busy Passover season, after multiple employees tested positive for COVID-19. At the time, Wendell Young, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 Keystone State, told the Lewistown Sentinel that the plant was closing out of an abundance of caution. He described Empire as likely the cleanest poultry plant youll find on the planet. HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you. Theyve been very responsible The CDC visited Empire on May 19, and its overall assessment of the protocols in place there was positive. The company has implemented many controls at the plant to help reduce and mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 between workers while in the plant, the agency wrote. In the 12-page report, the CDC documented how workers undergo temperature screenings, twice, before entering the plant. Empire, it noted, reduced production to implement more social distancing. The CDC pointed out that there was an empty hand sanitizer unit in a restroom and said most employees were wearing masks properly. Fliers about COVID-19 symptoms were prevalent, along with messages on televisions. The agency did find a hand-written sign, however, that read OK to go back to work when sick. The CDC did not go into detail about the sign, but Empire officials, Young, and one longtime employee all said it didnt mean what it said. It has since been taken down. The intent of the written message was that, if an employee reported to the nurses office, was examined, and found not to be experiencing any symptoms of illness, that person could return to work, the company said in a statement. READ MORE: COVID in chicken town Theyve been very responsible, Young told The Inquirer. If every meat processor across the country had done the same, we wouldnt have read about these outbreaks. Employee Holly Bearley, 58, a shop steward at Empire who works in chicken evisceration alongside the rabbis, said she had neither seen nor heard of the sign, and said no employee would be expected to work while sick. Oh, gosh, no, she said. If you had any symptoms, you would not be working. The CDC said about 44 Empire employees had tested positive by the time of the inspectors visit. Most had returned to work. Two required hospitalization, and one employee died. Six of the confirmed COVID-19 cases were rabbis. Because of the immense size of its operation, Empire said it has long been unable to staff the rabbinical team with enough rabbis solely from Pennsylvania and must reach out-of-state. The rabbis, according to the CDC, live in single-room, dormitory-style housing at Empire from Sunday to Thursday, then travel home. Those who live in the Baltimore area, about 115 miles south of Empire, were permitted to carpool back and forth during the week instead of living in the dorms, the CDC said. Empire even has an on-site synagogue, which was closed per Gov. Tom Wolfs orders. In its recommendations for Empire, the CDC made no issue of the rabbis commutes and did not speculate about how the virus first came to the plant. Young told The Inquirer that he worried about the rabbis travels early on, given the rate of infection in New York City, where many of them live, and said it was a factor in Empires decision to shut down for two weeks in April. Again, Young said, they did the right thing. A great sacrifice' Kosher laws about food preparation, according to the Orthodox Union, date to the Bible and the Talmud, the body of Jewish law. In the U.S., the only fowl that can be kosher at chicken, turkey, duck, and goose. Eagles and owls cannot. The slaughtering process is known as shechita, and rabbis use the smooth, sharp blade to cause instantaneous death by cutting the trachea and esophagus in one motion. Afterward, rabbis inspect the chickens for defects. If approved, they are given the OU stamp, a symbol of being kosher on tens of thousands of products across the globe, including Coca-Cola. Kosher is a basic tenet of the religion, but theres different levels of observance, Genack said. During Passover, a very large number of Jews observe kosher. Before Empire opened its processing facility in the 1960s, the economy in this part of the state was largely agricultural and the population mostly white. Today, Empire is known as a hub for decent jobs, and the population is starting to diversify. About a quarter of the companys laborers are Latino. Alice Gray, a Juniata County commissioner, said she even occasionally sees rabbis at the local supermarket now. Its all very new, Gray said, and very positive. READ MORE: Philly meat workers family sues over COVID-19 death. Suit says JBS boosted production in early pandemic with Saturday kill. But until the pandemic subsides, said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Empire should rethink its commitment to kosher meat processing and ask the rabbis to stay home. The heightened risk that the virus could spread from them to other workers or spread among members of the communities where the rabbis live is not worth the reward, he said. When physicians run up against someones religious beliefs as theyre trying to treat a patient for example, if someone doesnt believe in blood transfusions but needs one to survive we advocate for a suspension of the rules, said Adalja, who identified himself as an atheist. If the kosher meat production process puts lives at risk, you have to question the value of that process. Empire doesnt believe it has endangered anyone by sticking with the kosher food preparation process. Asked whether the rabbis commute to and from coronavirus hot spots may have contributed to the spread of the disease, Empire noted that incidents of COVID-19 had been reported in Pennsylvania well before the company had its first case. The hundreds of non-rabbinical employees who work at the plant commute from 11 counties within the state, all of which had confirmed cases of COVID-19 in March. The rabbis are essential employees, and any speculation that they were the source of the transmissions is hurtful, the company said in a statement to The Inquirer: The rabbis were cooperative and engaged with this effort, despite the significant disruption to their own personal lives including not seeing family and missing prayer services. Rabbi Israel Weiss, executive vice president at Empire, said the companys rabbinical workers volunteered to stay in the dormitories and hotels for two weeks in April, instead of traveling home. They held synagogue services outside, in a tent, while six feet apart. The rabbis, Weiss said, made a great sacrifice. Like many of their colleagues, GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Dan Sullivan of Alaska posted tributes to Rep. John Lewis on Saturday and included photos of themselves with the civil rights icon who died Friday. Rubio even made the image his Twitter profile picture. There was just one problem. The photos they each posted were of Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October. "It was an honor to know & be blessed with the opportunity to serve in Congress with John Lewis a genuine & historic American hero," Rubio tweeted with the photo of himself and Cummings. "It was an honor to have served alongside John for a small portion of his impressive career of service, and to have joined him at the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, a years-long effort of the congressman," Sullivan wrote on Facebook with the photo of himself and Cummings outside the museum. Twitter The response on Twitter was a mix of anger and ridicule, with many users posting photos of various white Republican congressmen and labeling them Rubio, whose blunder happened first. Others chided the senators for the faux pas of mixing up two people of color, especially given that they had interacted with both of them in person. Rubio and Sullivan weren't the first to mix up the two men. It happened so often that Lewis even mentioned it in a tribute to Cummings on the House floor after his death. "Sometimes people would confuse us and say, 'Hello, Elijah' to me or 'Hello, John Lewis' to him," Lewis said. "And we would joke about it, we would laugh about it." Both Fox News and CBS have used photos of one when speaking about the other in their broadcasts. In June 2019, Fox News aired a clip of Lewis and identified him as Cummings. Then, two months after Cummings passed away in October, CBS aired a segment about Lewis's cancer battle and used a photo of Cummings. Both networks apologized. About 20 minutes after Rubio posted the Cummings photo, he deleted it and replaced it with a video of himself and Lewis at a Martin Luther King Day event in 2017. "Earlier today I tweeted an incorrect photo," Rubio wrote. "John Lewis was a genuine American hero. I was honored to appear together in Miami 3 years ago at an event captured in video below." He added, "[May] God grant him eternal rest." Sullivan did not address his mistake. Instead, he removed the photo and deleted the reference to being with Lewis at the museum opening. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) Instead of reconsidering Charter reforms, the government should prioritize more urgent issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday. In her radio show, Robredo aired her frustration over fresh calls of local government officials for constitutional amendments despite the prevailing crisis. "Dapat 'yung parati natin ditong target, ang tinututukan natin ngayon, lahat ng makakatulong para mahinto na itong COVID transmission dito sa atin," she said. [Translation: What we should always target and focus on is everything that may help in addressing COVID transmission in the country.] Robredo said government resources otherwise spent in pushing for Charter change should instead benefit hospitals and other health institutions grappling with another surge in COVID-19 infections. Kung anu-anong iniisip na hindi naman nakakatulong sa COVID-19. Yung gusto pag-usapan yung Charter change, pag-usapan pero wag naman sana sa panahon ngayon, Robredo added. [Translation: They keep thinking of things that are not even related to COVID-19. Those who want to talk about Charter change may do so, but please, not during these hard times.] The Vice President also called out the other recent actions of the national government and questioned the administrations priorities amid the pandemic. "Ang dami nating pinagkakaabalahan Anti-Terror [Law], pagpasara ng ABS-CBN, na hindi naman sumasagot sa pagpahinto ng COVID," she added. [Translation: We have been so busy on other things from the Anti-Terror [Law] to the shutdown of ABS-CBN, which do not in any way help in stopping COVID.] The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), composed of 1,488 municipal mayors mostly allied with the Duterte administration, recently renewed support for Cha-cha by proposing to institutionalize the so-called Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court in the Constitution. Under the ruling, regions will also get their share from all national taxes, apart from internal revenue allotments. The LMP also proposed to lift restrictions on foreign investment in industries currently limited to Filipinos. Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Luis Chavit Singson had reportedly turned over the resolution dated June 19 to the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate also opposed the move, noting the misplaced priority of the administration. The move for Cha-cha especially now is a waste of time, effort and the much-needed funds that should be re-channelled in fighting COVID-19, he said Sunday, claiming that the budget should instead be used to augment funds for the Social Amelioration Program. Back in May, House Committee on Constitutional Amendments chair Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro recommended to shelve Cha-cha indefinitely to focus on the governments COVID-19 fight. Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III also said Saturday that Charter change is not among the priorities of the Senate when Congress resumes session later this month. By Shlomo Ben-Ami TEL AVIV Twenty years ago this month, U.S. President Bill Clinton invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat to a peace summit at Camp David, in a bold effort to resolve one of the longest-running conflicts of modern times. Though no agreement was reached, the summit, in which I participated, was not a failure: the framework it produced became the foundation upon which Clinton built his "peace parameters" the most equitable and realistic rendition of a two-state solution ever created. Why did nothing come of them? Under the so-called Clinton Parameters, a large swath of Israeli settlements would be dismantled, in order to create a Palestinian state encompassing 100% of the Gaza Strip and 97% of the West Bank. Territories would be transferred from Israel, in exchange for the land the Palestinians conceded in the West Bank. The Palestinian state would include the Arab sections of Jerusalem, which would serve as its capital, while the Jewish sections of the city would become Israel's capital. This split would give the Palestinians sovereignty over al-Haram al-Sharif (which Jews call the Temple Mount), though Israelis would retain control over the Western Wall and its surrounding area. A corridor would be created between Palestinian lands Clinton called it a "permanent safe passage" making the new state contiguous. Finally, Palestinian refugees would be able to choose to return without restrictions to the new state of Palestine, to return to the state of Israel with restrictions (as part of a family-reunification scheme), to resettle in a third country, and/or to receive financial compensation, funded by the international community. Israeli negotiators wanted to translate the Parameters into an official settlement. That would have been a deal significantly better for the Palestinians than the one on offer at the Camp David summit. In fact, the improvement in terms vindicates Arafat's decision to reject Barak's proposals at Camp David. But the Palestinians also resisted the Parameters, arguing that they should not be allowed to constrain future negotiations. During a last-ditch attempt to clinch an agreement in Taba, Egypt, Abu Ala, the chief Palestinian negotiator, admitted to us that Arafat was no longer interested in the offer. This was a devastating mistake, the consequences of which Palestinians suffer every day. Arafat's decision can be explained less by a particular demand or concession than by the overarching, delusional, and self-defeating worldview to which many Palestinians cling. As the late Fouad Ajami, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, wrote in a 2001 article, the Palestinians suffer from "an innate refusal to surrender to the logic of things, a belief that a mysterious higher power will always come to their rescue, as if the laws of history did not apply to them." In a 2002 letter, one of Arafat's former ministers, Nabil Amr, condemned this approach. "There is something other than conspiracy that has made the whole world either stand against us or incapable of helping us. Because we have a just cause does not mean we are entitled to do what we want." Throughout history, repressed nations have achieved liberation not because they had the right human, legal, or divine or because they held the moral high ground. Rather, they succeeded through a combination of wisdom, mettle, and restraint. Their emancipation rested on their ability to balance force and diplomacy, tenacity and compromise. Energized by the scale of the Palestinian tragedy and the indulgence of the international community, Arafat never accepted that. Instead, he sought a deal that he knew was politically impossible for his Israeli interlocutors. This compulsive indifference to the political and strategic context destroyed the Palestinians' chances of securing a realistic, fair, and viable peace agreement and not only in that moment. In fact, it may have doomed the Palestinian cause altogether. "How many times," Amr continued in his letter, "did we accept, reject, and then accept? Our timing in saying yes or no was never good. How many times were we asked to do something that we could do but we did not do it? When this something became impossible, we begged the world to re-propose it to us." Amr seemed to recognize that the world would reach its limit, and the proposals would stop coming. Two decades after the Camp David summit, that is exactly what has happened. Today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict barely registers on the regional, let alone global, agenda. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration put forward its own peace plan, but it is heavily tilted toward the Israelis. The rest of the world barely responded. As for Israel, there are virtually no forces for peace to be found among its leadership. On the contrary, Israel has abandoned any semblance of empathy or compassion for the Palestinian plight. Instead, emboldened by his rogue alliance with Trump, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is now pursuing, more aggressively than ever, his hyper-nationalistic dream of effectively annexing Palestinian lands, by unilaterally "applying sovereignty" over them. Palestinians in these areas including up to 30% of the West Bank would be left stateless or, at best, "politically undefined." As Hannah Arendt wrote, it is "only with stateless people" that one can do as one pleases though, of course, she had the Jews in mind. The Clinton administration did not fail to clinch peace 20 years ago only because of Arafat's intransigence. The US negotiators viewed an agreement as a sentimental cause, rather than a security imperative. This came through in the talks, weakening their position. Now, as Netanyahu entrenches an apartheid state, Palestinians do not even have sentimentality going for them. And anyone who thinks that Russia, with its growing regional clout, can supplant America as a peacemaker should think again. The two-state solution is dead and buried. Whatever "solution" may be found in the future will emerge not from an orderly peace process, but from chaos, the precise nature of which is impossible to predict. It could be unilateral annexation. It could be a sudden violent Israeli disengagement from parts of the West Bank. Or it could be direct conflict. This is the iron law of unintended consequences at work. Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister, is vice president of the Toledo International Center for Peace. He is the author of "Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy." His article was distributed by Project Syndicate ((www.project-syndicate.org). New Delhi, July 19 : Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday urged netizens to use social media for dissemination of only authenticated information about novel coronavirus or COVID-19 and avoid posting misleading myths related to the disease. Naidu also sounded caution regarding some sections of electronic media, noting that they should have avoided and should, henceforth, desist from "hyping" the situation since creating panic would further play upon the already anxious minds of the people. He expressed his views in a Facebook post titled "Media: Our Partner in Corona Times". Calling media persons on the ground as 'frontline warriors' for their dedicated efforts in presenting the narrative on the pandemic for wider awakening, Naidu hailed their efforts for empowering people with necessary information, analyses and perspectives about various aspects of the outbreak and partnering with the anxious people in the ongoing fight against the disease. Naidu said when people run into adversity, the media persons look for information regarding its causes and consequences, its duration and the means of coping with it. It falls on the central and state governments and the media to equip the people accordingly, he pointed out. The Vice-President noted that the media played the role of a chronicler of the pandemic for use by prospective historians of the pandemic and as a bridge between the people and the governments for regular communication on the preparedness. "With the economy contracting due to restrictions, advertisement revenues have dried up. Scales of operations had to be adjusted and a good number of media persons had to take pay cuts. But, by and large, the media persisted with the mission of empowering the people, when it is needed the most," Naidu said. He also referred to the particular problem faced by the print media vis-a-vis distribution of hard copy as they were misrepresented as carriers of the virus. Alluding to certain comments in the media, Naidu, who is also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that that the Union government had recently reached out to him as well as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on holding the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Recounting that the last Budget Session of Parliament had to be adjourned sine die on March 23 a few days ahead of the schedule, the Rajya Sabha Chairman said that he and the Lok Sabha Speaker have held several rounds of discussions so far on enabling the meetings of the Parliamentary Committees. The logistics of seating and participation of MPs in the proceedings during Monsoon Session of Parliament in the context of corona-induced social distancing norm also required detailed deliberation and planning, he pointed out. He also said that parliamentary scrutiny of the handling of the pandemic is on course in the meantime. Naidu said that with the easing of restrictions on domestic air travel and to a lesser degree on rail travel, the department-related standing committees of both the Houses of Parliament have resumed their meetings this month. "They have undertaken examination of various aspects of management of the pandemic and its fallout. This, in effect means, the required parliamentary scrutiny of the handling of the pandemic started in about three-and-half months of the last sitting of the apex legislature of the country. Any other shorter time frame may not have been possible given the situation prevailing in the country." The Committee on Home Affairs this week reviewed various aspects of the pandemic management with the Home Secretary presenting evidence. Last week, the Committee on Science and Technology reviewed the research and scientific preparedness in the context of the pandemic. Each meeting lasted over three hours. BRISTOL, Tenn. Two months. Thats how long Andy Jimenez has been waiting to get his first unemployment insurance payment from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Jimenez, of Bristol, Tennessee, received confirmation that he is eligible, he files a weekly claim and hes tried to get in contact with someone from the state to find out what is going on with no success. Every week, Im filing the claim, filling out the applications, you know, and just waiting, said Jimenez, 32. But while Im waiting, the bills are not waiting. Thankfully, he said hes been able to get some leniency on his car payments, but hes still got to pay rent for his apartment and cover other basic expenses. Ive actually had to borrow money from one of my family members already, actually from a couple of different family members, Jimenez said. I realize that theyre having it tight right now also, so Im running out of family members, and theyre running out of money. Jimenez, who was laid off from his call center job in mid-May, is just one of the tens of millions of Americans who are out of a job or temporarily unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And like many others, he is dealing with financial insecurity and uncertainty. Pandemic of unemployment In March, the national unemployment rate was 4.4%. But in April, that number shot up to 14.7%, the highest level since the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression. Though the national unemployment rate fell to 13.3% in May, it still rests above the 10% peak caused by the Great Recession in the late 2000s. In April, Washington, Smyth, Scott, Wise, Buchanan, Dickenson, Tazewell, Russell and Lee counties as well as Bristol, Virginia and Norton collectively had a slightly higher unemployment rate, 12%, than Virginias, which was about 10.8%. However, individually it varied. At 15% in April, Bristol, Virginias unemployment rate peaked higher than even the national rate and was the highest in Southwest Virginia. At 9.7% in April, Scott County had the lowest rate in Virginia. In April, Sullivan Countys unemployment rate was at 14.5% and Washington County, Tennessees was at 13.4%, though both were lower than the states rate of 15%. Fred Mackara, a professor of economics at East Tennessee State University, said the National Bureau of Economic Research, the official arbiters of whether there has been a recession or depression, wont make a determination for some time. However, he said the U.S. is under some form of economic contraction, though its one created when state governments shut down most of their economies to try to lessen the spread of COVID-19. I would say were in a recession. But its different from other recessions weve had in the sense that this is a self-created recession, Mackara said. He compared the economic shutdowns ordered by state governments to amputating a gangrenous leg. Its not ideal, he said, but its better than the other option death. And these shutdowns, which have loosened in Tennessee and Virginia, minimized opportunities for the virus to spread but also resulted in permanent closings, supply chain issues, mass job losses and other hardships for employees and employers. Since the pandemic began, there have been four Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices by employers in Southwest Virginia, with a total of 541 layoffs announced. In March, the Universal Companies in Abingdon announced that 61 employees were laid off and Cinemark USA in Bristol, Virginia announced it was laying off 26. In April, Scholle IPN Packaging in Chilhowie announced the layoffs of 128 and Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. in Glade Spring laid off 326. In Sullivan County in Tennessee, there were 725 layoffs announced under WARN notices since the pandemic began, and all were in Kingsport. They were 304 temporary layoffs by Domtar Paper Co, 257 layoffs for an unknown period of time by Worley Field Services and 164 layoffs for more than six months at the Marriot and Meadowview Conference Resort & Convention Center. The way Jimenez, tells it, he was laid off from his call center job because of the pandemic, but not because of layoffs or the call center closing. He said he was working for Teleperformance in Bristol, Tennessee, and when the pandemic hit most employees were asked to work from home. But the internet speed at his home isnt fast enough to handle the companys servers, so he was initially not allowed to work from home. Eventually, he was told he had to work from home and the technical issues prevented him from doing his job, he said. He said he tried to work something out with his employer, but he was fired in mid-May and filed for unemployment shortly afterward. State unemployment systems Under the pandemic, the expectations placed on the systems that distribute unemployment insurance claims have changed. Joyce Fogg, communications manager with the Virginia Employment Commission, said from mid-March through early July, a total of $5 billion was paid out, covering more than 75% of claims filed during that period. Chris Cannon, assistant administrator of communications for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, said unemployment benefits paid out in Tennessee from March 15 through July 4 was $3.2 billion, but the percentage of claims paid was not calculated. Cannon said the number of claims they started to get as the pandemic hit was unprecedented. For the week ending March 14, he said they received roughly 2,700 new claims, but that number soared during the week ending April 4 to 116,000 initial claims. From Sullivan County, a mere 31 initial claims were filed during the week ending March 14. But for the week ending April 4, a total of 2,132 initial claims were filed. Likewise, collectively in Southwest Virginia Washington, Smyth, Scott, Wise, Buchanan, Dickenson, Tazewell, Russell and Lee counties as well as Bristol, Virginia and Norton 75 initial claims were filed in the week ending March 14 versus 3,218 filed during the week ending April 4. It was just an unprecedented surge of new claims and people seeking unemployment benefits that no one could have prepared for and no one had the resources at that very moment to handle such a surge, Cannon said. In response to the unprecedented surges of new claims, both Tennessee and Virginia have expanded the number of employees taking calls and processing unemployment claims. In March, Cannon said there were 400 people working in the unemployment insurance division in Tennessee, but as of early July, there were 900. Fogg said since the pandemic, the Virginia commission has added staff to both its call centers in Grundy and South Boston as well as started taking calls on Saturdays. But they have also brought on a third party call center that is doing nothing but handling claims for gig workers, those who are self-employed and 1099 workers who in normal times dont qualify. Another call center assists with customer service emails and the filing of claims. Despite the increased number of people working unemployment claims in Tennessee, Jimenez said what has frustrated him most as a claimant is the lack of communication. He said it was initially difficult to find clear instructions or guidance on what to do to register as unemployed and since he registered, he hasnt heard a word from the state. Ive been doing it every week since mid-May, filing for claims and still no feedback. I dont know how long its going to take. I dont know if theyre ever going to answer, it could be this week, it could be a month from now, Jimenez said. On top of that, he said the system is complicated and opaque, to the extent that he feels it may be difficult to deal with on purpose. I almost feel like the complexity of it is meant to discourage people from applying, Jimenez said. In Virginia, there has been an onslaught of complaints from filers who have complained that the process is difficult and confusing and they cant get answers to questions or problems with their applications because its almost impossible to reach anyone via the VECs customer service lines. There have been reports of people calling over and over, day after day with no success. So many people have had so much difficulty applying for and receiving benefits through the VECs system that 34 Virginia state delegates and nine state senators sent a letter to the VEC Wednesday regarding the number of complaints theyve had from constituents. A news release from the office of Del. Chris Hurst, a Democrat from District 12, states that legislative offices have sent 10,000 unemployment cases from constituents to VEC in the last month. The letter states the number of new benefits claims filed under the pandemic has highlighted problems that have made it harder for elected officials to serve their constituents. Common complaints have been inaccessibility to the VEC via phone or online, a lack of initial or follow-up communication with claimants, the use of a complicated and outdated online system and a lack of transparency with claimants throughout the process, according to the letter. Updating and streamlining the current processes should be the first step toward improvement, according to the letter, which states that the VEC should make establishment of an online portal its top priority. The purpose of VEC is first and foremost to help employees who have lost their job, their income, their financial security, and are trying to navigate a bureaucratic nightmare in filing for unemployment. Our current unemployment system cannot be sustained in this rapidly changing climate with historic levels of unemployment. The system penalizes workers for being out of a job through no fault of their own, the letter states. Ellen Marie Hess, the states employment commissioner, responded that while there is room for improvement, her staff has performed admirably during unprecedented times. In a recent, unscientific reader poll by the Bristol Herald Courier, 4% of respondents said they filed but havent received payment, 12.7% said they had difficulty filing and have been unable to reach anyone at the Employment Commission for help despite numerous attempts and 7.9% had so much trouble, they finally gave up. However, 17.5% said they had no problems filing or getting their unemployment benefits. The job market Elizabeth Carico, director of workforce development with People Incorporated in Abingdon, works to help unemployed people find jobs and help workers find better jobs. Early in the pandemic, there was not an increase in the number of people reaching out for assistance, but as businesses started to lay off employees the need has increased. Weve seen a lot more individuals out of work and a lot more uncertainty in what people see for their own futures, so, in turn, we have seen a lot of folks looking for what options they may have, Carico said. And a lot of the new clients are ones who are recently unemployed. She said they have three programs, for youths, adults and dislocated workers. We have seen more dislocated worker applicants than we have for the adult and youth applicants at this time, Carico said. She added that with some employers closing and others laying off workers, there have been challenges. But many businesses in Southwest Virginia are still hiring and she said the agency has had success connecting workers and employers through the pandemic even though they switched to remote operations. Some unemployed people like Jimenez are still trying to navigate the job market and find temporary or permanent work. Jimenez said hes applied for jobs and a lot of what is currently available are minimum wage jobs. Daily, Im getting notifications that this place is hiring, that place is hiring, but a lot of whats hiring right now isnt enough to pay the bills, Jimenez said. I was making $10.50 an hour at my previous job and even that was tight. He said hes had a couple of phone interviews, but more often than not hes been told he wasnt qualified or the employer hired someone else. Moving forward Employment rates fell in May with rates in most counties in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee resting around 9% or 10%, which was lower than the national unemployment rate of 13.3%. After peaking in early April, the number of new claims filed each week has declined, though not quite back to pre-pandemic levels. Cannon, with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, said the fewer new claims and the new employees in the unemployment division have lessened the burden somewhat, but now they are dealing with more difficult claims such as appeals. Fogg, with the Virginia Employment Commission, said VECs workload is still exceptionally heavy, with employees working seven days a week and in some cases, 14- to 15-hour days. Cannon said there havent been many discussions about what the road to normalcy looks like. There are just too many unknowns, he said. So, there is no road map to whats happening because no one really knows what the future holds, he said. And obviously, were seeing spikes in cases around the state and what impact that will have on the job market going forward in the months to come. We just dont know at this point. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Police said they were unable to shut down an illegal rave near Bath on Saturday night which was attended by more than 3,000 people, despite restrictions on large gatherings. Avon and Somerset Police said officers were alerted to the event, which took place at the former RAF Charmy Down airfield, at 11.21pm last night and attended the scene within 10 minutes. The force added that officers concluded the potential risks to public safety from attempting to stop the event were too great due to the large number of people in attendance and dark and wet conditions at the site. Other significant incidents across the area, including 120 999 calls, also required an immediate police response and took resources away from the rave. The event was so loud that residents as far away as the neighbouring city of Bristol complained they could hear noise throughout the night. Recommended Police pelted with canisters and bottles in footage from illegal party The music was eventually turned off by 1pm on Sunday, nearly 14 hours after police were called. Most of the site was closed by 4pm as officers tried to stop a group continuing the event in a neighbouring field. One person was arrested for failing to comply with a notice to quit the land and five vehicles, a generator and other equipment were seized, police said. Chief Superintendent Ian Wylie said the police investigation would attempt to identify and take appropriate action against those responsible for the event. He added: Were sorry for the disruption caused to so many residents. Its frustrating that we are having to pull officers away from our 999 response to deal with the selfish actions of the organisers of this event and those attending it. They knew full well the disruption this would cause and the ongoing risk to public health of large gatherings due to Covid-19. We brought officers in from their rest days and called on support from neighbouring forces to close down this event. It came after police in other parts of the UK broke up illegal events over the weekend, with clashes breaking out between officers and members of the public in London on Friday night. Footage on social media appeared to show partygoers responding angrily to Metropolitan Police riot units which tried to disperse the gathering. Two 18-year-old men were charged with attacking police officers at the unlicensed event on an estate in Finsbury Park. Essex Police also broke up an illegal rave in an area of woodland near Theydon Bois on Saturday night. In June, about 6,000 people attended two illegal events in Greater Manchester at which an 18-year-old woman was raped, three people were stabbed and a man died of a suspected drug overdose. It is illegal for gatherings of more than 30 people to take place in private homes or in outdoor public space, with exemptions for organisations following public health rules, under coronavirus restrictions. "Expressions of different political views are permissible as long as they do not violate the laws or other peoples rights," he said. Deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen said national police chief Pol Gen Chaktip Chaijinda expressed concerned over the young protesters. Metropolitan police officers read a statement on violations against the emergency decree to the protesters. Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol Lt Gen Phakkhaphong Phongphetra, travelled to the rally site to command officers providing security there. He confirmed the rally was staged without permission. About 1,000 protesters showed up. They vowed to camp overnight at the Democracy Monument. If the government does not respond to the demands within two weeks, the group said it would intensify the movement. The Free Youth group demanded the government dissolve parliament immediately due to its failure to manage the economy, and stop threatening people by enforcing laws and using security reasons to silence them. The group also demanded the constitution be rewritten. The protesters delivered speeches showing their contempt for the governments work which included calls for the revocation of the emergency decree during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported the Bangkok Post Under the banner of "We Will No Longer Tolerate", the rally was joined by students from many institutions. Parit Chiwarak, aka Penguin, a Thammasat University student and political activist, was a rally leader. Move Forward Party spokesman Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat said he agreed with the groups demands for the government. If the students were prosecuted for protesting yesterday, MPs of the Move Forward Party would step out to protect them, he said. The demonstration ended at about midnight, when Tattep Ford Ruangprapaikitseree, secretary-general of the Free Youth group, and Juthathip Sirikan, chairwoman of the Student Union of Thailand, read a joint statement announcing the end of the rally, the Bangkok Post reported. They cited safety concerns and the lack of facilities and public utilities to accommodate the large number of people who joined the rally as a reason for calling off the demonstration. The rally began at about 5pm. The leaders initially planned for the rally to continue overnight and end the rally at 8am on Sunday with demonstrators singing the national anthem. Mr Tattep said that by ending the rally earlier than previously planned did not mean the demonstrators had yielded to the government nor they had been pressured by the authorities to do so. He said the demonstrators had given the government two weeks to consider their three-point demand for it to immediately dissolve parliament, rewrite the constitution and stop intimidating the people. If the government did not respond to the demand within two weeks, the groups movement would be intensified, Mr Tattep added. After the end of the rally, Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward Party MP and former student activist who attended the rally as an observer, offerred to take the core leaders of the demonstration to their homes. The rally ended peacefully. Nobody was detained or charged. The death rate from the coronavirus in New Jersey nursing homes is the countrys highest. Nearly 6,700 nursing home residents have died in the pandemic and the numbers continue to climb as COVID-19 has run rampant in nursing homes. This month, more than half of the COVID-19 deaths have been nursing home residents, according to the Department of Health, up from about 40% in the two months since NJ Advance Media published an investigation into the failures and missteps into the states response to the deadly pandemic. On Friday, 16 of the 20 deaths reported by the state were nursing home residents. Yet after vowing immediate action in the wake of that investigation, the state Legislature has yet to take any action and members of the state Senate are engaged in a back-stage political fight that has derailed any hint of progress. Even as many experts say a second wave may hit as early as this fall, a bipartisan committee announced in May by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, has not held a single hearing to explore solutions. Four Statehouse insiders say several members of the Democratic caucus have refused to sit on the committee, after the governors office perceived the select committee as a hit job on the administration by Sweeney a political rival of Gov. Phil Murphy rather than any effort at reform. Separately, hearings by a Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee that were supposed to be fast-tracked have yet to be announced. And proposals for major legislative initiatives including raising the minimum wage of nursing home aides in an effort to cut COVID infections spread by staff working multiple jobs remain in draft form and have yet to be introduced, weeks after the administrations much-heralded $500,000 study by outside consultants made a series of recommendations to the state Department of Health for change. Republican state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio of Morris County, in exasperation, accused the Democratic leadership of failure to take a single meaningful step, suggesting that even now politics trumps all in Trenton, even when lives are at stake. I hope its not politics. This is screaming for oversight right now. How do we allow 7,000 lost souls to die without answering why, why did this happen? Pennachio asked. Now, this shocking nightmare is being compounded by apathy. Pennacchio said vulnerable seniors have been isolated, abandoned and exposed to this deadly virus in a pandemic genocide that stripped the lives of so many. Now, he said, innocent victims have been be deserted by the legislature and forgotten by the press. Doesnt anybody care what happened to these victims? he asked. Its mid July. Time tempers memories and the passion we had. Weeks from now, well introduce a bill and it will get referred to the Assembly. And then weeks later, weeks and weeks will go by, before we get answers. Somebody has to take heed and start taking action. While some may argue the delays are no more than legislators taking a deliberative approach to save lives, others say it shows the worst side of Trenton politics, with schoolyard alliances taking precedence over life and death issues. We find it a bit disturbing that we still have a situation where politicos are driving policy, making decisions without any transparency of what they are really looking to do, said Milly Silva, executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents 8,000 nursing home workers in New Jersey. The prominent union leader blasted the inaction and behind-the-scenes posturing by lawmakers. This reeks of business as usual in Trenton, Silva said. Silva complained that she has not even seen the draft legislation that has already been shared with industry lobbyists. From the unions perspective, she said the state has whats left of the summer to be prepared for the flu season and the next wave of COVID-19, Silva said. We have the end of August for our legislators to take action, Silva said, who also noted workers are still confronted with a lack of personal protective equipment, and not getting access to coronavirus testing. The fact that weeks later, workers, family members, advocates for residents that those three constituencies have not been invited to the table for a discussion of what a reform should look like is patronizing to say the least. There has to be a full analysis of what happened, Silva said. Sweeney declined to respond to questions, with a spokesman simply referring to what the Senate president had said a week earlier when asked about the panel: Nothing yet. We will get together, he told NJ Advance Media. Kean did not respond to requests for comment. State Sen. Troy Singleton, D-Burlington, who reportedly was to chair the bipartisan committee, denied he was asked to serve in that capacity. He said only that Sweeney asked me to consider playing a role. When asked why nothing had transpired on this front since the announcement in late May, Singleton said to ask Sweeney. He said hearings are warranted. Its clear this is something we need to be better at, if this pandemic rears its head again, Singleton said. IT JUST DIDNT GO ANYWHERE ...' Politics long has colored the states oversight of its nursing homes. Earlier this year before the coronavirus struck, legislation proposing minimum staffing ratios in nursing homes in a state where long-term care facilities are repeatedly cited for staffing shortages seemed destined for the governors desk. The measure sailed through Senate. It was debated in the state Assembly, where furious lobbying by both the nursing home industry and the union representing nursing home workers waged war. And then it died without explanation, never having been posted for a final vote on the floor of the lower house. Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, one of the sponsors of the staffing bill, says she still does not know why it was pulled from consideration. Its a great bill, said the Hudson County Democrat. It just didnt go anywhere. Jimenez said the effort was about patient care. Those are the most vulnerable patients, she said of nursing home residents. Many of them cannot fend for themselves. So I felt this was something that was fair. I didnt think it was unreasonable. But outright war quickly broke out over the proposed staffing requirements in a high-stakes clash between nursing home owners and 1199SEIU, the nursing home workers union. The politically potent New Jersey Hospital Association and the Health Care Association of New Jersey, the trade associations representing long term care providers, pushed back hard on the proposal, which they claimed would have cost nursing homes tens of millions of dollars. The long-term care industry 74% of which is owned by for-profit companies, is a consistent contributor to lawmakers campaigns. The SEIU brought hundreds of its workers to protest outside the Statehouse in Trenton. Nursing home workers last May demand Assembly action on staffing legislation.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med The bill mandated that every nursing home have at least one certified nursing assistant for every eight residents during the day. During the evening, one assistant would be required for every ten residents, and one for every 16 on the overnight. The measure passed the Senate, but an Assembly committee sought to loosen the requirements. Jimenez recalled there had been a meeting in the office of Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, a Middlesex County Democrat, to discuss a compromise. It did not go very well, she said. We heard from both parties. It got really heated. At issue was the insistence of nursing home operators that RNs and other types of nurses be counted when a facility calculated its patient-to-staff ratio. For the union fighting to get more help for nursing aides, who do the bulk of patient care, the compromise was a non-starter. Shortly afterward, Coughlin pulled the bill. Jimenez said she has since reintroduced it. I still stand by it, she said. I want to continue it, given what has happened with nursing homes. GRIM TOLL What has happened in New Jersey nursing homes is unlike anywhere else in the country. An analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid shows that on a per capita basis, there were more deaths in the states nursing homes than in any other state. There were an average 120.3 deaths per 1,000 nursing home residents in New Jersey. The next highest state was Massachusetts, with 114.8 deaths per 1,000 residents. Legislative leaders promised to take action, after an investigation in May by NJ Advance Media for NJ.com detailed how the state failed to react fast enough or take forceful, aggressive actions to slow the deadly spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes. The governors office declined comment on the lack of action in the Legislature but said the administration has no issue with holding hearings. The governor, from Day 1, has been saying we need to have a really full review of everything that happened. See what we got right and what we got wrong, said Dan Bryan, a spokesman for Murphy. But Bryan added that such a review should not be done in the middle of the pandemic, when all the major players are involved in the states response to the crisis. Bryan said many regulator changes have already been proposed in the recent report by Manatt Health, the consultants hired by the administration to look at the states oversight of states nursing homes and come up with recommendations. It also proposed legislative reforms and we would love to see those moved, he said. Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University, said the reluctance of the Legislature to get involved may be a political calculation that it is too early to start recriminations over Murphys handling of the pandemic. The governor is getting great reviews overall and we are still in crisis mode in many respects, he remarked. There will be critiques of nursing homes and many other things, but it is easier to do those once we really turn a corner on the pandemic. He wondered, too, if there even is a solution for the nursing home issue. Smart people will be trying to figure all this out but it is not like there is a silver bullet solution on the table, Hale said. So hearings run the risk of becoming political theater without practical solutions. At the same time, he said power tends to centralize around the executive branch in any crisis, and the legislative branch take a back seat. That lasts until the disaster ends or the executive screws things up so badly that power moves elsewhere. I think Steve Sweeney and Phil Murphy both know this. It is in both their best interests to play these roles until things get back to normal or at least more normal, Hale said. Then they will beat each others throats again and the nursing home response could be issue number one. While the dispute in the Senate may have stalled action, other lawmakers in the Assembly said say they are still aiming to have hearings and pass nursing home bills by the end of next month. Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, who is working on reform legislation.NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, who chairs the Aging and Senior Services Committee, said she is working on six to eight bills that she hopes will move simultaneously in the Senate. The goal is to get them to Murphy by late August. I want the long-term care facilities to be prepared in case there is a spike in the fall, she said. Huttle said she and Sen. Joseph Vitale modeled the bills based on the recommendations from Manatt. Vitale said he is also working with state Sen. Joe Cryan, D-Middlesex, Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, and other legislators. He said he expects the bills to come before his Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens committee in August. He said Sweeney has been supportive of the issues and his work. Huttle described the legislative package in the Assembly as an effort to improve the emergency response and preparedness of the state and long-term care facilities, and fix the lack of communications between the long-term care facilities and state officials. Families were finding out much too late their loved ones were in jeopardy, she said. The bills will also deal with staffing. We have seen and tried to improve staffing, which was totally exacerbated by the pandemic. We had a bill in for years now on staffing ratios, Huttle said, referring to the Jimenez bill from the last session. We know and it was proved that most of the staff and aides critical to long-term care facilities are underpaid, they work two to three jobs, and many of them are women, minorities. Other issues include policies on separating patients during an outbreak, and mandating stockpiles of personal protective equipment, such as masks and gowns. Staff did not have protection. That needs to be addressed, Huttle said. We need to have those stockpiles ready for the fall. Huttle added that inspection teams had been cut by one-third by prior administrations. The legislative package will include money to expand the inspection teams. A copy of draft legislation obtained by NJ Advance Media is now being circulated among legislators, industry officials and others, and has incorporated some of the recommendations in the report to the Health Department by its consultant. In includes a proposal for an $18-an-hour minimum wage for direct care staff members working in nursing homes, rising to $20-an-hour in 2022. It suggests as a pandemic response, a long term care facility wage supplement that would offer additional pay through Medicaid and other funding during any surges in the number of new COVID-19 cases. Separate from the Jimenez bill, it would set staffing ratios in nursing homes. And it would have the Department of Human Services conduct a study on Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes to cover direct care and administrative costs. In addition, it proposed new rules on the transfer of ownership of a nursing home, including identification of all shareholders, disclosure of other health care facilities owned, and a projection of profits and losses for the next three years. The proposal would also expand infection and outbreak control requirements at nursing homes, and increase penalties for non-compliance. I am hoping we can do this simultaneously with the Senate, Huttle said. I would hate to move them out without the Senate moving this out as well. This has to go out in a bipartisan way. Local journalism needs your support. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL In the last five years, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has been the most castigated and perhaps traumatized senior member of the Buhari administration. The humiliation and disrespect he suffered under the former Chief of Staff to the President were legendary. No public official should be put through such by another member of the same government. Now, there seems to be a well-organized network of persons determined to denigrate and humiliate the VP with a constant barrage of malicious publications. Femi Fani Kayode, often without a good cause and lacking in merit, constantly demeans the Vice President for reasons that are not clear. Just two weeks ago, Jonathan Ude, another PDP member who publishes a blog known as Pointblank News from a base in the US, manufactured a grievous rumour that the suspended EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, had given Prof Osinbajo N4 billion from the N39 billion he allegedly looted from the agency. Last year, there was a sensational, but false publication which alleged that Prof Osinbajo had collected some N90 billion from the FIRS to fund that years elections in Lagos. Just this week, as I was concluding this piece, a man who claims to be an assistant to the suspended chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has come up with another bizarre story and Fake News of how the VP had met with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some Igbo leaders and a judge to plot the imprisonment of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu so as to clear the way for Asiwaju to clinch the presidential ticket effortlessly. It has now come to air, no such assistant worked with Magu As if this was not strange enough, it was further revealed in another publication that Shehu Garba, one of the Presidents spokespersons, was behind the tale of Magu giving billions to the VP. Garba has denied and the curiosity continues. In all the cases, the Vice Presidents Media has strongly debunked his involvement in any sleaze, scheme, conspiracy theory or any wrongdoing in at all. Since this story broke over the weekend, I have tried unsuccessfully to speak to Garba and hear his own side of the story. I am so worried that his name could be linked to something so evil. It is not long ago that the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, accused him of spreading negative stories about her. May be Garba himself is a victim of another plot in a bigger plot! He should clear his name vigorously. But who are behind these flurries of fabrications against the Vice President and for what purpose? I ask because what is clear is that some people somewhere are set to turnaround what many regard as Osinbajos sterling reputation and rising profile. According to an official statement from his Office released soon after the Jonathan Ude publication: such mindless, vicious and reckless publications have now become the preferred tool of unscrupulous and reprobate elements in our society who are procured with monetary inducement to peddle blatant falsehood, tarnish the image of upright public officials and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians. I believe that the attacks against the VP are mostly politically motivated. Nigerians will recall that Jonathan Ude, the main purveyor of these acerbities, had worked in the Public Affairs unit of the Jonathan administration with Dr. Doyin Okupe. The two were the major attack dogs hired by that administration, and together with FFK, the Campaign Communication Director, they sniped at President Jonathans opponents in the build-up to the 2015 elections. So it stands to reason that both FFK and Ude are still bitter at the crushing defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, and are still nursing grudges against the VP who remains a major asset to the APC ticket and has become an important member of the Buhari team. There is also the view that the sponsors of these noxious publications are not comfortable with the warm relationship between the President and the Vice President. Their assumption is that the cordiality will give the professor a better competitive edge in the politics of 2023. The presidential interests of both Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Nasir el Rufai of Kaduna and Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu are not hidden. I do not imagine that they are not concerned with a potential challenge from a Vice President who enjoys both the trust of the President and a rising profile among Nigerians. Although the VP has, apparently overburdened and distracted by all the scheming and permutations, recently announced that he has no such ambition, at least for now, Nigerians continue to expect that he will give it a shot. There are very few Vice Presidents in a presidential democracy who dont want to succeed their bosses. It is therefore reasonable to expect that other contenders will not take Yemi Osinbajo lightly. I have personally spent a long enough time in politics and political communication to know that desperate aspirants will do everything possible to destroy a perceived strong opponent before the race begins. They employ smear campaigns in the media and spread damaging rumours and unsubstantiated claims. Those of them with strong media influence, especially the newspaper publishers, can also instigate hostile press coverage against their perceived opponents. Another possible source of the persistent attacks on the VP is some disgruntled persons in the State House and in the administration. The Villa boys, as these middle-level officials are called, have been known to play damaging roles in our politics. While some work with politicians to upstage or spread dirt on their opponents, others deceive desperate candidates to part with huge cash in the pretext of getting them party nominations, helping to tip court judgments in their favour or arranging meetings with the First Lady or the Chief of Staff. I know many candidates who have been duped by these Villa Boys. They are merciless and ruthless. Prof Osinbajo has never really been a favourite of some of the Villa Boys, especially those who operated within the orbit of the late CoS. The reader may wish to refer to my article titled The Abba Kyari we did not know published soon after his passing in which I detailed how they and their late boss dealt with the VP. The VPs rave coverage in the media when he acted for his sick boss in 2017 stung some of them to the quick. They just could not stand the diminutive lawyer being presented as a better alternative to the ailing boss. Obviously, those grudges still persist three years after. The mention of Shehu Garbas name in connection with one of these has therefore alarmed me a great deal. I am waiting anxiously to hear from him. Can Shehu, a thorough media professional of over 35 years, be involved in a smear campaign against the nations number two citizen? Prof Yemi Osinbajos credentials and reputation are never in doubt. The President himself regularly gushes over his intellect and youth. There is no doubt that the VP is loyal to his boss and is delivering on his assignments. The recently published Economic Sustainability Plan designed by him and Committee attests to his depth and rigor. A humble gentleman who connects easily with the people, he does not even flaunt these qualities like an Atiku Abubakar would. Remember how the former Vice President tried to upstage his boss midway into their tenure? As 2023 comes close, I have no doubt that those who see Yemi Osinbajo as their potential rival will not let up in their plan to make him look bad before Nigerians. It is up to him to push back vigorously in Defense of his true character. The good thing is that Nigerians already know who the real Osinbajo is. Lets hope truth prevails and good overcomes evil. It all kicks off on a Friday afternoon. Rucksack-laden youths make their way past my home to head to Lough Dan. Many of them are carrying crates of beer. Some are pushing shopping trolleys full of alcohol and firewood. Others are dragging heavy trolley cases which clink and clank behind them as they make their way down the 20-minute trail to the lake. Sadly, much of what is taken down to the lake shore by some of these campers is left there. I live in the Wicklow Mountains opposite a well-known trailhead for Lough Dan. This is a popular walk with hikers, particularly in the summer months. Lough Dan is a stunning ribbon lake in the middle of a mountain valley surrounded by deep woods, green fields and rugged mountains. Unfortunately, its beautiful shores - and the fields nearby - have been blighted this summer by rubbish left by some campers. Beer cans, beer bottles, raw and cooked meat, broken glass, barbecue grills and fire pits, plastic bags, plastic bottles, sweet wrappers, used toilet paper, cigarette butts, broken umbrellas and discarded clothing have all been left behind. So, too, have tents, inflatable camping beds, sleeping bags, trolley cases and picnic chairs. Some campers have even cut down trees for firewood. There are no sanitary facilities. Given the sheer numbers of people camping there in recent weeks, I dread to think what my children might step in if I allow them to paddle or walk along the sandy beach. Wildlife is also at stake. There are deer, red squirrels, otters, foxes, hares, hedgehogs and bats here. I have seen birds which I have never seen in the city - such as woodpeckers and kingfishers. Lough Dan is not a designated camping site. Much of the land around the lake is private. There is a 'no camping' sign on the trailhead which is blatantly ignored. Signs advising people that camping is prohibited were pulled down by some irate campers earlier in the summer. It breaks my heart to see the complete lack of respect some have for such a beautiful spot. There are similar stories all across the country. Parts of the Glenmalure Valley in Wicklow have been destroyed. A number of beaches in Kerry and Cork have also been ruined. Every summer, beauty spots around Ireland are littered by thoughtless people who see nothing wrong with walking away from a place where they picnicked or camped at - without even attempting to pick up their rubbish. However, this is the worst I have seen. My neighbour - a farmer in his early 70s - has spent most of his Sunday mornings since Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased in early June picking up rubbish left by campers. The Government has urged us to holiday at home this summer and rightly so if this saves lives. It shouldn't have to tell us to pick up our litter and take our rubbish home and to respect our surroundings. So for God's sake, if you're a camper, hiker or day-tripper - leave nothing behind but your footprints. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) An unexploded device was turned over to authorities Saturday, after it was accidentally caught by a vessel at the Batangas Port. The Philippine Coast Guard said they responded to "an unidentified explosive type object" which was accidentally caught by the anchor of the vessel MV St Ignatius of Loyola around 7:55 p.m. on July 18. Members of the coast guard went to the area to assess the situation and it was verified that the device was a Projectile 155 MM, high explosive unexploded ordnance. The device was carefully removed and stored inside a box before it was brought inside the Philippine Port Authority facility where it could be disposed of properly. By Sam Bahour July 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The timer is now ticking on Israel. While Israel historically put Palestinians on the slow burner, gnawing at their lands and livelihoods, time was in Israels favor was the world turned a blind eye. Those days are over. Israelis must now choose, allow the state of Palestine to emerge, or have it imposed upon them. The traditional options of two-states vs. one state of Israel without equality for all its citizens have passed long ago. Israelis can accept Palestine in all the occupied territory of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, or ultimately be forced to accept Palestine from the river to the sea. For us Palestinians, like any normal human beings on this earth, it is natural for us to expect to be viewed as a people worthy of our rights, freedom, and independence. The days when this can be ignored are over too. Today, all have been exposed to the naked eye. Thanks to decades of denial by Jewish Israeli citizens and the Jewish diaspora, US President Trump and his messianic entourage of Jared Kushner and David M. Friedman, Israels state-sanctioned settlement enterprise, financier Sheldon Adelsons fanaticism, Christian Evangelicals bent on personally witnessing the Armageddon, and none other than Israels own extremist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus annexation frenzy, a frenzy on steroids attempting to divert his path to jail on three corruption charges. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter To force the timer to tick even faster, outgoing Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in an interview with Stephen Sackur of the BBC Hardtalk program, proudly proclaimed, I represent not only the people of Israel, I represented [sic] the Jewish people in the U.N.. He went on, We [Jews] do have biblical rights to the land. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Jew you read the Bible, you read the stories of the Bible its all there. It got worse. He went on to say, This is our deed to the land. Thats biblical. This from Israels top international diplomat! Regardless of how one views the Bible, its a religious text, not a document that can be submitted in a case of international law. The further back Israel goes in time, the faster todays timer is ticking. Below I will touch on three momentous developments lubricating the timer. Peter Beinart, Zionism, and the Jewish State Enter Peter Beinart. A prominent and outspoken observant Jewish American columnist, journalist, political commentator, and professor of journalism and political science at the City University of New York. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his parents were Jewish immigrants from South Africa. He is a self-defined Zionist, albeit from the flavor that most Israeli Jews would dismiss. Earlier this month, Beinart penned a long-read essay titled, Yavne: A Jewish Case for Equality in Israel-Palestine, and then followed it up with a New York Times opinion piece titled, I No Longer Believe in a Jewish State. He makes a monumental shift from supporting a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine side by side, to arguing that Zionism does not require a Jewish State at all and calls for his fellow Jews to come to this understanding. It is interesting to note that Palestinians have always made the point that they have nothing against Judaism, rather they view Zionism as having hijacked this noble religion to the detriment of Israelis and Palestinians alike. To be clear, the only version of Zionism Palestinians have experienced is the one that is a political ideology based on supremacy. This Zionism has held conferences starting in 1897 in Basel, Switzerland, and has left behind an incriminating and bloody paper trail. Peter is my friend. We have interlocked as editor and writer, spoke on the same panel at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, and he has attended many of the talks I have given to Jewish American audiences when they visited Bethlehem. He has universal values and does not discriminate when applying them. He knows how to actively listen, ask probing questions, and analyze in relation to reality rather than blindly forcing reality to fit a set of Israeli state talking points. Most importantly, he has opened the Pandoras box of global Jewry. For this, he will go down in history next to notable early Zionist thinkers such as Ahad Haam, Martin Buber, and Judah Magnes, among others. There is much to discuss about Peters new revelation, but thats for another day. For now, he will have his hands full within his Jewish communal circles. Its a shame that Israeli Jews are, for the most part, missing out on this conversation. Israeli media has chosen to pretend that the call for equal rights in one state does not exist. Yesh Din, Israel, and Apartheid At the same time that Peter took to the global stage, another storm was brewing closer to Jerusalem. The renowned Israeli human rights organization, Yesh Din (There is a Law), released a landmark legal opinion titled, The Occupation of the West Bank and the Crime of Apartheid: Legal Opinion. This was written by Adv. Michael Sfard, one of Israels leading legal minds specializing in international human rights law and the laws of war. The opinion is damning for Israel. The conclusion of this legal opinion is that the crime against humanity of apartheid is being committed in the West Bank. The perpetrators are Israelis, and the victims are Palestinians. The report further states that this is the case with or without another round of Israeli annexation, or as Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Gantz, and Ambassador Danon like to call it, applying sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. Call it what you may because it is all illegal. But thats not all. Annexation does play a role; the opinion notes that Continued creeping legal annexation, let alone official annexation of a particular part of the West Bank through legislation that would apply Israeli law and administration there, is an amalgamation of the regimes. This could mean strengthening the argument, which already is being heard, that the crime of Apartheid is not committed only in the West Bank. That the Israeli regime in its entirety is an apartheid regime. That Israel is an Apartheid state. You read that correctly. Israel has gone from attacking former US President Jimmy Carter for using the A word in the title of his 2006 book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, to having to deal with an Israeli organization making the legal case that the entire state may be an Apartheid state. Israelis should take note. Yesh Din is not a newcomer to this issue. Neither are the many other Israeli human rights organizations that have been exposing reality for what it is for years. Organizations such as BTselem, Gisha, HaMoked (Center for the Defence of the Individual), Physicians for Human Rights (Israel), Rabbis for Human Rights, Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), Shovrim Shtika (Breaking the Silence), Who Profits?, and Yesh Gvul (There is a Limit), among many others. The timer ticks faster and faster. The above-broken taboos have awakened many Jews around the world. But anyone who missed out on the last three decades of facts being made on the ground, by gunships and bulldozers displaying the Star of David, would have found a summary of what was to come in a report released at the end of last year. Read on. UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) One of the most important organs of the UN is The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This entity is comprised of a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by its State parties. In short, this body gives the pulse of todays rules-based world order, country by country. Israel, being a State party, is obliged to submit reports to this Committee and they comply. Also, ever since November 29, 2012, when Palestine became a non-member observer State, Palestine also submits reports to this Committee. In its December 2019 Concluding Observations on Israel, the Committee determined that Israeli policies and practices comprise of racial segregation and apartheid over the Palestinian people on both sides of the Green Line. This was earthshaking. Palestinian, regional, and international human rights organizations worked hard to bring the facts of the matter to the deliberations. Interestingly, even while Israels premiership bad mouths the UN at every opportunity possible, Israel engaged the committee, but to no avail. However, the Committees Concluding Observations report did make an interesting catch. It noted that While acknowledging the willingness of the State [Israel] party delegation to discuss questions relating to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Committee regrets that the report did not contain any information concerning the population living in these territories. So while the Israeli, and now the American, leaderships claim there is no military occupation to speak of, in the chambers of international law that matter for Israel to remain a member of the community of nations, Israel is actively engaging on issues related to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, even if they do so blind to the Palestinians they oppress. Tick, tick, tick. One can hear the timer racing forward in their sleep. Israel still has a choice This is not about Peter, Yesh Din, or the UN. It is about Israel finally having to look in the mirror and reckon with itself. For us Palestinians, our case is crystal clear. We demand our rights, freedom, and independence. It took US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the Jewish Senator from Vermont who, in November 2019 drew sustained applause from the crowd at the MSNBC/Washington Post Democratic primary debate in Atlanta, to declare, It is no longer good enough for us to be pro-Israel, I am pro-Israel, but we must treat the Palestinians with the dignity they deserve. The audiences applause was rightly due because Sanders inserted the issue of Palestinians being human into the debate. That is an extremely low bar. Sanders doubled down at the next Democratic debate in South Carolina in February of this year when he labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a reactionary racist and said hed consider reversing President Donald Trumps move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Israeli Foreign Minister at the time, Israel Katz, slammed Sanders in what he said was a Horrifying Comment while proclaiming that Israel does not intervene in the internal American electoral process The latter comment, for anyone even faintly familiar with the pro-Israeli lobby in the US, would be hilarious if the situation were not so dire. Remember in 2015 when Netanyahu barged into Congress without White House approval which was met by objections from many supporters of Israel including prominent American Jewish leaders? This Bibi blunder sparked a letter from the Washington-based Israeli-American lobby group J-Street where they noted, Our Congress should not be used as a prop in another nations election. One of the central elements that underpins the alliance between our two nations is our common commitment to democracy and elections. That means that both nations stay out of the others democratic process. So much for not intervening in US politics. Nevertheless, many Jewish Americans and Israelis remain blind to the clear shifts that have already taken place in the Democratic party. But Palestinians do not need anyones affirmation that they are human. If what drives you is solely your love of Israel, even if it is blind love, then common sense is making a clarion call now is the time to act to save Israel from itself. Israel can end its 53-year-old military occupation and allow a real Palestinian state to emerge or end up with all the land it wants from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, along with a citizenry of 7 million Palestinians and 7 million Jewish Israelis. Either way, 5 million Palestinian refugees will still be demanding to return home. Otherwise, Israel, and Jews everywhere, must forever hold their peace (and hasbara) because history is about to be made, again, based on the facts that successive Israeli governments have imposed on the reality between the river and the sea with their might is right policies over 73 years. Soon, the choice will no longer be Israels to make. Tick, tick, tick. Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. (Newser) Three friends on their way to go fishing were beaten and shot to death in a grisly scene in the backwoods of Florida that the Polk County sheriff is calling a "massacre." This is a horrific scene," Grady Judd tells the Lakeland Ledger. "Ive been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst." The victimsDamion Tillman, 23, Keven Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27had met up at a remote lake on Friday night to go fishing, with Tillman arriving first and being attacked by an unknown assailant or assailants who then beat and shot Rollins and Springfield when they arrived. story continues below Rollins was able to call his father for help at a little after 10pm, and was able to communicate when he arrived on the scene, though the Sheriff's Office won't disclose what he said. But in Brandons fathers excitement to run to help his son, he forgot his cellphone at home," Judd says, and had to run for help at a nearby convenience store. By the time help arrived, Rollins had died. These folks appear to be beaten and shot. ... We are seeking leads, we need help so we can solve this crime sooner rather than later, Judd says. He believes there was more than one assailant, notes the Tampa Bay Times. (Read more murder stories.) Waleed Bhai's killing is a major achievement for security forces. SRINAGAR: Three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants one of them termed by the authorities as being an IED expert were gunned down during a fire fight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmirs southern Kulgam district on Friday. The IED (Improvised Explosive Device) expert from Pakistan, who operated in the Valley using his codename Waleed Bhai, was among the twelve most wanted militants. His killing is a major achievement for security forces. Soon others too will be neutralized, claimed Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar while speaking to reporters here. The fighting broke out in Kulgams Nagnad-Chimmer area early Friday after the J-K polices counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) along with the Armys 9 Rashtriya Rifles and the 18th Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to it to flush out militants dead or alive, the police said. It added that the joint operation was launched on specific input generated by the Kulgam police about the presence of militants in the area. The IGP said that Waleed Bhai had escaped during four such cordon-and-search operations in south Kashmir earlier. During the search operation as the presence of terrorists got ascertained they were given the opportunity to surrender. However, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter, a statement issued by the police here said. The statement said that slain Waleed Bhai was a Pakistani national and an IED expert and a most wanted terrorist. The police said that the identifications of the other two slain militants are being ascertained but, at the same time, claimed that all the three belonged to proscribed outfit JeM. The police statement read, As per police records, terrorist Waleed was involved in several terrorist attacks including civilian atrocities. He was involved in the killing of four civilians in Kulgam and in luring innocent youth to join terrorist ranks. The police also said that one US made M-4 carbine, one AK assault rifle, a pistol, a grenade launched, grenades and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter. An Army commander said that the operation against militants was full of challenges. Brigadier VS Thakur, Sector Commander of 9 RR, told reporters, After getting the information about their presence in Nangad-Chimmer area from the DIG Police, south Kashmir, a siege was laid to the area at around 4.30 am. The first challenge was that there was a single road access to the house where militants were hiding and the closest base was ten to twelve kilometers away. He said that the second challenge was the presence of civilians in the house as well. He said, Our troops showed resilience and didnt even resort to speculative fire to target the house. Instead an appeal was made to the civilians to leave the premises. The Army officer said that two militants fired indiscriminately at the security force, using small arms and also lobbed grenades with an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL). However, both of them were killed in the retaliatory fire without causing any harm to civilians or damage to the house where they were hiding. He further said that when the civilians were coming out of the house, one remaining militant was wearing pheran with a weapon concealing beneath the traditional Kashmiri gown in an attempt to move out with the civilians. He was physically stopped and when he tried to use his weapon, there was a hand to hand fight between him and a soldier who successfully shot him down. He was the Pakistani militant Waleed, Brigadier Thakur said. He claimed that the Army has received credible inputs that suggest militants are planning to target Amarnath Yatra on a stretch of Jammu-Srinagar highway anytime after the commencement of the pilgrimage on July 21. He said, This stretch of the highway is a bit sensitive. We are all prepared to foil the militant design and to ensure smooth conduct of the pilgrimage, he asserted. Fort Bend County Judge KP George has spoken out against hatred and racism he has encountered as county judge. George, who was born in India but is an American citizen, took to Twitter and Facebook to share some of the racist comments hes received since taking office in January 2019. George posted a collage featuring some of the hate-filled comments he has received. Many of the posts contained profanity, and others attacked his origin of birth. He redacted the posters names but left the profanities and racial epithets unaltered. The Katy Rancher has redacted the profanities and racial slurs. One post said, Texans if KP George Tries to Take Away Our Freedom It will NOT Be the First Time a Foreigner has Attempted to do so KP George is NOT an American!!! How did Fort Bend County Let a Foreigner An American Hater become so Powerful??? How did we let this happen??? KP George is from Kerala India Remember the Alamo!!! MORE BY CLAIRE GOODMAN: Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office deputy honored for life saving actions In Facebook and Twitter posts on Saturday, George said that the comments have become more frequent and aggressive since the COVID-19 pandemic has made him the primary response authority in the county. Ive had to make a lot of decisions over the last few months to tackle the COVID crisis head-on, George said. When someone criticizes my decisions, that is their right as Americans. However, when people choose to hurl racist, anti-immigrant garbage at my family, colleagues and me -- that crosses a line. George also criticized an overarching xenophobia behind the racially charged comments. When I read some of these terrible comments online I realize they are coming from a place of deeply misplaced fear- fear that immigrants are taking their jobs, and they are replacing real Americans or setting out to hurt our own communities somehow. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston TV anchor Shannon LaNier is the descendant of Thomas Jefferson and the woman he enslaved After Georges post, a broad spectrum of community leaders spoke out in defense of George and condemned the racist attacks against him. Those types of comments and that type of behavior is unacceptable, said Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constable Wayne Thompson. I have known Judge George for some time. I know his character and his heart. He is a good man who cares for the community he serves. Fort Bend County is the most racially diverse county in the U.S. Rep. Pete Olson, who has frequently praised the county for its diversity said, These are not the values of Fort Bend County that I have been privileged to represent in the United States Congress for 12 years. Hate is not welcome here. Vile, hateful comments made to County Judge KP George are unacceptable. Probably written by bitter people who are unhappy with themselves lashing out at others, added Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton. SUNDAY CONVERSATION: District Attorney Brian Middleton transforming justice system in Fort Bend County George called upon the community to speak out against racism. As a fellow American, I ask you this: the next time you hear or see someone making an anti-immigrant or racist comment, call them out. Stand up for your neighbors, your coworkers and your childrens classmates. Stand up for Fort Bend, our nation's most diverse county. In doing so, youll be standing up for a better future America, the land of the free and home of the brave. claire.goodman@chron.com The Chief Executive of the Ghana Bankers Association, Daniel Ato Kwamina Mensah has passed on to eternity last Friday after a short illness. President of the Ghana Bankers Association, Alhassan Andani however informed members of the Association about the passing of Mr Daniel Ato Kwamina Mensah. It is with a heavy heart and deep sorry that I on behalf of the Family of Mr D. K Mensah announce the passing of our beloved colleague. The sad event happened yesterday (Friday ) I have on behalf of council spoken to Mrs Mensah and his son Eugene Mensah to convey our condolences and assurance of support to the family during this difficult time. Let us all remember DK and his family in our prayers. Late D.K Mensah and the Ghana Bankers Association The Ghana Bankers Association recently announced that he was set to retire this year after years of service with the Association. As the CEO of the Association, he was responsible for the day to day management of its Secretariat and is the liaison between all licensed banks and all other external institutions including the West African Bankers Association, government and the Bank of Ghana. He has over the years initiated thought leadership activities to support efforts of the banking industry in shaping Ghanas economy. Following his decision to retire, the Association then appointed former Chief Executive of UMB, John Awuah as the Deputy Chief Executive, who will eventually take over when Mr D.K. Mensah retires. D.K Mensah and the Banking Industry Daniel Ato Kwamina Mensah has been in the banking industry since 1985. He previously worked as an Educationist, during which period he taught at the various levels of the educational structure (primary, secondary and tertiary levels). Daniel Ato Kwamina Mensah held a B.A (Hons) degree in Economics with Political Science from the University of Ghana, an MSc (Econs) degree in International Trade and Finance from the University of Ibadan and an MBA degree from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). He was a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana and a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Bankers (FCIB) He has also chaired several boards including : President, West African Bankers Association 1995 1997 Trustee, Financial Investment Trust Resigned Director, Eximguaranty Company Limited -Resigned Chairman, Board of Directors, West African Interbank Payments Systems (WAIPS) of West African Bankers Association. Member, Ghana Health Service Council -Resigned Member, Ghana Urban Transport Advisory Committee -Resigned Trustee, Venture Capital Trust Fund. -Resigned Director, National Investment Bank Limited -Resigned Director, Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited Industry Work. Mr. Mensah has done some great work in the banking and entire business community. Some of his research papers include: Energy Demand The Economies of Establishing Charcoal Briquette Plants in Ghana. An Agro-Industrial Study: The Oil Palm Industry of Ghana (Published by the National Investment Bank) A survey of the Shea nut Industry in Northern Ghana (This study was carried out for the Centre for the Development Industry of the European Union for the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana which at the time was looking for funding to improve the technology for the extraction of shea butter from the shea nut for export). Developing the Infrastructure (Soft and Hard) For a Credible Trade Settlement System to Support intra-ECOWAS Trade (Paper presented at African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK)/ West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) Seminar). On Obstacles to Intra-Regional Trade in West Africa The challenge of Non-Tariff Barrier and Poor Trade Settlement System) May 2010 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. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Video footage from a street party in Florida on 12 July 2020: Osceola County Sheriff's Office Police in Florida have released footage of a large street party which took place earlier this month, where attendees flouted social distancing guidance as coronavirus cases soared in the state. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office said it had broken up several parties at vacation rental homes in recent days, despite public health guidance in the state advising people to avoid large gatherings. In video footage taken from a police helicopter, party-goers were filmed dancing in the street at an event in Kissimmee, near Orlando, which ran into the early hours of the morning on 12 July. Large gatherings at vacation homes have been banned due to the risk of spreading Covid-19 during the pandemic. Florida has recorded nearly 338,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 5,002 deaths, as of Saturday evening. The people attending these parties have no regard for what the virus is, trying to stop the spread of the virus, Major Jacob Ruiz, a police spokesperson, said. These parties seem to be happening more often even now since the state has reopened and things are trying to get back to normal they even care less about it. Russ Gibson, Osceola Countys sheriff, said earlier this week that more than 600 noise complaints had been filed in the area since March due to large parties. Mr Gibson added that attendees appeared to be gathering at the events with the intention of spreading the virus among each other, suggesting young people did not think they could be at risk. 'They're being referred to, from what I'm being told, as Covid-19 parties where they're actually getting together and they're trying to mingle to potentially spread the virus amongst each other if they're asymptomatic or whatever the case might be, Mr Gibson told the local news website Click Orlando. It came as Florida reported a further 10,000 confirmed cases on Saturday, with 90 additional deaths, and more than 9,000 patients in hospital with Covid-19. Read more Miami new epicentre of the pandemic as Florida cases surge Government is working on a number of initiatives to address the challenges affecting the provision of affordable housing and resolving matters involving rent, Vice President Bawumia has revealed. These measures include the design of a policy framework to address rental issues, and the submission to Cabinet and subsequently Parliament, for approval, a new Rent Control bill to replace the existing, moribund Rent Act of Ghana (Act 220), which was passed in 1963. The Vice President made these disclosures when he paid an unannounced visit to the offices of the Rent Control Department in Accra on 15th July, 2020. Accompanied by the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon Samuel Atta Akyea and his Deputy, Hon Barbara Asher Ayisi, the Vice President was taken round by the Chief Rent Control Officer, Mr Twum Ampofo, who explained the operations and challenges involved in ensuring a peaceful rental environment. Vice President Bawumia expressed worry about the lack of housing for low income earners, and disclosed that among others, government is working to address the uncertainties in the housing market, which has led to landlords demanding two to three years rent advance, well beyond the means of many, especially the youth who have just completed schooling and looking to enter the job market. The heart of the problem is one of adequate supply of housing in our country. We are going to have to look at addressing that particular issue of improving the supply of housing stock. The issue of Rent Control brings tenants on the one and landlords on the other, together. They are working under a rather old, passed in 1963, but so much has changed, and this is why Hon Atta Akyea has submitted a bill to Cabinet, for approval and subsequent submission to Parliament. The proposed bill would allow for more enforcement and deals with the whole issue of rent advance and its associated problems. What we want to do is to improve the operations of the Rent Control office. As I have gone round today, it is clear to me that so many of these queues that we see here can be avoided through digitisation of the operations of the Rent Control Office. There is really no need for everybody to queue here to lodge a complaint; you could do it online. We need a database that works from all landlords, tenants and the tenancy agreement, and once these are locked in with identifying features like the National ID and Digital addresses of these properties, you will then put together a database from which you can look at any breaches of the tenancy agreement and make adjudication much easier without any long winded processes. Beyond that, we are looking very seriously at the issue of rent advance. Why are landlords continuously insisting on two years advance? What is clear is that there has been what Economists call a market failure. Tenants on the one hand know whether they are going to be able to pay the rent or not. Landlords on the other hand dont know if this tenant will pay the rent or not, so to protect themselves they usually want a large advance. Meanwhile the tenant doesnt earn enough to pay this large amount. This is what the President has asked us to look at. How do we address this market failure? We are addressing it in a number of ways. The stock of housing must go up, especially the stock of low income housing. But to address this asymmetry of information between the landlords and the tenants, you need the government to come in to provide a bridge, so that whether its through insurance or guarantees, landlords can be a little more confident that these tenants will pay. We are going to address this issue, we have some proposals which we will announce soon, to address the whole issue of rent advance, to modernise and digitise the Rent Control office. This is where the national ID and the digital addresses come into play. We have clear proposals that we will be announcing to the nation soon, Vice President Bawumia indicated. Source: presidency.gov.gh 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 Dominic Raab has criticised Russia for pariah-like behaviour after it allegedly stole research into coronavirus vaccines. The foreign secretary said on Sunday he was "absolutely confident the Russian government had spied on British, US and Canadian research facilities. Ahead of the publication of the Russia report next week, the UKs National Cybersecurity Centre said that attempts to hack coronavirus projects were "almost certainly" connected to Moscow's intelligence services. "The key thing here is the deterrent of us, internationally with our partners, calling Russia out so that the world knows that they are engaged in this frankly pariah-like behaviour, when the rest of the world is trying to come together in the spirit of collaboration to tackle this awful virus," Raab told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab slammed Russia over the alleged data hacks. (PA) Speaking on Sky News's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Raab said it was "outrageous and reprehensible" that the Russian government is engaged in such activity. He said: "We're absolutely confident that the Russian intelligence agencies were engaged in a cyber attack on research and development efforts and organisations in this country and internationally with a view either to sabotage or to profit from the R&D that was taking place. "And I think the point is, first of all we've seen this as part of a wider systematic approach to cyber taken by Russia, and at the time that the world is coming together to try and tackle Covid-19, particularly come up with a global solution for a vaccine, I think it's outrageous and reprehensible that the Russian government is engaged in this activity. Russia's ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin denied the spying claims on Sunday. (PA) "So what we're doing with our allies is making sure people know, making sure the organisations know so that they can better defend against it, but also just calling Russia out, we will do this. "Now you will see us holding Russia to account and making sure that the world knows the nature of the reprehensible behaviour that they're engaged in." Story continues Raab added: "As a leading member of the international community, a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia should be engaged in that collaborative international effort." Andrei Kelin, Russia's ambassador to the UK, rejected the claims and said there was "no sense" in the allegations made by Britain, the US and Canada. "I do not see any point in using this subject as a matter of interference," he said. "We do not interfere at all. We do not see any point in interference because for us, whether it will be (the) Conservative Party or Labour's party at the head of this country, we will try to settle relations and to establish better relations than now." Asked about the alleged attempts to steal details of coronavirus research, Mr Kelin said: "I don't believe in this story at all, there is no sense in it." He added: "I learned about their (the hackers) existence from British media. In this world, to attribute any kind of computer hackers to any country, it is impossible." Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Organisers issued demands including the dissolution of parliament and an end to harassment of government critics. Around 2,500 Thai protesters took to the streets in Bangkok on Saturday night demanding the resignation of the government and the dissolution of parliament, defying a coronavirus ban on gatherings in one of the largest street demonstrations since a 2014 military coup. People at the student-led rally near Bangkoks Democracy Monument cited a litany of complaints against the year-old civilian government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. Organisers issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military-written constitution that critics say virtually guaranteed victory for Prayuths party in elections last year. How can we be OK with the lack of democracy like this? student activist Tattep Ruangprapaikit told the crowds. There were also some veiled public references at the protest to the powerful Thai monarchy, despite a law forbidding criticism of the king. Such references would once have been unthinkable. Police were on standby but did not move to stop the protest. The monument was cordoned off with signs reading: No entry without permission. Maintenance in progress. The protests started with student groups, but during the evening hundreds more arrived to join, swelling the numbers to about 2,500, according to organisers and estimates by reporters on the scene. The demonstration dispersed at about midnight, but organisers said they would return to the streets in two weeks if their demands were not met. Whose home is in Germany? Public opposition to Prayuth has been growing in recent months. Since last years election, a court has dissolved the second-largest opposition party, giving his ruling coalition firmer control in parliament. Prayuth also saw several cabinet members resign on Thursday over internal disputes. Prayuths Palang Pracharat Party campaigned on a vision of traditional Thai culture and loyalty to King Maha Vajiralongkorn. https://twitter.com/Reaproy/status/1284545065835098117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Thailand is officially a constitutional monarchy, but insulting the king is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and many conservatives view the monarchy as sacrosanct. Some signs and speeches at Saturdays protest made veiled references to the monarchy. This is our country, but whose home is in Germany? said one of the student leaders on a small stage set up on the street. King Vajiralongkorn has an estate in Germany, where he spends much of the year. A protest sign read Lost faith is definitely not a crime!!! #Thiwakorn, in a reference to a separate protest in Thailands northeast on Friday in support of a man who was committed to a psychiatric hospital after he wore a T-shirt saying he had lost faith in the monarchy. Another banner said The Peoples Party Isnt Dead a reference to the political party whose revolution ended absolute royal rule in 1932. Prayuth last month publicly warned political activists not to risk their futures by criticising the monarchy. Earlier protests this year were fuelled by a February court ruling dissolving a popular opposition political party whose democracy-promoting policies had attracted substantial support among younger Thais. The supporters of the Future Forward party believed the group was targeted for its popularity and for being critical of the government and the military. Protests against the government had been drawing increasingly large crowds at the time, but tapered off quickly when several coronavirus clusters were confirmed and the emergency law was invoked. Lockdown measures and social distancing have since helped the government contain the spread of the virus, but it has retained emergency powers, which critics say it wields as a political weapon. A total of 7,279,237 eligible Ghanaian voters have been registered so far by the Electoral Commission in the ongoing voter registration exercise. A lot of those captured are in the Greater Accra Region (1,524,600) followed by the Ashanti Region (1,319,498). From the ECs data, 63.8 per cent of the registered persons used the Ghana card as a breeder document while 1.8 per cent used the passport and 34.4 per cent used guarantors. Also, 11,818 persons representing 0.2 per cent of the registered voters had their eligibility challenged majority of them from the Oti and Ahafo Regions. Meanwhile, the Northern Regional Police Command, on 17 July 2020 at 0800 hours, acting upon intelligence, arrested one Mumuni Abilla Yusif, 26, a data entry clerk at the Kpanshegu registration cluster in the North-East Gonja district of the Savana region at Vittin in the Tamale metropolis. A search in his room recovered one Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kit, a statement issued by the command said. Further investigation led to the arrest of a second suspect, Mohammad Yushaw Kongsoha, 32 years, and the registration officer at Kpanshegu cluster, the statement added. The police command said at the time of the arrest of two suspects, 12 persons, including 10 males and 2 females, had been registered on 17 July 2020 between 0704 hours and 0800 hours at Vittin, which is not a designated registration centre. The two are currently in the custody of the police assisting with the investigation, the statement noted. The police says after investigation, the suspects will be charged with the appropriate cffences and put before court. Source: Class News 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| 2020-07-18 22:36:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Soldiers and armed police officers toiled day and night to help reinforce levees to prevent flooding in Anhui, China. Their move touched the hearts of many local residents. Last year, GitHub revealed its plan to store all of its open source software in an Arctic vault as part of its Archive Program. Now the code-hosting platform is done making sure future generations can access them even if civilization collapses within the next 1,000 years. In a blog post celebrating the undertakings success, GitHubs Director for Strategic Programs Julia Metcalf has revealed that the services code collection was deposited into the vault on July 8th, 2020 after delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. GitHubs archive partner Piql wrote 21TB of repository data onto 186 reels of piqlFilm a digital photosensitive archival film that can be read by a computer, or a human with a magnifying glass. You know, in case humanity suffers from global power outage. The service originally hoped to be done with the task by February, but it had to wait until it was possible for the Piql team to travel to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, which only recently re-opened its borders. It also had to drop its plans to send its own team to the Arctic. The collection now sits inside a chamber within a decommissioned coal mine, under hundreds of meters of permafrost. To recognize everyone who contributed to the software stored in the vault, GitHub is also rolling out a special badge thats displayed in the highlights section of a developers profile. Hovering over the badge shows the projects they contributed to, which ultimately became part of the Arctic Vault. Taoiseach Micheal Martin has expressed concern at the deadlock over the EU's Covid-19 aid package and attempts by some member states to dilute the level of grants. Attending a third day of EU leader talks in Brussels, he told media that significant differences remain on the deal, which aims to release up to 750bn in funds to member states. But some members want the size of the grants reduced and instead are demanding long term loans. I believe personally, and Ireland believes, that pouring more debt on debt, is not the way out of this and some member states find that very difficult. And so the grants element of this is very important. "One has to make an assessment that at some stage in this process that if the package is diluted too much, does it really represent significant response that the Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President [Emanuel] Macron originally envisaged with their 500bn package and then the commission with the 750bn. Read More EU leaders extend summit as they haggle over budget and virus The absence of an agreement would be very negative in terms of the perception of Europe's capacity collectively to respond to a crisis that is unique and is a 100-year event, Mr Martin said. The EU proposal had moved to release the grants totalling 500 billion, with a further 250 billion in the form of loans. One draft of the EU leaders text saw the grants level reduced to 450 billion. But the so-called the Frugal Four - the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Denmark - are reportedly seeking a further reduction of 155 billion for the grants. Explaining the stand-off, Mr Martin added: Significant differences still remain both in terms of the rule of law issue which took up a large proportion of the debate last evening at the plenary. "Also the actual size of the package and the balance within the package between grants and loans. That's where significant disagreement still remains, notwithstanding movement yesterday and overnight in term of the balance and reduction in the grants. Collectively, Europe must recover from this. Ireland being an exporting country, depends a lot on the success of the [EU] single market, and needs that to happen as well. There are significant differences and remains to be seen whether we can get agreement today. Fox News A New York Police Department union chief made an appearance on Fox News with a QAnon mug featured in the background. Ed Mullins, president of the NYPDs Sergeants Benevolent Association, appeared on Fox News to discuss the increased gun violence in New York City and other parts of the US. Viewers noticed a mug in the background of Mr Mullins interview with a logo on the front representing QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory whose adherents believe in the existence of a deep state within the US government that is controlled by a Satanic cabal of child-abusing elites. Believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory claim that these elites are largely made up of liberal politicians and celebrities whose goal is to oust President Donald Trump. The mug situated directly behind Mr Mullins in the camera shot has the word QANON across the front with the hashtag #WWG1WGA, which stands for where we go one, we go all. The phrase is a popular slogan within the QAnon group. q-anon-trump-supporters A Trump supporter holds the QAnon logo up at during a rally in Pennsylvania in 2018 (Getty Images) The 'Q' refers to an alleged government insider who posts clues on the internet to expose the deep state, according to the conspiracy theorist supporters. This was not the first time Mr Mullins has appeared on television interviews with what is believed to be QAnon symbols in the background. Internet sleuths discovered the chief has appeared on at least two other conservative talk shows with something in the background in recent months. Mr Mullins refused to confirm or deny if the mug in the background was his own when speaking to Business Insider. Our country is falling apart, New York City is in crisis, and the only thing the news media is concerned about is a mug, he told the publication. just called Ed and asked him about this. said he borrowed the office and has "no idea" what QAnon is. wouldn't tell me what/whose office it is. then he called me "ridiculous" and hung up https://t.co/9LcEEBLm8h Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) July 17, 2020 When contacted by the HuffPost, Mr Mullins said he had no idea what QAnon was and said he borrowed the office for the interview. But he was unable to provide information about the office he borrowed. Story continues Mr Mullins has a contentious relationship with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, and the two have even traded barbs in recent weeks after the mayor decided to transferred $1bn of the citys budget away from the NYPD. A spokesman for Mr de Blasio retweeted an image of the mug, calling it delusional. Read more The Chicks reveal 'scary' meeting with Harvey Weinstein Republican senator suggests Hispanic people less likely to wear masks Mystery surrounds identity of Ghislaine Maxwells secret husband Trumps campaign troubles could see Ohio turn back into a swing state The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU may be fighting the Federal Government over salary payment via IPPIS, but it has come out a surprise supporter of government shutting schools because of COVID-19. President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi said his union supported the decision of the Federal Government to stop Senior Secondary School 3 pupils from partaking in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination earlier scheduled to commence on August 4. Instead, ASUU wants schools shut till 2021. On Friday government gave school owners up till 29 July to comply with specific guidelines towards reopening of schools. Some stakeholders have also expressed the need for final year students to be allowed to write their WASSCE. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, legal luminary Chief Afe Babalola, the House of Representatives, are in support of school reopening, at least for WASSCE. But against the trend of opinion, Ogunyemi said no reasonable government would take chances to reopen schools, unless parents would be told to sign an undertaking. Look, Kenya has said they have closed all their schools till next year (2021); they too have exams to write. Safety first. If it means closing the schools until next year to safeguard the lives of Nigerian children and safeguard the health of all Nigerians, so be it, Ogunyemi told The PUNCH. So, if that will help us to address cases that can lead to increase in mortality, I think Nigerians should go that way and all of us should see reason for it. If they need to cancel admission for the year, it is good for them. Life matters first, people must have life first before they can go to university. Are the universities ready to work now? Our position is that they should not experiment with the lives of our children. Nobody can tell; the situation may soon normalise and they can do their exams and there is another opportunity for external candidates around November. So, its not as if the door is totally closed. The ASUU president added that the union had not seen any evidence to show that schools were secured for students to go back. Read the Original interview in PUNCH Related Federal officers use tear gas and other crowd dispersal munitions on violent demonstrators in Portland, Ore., on July 17, 2020. (Mason Trinca/Getty Images) Oregon Sues to Block Federal Arrests of Portland Protesters Oregon has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other federal agencies, alleging that their officers have violated the civil rights of Oregonians by detaining them without probable cause. Ellen Rosenblum, the states attorney general, filed the lawsuit on July 17, saying she was concerned about the federal law enforcement tactics being employed. Some of the tactics the lawsuit alleges have happened include detaining protesters on the streets of Portland and placing them in unmarked vehicles without arresting them or stating the basis for an arrest. In one incident on July 15, the lawsuit states, a man named Mark Pettibone was confronted by armed men dressed in camouflage who took him off the streets, pushed him into a van, then drove him to a building believed to be the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse. Pettibone alleged that he was put into a cell there and read his Miranda rights but was not told why he was arrested. He said he was released without any paperwork, citation, or record of his arrest, the lawsuit states. These tactics must stop, Rosenblum said in a statement. They not only make it impossible for people to assert their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully, they also create a more volatile situation on our streets. The U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement on July 17 defending a similar arrest of a protester in Portland. In that incident, which had been captured on camera, the agency said they had information indicating that the individual in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents and for destroying federal property. Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob started moving toward them, the agency said, adding that the agents, who had identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter, then quickly made the decision to move the suspect to a safer location for further questioning to ensure everyones safety. While the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) respects every Americans right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated, the agency said in the statement. Violent anarchists have organized events in Portland over the last several weeks with willful intent to damage and destroy federal property, as well as injure federal officers and agents. These criminal actions will not be tolerated. The lawsuit claims that the federal agencies violated the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights of Oregonians. Rosenblum also announced that state prosecutors are launching a criminal investigation into an incident where a protestor was allegedly seriously injured by a federal law enforcement agent. Donavan LaBella, 26, was seriously injured after allegedly being struck by an impact munition on July 11. The incident was captured on video, which shows him standing across from the Hatfield federal courthouse while holding a speaker over his head with both hands. At one moment, a canister of smoke or tear gas lands next to him, which he kicks away. After returning to his initial position, shots of impact munitions can be heard, and LaBella collapsed to the ground moments later. The other agencies that were named in the lawsuit include the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Federal Protective Services. The Justice Department didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. A British Muslim leader facing the death penalty in Bangladesh for alleged war crimes is suing Home Secretary Priti Patel for 60,000 in libel damages. Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, 71, who strenuously denies claims linking him to the killing of pro-independence activists during the countrys civil war in the 1970s, alleges that he was defamed in a Home Office report last year. The lawsuit says the Challenging Hateful Extremism document by the Commission for Countering Extremism was shared on the Home Offices Twitter account, which has almost one million followers, and retweeted by Ms Patel and others including BBC journalist Mishal Husain and the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. Mr Mueen-Uddin, who helped found the Muslim Council of Great Britain and was pictured in 2003 with Prince Charles while vice-chairman of the East London Mosque, alleges the report libelled him by stating that he was responsible for serious criminal violence, including crimes against humanity, during the Bangladeshi war of independence in 1971. Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, 71, (left) who is facing the death penalty in Bangladesh for alleged war crimes is suing Home Secretary Priti Patel for 60,000 in libel damages. Pictured: The Prince of Wales meets Mr Mueen-Uddin in 2003 The father-of-four, who lives in North London, insists he has not committed war crimes, is not a link between the perpetrators of the 1971 violence and the leadership of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami partys UK branch and is not and never has been a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami political group. Seven years ago, Mr Mueen-Uddin was convicted in his absence of crimes against humanity for allegedly leading a militia said to have killed 18 intellectuals while it fought the split from Pakistan. He was sentenced to hang by the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh. But he says the tribunal has been widely condemned and discredited, citing Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile, who described the tribunal as not fit for purpose and the case against Mr Mueen-Uddin as nothing short of farcical. In 2012, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Mr Mueen-Uddin, who at the time had a senior role with the NHS, was facing prosecution by the tribunal which is based in Bangladeshs capital Dhaka. His writ, submitted to the High Court last month, also claims that the Challenging Hateful Extremism report breached European data protection regulations and that his personal information was unlawfully used. The lawsuit says the Challenging Hateful Extremism document by the Commission for Countering Extremism was shared on the Home Offices Twitter account and was retweeted by Ms Patel and others The report, originally published in October last year, remained on the Governments website until March 20 after the Commission initially dismissed Mr Mueen-Uddins complaint. It later removed references to him and deleted his personal data. Mr Mueen-Uddin, who fled Bangladesh after the war and gained British citizenship, claims the reports publication caused him severe distress and embarrassment which was aggravated by the Commissions failure to contact him before publishing the allegations. He says he suffered further when the Home Secretarys lawyers wrote to him in February, suggesting it was fanciful that the report had seriously harmed his reputation. A Home Office spokesman said: This relates to claims made within a report published by the Independent Commission for Countering Extremism. However, given the Home Office is the sponsoring department for the commission, we are unable to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing. On Friday Alejandro Romero, a concierge at the Los Angeles building where Depp and Heard lived, testified that tech billionaire Elon Musk visited Heard regularly late at night from March 2015, while she was married to Depp. Heard and the Tesla founder had a relationship after she and Depp separated. The Suns lawyer suggested Romero had got the date wrong, but he said he remembered well because it was just after Depp had hurt his finger. Depps fingertip was cut off while he and Heard were in Australia, where he was filming a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, in March 2015. Depp alleges that Heard severed it by throwing a vodka bottle at him, a claim she denies. Romero said a friend of his was a big fan of Mr Depp and he was concerned about him not being able to play the guitar. Thats how I remember, and then the same day I saw Mr. Musk. Depp is suing News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and the papers executive editor, Dan Wootton, at the High Court in London over the April 2018 article, which called him a wife-beater. He strongly denies abusing Heard. A #MeToo activist said in a court document released Friday that she was misquoted and misused by a British tabloid newspaper in an article that accused Johnny Depp of physically abusing his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The article claimed there was a backlash by #MeToo activists against author J.K. Rowling because she was defending her famous pal Depp, a star of the movie adaptation of her book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. It quoted Katherine Kendall, an actress and activist who says she was assaulted by jailed film mogul Harvey Weinstein, as saying it seems that Amber got hurt and condemning violence. In a written witness statement, Kendall said she spoke in April 2018 to a woman she later learned was a Sun reporter. She said she had been completely misquoted and misused by The Sun to accomplish their goal. Although it was true that I was a victim of Harvey Weinstein, the rest was a lie, Kendall said. I was not going public on behalf of #MeToo or myself, to criticize J.K. Rowlings decision to cast Mr. Depp, nor did I accuse Mr. Depp of hurting Amber Heard, about which I have no first-hand knowledge. Kendall also said she had heard several times that Heard was abusive to Depp. Depp, 57, and Heard, 34, met on the set of the 2011 comedy The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce the following year, and the divorce was finalized in 2017. The Suns defense relies on 14 allegations made by Heard of violence by Depp between 2013 and 2016, in settings including his private island in the Bahamas, a rented house in Australia and the couples downtown Los Angeles penthouse. He denies them all and claims Heard was the aggressor during their volatile relationship, which he has likened to a crime scene waiting to happen. In nine days of testimony at the High Court in London, judge Andrew Nicol has heard from Depp and from several current or former employees who have backed his version of events. One of Depps security guards, Travis McGivern, said Friday that Heard spat at Depp and threw a can of energy drink Red Bull at him during an altercation at the couples Los Angeles penthouse in March 2015. Lack of digital skills among parents, no access to smartphones, poor internet connectivity, and inability to recharge phones are some of the reasons why nearly half the students in the state have poor or no access to online education. The findings are a part of a survey conducted by the Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training (MSCERT) in association with the United Nations International Childrens Fund (UNICEF) before the new academic year began on June 15. A total of 737 schools and 6,855 students were interviewed for the study. The government had selected two blocks from each district those with the highest and the lowest literacy rates for the survey. While almost 59.8% of students had access to a smartphone, only about 57% had internet connectivity. Less than 1% of the total students surveyed had access to desktops and laptops. Dinkar Patil, director, MSCERT, said, The survey was conducted to identify the hurdles that needed to be addressed before schools could reopen online. Efforts are now being taken to reach out to students through multiple mediums. After schools reopened online, we started conducting another leg of the survey to understand how students are managing to learn over the last one month. The most common barrier for students who could not access online learning was the lack of digital skills among parents. Nearly 72% of the 3,391 students who had such issues, claimed this was a problem for them. Lack of access to smartphones (66.4%); no internet (52.3%); issues with connectivity (35.2%), and lack of family support (22.6%) were other major hurdles when it came to online learning. Nearly 8.5% of students were engaged in supporting their families through some type of unpaid work. Issues concerning access were seen more in marginalised and socially-backward groups. As opposed to 59% of students from the general category who could access learning resources of the education department, only 40.5% of students from the scheduled tribes and 46.2% from the nomadic tribes could use them. Vanita Mate, who has two children, both studying at a Mumbai-based school in Class 4 and Class 6, respectively, moved to her hometown Mangaon in Raigad district, when the lockdown began. She doesnt have enough money to recharge her phone to call people, let alone get a data pack. I want my children to learn but I cannot afford to pay for internet. Also, we have very poor network in our village, she said. Even in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, several parents said they were struggling to take care of the expenses that come with online learning. Pushpa Sharma, who works as a domestic help, said, My son has online classes for two hours daily, and the internet pack we got is not sufficient even for a week. This is becoming a big hassle and we do not know how to afford it. Anagha Madhukar, the principal of Ahilyadevi Holkar Secondary School, which is run by the Pune Municipal Corporation and iTeach Schools, said that a student requires 1-1.5GB data daily for a four-hour online class. This means a monthly investment of 200 to 250. Over the last few months, we are happy to see that a lot of parents have been able to keep aside some money for the purpose. Even children were saving for their recharges, she said. Balu Bhoyar, principal, Karamveer Vidyalaya in Chandrapur, said that with most students not having access to technology, the only way to continue their education is through physical classes. We have started sending teachers to localities, where small groups of students can be taught daily. This is safe and also helps in continuous learning for such students, he said. Kannan Moudgalya, Erach and Meheroo Mehta Advanced Education Technology chair professor, IIT-Bombay, said that when it comes to access, one needs to understand that it is of two kinds. It includes access to fast internet, which is required to see live videos, and slow internet, with which one can download videos and watch later. The first type of internet has limited reach, and several IIT students, too, do not have access to it, let alone school students from low-income families. For government schools, the second kind of access can be put to good use, he said. A trio of Lloyds' top bankers have emerged as potential successors to the outgoing boss Antonio Horta-Osorio. Horta-Osorio is quitting the bank after almost a decade at the helm, earning a total payout of more than 56million. Change at the top: Antonio Horta-Osorio is quitting the bank after almost a decade at the helm City insiders have speculated that Vim Maru, head of Lloyds' personal banking business, could be in line to replace him. David Oldfield, head of Lloyds' business bank, and William Chalmers, the bank's finance chief, have also been named as front-runners in the race for one of the top jobs in British banking. Lloyds Britain's biggest bank will also seek out external candidates for the role. Its next boss will spearhead efforts to support the British economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. The chief executive will also determine the pace of bank branch closures, and how much to invest into Lloyds' insurance and wealth products. Lloyds has already started working on its next strategic review. However, it is believed the bank will not set out its plans for the next phase until the new boss is in place. Analysts at JP Morgan said in a report that the bank had a 'solid internal bench' of candidates to replace Horta-Osorio. The bank is also welcoming a new chairman, Robin Budenberg, in early 2021. The analysts added: 'A new strategic plan is expected in 2021, with continued focus on growth in wealth management and insurance business lines to diversify away from interest-rate sensitive business.' Lloyds declined to comment. Belgian prime minister Sophie Wilmes and Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel take a break from the EU summit and eat fries outside the Maison Antoine friterie in Brussels BRUSSELS (Reuters) - As European leaders haggled in Brussels on Saturday over billions of euros to prop up their coronavirus-blighted economies, four prime ministers slipped away in search of comfort food: a paper cone of Belgian fries. The snack that Americans call "French fries" - and Britons call "chips" - are such a staple dish in Belgium that roadside shacks and trailers selling "frites" were allowed to stay open during this spring's lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes tweeted a photograph of herself and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel outside the famous Maison Antoine "friterie" clutching their booty; she had "Andalouse" sauce with her fries and Bettel chose "Samurai". They were joined by the prime ministers of Estonia and Malta, and all four sat together outside the restaurant in the Place Jourdan, which has also served German Chancellor Angela Merkel during breaks in previous European Union summits. Belgium has sought to have "Belgian fries" and the culture around them recognised as a distinct part of global heritage, alongside its beer-making tradition. Many Belgians say their country invented fries, and that it was only because U.S. troops stationed in the French-speaking part of Belgium during World War One mistakenly called them "French" that the name stuck. (Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Kevin Liffey) Two firefighters were injured Saturday as they battled a major blaze at a steel plant in Beaver County. The fire at Sukup Steel Structures in Ambridge raged for roughly six hours before being brought under control by the combined efforts of 23 fire departments from Beaver and Allegheny counties. One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation; the other had burn injuries and was taken to West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield, according to Ambridge fire Chief Robert Gottschalk. The fire at the manufacturing facility on 14th Street was reported around 4:50 a.m.. Sukup is a subsidiary of Iowa-based Sukup Manufacturing Co. As a family-owned business, first and foremost we are relieved that no employees were injured in this fire, the company said in a statement. We will be communicating instructions directly with employees and assessing damage to the property. The plant is near the Ohio River and the border between the counties. Sukup Steel Structures designs, engineers, and manufactures steel construction buildings. The Covid19 pandemic has by now affected every country in the world. Lockdown regulations implemented in most countries to slow the spread of the virus have impacted particularly severely on the poor, depriving them of their livelihoods and plunging them even deeper into abject poverty. As of 9 July 2020, Cameroon had recorded almost 15,000 confirmed cases (www.covid19info.live). This appears to be a relatively low number. However, it can be safely assumed that the true numbers are under reported, due to a lack of testing equipment, and inadequate medical facilities. On 1 July 2020, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2532, calling on all countries in a conflict situation to observe a 90 day cease fire, to slow down the spread of the virus and to facilitate initiatives to combat the pandemic. The Resolution: 1. 2. Demands a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on its agenda and supports the efforts undertaken by the Secretary-General and his Special Representatives and Special Envoys in that respect; Calls upon all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days, in order to enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, provisions of related services by impartial humanitarian actors, in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and medical evacuations, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law and refugee law as applicable. The adoption of Resolution 2532 has had little impact on the conflict in Cameroon. Since its adoption, there have been numerous attacks, including: - Section of leaders from Murang'a county have thrown their weight behind former Gatanga lawmaker Peter Kenneth as the region's kingpin - They claim Kenneth has a sparkling development record and as such, President Uhuru Kenyatta should consider him as a Cabinet secretary to help him achieve his development agenda - Earlier, Kang'ata had warned Kenneth and his associates against engaging in 2022 succession politics claiming it was still too early to discuss such agenda Section of political leaders from Mount Kenya region has asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth as a Cabinet secretary if he plans to reorganise his Cabinet. Led by Senate majority whip Irungu Kang'ata, the leaders who spoke in Murang'a on Saturday, July 18, the area leaders touted Kenneth as a visionary man whose services will be pivotal in boosting the president's scorecard before his tenure expired in 2022. READ ALSO: Johnson Sakaja: Nairobi police boss says senator may not be charged for violating COVID-19 rules Murang'a senator Irungu Kang'ata. Photo: Irungu Kang'ata. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Papa Shirandula alikuwa ameambukizwa coronavirus, nduguye asema Kang'ata's remarks came days after he claimed the Jubilee Party purge aimed at dewhipping renegade members will be headed to the Cabinet, targeting cabinet secretaries with allegiance to Deputy President William Ruto. "If the president wants to reconstitute his Cabinet, let him consider one of us who is Peter Kenneth. We are rallying behind him. We know he can do a good job," Kang'ata said during a food distribution drive to area residents. READ ALSO: FA Cup: Aubameyang brace sinks Guardiola as Arsenal sink Manchester City READ ALSO: Machakos: Woman collapses while washing clothes, dies His remarks were echoed by Maragua MP Mary Wamaua and her Gatanga counterpart Joseph Nduati who also revealed local leaders had agreed to support Kenneth as the region's political kingpin. "Local leaders have agreed that Kenneth will be our leading figure from Muranga county," said Nduati. Kenneth is a leader that is known both in the central and western parts of the country. He is a figure we are not shying away from, "Wamaua stated. READ ALSO: Kenyans in solidarity with Njugush after Sarah Kabu reported his Instagram account Peter Kenneth is a former presidential candidate. Photo: Peter Kenneth. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Lady Maureen: Mourners break into song, dance ahead of Ohangla musician's burial In a separate story, TUKO.co.ke reported that Kang'ata had earlier warned Kenneth against engaging in succession politics but his recent remarks mean he has made an about-turn. Kang'ata was reacting to a meeting where a section of leaders from the devolved unit met to congratulate Kipipiri MP Amos Kimunya following his appointment as National Assembly majority leader. "If the function was only about lunch, then that is okay. But if its agenda was succession politics, then this is not the right time. I strongly believe that this is the time to talk about power provision, roads, agriculture and not politics," said Kang'ata. READ ALSO: New survey ranks UoN Africa's 7th most popular higher learning institution Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Couple gives birth to triplets after 21 years of trying | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke This new Android malware called BlackRock can steal credit card data and passwords from almost 337 apps including Uber, Gmail and Snapchat. We have told you about BlackRock, the new Android malware that can steal data from at least 337 Android apps. This malware was spotted in May this year for the first time and its list of potential targets includes popular apps like Snapchat, Gmail, Uber etc. Discovered by mobile security company ThreatFabric, here are 5 important things you need to know about this malware: 1. The BlackRock malware is based on the leaked source code of another malware strain called Xerxes. However, unlike what its based on, BlackRock has been upgraded with features that can steal credit card credentials and passwords. 2. It can target more Android apps than all its predecessors - 337 so far. And these include popular apps like Gmail, Uber, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc along with dating apps, shopping, lifestyle, news and productivity apps as well. The full list of the apps that BlackRock can target can be seen here. 3. BlackRock uses a method called overlays to trick users into filling in their log-in details and card details to start using a legitimate app. These overlays are fake windows that pop up when a user is trying to log into an app. 4. Most of BlackRocks overlays are concentrated on phishing social media, communication and financial apps. Once installed in the device, BlackRock gets the affected apps to ask the user to grant access to the phones Accessibility features. On Android, Accessibility features are very powerful as they can be used to automate and perform tasks on behalf of the user. 5. BlackRock uses this to grant itself access to other Android permission and uses the Android DPC (device policy controller) to get admin access and create overlays. This malware can key log, harvest SMS, send SMS, collect device information, lock screens remotely, hide app icons etc. This malware is currently being distributed in the guise of fake Google update packages offered by third party sites, but going by how Android malwares work, it should reach the Google Play Store soon. Newsham said the men opened up on a group that was in the block. He said the victims were all adults, including eight men and one woman. In addition to the man who was slain, two victims were in serious condition and the others have injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, he said. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal It took New Mexicos most populous county about three months to reach its first 1,700 COVID-19 infections. The next 1,700 took approximately one month. Bernalillo County home to the city of Albuquerque has seen its total reported infections grow 98% between mid-June and mid-July, according to numbers released by the New Mexico Department of Health. Thats compared to 60% statewide growth in the same period. New Mexico Human Services Secretary David Scrase said Friday that Bernalillo County has almost a vertical line uptick in cases. He blamed the recent increase on people leaving their homes more often as they grow tired of the health restrictions and are less cautious. Mayor Tim Keller, meanwhile, has been warning Albuquerque residents not to forget the continuing threat despite what he calls coronavirus fatigue. I think its important to remember there is no quick fix right now, Keller said at a media briefing Wednesday, so weve got to really be prepared for the long haul. Despite its surge, Bernalillo County is not the states hardest-hit county. McKinley County in northwestern New Mexico has by far the most infections on a per-capita basis and also more total reported cases than any other county, but its recent daily infection numbers are now lower than their spring peak. Though Bernalillo Countys cases per capita are still far lower than McKinleys and lower than several other counties it is presently on pace to eclipse McKinleys total infection count in the next few days. Bernalillo County coronavirus deaths, however, are climbing at a lower rate than its cases. Total fatalities increased 24% over the last month. Albuquerque officials long anticipated COVID-19 problems due to the citys population density and because it has facilities like the airport and shopping centers that draw people from the rest of the state, Keller has said. The virus typically spreads person to person, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it has battered many major American metropolitan areas. Keller has repeatedly noted how the Albuquerque area has so far fared better than other metros around the region, including Phoenix and El Paso, which have higher per-capita case counts. Bernalillo even saw daily case count averages fall and flatten after a bump in early-May. But numbers are now spiking. The recent surge in cases coincides with when youd expect more infections to be detected after Fourth of July social gatherings, according to Scrase. I think its people getting tired of COVID and not really believing theyre going to get it, he said of the uptick in Bernalillo County. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration had begun loosening statewide COVID-19-related restrictions in late May but has recently restored some of them, such as the ban on indoor restaurant dining. She also strengthened the states mask mandate, meaning everyone now must wear a face covering while in public unless they are eating, drinking or swimming. Throughout the pandemic, Keller has reiterated that he could, and would, impose even stricter city-level limitations if necessary. He has largely avoided doing that, though on Wednesday he signed a new emergency declaration and launched a new strategy to enforce the mask mandate. It allows the city to now remove people from its airport, buses and other facilities if they are not wearing masks and refuse to use one the city provides. City spokeswoman Jessie Damazyn said the new declaration also prepares the city to take measures beyond the state orders, but that will only come with guidance from state and local health professionals, and the citys Emergency Operations Center. So far, Damazyn said that is not necessary. At this time, we are following the level of restrictions in the state order because it works for Albuquerque, she wrote in a statement. But as the largest metro area, we know the impact of coronavirus wont be (the) same here as it is in rural areas and are closely monitoring the situation. Our most recent emergency declaration puts us on the right footing for a long haul, and prepares us to carve our own path if we need to make targeted restrictions beyond the states. Dan McKay contributed to this report. The Russian Federation's armed formations may not let people cross the contact line, relying on the data of the lists. Russia's occupying forces in Donbas let people cross the entry and exit checkpoints according to the lists. Read alsoDonbas occupying forces reopen checkpoint on Donetsk-Mariupol road corridor border guards "We have received information from the Trilateral Contact Group that the Russian occupying forces let people cross the entry and exit checkpoints according to the lists. In this regard, we would like to inform the Russian Federation's armed formations may not let people cross the contact line, relying on the data of the lists," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Headquarters said on Facebook. At the same time, the JFO HQ said the Ukrainian side is open to carrying out border crossing operations and amid the quarantine provides an opportunity to cross the Stanytsia Luhanska, Maryinka, and Novotroyitske entry and exit checkpoints at a certain time. As UNIAN reported earlier, Russian invaders have blocked the work of the Maryinka checkpoint since June 11, as well as the work of the Novotroyitske checkpoint since June 28. A graphic is seen showing the areas of Melbourne that will be required to go into lock down as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speak to the media on July 07, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Darrian Traynor | Getty Images Australia will reveal its first economic and fiscal update since the coronavirus outbreak on Thursday, as the nation navigates its biggest economic downturn in almost three decades. "The coronavirus crisis has hit our economy hard, and it's hit our budget hard," Australia's Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told CNBC, just hours after liaising with fellow global policymakers at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting. "We've had to make policy decisions with a fiscal impact of $56 billion (AUD) ($39 billion USD), and on top of that, there will be the impact of the economic hit on revenue and expenditure across the board," he added. The July Economic Statement comes ahead of the government's official budget in October. Analysts say it will show the government's economic forecasts for the next two fiscal years, while outlining the next stage of the policy response and likely record budget deficits to follow as a result. "We estimate deficits of $95 billion, 4.8% of GDP, for 2019-20," Westpac Chief Economist Bill Evans wrote in a research note this weekend. The firm forecasts a budget deficit in 2020-2021 of $240 billion and is expecting a further large deficit of the order of $150 billion in 2021-2022. "Falling confidence amid concerns about 'second waves' will surely prompt the government to confirm a set of policy initiatives that will extend its stimulatory stance although there will be a significant wind down of that stimulus," Evans added. Government to right-size job support measures despite rising virus count Among the expected announcements on Thursday will be a review of the government's "JobKeeper" wage subsidy scheme which allows eligible employers to receive $1,500 ($1,050 USD) per employee per fortnight. The measure was well received by domestic businesses and protected jobs, but will likely cost the federal government $70 billion before it expires in September. "The outlook right now is better than what we feared earlier this year, and some of the costings that we made for some programs like JobKeeper at the beginning, turned out to be less costly than initially anticipated," Cormann said. "There will be a further period of support for those businesses who really need it," he added, saying support will be "more targeted" to ensure the fiscal boost provided by the government goes to those businesses who need it most. The focus on jobs comes as Australia battles to confront a surge in COVID-19 cases in its two most populous cities of Sydney and Melbourne. In Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, 363 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded on Sunday after 217 cases the previous day. "That's the unknown for the next quarter," Cormann said, warning that rising cases and extended lockdowns could threaten to prolong the economic malaise. Australia's unemployment rate hit 7.4% in June, the highest level in 22 years. "The June quarter was always going to be the worst quarter," Cormann said. "Seven point four percent is high for us, but it's not as high as we feared it would be. Back in March, when we were looking ahead, our expectation was for an unemployment rate of about ten percent. It has come in quite a bit below that." "I think the Australian economy needs more support over the next six to twelve months," AMP Capital's Diana Mousina told CNBC. "We think the unemployment rate will probably remain between 7 to 8 percent over the next year, which is very high." "Before coronavirus, we were talking about a five percent unemployment rate," she added. G20 mindful of stimulus "taper-tantrum" as economies recover Growing up on Long Island, I was the most 'Irish' person I knew - and fiercely proud of it. My father was born and raised on the Cavan/Fermanagh border; my Bronx-born mother's dad was an immigrant from Monaghan and her maternal grandparents both grew up in Waterford. I ticked all the Irish-American boxes. Competitive Irish dancing. Playing trad music on the flute. Knowing all the lyrics to rebel songs and ballads. Never missing Mass. Attending Wolfe Tones and Paddy Reilly concerts. We had subscriptions to The Irish Echo and Long Island Catholic newspapers. Eventually, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame, home of the Fighting Irish - though even at the time I had a problem with their leprechaun mascot. That Irish-American tendency to get shamrock and leprechaun tattoos, fly tricolours outside their houses and eat corned beef and cabbage on 'Patty's Day' always irritated me, but I had no concept of the attitude in Ireland towards the diaspora in the States until I moved to Dublin in 2006. I was flabbergasted at the disdain - but it all made sense when I quickly learned the stark differences between Irish people and Irish-Americans. That's a given for everyone in Ireland, but I was oblivious - along with most Irish-Americans. Somehow, I'd made it to 24 years spending summers in Ireland and hosting cousins in the States without realising just how much Irish-Americans are the butt of jokes. To make a sweeping generalisation, Ireland is liberal, modern and more globally aware. Irish America is more religious, more conservative, wildly patriotic when it comes to both countries - and churning out a lot of die-hard Trump supporters. From my experience - working as a journalist in Ireland for more than a decade and returning to the States three years ago - I have a few thoughts as to why. I moved to Ireland as a cub reporter in 2006 because I was living and working in Dallas - for my dream company out of college - but I could see the path my life was going to take. I'd have minimal vacation, I'd be stuck in cities I hated for the best years of my youth, and then I'd settle down with a mortgage and a family and a two-week holiday a year to - probably - Florida. I looked at my Irish cousins taking gap years and moving to places like Dubai and New Zealand. I packed my Irish passport, got a job in communications in Dublin and gave myself a year to freelance and learn the journalistic lay of the land. I needed it. I couldn't pronounce Taoiseach. I didn't know what the Oireachtas was. So I learned about road frontage. I found out that no one really wants to talk about the Troubles or the Brits or the North, even though I'd been raised with 26+6=1 bumper stickers in my locker and the misconception that everyone in Ireland is obsessed with reunification. More than 10 years later, I had reported on major national stories from every county in Ireland. And being Irish-American actually helped me get through a lot of doors. The Irish in the States have always been particularly closely wedded, though, to what they consider their ethnic history. A lot of that has to do with Catholicism. Irish-Americans are holding on to the same values of Catholicism brought over in the 1800s and early 1900s by their immigrant ancestors. The anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiment their great- or great-great-grandparents faced engendered an us-against-them mentality, and that has been generationally passed down, often buried deep in the subconscious. As the abuse scandals and the laundries revelations rocked Ireland, Irish-Americans were generally steadfast in their devotion. I have Irish-American friends and relatives who will refuse to watch the films Spotlight or Philomena. The scandals were overblown, they'll argue; the media is liberal and anti-Catholic and out to get the church. "You never hear about rabbis abusing children," is one (false) argument I've heard. Many Irish-Americans are single-issue voters. If a presidential candidate is staunchly anti-abortion, that is who they will vote for. And Trump tapped into that. Kellyanne Conway and Mick Mulvaney? Just like me, products of the East Coast Catholic school system. Every date and male friend I had as a teen came from the all-boys' Catholic high school on Long Island once attended by Bill O'Reilly, star of Fox News, before his fall from grace. The academic education is wonderful in these places but the communities are insular. Even the traditional Irish-American Democratic base from the Kennedy years has skewed more Republican/Conservative in recent decades. It's because they've climbed the socioeconomic ladder, able to afford increasingly expensive schools. Trump's policies favour the middle class; even I have ended up with more money in my pocket than I would have under Obama (I'm registered as an Independent and don't like to share my political leanings but will happily announce that I did not vote for Trump.) Because Irish-Americans have advanced while clinging to their immigrant history, however, many also buy in to Trump's anti-illegal (his words) immigrant rhetoric. Their families, they argue, moved to America the 'right' way. (The undocumented Irish seem to not figure in their thought process.) They earned everything they have in their comfortable lives. Why can't immigrants now? They'll deny that these beliefs have anything to do with skin colour. When it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, forget it: there's a fundamental disconnect. For a group that loves talking about historical British persecution, on top of anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment in America, there's a distinct absence of empathy - or even effort to understand. Many middle-class Irish-Americans know or are related to cops and first responders. Battle lines have been drawn here: you're either Blue Lives Matter or Black Lives Matter. In Massachusetts and New York, where I've spent time during quarantine, Blue Lives Matter flags are usually accompanied by Trump paraphernalia and, often, tricolours or shamrocks. But the pendulum swings both ways. Many Irish-Americans - usually with closer and more recent ties - criticise Ireland for becoming so liberal and, dare I say, tolerant. They are nostalgic for an Ireland that no longer exists, holding onto outdated ideas brought over multiple generations ago. When the same-sex marriage referendum vote was passed in 2015, it was one of my favourite memories in Dublin. But I didn't dare bring up the conversation with my Irish-American friends and family. Ireland has lost its morality and its way, they said. Talking last week with the Irish-American mother of a friend on Cape Cod, I said I was writing about the social and political differences between Irish-Americans and Irish people. "Oh - Ireland is way more conservative than the States, isn't it?" she said. I don't see anything changing any time soon. Irish-American support for Trump will remain strong. I moved back to the States for a job the month after his inauguration and I cannot believe the world I am looking at right now. I wasn't surprised by his election - I'd also been a reporter in Texas, Alabama and Indiana, Trump strongholds. The division at the moment I find terrifying. And I've never missed the real, modern Ireland more. Borrowers who took loan repayment 'holidays' at the height of the coronavirus crisis are struggling to obtain mortgages despite assurances the breaks would not affect their credit score. Sources told The Mail on Sunday that banks were turning away customers who had taken payment holidays on home loans, credit cards and car finance, months after the Government and credit agencies said there would be no impact. The sources said applicants could often get a provisional loan agreement from a bank, but were then rejected by the bank's credit checkers over fears they were not reliable borrowers. Suffering: Many customers are struggling as they try to take out a mortgage or remortgage with a new lender Business Secretary Alok Sharma said in March that banks had negotiated the rules around payment breaks with the financial watchdog, and that they would not affect a customer's credit score. He said at the time: 'The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) has talked to banks and lenders about this issue, particularly those who may need to delay payments on credit card bills. And I think the advice that's gone out is any changes need to be properly documented and it shouldn't affect your credit score.' Credit agency Experian also reassured customers they would not be hit by taking advantage of the blanket payment freeze. Jonathan Westley, chief data officer at Experian, said in a statement in March: 'Many lenders are offering payment holidays or other arrangements to help people who have been affected by the outbreak.' He said Experian and also credit agencies TransUnion and Equifax 'will then make sure that the agreement is reflected in your credit reports so that your score is not changed by any payment holiday you agree'. But now many customers are struggling months later as they try to take out a mortgage or remortgage with a new lender. One mortgage industry source admitted questions were being raised about those on Government support schemes, saying: 'Banks are asking if people have taken a payment holiday or if they are on furlough.' Another said: 'It's reasonable that people looking to remortgage, or switch their mortgage will be asked if they have maintained payments or if they have missed any payments. Individual lenders might look at that in a negative way as a potential new borrower. They will say, 'Well, this person chose to take a payment holiday, did they do it because they needed one, or because they were lazy?' That person might be less of a good risk than someone who continued paying their mortgage regardless.' But Siobhain McDonagh MP, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee, said: 'When the banks were in trouble, the taxpayer was there for them. Now the taxpayer is in trouble it's time the banks step up and live by their promises. 'If they promised it wouldn't have an impact on your credit-worthiness, you generally expect the Government to tell the truth. When the banks weren't process ing loans to businesses, the Government was certainly in a position to put pressure on the banks, and you'd hope they do that for individual homeowners.' McDonagh plans to write to the Chancellor raising the matter this week. Banking lobby group UK Finance said lenders would consider a 'range of factors' before approving a loan. It has urged consumers to consult their bank before taking a payment holiday. A UK Finance spokesperson said: 'Under FCA rules lenders must lend responsibly and consider the affordability of the mortgage or loan in the long term. It would not be in the customer's interest to lend more than they can reasonably afford.' A Treasury spokesperson said: 'The FCA has been clear that payment holidays should not have a long-term impact on people's credit rating and that where additional help is needed, lenders must be clear about the possible implications.' But consumer experts said customers should be able to get payment holidays deleted from their credit histories. James Daley, at Fairer Finance, said: 'At the beginning of the crisis, it was an incredibly uncertain world and I don't think it would have been wrong to take a payment holiday. The lenders should be totally blind to these payment holidays and lenders should not have been marking them on people's credit files. 'I don't see why they can't put that right, it's not impossible to change credit files when companies make mistakes.' Biden Briefed On U.S. Intelligence, Says Russia Still Meddling In Electoral Process July 18, 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden says he is now getting regular intelligence briefings and has been told that Russia is continuing in its attempts to meddle in the upcoming U.S. election. "We know from before, and I guarantee you that I know now, because now I get briefings again. The Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process. Fact," Biden said on July 17. Biden, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, is the presumptive Democratic nominee to face Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election. If Biden wins, he would assume office in January 2021. Traditionally, the nominee for the leading opposition party begins receiving intelligence briefings ahead of the vote so that the candidate will be fully informed on the first day should he or she win the election. Biden, speaking during an online fundraiser with supporters, warned that, if Moscow maintains its efforts to interfere, there will be "a real price to pay" if he wins the presidency. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow acted to help Trump in the 2016 election. Russia denied the allegation. Trump has repeatedly called an investigation into whether his team colluded with Russia in the effort a "hoax." Biden also said that China was conducting activities "designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome" of the 2020 election. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Biden's statement. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/biden-briefed-on -u-s-intelligence-says-russia-still-meddling- in-electoral-process/30734376.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 The photographer behind Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo's official wedding snaps has opened up about capturing their special day. Benjamin Wheeler, from London, was behind the lens as Beatrice, 31, and Italian property developer Edoardo Mappeli Mozzi said 'I do' during a surprise ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at the Royal lodge on July 18. Taking to his Instagram account, Wheeler penned: 'I was so incredibly honoured to photograph their wedding day, a certain milestone of my career. Buckingham Palace has so far released two pictures from the happy occasion - both taken by Wheeler. One shows the happy couple locking hands as they exit the Chapel. In the other, beaming Beatrice and Edo stand next to her grandmother the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in front of the chapel. Benjamin Wheeler was behind the lens as Beatrice, 31, and Edoardo Mappeli Mozzi said 'I do' at the Royal Chapel of All Staints at the Royal lodge on July 18 The photographer said photographing the event was a 'milestone' of his career and had left him 'incredibly honoured' In his Instagram post, Wheeler went on to thank Gillian Lawtie. a fellow photographer and founder of the Wedding Collective - a wedding directory providing contact details for wedding caterers, photographers, filmmakers and more. Benjamin was one of the few people to attend the intimate ceremony on Friday, which saw Beatrice wed after postponing her grand May wedding to beau Edoardo. Beatrice and Edo were due to tie the knot at the Chapel Royal of St James's Palace, in London, on 29 May. But their ceremony was postponed due to Covid-19 and no new date was given by the palace at the time. Instead the couple chose to have an intimate ceremony attended by just 'close family', according to a statement released on Friday afternoon by Buckingham Palace. In the sweet snaps, Beatrice and Edo beam, standing at a safe distance from her grandparents The Queen and Duke of Edinburg The bride's parents, Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York as well as her sister Princess Eugenie, 30, are thought to have been included. On marriage Beatrice becomes a stepmother to Edo's son Christopher, known as Wolfie, who is also thought to have attended. The Queen, who has now watched six of her eight grandchildren wed, shared her joy in a conversation with Captain Sir Tom Moore, whom she knighted at Windsor Castle just hours after the nuptials. She told Sir Tom and his family: 'My granddaughter got married this morning both Philip and I managed to get there - very nice.' The chapel, which can accommodate 180 people, was an ideal choice for social distancing, especially given the bride's grandparents are both in their 90s and in a high risk group. Weddings of up to 30 people are allowed under current government guidelines. The reduced guest list means that the couple will have to celebrate with celebrity friends such as Ellie Goulding, Karlie Kloss and Cressida Bonas at a later date. Flowers from well-wishers were seen being unloaded from vans after the wedding, as Buckingham Palace confirmed no reception or other event was taking place. The dashing Italian property developer who won Bea's heart: Father-of-one Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 37, is a long-time family friend who swept her off her feet Princess Beatrice has married Italian property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in secret at Windsor Castle Princess Beatrice married fiance Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret wedding in Windsor earlier today - but who is the man that stole the royal's heart? The happy couple were due to wed at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in London with 150 guests on May 29, but Covid-19 meant they had to postpone their big day. Having kept their plans quiet, they tied the knot this morning in front of just 20 guests including the Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, at All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park. Beatrice, 31, and Edo, 37, are long-time family friends, but started dating in October 2018 and got engaged in September last year. The pair said of their 11-month whirlwind romance in a statement: 'We are extremely happy to be able to share the news of our recent engagement. Property developer Edoardo is the son of former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi and Nikki Shale, and has been a friend of the Yorks for some time. The father-of-one has a son, Christopher, with his former partner Dara Huang. He's said to enjoy an amicable relationship with Huang and prides himself on still being an active part of his son's life. Edoardo was educated at the prestigious Radley school in Oxfordshire before studying for a Master's in politics at Edinburgh. He is believed to have known Beatrice for years, the royal attended the funeral of Edoardo's stepfather, Christopher Shale, who died at of a heart attack at Glastonbury in 2011; Shale was a close friend of David Cameron. Father-of-one Edo has a young son, Christopher, whose nickname is Wolfie, with his former partner Dara Huang - meaning Beatrice is now a stepmother. Right, Beatrice with Edo Advertisement A statement released by the palace said: 'The small ceremony was attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and close family. The wedding took place in accordance with all relevant Government guidelines.' It is understood the couple waiting to release their wedding photos because they did not want to overshadow the investiture of Captain Tom Moore, who received his knighthood from the Queen at Windsor Castle on Friday afternoon. Edo and Beatrice are understood to have planned the day with the safety of the Queen in mind. The Queen and Prince Philip have been in isolation at Windsor Castle since the start of lockdown. A friend told the Sun they chose All Saints Chapel because it is just a short three-mile drive from the castle, making it easy for the Queen to attend. They also chose a date before the Queen makes her annual trip up to Balmoral at the end of the month. The friend added: 'So many guests were disappointed not to make the big day but understood the reason for it. Edo is the son of Nikki Shale and Italian former Olympic skier Count Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi. Nikki split with Mapelli Mozzi when Edo was young, while her second husband Christopher Shale, a senior Tory and a close friend of former prime minister David Cameron, died of a heart attack at Glastonbury Festival in 2011. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 15:20:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Six people died and at least 20 were injured in a road mishap in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state early on Sunday, a local police officer told Xinhua over phone. The accident occurred when a private bus hit a vehicle at around 5:15 a.m. local time in Kannauj district, said Superintendent of Police Amarendra Pratap Singh. According to him, the bus was going from Darbhanga district of eastern state of Bihar to Delhi. The bus with around 40 passengers on board toppled down the highway after the collision. Enditem As the Ashok Gehlot government struggles to retain power in Rajasthan, the Bhartiya Tribal Party says it is now in a position to punch way above its weight despite its minuscule presence in the state assembly. IMAGE: Bharatiya Tribal Party workers hand over their letter of support to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot in Jaipur . Photograph: ANI Photo We have two MLAs in a House of 200, yet we are in the position of kingmakers, party president Maheshbhai C Vasava said on Sunday. At a joint press conference with the Congress on Saturday, BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad Dindor made it clear that they are with chief minister Ashok Gehlot. This ended days of uncertainty over where the Gujarat-based party's loyalties lie. The two MLAs supported the ruling Congress in the state in last month's Rajya Sabha polls. But when the power tussle between Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot re-surfaced recently, the BTP said it will remain neutral. Vasava said the party is now extending support to Gehlot after an assurance that its demands related to the development of tribal areas will be met. We have fought against the Congress and the BJP on tribal issues but if the government now assures full support on the issues raised by us, why shouldn't we support it? After all it is fulfilling the agenda of tribal welfare and development, he said. When the crisis began last week, Vasava issued a whip directing both Roat and Dindor not to support any leader or party in case there is a floor test in the assembly. However, Sagwara MLA Ramprasad Dindor expressed defiance of the whip, saying both of them will support the state government. Later, party office-bearers and the MLAs held discussions with the chief minister on their demands. We had supported the Congress government in the Rajya Sabha elections last month after an assurance by the chief minister on our demands, Chorasi MLA Roat said. But the demands were not fulfilled. Some of them could have been met in just one day, he complained. The party then thought of not extending support to him, the MLA said. Last week, Roat appeared in two video clips, alleging that he was being stopped by Rajasthan police from travelling to his constituency in Dungarpur district. He claimed that police personnel had come in two vans and taken away his car keys. He also alleged that some people were forcing him to come with them. The videos were circulated by the Sachin Pilot camp and the BJP had questioned the state government over them. But Raut later dismissed the episode as a misunderstanding with police. He said the party's agenda is development of tribal areas and they have raised 17 demands before the CM. Some of the demands are related to reservation in jobs and the utilisation of funds for tribal areas. The BTP came into being in 2017 in Gujarat, and expanded into Rajasthan the next year. In the December 2018 assembly elections, it fielded 11 candidates in the tribal belt in southern Rajasthan. Raot was 26 when he won and most other candidates too were young. The youth are our power. Today's youth is educated, understands issues and understands how the tribal people were deprived of their rights. We fielded many young candidates and the party's performance was very good, BTP state president Velaram Ghoghra said. The crisis in Rajasthan Congress has been brewing since the party picked Gehlot over Pilot for the chief minister's post. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's state unit president when he and 18 other MLAs stayed away from two Congress Legislature Party meetings. The rebel MLAs were served notices by Speaker C P Joshi after the Congress sought their disqualification from the assembly. The Rajasthan High Court will on Monday resume hearing their petition challenging the notices. Including the dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72. If the 19 Congress dissidents are disqualified, the current strength of the state assembly will reduce to 181, slashing the half-way mark to 91 and making it easier for Gehlot to retain majority support. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal. BAGHDAD - Irans foreign minister on Sunday stressed that Iran-Iraq relations would not be shaken ahead of the Iraqi prime ministers planned visit this week to Saudi Arabia, Irans regional rival. Several hours after Mohammad Javad Zarif landed in Baghdad, three mortars struck near the U.S. Embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone without causing any losses, according two security officials. The Green Zone is the seat of Iraqs government and home to many foreign embassies. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Zarifs visit to Iraq was the first since the American assassination of top Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani outside Baghdads international airport in January. The drone strike catapulted Iraq to the brink of a U.S.-Iran proxy war that could have destabilized the Middle East. The visit also came as the Iraqi government tussles with Iran-backed militia groups, some of which have become increasingly difficult to control in the absence of Soleimani and senior Iranian militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also killed in the strike. In late June, Iraq raided the headquarters of the Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah over a spate of rocket and mortar attacks targeting the U.S. installations in Iraq. Most of the fighters were later released. Facing near-weekly rocket attacks, the U.S. Embassy recently installed C-RAM defence systems. It was unclear if the system was operational during the attack Sunday afternoon. The daytime attack was unusual; most have occurred after nightfall. The U.S. has blamed Kataib Hezbollah for previous attacks. Upon his arrival, Zarif paid a visit to the site where Soleimani was killed, saying Iran-Iraq relations will not be shaken despite the generals death, which Zarif called a major loss in the fight against the Islamic State group. Soleimani led Irans expeditionary Quds Force and was the architect of its regional military activities. The Iranian minister met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a day before the premier was set to fly to Riyadh, then to Tehran on Tuesday. Iraq seeks to assert its balanced and positive role in making peace and progress in the region, al-Kadhimi tweeted during the meeting with Zarif. Al-Kadhimis advisors said his visit to Riyadh seeks to open new avenues for economic co-operation, while also enhancing Iraqs potential to be a regional mediator. But here, al-Kadhimi walks a fine line. Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia accept Iraq playing the role of intermediary, said Hisham Daoud, the premiers advisor. The Gulf and the Americans want Iraq to have its sovereignty, and to them this means distance from Iran. Iran, meanwhile, wants Iraq to be a messenger, but this will not be acceptable to Iraq and to al-Kadhimi, he said. Iraqs Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said he and Zarif stressed that we want balanced relations with all neighbouring countries, based on Iraqi interests, mutual interests and non-interference in internal affairs. We stressed the necessity of keeping the region and Iraq out from international tensions and protecting Iraqi sovereignty, Hussein told reporters after their meeting. The two diplomats discussed trade, as border points were recently reopened and fortified with additional security forces in line with reform plans devised by Iraqs government. Talks encompassed energy and investment, with Iraq relying heavily on Iranian gas and electricity imports to meet power demands. Iran has good relations with Iraq on the energy level and will continue to, said Zarif. There are many agreements with Iraq that will be activated. John Lewis, the civil rights warrior who marched with Martin Luther King Jr and was nearly killed in police beatings before serving for decades as an American congressman, died on Friday. Lewis, a Congressman from Atlanta who had announced in December that he had advanced pancreatic cancer, was 80. The African-American icon spent his life getting into what he liked to call good trouble - the confrontations necessary to improve the US democracy by racial injustice. John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation - from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the 17-term congressman from Georgia. The son of sharecroppers, Lewis was just 21 when he became a founding member of Freedom Riders, who fought segregation in the US transportation system in the early 1960s. He was the youngest leader of the 1963 March in Washington, DC in which King delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. Lewis entered Congress in 1986 and became a figure of moral authority. Lewis kept up the fight for civil rights until the end of his life. He made his last public appearance in June, as protests for racial justice swept the United States and the world. He stepped away from his congressional duties in recent months for undergoing cancer treatment. Our conscience, he was a griot of this modern age, one who saw its hatred but fought ever towards the light, said Stacey Abrams, a Democratic activist and founder of Fair Fight, a voting rights group in Lewis home state of Georgia. (With inputs from Agencies) Like many countries, Norway ordered all gyms to close in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But unlike any other nation, Norway also funded a rigorous study to determine whether the closings were really necessary. It is apparently the first and only randomized trial to test whether people who work out at gyms with modest restrictions are at greater risk of infection from the coronavirus than those who do not. The tentative answer after two weeks: no. So this week, responding to the study it funded, Norway reopened all of its gyms, with the same safeguards in place that were used in the study. Is there hope for gymgoers in other parts of the world? I personally think this is generalizable, with one caveat, said Dr. Michael Bretthauer, a cancer screening expert at the University of Oslo who led the study with Dr. Mette Kalager. There may be places where there is a lot of Covid, or where people are less inclined to follow restrictions. Norway is bringing its epidemic under control, and the number of new infections has fallen. But the incidence of the infection in Oslo, where the study was conducted, resembles that in such cities as Boston, Oklahoma City and Trenton, N.J. The trial, begun on May 22, included five gyms in Oslo with 3,764 members, ages 18 to 64, who did not have underlying medical conditions. Half of the members 1,896 people were invited to go back to their gyms and work out. They were required to wash their hands and to maintain social distancing: three feet apart for floor exercises, and six feet apart in high-intensity classes. The subjects could use the lockers, but not the saunas or the showers. They were not asked to wear masks. Another 1,868 gym members served as a comparison group; they were not permitted to return to their gyms. During the two weeks of the study, 79.5 per cent of the members invited to use their gyms went at least once, while 38.4 per cent went more than six times. Some were overjoyed to restart their routines. Goril Bjerkan, a 53-year-old economist who lives in Baerum, just outside Oslo, went to the gym three to four times a week during the study, using the treadmill, taking classes and doing strength training. It was fantastic to get back to the gym again after almost 11 weeks of closure, she said. I suspect it was more risky to visit the shopping centre than to visit the gym. Heide Tjom, a 57-year-old architect who bicycles into Oslo, leapt at the opportunity to return to the gym four times a week, where she works with a personal trainer and takes group cardio classes. Keeping fit is very important to me, Ms. Tjom said. I feel it is important to my existence. Over the study period, there were 207 new coronavirus cases in Oslo. Study participants and gym staff members were tested for the infection on June 8. (Antibody tests of participants are now being conducted.) Dr. Bretthauer and Dr. Kalager also examined Norways extensive electronic health records database for outpatient visits and hospitalizations among the participants. The results? The researchers found only one coronavirus case, in a person who had not used the gym before he was tested; it was traced to his workplace. Some participants visited hospitals, but for diseases other than COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. There was no difference in hospital visits between the groups, and there were no outpatient visits or hospitalizations because of the coronavirus. The findings were posted online on Thursday, but had not been peer-reviewed nor published. Some experts felt the results demonstrated that returning to the gym was relatively safe but only in places where there were few infections. This shows us that low-prevalence environments are safe for gyms and probably just about everything else, said Dr. Gordon Guyatt, a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Canada. It is very unlikely you will get infected. If you were in a different environment where there is a substantially higher prevalence, we dont know what will happen, he added. But Jon Zelner, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, did not find the study to be fully convincing: These findings dont tell me that going to the gym isnt riskier than not going to the gym, even in Oslo, he said. A larger study is needed in places with a relatively low prevalence to determine whether the virus is more easily transmitted in gyms, Dr. Zelner added. Alternatively, a study with fewer people, but in a community with a high prevalence of infection, could answer the question. Such a study may raise ethical concerns, since it may not be safe to send people to gyms in high-prevalence communities kind of a Catch-22, Dr. Zelner said. Still, how low does risk have to be before it is acceptable to reopen gyms and fitness centres? Dr. Guyatt said the risks of infection in a community where the prevalence is low are outweighed by the advantages to society. You cant stay locked down forever, he said. We are never going to be completely free of this thing. And in a low-prevalence environment, the risk is low wherever you go gyms or grocery stores or even restaurants. Now, Dr. Bretthauer and Dr. Kalager want to see whether the social-distancing measures they used in the study were necessary. They hope to randomly assign 150 gyms to operate without restrictions or to maintain those in place now, then compare infection rates among gymgoers. The study is only in its planning stages. Former central bank governor, Gideon Gono, claims that top government officials, judges, ministers of religion, parliamentarians, Zanu PF supporters and others, who benefited under the 2006 Farm Mechanization Program, are not expected to pay for tractors, combine harvesters and several implements acquired under the Reserve Banks quasi-fiscal activities. Gono told the state-controlled Herald newspaper that the beneficiaries, who include President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the late former president Robert Mugabe, the late former vice presidents Joseph Msika, several top government officials and others obtained the equipment to kick-start the land reform program, which was spearheaded by the ruling party. He said the government of then president Robert Mugabe ordered the central bank to parcel out farming equipment to mostly Zanu PF members and sympathizers under several statutory instruments. He is quoted by the newspaper as saying, No beneficiary of the farm mechanisation programme ever refused to pay for the equipment that they got and neither were they asked to pay. A Zimbabwean living in the United Kingdom, Kent University lecturer Alex Magaisa, released a list of names of the farm mechanization program, which has not been published elsewhere, in his blog, the Big Saturday Read. Gono claimed that Magaisa got it all wrong and was expected to contact him before releasing the list of the beneficiaries. Magaisa insists that he got it right. Some beneficiaries are demanding accountability saying they have already paid for the farming equipment. Former Zanu PF regional stalwart, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, told VOA he paid for the equipment sourced from the central bank under the Farm Mechanization Program. On tweeter, he said, Those who are saying Farm Mechanisation was for Free, are telling blatant lies. I paid 10bn for mine, which was worked out as the usd equivalent then. Everyone has to pay. CORRUPTION has to be exposed. THANK YOU ALEX MAGAISA,BSR. The heads of the European Union are meeting in Brussels for a second day of discussions on issues pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic and the EU budget. The countries have so far failed to reach an agreement on the form the aid to pandemic-stricken countries should take. President of the European Council Charles Michel has proposed a compromise agreement during the course of the EU budget discussions, envisaging a reduction in the sum of grants handed out to countries to restore their economies from 500 billion to 450 billion euros. Under the revised plan, designed to end the deadlock in negotiations among the 27 EU states, the remaining 300 billion of the 750-billion plan will be handed out in the form of loans. Michels plan also included a so-called emergency brake on spending of grant funds by governments, as well as budget rebates for three EU countries Austria, Denmark, and Sweden. If the plan is unanimously accepted, these three states will be able to contribute less to the EU budget in 2020. The emergency brake, in turn, will allow any EU member to bring up for discussion the issue of a grant recipients spending that raises doubts. The new plan, offered by the EU council chief comes as the blocs members are struggling to negotiate a 1.85-trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) budget, as well as the 750-billion euro ($857 billion) fund, designed to help those countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. While the countries agree that the recovery fund is needed there has been little agreement on how much of the funds should be handed out in the form of grants and how their spending should be monitored, as the atmosphere of the meeting is getting ever grumpier, according to Dutch Prime Minister Rutte. The Netherlands is among those nations pushing for additional strings to be attached to COVID recovery grants, such as economic reforms, with the countrys prime minister admitting that the discussion of the budget and the recovery fund is unlikely to be swift and painless. The compromise plan was proposed by Michel hot on the heels of a meeting between representatives of different approaches to the way the recovery fund should function the Netherlands, France, and Hungary. It is unclear if the plan was born during the course of that meeting and it remains to be seen how much support it will get from the remaining members of the EU. (SPUTNIK) Chennai: The Madras High Court Friday granted three months time to the Centre to examine appointment of an additional expert member on regular basis to the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone) here. The court gave the directive while disposing a PIL by D Karthik, an advocate, who submitted that after constitution of NGT, Southern Zone, all the cases relating to environmental matters pending before various high courts in the south were transferred to the tribunal here. ALSO READ: (NGT passes a number of directions; asks govt to set up monitoring panels on air pollution) The previous expert member Nagendiran has resigned from the office a few months ago and no member has been appointed in his place till date, he submitted. Due to want of more expert members, there has been huge delay as well as listing cases for hearing. The volume of litigations with respect to environment has increased manifold in the southern states and it was only due to this fact, a second court was actually established a few years ago in Chennai. However, without there being sufficient expert members, the tribunal could not function effectively, he submitted. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR on Sunday (July 19) morning brought much-needed respite to people living in Delhi and adjoining areas from sweltering heat but heavy showers also led to waterlogging on several roads of the national capital. As a result of the waterlogging, a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus got stuck under the Minto Road Bridge in New Delhi. The passengers of the bus called Delhi Fire Services for the help and they were later rescued by DFS personnel who used a makeshift bridge to rescue the passengers from the bus. #WATCH Delhi: Fire Department personnel rescue people on-board a bus that was stuck in a waterlogged road under Minto Bridge following heavy rainfall in the national capital this morning. pic.twitter.com/wBCjSRtvqw ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 Rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm brought down the temperature to 29 degrees celsius in Delhi and nearby areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said thunderstorm with rain occurred in many places of Delhi and over and adjoining areas of Adampur, Hissar, Hansi, Jind, Gohana, Gannaur, Barut, Rohtak, Sonipat, Bagpat, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. On Sunday morning, the weather department in its forecast said, ''The rain/thundershowers with lightning over Delhi-NCR region is likely to continue during next 2-3 hours due to clouds approaching from West/Northwest sector over Delhi. The Delhi radar image shows the cloud movement from west/northwest sector towards Delhi.'' Also, during this time, testing of staff and residents did occur at Canyon Creek. Residents and staff were screened daily for any signs or symptoms related to COVID-19. Any staff displaying symptoms were not allowed in the community and were advised to seek advice from their health care providers. Residents who displayed signs or symptoms were immediately quarantined and tested for COVID-19. These tests were done in conjunction with RiverStone Health or at local hospitals. All of these residents tested negative during this period. Canyon Creek is a memory care community. Many of its residents are unclear about their whereabouts and often struggle to understand why certain medical procedures are performed. The COVID-19 test is an unpleasant procedure even for persons who fully understand what is happening. For those who dont, it can be frightening. Nonetheless, we proceeded to have all residents who may have been symptomatic tested under our rigorous monitoring and screening protocols. Given the vigorous efforts at Canyon Creek to monitor and screen against the COVID-19 infection, the limited scope of the sentinel program and the potential impact of testing on residents, Canyon Creek along with many other Montana providers declined to participate in the voluntary sentinel testing program offered on June 16th. About one in 10 U.S. babies is born early. Pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, and any delivery before 37 weeks is considered preterm. The costs to children and their families financially, emotionally and in long-term health effects can be great. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, babies born premature, especially before 32 weeks, are at higher risk of vision and hearing problems, cerebral palsy and death. The best way to avoid these costs would be to prevent early births in the first place, said Dr. Roy Philip, a neonatologist at University Maternity Hospital Limerick in Ireland. Dr. Philip had been vacationing abroad when his country entered lockdown on March 12, and he noticed something unusual when he returned to work in late March. He asked why there had been no orders while he was gone for the breast milk-based fortifier that doctors feed to the hospitals tiniest preemies. The hospitals staff said that there had been no need, because none of these babies had been born all month. Intrigued, Dr. Philip and his colleagues compared the hospitals births so far in 2020 with births between January and April in every year since 2001 more than 30,000 in all. They looked at birth weights, a useful proxy for very premature birth. Initially I thought, There is some mistake in the numbers, Dr. Philip said. Over the past two decades, babies under 3.3 pounds, classified as very low birth weight, accounted for about eight out of every thousand live births in the hospital, which serves a region of 473,000 people. In 2020, the rate was about a quarter of that. The very tiniest infants, those under 2.2 pounds and considered extremely low birth weight, usually make up three per thousand births. There should have been at least a few born that spring but there had been none. Rajasthan Political Crisis Highlights: Addressing a press conference on the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan, Congress leader Ajay Maken demanded the resignation or removal of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The party has alleged that Shekhawat and a slew of other people including a Sanjay Jain, ex-Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma were involved in the horse-trading of MLAs, releasing purported audio clips as proof of the matter. "We have heard the tapes, the people in the tape have heard the tapes. Why is Gajendra Shekhwat not resigning? His audio is on the tape," he said, adding that if they were not guilty, they should actively help the investigation and give their voice samples. Speaking about BJP's demand for a CBI inquiry into "phone tapping by Congress party", Maken said that there was no point of threatening the party through CBI, and it was clear that by doing so, BJP was trying to protect many loose ends, i.e. other powerful people involved in the current power tussle. LIVE: Congress Party Briefing by Shri @ajaymaken, former Union Cabinet Minister in Jaipur https://t.co/XWVT0UwvEE Congress (@INCIndia) July 19, 2020 The state's opposition leader Gulab Chand Kataria, said today that the Bharatiya Janata Party had never demanded a floor test, and did not even currently. "We are watching their fight. When the time is right and we have to do something, we will discuss and move in that direction. As of now, we are being unnecessarily dragged into this matter," he said. Meanwhile, Congress stalwart Kapil Sibal today took a swipe at the BJP-led Central Government amid the political crisis in Rajasthan, saying that a vaccine was needed against a "Wuhan-like facility in Delhi" spreading the virus of "toppling governments." Need for Vaccine : Virus of corrupt means to topple elected governments has spread through a Wuhan like facility in Delhi Its antibodies lie in amending the Tenth ScheduleBan all defectors from : Holding public office for 5yearsFighting the next election Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) July 19, 2020 While the origins of the coronavirus pandemic still remain clear, it is widely believed and has been reported that it began at a scientific facility in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Sibal drew a parellel between the ongoing Covid-19 situation and the previous change in political regimes instigated by the saffron party in states such as Madhya Pradesh, often dubbed as "Operation Kamal". The whereabouts of the MLAs supporting former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot remain unclear, even as the dissident leader on Saturday appealed to all Indians to join the efforts in helping support those affected due to the floods in Assam and Bihar. Pilot's appeal comes amid the raging political firestorm in Rajasthan where he declared open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief earlier this week. My thoughts & prayers with all those families affected by the Assam & Bihar floods. Over 68 lives lost & 3.6 million people affected in Assam alone. I appeal to all Indians, to come together, join in the efforts to help support those affected in these extreme flood situations. Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) July 18, 2020 Here are the Latest Updates on Rajasthan's Political Crisis: "Sanjay Jain (arrested by SOG, Rajasthan Police) had come to me eight months back. He had asked me to meet Vasundhara ji and others. There are other agents like him but they didn't succeed in their attempts. Sanjay Jain had been active for a long time," said Congress MLA Rajendra Guda. We are more than 100 in number (MLAs). We have the majority. If we didn't have majority, they (BJP) would have demanded a floor test. They know that we have it, so they are not demanding floor test: Congress MLA Rajendra Guda. #Rajasthan https://t.co/BG06z6ATdX ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 Elected representatives should be barred from holding public office for five years and from contesting the next election if they defect, senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal said on Saturday. Sibal, who was addressing a webinar, said that the "endemic" of defection is due to human greed and hunger for power. "No law can prevent it (defection). The only solution is that if anyone defects they shall not hold public office for five years and cannot contest in the next election. These are the two elements that need to change," Sibal said in response to a question on the political crisis in Rajasthan. Meanwhile, MLAs supporting CM Ashok Gehlot's leadership in Rajasthan watched the Aamir Khan-starrer movie Lagaan at Hotel Fairmont Jaipur. Rajasthan: Congress MLAs supporting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot watch actor Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan at Hotel Fairmont Jaipur. pic.twitter.com/EuySe0dWHj ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2020 Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday met Governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan in Jaipur shortly after two MLAs of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) handed over their letter of support to him. BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad asserted that their party's president and other leaders have agreed on extending support to the Gehlot government on the condition that demands related to development of the state are fulfilled. A team of Rajasthan Police officials who entered one of the two resorts in Manesar, Haryana, where 18 dissident Congress MLAs are lodged with Sachin Pilot, returned empty-handed on Friday after finding no rebel legislators there, said sources. Led by IPS Vikas Sharma, the SOG team was initially stopped by Haryana police but later allowed. The team had gone to record the voice sample of MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma, while also possessing a warrant against him. The Special Operations Group (SOG) team went as part of its investigation into two audio clips which allegedly indicate a plot to bring down the Congress government in Rajasthan. However, no rebel MLAs could be found there and the SOG has claimed that Haryana Police did not cooperate fully. Pilot has the support of 18 MLAs. There was little news of the Pilot camp. While the former PCC chief has been silent, there was little information on his whereabouts and those of the MLAs who mounted the rebellion with him. They had been in a resort in Haryana till Friday evening when the Rajasthan special operations group reached for their voice samples but could not meet them. Some Congress leaders alleged that they had been taken to another BJP-ruled state but no one was sure. The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from the Union Cabinet, saying he has no moral authority to continue when he is heard on audio clips that suggest a Bharatiya Janata Party conspiracy to topple the government in Rajasthan. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rejected the BJP's dismissal of the clip in which the minister's voice is purportedly heard, telling a television channel that he is prepared to quit politics over the charge that it is a fabricated tape. The Congress demand for Shekhawat's resignation came amid speculation that Gehlot may seek a floor test in the state assembly early next week to prove that the majority of the MLAs are with him in the tussle for power with dissident Sachin Pilot. The speculation was triggered by Gehlot's 45-minute meeting Saturday with Governor Kalraj Mishra, officially on the COVID-19 situation in the state. "The decision on when and how the floor test will take place has to be taken by the chief minister and the government, senior party leader Ajay Maken said when questioned over the speculation. It is the CM's discretion to go ahead when required and if it is required," he told reporters. The BJP's Gulab Chand Kataria, who is the Leader of Opposition in the assembly, said only a floor test can tell whether the government is in majority or not. The government's decision may also depend on Monday's proceedings in the Rajasthan high court, where a division bench is hearing a petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs against the speaker's disqualification notice. The MLAs want the court to quash the notice sent by Speaker C P Joshi on a Congress complaint that they had skipped two legislative party meetings despite a whip, and should be disqualified from the state assembly. The speaker, who has sought the MLAs' replies, will act on the notices on Tuesday evening. Amid the face-off between the Gehlot camp and Pilot's group, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it is now up to the rebel leader to fall in the BJP's illusory trap or return to the fold and discuss their differences with the family. He said senior party leaders had talked to him several times in recent days. In an interview to PTI, Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh said he had tried to get in touch with Pilot three or four times but the Rajasthan leader did not take the calls. "Age is on your side. Ashok (Gehlot) may have offended you, but all such issues are best resolved amicably. Don't make the mistake that Scindia made, he advised, referring to Jyotiraditya Scindia witching sides to join the BJP months back. In his press conference, Ajay Maken focused on the audio clips, on the basis of which the Special Operation Group of Rajasthan Police has registered an FIR. The FIR does not identify Gajendra Singh referred to the clip as Union minister Shekhawat, a senior BJP leader from Rajasthan. Shekhawat has earlier denied that he figures in the clip and said he is open to a probe. "If Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is claiming that it is not his voice and the reference in the audio clip is to some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving his voice samples," Maken asked. He said the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the state police too has registered a case in connection with the audio clips. The Congress leader claimed that police in Haryana and Delhi are giving protection to the rebel Rajasthan Congress MLAs. He accused the Centre of invoking the CBI as a threat to the state government, so that it stops the probe into the conspiracy. Maken also asked why a Rajasthan Police team was stopped by Haryana Police when it went to a Gurgaon hotel to collect the voice samples of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh. The Congress says the MLAs in the Pilot group are holed up in two hotels in Gurgaon in BJP-run Haryana. If the BJP has no role in the plot, why did the dissident MLAs take shelter in Haryana, he asked. The MLAs belonging to the Gehlot camp are also camping together, at a resort the on outskirts of the Rajasthan capital. On Saturday, the BJP had demanded a CBI probe, accusing the Congress government of illegal phone-tapping. The Centre has sought a report from the Gehlot government on the allegations. Including the dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72. If the 19 Congress dissidents are disqualified, the current strength of the state assembly will reduce to 181, slashing the half-way mark to 91 and making it easier for Gehlot to retain majority support. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the Bhartiya Tribal Party, and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal. On Mandela Day 2020, we share the successes that we have achieved and the lessons that we have learned as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on societys most vulnerable and marginalized communities. In a compelling video, Joy Ruwodo, Director of Public Affairs at the END Fund highlights why ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) intestinal worms, bilharzia, river blindness, etc. is critical in the fight for equality in Africa. Today, there are over 600 million African suffering from NTDs. These diseases hinder people from achieving their full potential and also threaten social development. Joy makes a call to action for investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs and services. In addition, she also highlights the need for more robust cross-sector partnerships to strengthen disease response across all levels. As we celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela who dedicated his life fighting for social justice for 67 years, the fight to end NTDs still continues. We must see an end to these diseases during our lifetime! After all, Nelson Mandela taught us that nothing is impossible; it only seems impossible until it is done. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Will World Powers Manage A Compromise Over Iran Arms Embargo? Hannah Kaviani July 18, 2020 Precisely three months from now, the international arms embargo on Iran will expire, a development that Washington strongly opposes and attempts to block through all available diplomatic means. While veto-wielding China and Russia have so far voiced their opposition to Washington's approach toward the case, three European countries, Britain, France and Germany, struggle to find a compromise satisfying all parties involved. Preliminary estimates and reports have already put July as a crucial month for Iran's arms embargo. The "crucial month" began with reports on some behind the scenes developments at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) disclosing that Washington had submitted a draft resolution to the members of the UNSC to extend the international arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. The U.S. draft would ban the sale, supply, or transfer of arms or related materiel by Iran and prohibits countries from selling, supplying or transferring arms or related materiel unless approved by a Security Council committee. It requires countries to inspect cargo in their territory if they have reasonable grounds to believe the shipment contains banned items and calls on countries to check vessels on the high seas - with the flag state's consent - for the same reason. However, three weeks into July, no attempts have yet been made to formally present the draft to the UNSC and put it to a vote. But why Washington has so far hesitated? Some speculate that strong opposition to the draft is the reason behind the hesitation. Nevertheless, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has categorically dismissed the speculation asserting that "there's enormous consensus" among UNSC members "around the objective" but "how to achieve that objective, there are different views on". During a press conference on July 15, Secretary Pompeo stressed, "We've made clear both publicly and in private to all the members of the Security Council we intend to ensure that this arms embargo continues". Furthermore, he noted, "We hope that the U.N. Security Council resolution can do this, that all of the permanent members sign up for and, indeed, every member of the larger U.N. Security Council. But if that's not the case, we are still going to do everything in our power to achieve that. And we think we'll be successful ultimately, in doing that. The precise timing of that, we're going to keep to ourselves until such time as we're ready to move to the UN Security Council and introduce the resolution". One of Washington's obstacles is Russia, which has been holding high-level talks on arms embargoes on Iran in recent days. Russian President Vladimir Putin who along with his Chinese counterpart, strongly opposes adopting a resolution extending the arms embargo, discussed the case with the Islamic Republic President Hassan Rouhani last Thursday, and earlier spoke to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Europeans, including Germany, which has no veto power in the Security Council but chairs it in July, have expressed concern about the expiration of the arms embargo on Iran. The Iran arms embargo dates back to 2010 when the Security Council passed Resolution 1929 to punish Iran for enriching uranium and not granting full access to U.N. inspectors. It aimed to prevent Iran from purchasing conventional armaments, such as tanks, and other dual-use materials, such as missiles and fighter jets that could also be used in a nuclear attack. When Iran and major world powers in 2015 reached a nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Security Council passed Resolution 2231, which stipulated the arms embargo on Iran would expire in five years, precisely on October 18. Although the European trio, Britain, France, and Germany have raised concern over the prospect of lifting the embargo, they do not necessarily support Washington's approach. The U.S. has specifically threatened that if the arms embargo is not extended, it will use the "snap-back" mechanism also stipulated in the UNSC resolution 2231. Although Washington has left the JCPOA back in 2018, it has argued that it can still use the "snap-back" which keeps the arms embargo intact. It will also reactivate all previous UNSC resolutions, including sanctions, against the Islamic Republic. Yet, Washington's allies on the other side of the Atlantic are not so much in sync with their western counterpart. Meanwhile, Pompeo is set to visit Britain on Monday, July 18 and probably one of the unannounced topics on the agenda will be the extension of Iran's arms embargo. Deputy director of Middle East and North Africa Program at the Chatham House in London, Sanam Vakil, says "Pompeo will definitely raise the issue of Iran's arms embargo on his trip to London". "At the same time Johnson's government has an opportunity to take the lead and try and shepherd negotiations between E3 and the U.S.", Ms. Vakil noted. "Britain vehemently opposes the U.S. strategy of linking the arms embargo extension to snap-back" Vakil asserts, adding "For the UK , The French and the Germans their primary issue of importance is protecting the JCPOA" and "I believe the E3 and specifically in this scenario the UK might be amenable to an informal code of conduct or agreement with the US as a concession to avoid or guarantee that the US will not pursue the snap back option". "Such an informal agreement or code of conduct" Ms. Vakil says "would be the best possible scenario to demonstrate to the Islamic Republic that there is unity among the UNSC members and at the same time would send a strong signal that saving the JCPOA which is in a very fragile state right now- is still on the agenda for all". The compromise which is being suggested by some analysts is a "code of conduct" for UNSC members to follow certain considerations over arms sales to the Islamic Republic. Nevertheless, neither Tehran nor Washington have reacted to the idea of such a compromise. Tehran, which trumpets the lifting of the arms embargo in October as an important political success, has threatened to retaliate if that does not happen. Retaliatory actions could lead to the complete collapse of the JCPOA and even Iran's withdrawal from NPT, the non-proliferation treaty. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/will-world- powers-manage-a-compromise-over -iran-arms-embargo-/30735064.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 Bengaluru, July 19 : Concerned over the abuses on social media during Covid times, the Bengaluru police on Sunday warned the public against believing fake videos in circulation over "conditions" in some city hospitals. "A case has been registered in the city cyber crime police station against the fake videos circulating in the social media on the aconditions' in some Bengaluru hospitals," a police official said here. Cautioning the people, the police advised them to refrain from creating or forwarding such videos and messages, which have the potential to create panic in society. "The citizens should tip-off the police about such false videos than circulating or forwarding them in the social media, as the government, society and frontline warriors are fighting the pandemic. In a related development, a dedicated control room has been set up for reporting on any Covid case by the police personnel and their families. "Police personnel infected by the corona virus should call the control room for an ambulance to rush the Covid-affected to the nearest hospital for treatment across the city," said the official. The state home department opened the 24x7 control room in the city police commissioner office after a whopping 756 police personnel tested positive to the dreaded disease, which claimed lives of 7 policemen since March 9. "Police personnel or their family members can call the control room for sending an ambulance to rush the affected person to the nearest hospital for treatment," added the official. According to Additional City Police Commissioner Hemant Nimbalkar, 256 police personnel were under treatment in designated hospitals across the city while 493 were discharged. City police commissioner Bhaskar Rao went into home quarantine on Friday after his vehicle driver tested positive for the virus. "Rao will undergo a Covid test on Monday, which will be 5th for him since April," the official added. Of the 4,537 new cases reported on Saturday in the state, Bengaluru accounted for 2,125, taking its Covid tally to 29,621, including 22,449 active after 6,540 were discharged so far, with 250 in the last 24 hours, while 631 succumbed to the virus, with 49 since Friday. By PTI NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the BJP and accused it of "institutionalising lies" over COVID-19 deaths, GDP figures and the Chinese aggression at the border. Hitting out at the BJP over the rise in the number of deaths due to COVID-19, he said India will pay its price when the "illusion" is shattered. BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat hit back, saying India paid a huge price for the illusion that the Gandhis had created for decades. He also attacked Gandhi for "wishing ill" for the country. "BJP has institutionalised lies. 1. Covid19 by restricting testing and misreporting deaths. 2. GDP by using a new calculation method. 3. Chinese aggression by frightening the media. The illusion will break soon and India will pay the price," Gandhi said in a tweet. He tagged a news report on the coronavirus situation with his tweet. Responding to Gandhi, Shekhawat said in a tweet, "India paid a huge price for the illusion that the Gandhi's created for decades. Despicable of you to wish Ill for the country. Your vicious intentions get hopelessly displayed each time you try and mock Indians. But not any more." Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Private jet charter and management firm Jet Linx just opened its 18th private terminal in September at Teterboro Airport. The exclusive facility is only available to passengers arriving or departing on Jet Linx planes, making it more private than the other shared-use terminals at the airport. I visited the terminal to interview Jet Linx's CEO, Jamie Walker, about his latest acquisition of a competitor, Meridian Air Charter, also located at Teterboro Airport. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. One of the best perks of chartering an aircraft is getting to use the executive terminals at airports instead of piling into the crowded commercial ones with countless strangers. Flying private affords the wealthy benefits like skipping the security checkpoint and in some cases, driving right up to the plane and jetting off. It's an experience that most commercial flyers will never get to enjoy and purposely so, as privacy, exclusivity, and convenience are the bulk of what most private flyers are paying for. But even private terminals can fill up, especially with more wealthy travelers taking to the skies on chartered aircraft to avoid the airlines. Just like the commercial terminals, multiple flights can leave from the same time out of one private terminal, so one jet charter company built its own so its passengers wouldn't have to share. Aircraft charter and management firm Jet Linx opened its terminal at Teterboro Airport in 2019 to serve its growing clientele at one of the country's busiest private airports. The New Jersey airport primarily serves New York City, less than 10 miles and a drive through the Lincoln Tunnel away. Take a look inside Jet Linx's Teterboro terminal. Jet Linx opened the facility in September on the first floor of an existing brick two-story building on Teterboro Airport's south side. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider It's one of the few private terminals operated by a jet charter firm at the busy Teterboro Airport with access limited to Jet Linx passengers and planes only. Story continues Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Keeping it exclusive to Jet Linx passengers helps the firm ensure a truly private experience, especially during the era of social distancing. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider This is the main lounge where passengers will wait for their aircraft. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Passengers are immediately welcomed by a table full of newspapers, Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And hand sanitizer, especially now in the era of COVID-19. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Jet Linx's facilities and terminals are disinfected with a product called BIOPROTECT, which keeps surfaces germ-free for three months. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The entire facility is only 3,000 square feet, which is on the small side for a private terminal at Teterboro, but the exclusivity is the main selling point for Jet Linx as it's often less crowded than its rivals. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Teterboro Airport doesn't let ground transportation vehicles like limos or rental cars on the ramp so all passengers have to go through this terminal. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Small seating areas cover the space with chairs and couches available depending on preference. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider One side has more direct views of the adjacent ramp with large windows aiding in plane spotting. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider While other areas are better for compact groups traveling together. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Placards around the facility remind passengers that the facility is treated often with disinfectant, as well as Jet Linx's aircraft. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider It's a short walk from the lounge to the plane with planes able to pull up right to the door. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Business travelers can make use of the high-top counter to get work down before boarding and take advantage of the leather bar stools. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The counter comes with pop-up charging stations including 110v AC outlets and USB charging ports. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And the snacks are not far away. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Behind the counter is the kitchenette where Jet Linx offers snacks and beverages for passengers as they await departure. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider It's all complimentary and passengers can help themselves. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Most FBOs or private terminals will offer small treats like popcorn but the snacks on offer at the Jet Linx off include premium cookies, chips, chocolates, and pretzels, among others. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Premium beverages are also on offer in the refrigerator, including boxed water. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider A three-tap water dispenser also offers sparkling and still water. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider For hot drinks, there's a multi-beverage coffee machine with Jet Linx-branded coffee cups. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And for those who want to imbibe before a flight, there's a bar station. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Everything, from plastic cups to coasters, is branded with the Jet Linx name and logo. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The terminal also has two rooms closed off from the main seating area. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider They're more quiet and intimate for private meetings or just a more secluded setting to hang out before a flight. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider There's also a formal conference room with a circular table with seating for six. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The room has everything a team of businesspeople will need to hold a meeting including a large screen to display presentations, Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Coffee cups and drink carafes, Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And Jet Linx-branded stationery to boot. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Tucked away behind the main lounge are three unisex restrooms. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Each one is private with no stalls to be found. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider They're comparable in luxury to hotel suite bathrooms minus the shower and bathtub. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider But they do come complete with breath mints. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Even though cars can't pull right up to the planes, the planes pull right up to the terminal for easy access. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The facility is even in the same building as US Customs and Border Protection, making it easier for international passengers when they land here. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Domestic passengers walk right into the terminal where they can meet their transportation or hang out for a bit before hitting the road. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider The facility is the flagship of the Jet Linx's 18 terminal scattered across the country. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider "The proximity to the city will continue to make Teterboro the airport of choice for the consumers we're serving right out of New York and obviously, New Jersey," Jet Linx CEO Jamie Walker told Business Insider in a previous interview when asked if expanding in Teterboro was the right choice as the airport is known for congestion. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider And with Jet Linx's latest acquisition of former competitor Meridian, the terminal will become more important as the firm grows its New York presence. Jet Linx's private terminal at Teterboro Airport. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider Read the original article on Business Insider The most common and life-threatening delays in care involve patients with heart disease, stroke and sepsis. Any delay in seeking care for these conditions places the patients life at risk and can have massive ramifications for future health. Stroke victims in particular have shown a dangerous trend of delaying care during the pandemic. New research shows patients are arriving at hospitals and treatment centers an average of 160 minutes later during COVID-19. When every second counts, this can be a matter of life and death. COVID-19 may have changed daily lives in many ways, but emergency rooms have stood and remain a constant pillar that communities can rely on. With patient safety always the top priority, emergency care providers are going above and beyond in new health protocols. Just some of the steps being taken include: rigorous sanitation protocols; stringent screening processes; mobile units for patient care and procedures; and separate areas for those suspected of having COVID-19. Nothing is more important than protecting a patients life. Emergency medicine clinicians will continue to go the extra mile, to take every precaution possible to ensure a safe, reliable space for every patient who needs it. A health emergency is just that: an emergency. It requires urgent, specialized care, and there should be no question, hesitation or delay in getting that care. As much as we work together to battle the pandemic, we must also work together to ensure proper health care is not neglected. You must trust that your emergency physicians are here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Your lives depend on it. Dr. Randy Hartman is an emergency physician in the Waco area and a member of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians. Chinese conglomerate Tomorrow Holdings Co on Saturday lashed out at a move by regulators to seize nine of its affiliated financial firms, in rare public criticism that was quickly removed from its social media account. The statement came a day after Chinese financial regulators announced that they had taken over for one year the brokerages, trust companies and insurers linked to the embattled group, amid a campaign to stem systemic financial risks in a slowing economy. Tomorrow Holdings said it had been actively moving forward with asset disposals, which the surprise takeover had disrupted, and that none of the institutions had faced liquidity risks or group protests from investors, and that regulators had exaggerated risks. "With tight regulation limiting the firms' business development, each institution still managed to operate normally," the statement said. "However, they were flagrantly announced to be taken over. What is the purpose of that?" Tomorrow Holdings questioned the motives of the regulators. "The regulators have been pushing hard on the takeovers, so some of them can become corporate executives to delay their retirement. How much trade-off of fortune and power is behind this?" it said. The regulators could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday about the group's statement. On Friday, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission cited business violations in its takeover of Tianan Property Insurance Co of China, Huaxia Life Insurance Co, Tianan Life Insurance Co and Yi'an P&C Insurance Co., as well as New Times Trust Co and New China Trust Co. The China Securities Regulatory Commission, meanwhile, said it had seized control of New Times Securities, Guosheng Securities and Guosheng Futures, accusing the firms of concealing shareholder information, among other violations. The nine firms had combined assets of more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($170 billion) at the end of 2019, according to a calculation by Caixin, a Chinese financial media outlet, with Huaxia Life Insurance accounting for nearly half if that at 587.3 billion yuan. Story continues Tomorrow's statement was quickly replaced with a message from the WeChat Official Accounts Platform Operation Center saying that the content "violates regulations." The group also said that Xiao Jianhua, who controls the Beijing-based conglomerate, had returned to mainland China in early 2017 to fully cooperate with investigations. Xiao, a billionaire with links to China's Communist Party elite, vanished from public view in early 2017. He was last seen leaving the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong in a wheelchair with his head covered, accompanied by several people described in media reports as mainland Chinese agents. The group said in its statement that it sold assets in China and abroad for hundreds of billion yuan over the past three and half years, and has used 300 billion yuan of its own funds to repay principal and interests for investors of Tianan Property Insurance. In 2019, regulators took over Baoshang Bank, a lender once controlled by Tomorrow, citing severe credit risks. The lender, which had operated nationwide, was revamped into a much smaller lender back in its home region of Inner Mongolia. (Reporting by Shanghai newsroom and Cheng Leng and Tony Munroe in Beijing; Editing by Gerry Doyle and William Mallard) GRAND RAPIDS, MI A 23-year-old woman was in critical condition following a stabbing at a Grand Rapids restaurant early Sunday morning. The woman, who arrived at Spectrum Butterworth Hospital at about 2:54 a.m. July 19, has since stabilized, according to Grand Rapids Police spokesperson Raul Alvarez. Officers were already at the hospital with a fatal shooting victim when the woman arrived, Alvarez said. Related: Man, 24, is Grand Rapids 20th homicide victim of 2020 A friend of the womans told officers her friend was stabbed by another woman during a fight involving a large group of people at New York Fried Chicken, 743 Division Avenue S., that took place earlier that night. Also on MLive: Grand Rapids police, community leaders plead for end of senseless violence Two teens shot in Kalamazoos West Douglas neighborhood Grand Rapids police investigating stabbing in Southwest Grand Rapids An NHS hospital caterer who was stabbed on a hospital ward in Brighton has been pictured. Joseph George, 56, was knifed on the 11th floor gynaecology ward of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton at around 8.40am. Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder on Wilson Avenue - around the corner from the hospital. Witnesses said father-of-two Mr George - a member of the hospital's catering team - was the first person grabbed by the knifeman. The man told Mr George to open a cabinet containing medicines using his staff pass, onlookers said. But Mr George's pass is not authorised to open the cabinet and when it did not work he was stabbed three times before the suspect fled. Mr George's distraught wife, neonatal nurse Beena, worked a night shift at the same hospital before the horrific attack and awoke to hear the news. An NHS hospital caterer who was stabbed on a hospital ward in Brighton has been named as Joseph George, 56 (pictured with his wife Beena) Mr George's distraught wife, neonatal nurse Beena (pictured together) worked a night shift at the same hospital before the horrific attack and awoke to hear the news Witnesses said father-of-two Mr George (left, with his wife Beena), a member of the hospital's catering team, was the first person grabbed by the crazed knifeman Mrs George told the Sun: 'We don't know anything, we don't even know how he is yet. 'He works in the catering department. I have been on a night shift all night and was woken up to this news.' Sussex police said the injuries suffered by Mr George are not life-threatening and he is being treated in the Royal Sussex. Up to 30 armed police were seen at about 9am as they hunted the alleged knifeman nearby. A suspect was arrested an hour later as the site and neighbouring businesses were put into lockdown. The hospital is now operating normally. The attacker reportedly knifed Mr George on the 11th floor of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton at around 8.40am Witnesses said armed police swooped on the scene at around 9am as they hunted the alleged knifeman NHS workers wearing masks stand outside the hospital after the horrific incident on Sunday morning Officers stand guard outside the hospital as it and neighbouring buildings were locked down during the manhunt Bernard Bannister, 72, said he heard a commotion as police nicked the suspect in his front garden on Wilson Avenue. He said he did not get a look at the alleged knifeman but was amazed by the massive police response. He told MailOnline: 'I noticed the lights outside. When I looked out, as far as the eye could see, there was police vehicles with blue flashing lights. 'I could see nothing other than police vehicles. My grand daughter, who is visiting us, said she counted at least 30 police officers. 'They were all armed with the guns either in their hands or slung around them. Every officer was carrying a weapon. I did not see the person they apprehended. 'I stayed inside. His bag and other stuff are all still there. Some more armed police wanted to have a look round our back garden before they went.' It is believed the suspect dropped a khaki rucksack used to carry a large knife. A green jacket was also still at the scene as forensic teams arrived to begin their probe. Sussex Police erect a tent over a bag and other items where they arrested a 30-year-old man today A bag at the scene in Wilson Avenue, Brighton, where a man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and is currently in custody for interview and further inquiries Police said the injuries suffered by the staff member - aged in his 50s - are not 'life-threatening' A PCSO and staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton stand together after the incident today Sussex Police said in a statement: 'At 8.42am on Sunday (19 July) police were called to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after a report that a member of staff had sustained a stab wound. 'The hospital site was quickly secured while officers have been working with security staff to confirm that nobody else has been injured, and that staff and patients are safe. 'Following immediate police searches and enquiries a 30-year-old man was arrested in nearby Wilson Avenue at 9.40am on suspicion of attempted murder, and is currently in custody for interview and further enquiries. 'This apparently isolated and unexplained incident is not being treated as terrorism at this time and there is currently nothing to suggest that any other person has been involved or that anyone else is at risk.' Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals said: 'An incident took place at the Royal Sussex County Hospital this morning in which one member of staff was injured. 'The staff member is in a safe and stable state, and is being cared for in the hospital. 'The police and hospital security staff have secured the site and currently the public are not being allowed into the hospital whilst a search of the premises is carried out. 'The police have arrested one person in relation to the incident. Further updates will follow.' Police & Crime Commissioner for Sussex Katy Bourne tweeted: 'Dreadful event and thoughts with the injured NHS staff member's family and those police officers & health colleagues at the scene...' Social media user Pedro Santos posted: 'Just had a couple fully armed police officers come into the room to check if anyone was here, must be doing a search for safety.' Dan Dawson said online: 'Disgusting to think they've been working so hard fighting the virus only to be attacked. Thoughts with the and their family.' Lewes District Lib Dem Councillor Sean Maclead said: 'My wife works at the Sussex County hospital. They have been absolute hero's all the staff through this crisis. 'For someone to go into the hospital and stab a member of staff is frightening. Thoughts and Prayers are with the victim.' MP for Hove Peter Kyle put: 'Shocking news from our Hospital. We don't yet know why a member of staff was stabbed but I'm thankful to @BtonHovePolice for a swift arrest for attempted murder. 'All affected by this are in my thoughts, especially the victim who I wish a swift recovery.' MP for Brighton Kemptown Lloyd Russell-Moyle added: 'My thoughts are with the worker and family. Last year Labour passed through a backbench bill a law to ensure that people who assault NHS workers got double time. 'This will be no relief to the person who was stabbed, but I hope it will ensure justice can be delivered when the person is Brighton to book.' C orruption proceedings against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to resume in January, a Jerusalem court has said. Mr Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes as part of a series of scandals in which the Prime Minister is alleged to have received gifts from billionaire friends and done deals with media owners in exchange for better coverage of himself and his family. He denies any wrongdoing and has hit out at the allegations as a witch hunt by a biased media and law enforcement system. The courts decision to resume in January followed the trials second hearing, a procedural deliberation. The trial began in May after a two-month delay amid coronavirus fears. Supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu outside the court during the start of the trial in May / REUTERS The announcement comes as Mr Netanyahu faces growing anger over the way the Israeli government has dealt with the coronavirus outbreak and its economic fallout. Although Israel seemed to have got a first wave of infections under control, what critics have denounced as a hasty and erratic reopening has sent infections soaring. Despite a rise in new cases Mr Netanyahu's emergency government, set up to manage the crisis, pushed on with plans to reopen. Israel has since reimposed restrictions, including a weekend-only lockdown. The country has seen nearly 50,000 virus cases since the outbreak began, with 406 deaths, a relatively low number. More than 21,000 people have recovered. But daily cases have risen to nearly 2,000 since lockdown first ended. US President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu / AFP via Getty Images Critics have also hit out at the government for the way it has handled of the economic fallout of the crisis. While the government has pledged billions of dollars worth of aid, it has not all been doled out to those in need, and a plan to give a handout to all Israelis, even the wealthy, has been panned by the countrys leading economists. Unemployment has jumped to more than 20 per cent, up from around 4 per cent before the lockdown. Widespread anger has since led to protests in recent weeks and violent clashes with police. It's unclear if Mr Netanyahu will need to be present at the hearings, although local media reported that this is the case. Mr Netanyahu has served as Israel's Prime Minister since 2009, and previously from 1996-1999. Heavily armed police are stationed inside a SWAT vehicle outside the scene at 15th Street and Erie Avenue August 14, 2019, where a gunman was holed up after six police officers were shot in a confrontation with gunmen in the Tioga section of North Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Foundation said it helped pay for the rifles used by SWAT officers during that standoff. Read more A little-known nonprofit that raises private money to support the Philadelphia Police Department has come under scrutiny, sweeping some of the citys biggest companies and universities into the national debate over policing and its funding. Activists seeking to defund the police after the death of George Floyd have turned their attention to the Philadelphia Police Foundation, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to pay for police equipment, training, and other initiatives. Protesters have pressured the nonprofits supporters to cut their ties to the foundation. Already, two universities have withdrawn their support. But the foundation has also enjoyed backing from some of the regions largest employers, including Comcast, Independence Blue Cross, and Wawa. The foundation has removed the names of donors and its own board members from its website, and also took down its social media accounts. It declined to give The Inquirer a list of top donors. READ MORE: Philly police get new equipment thanks to foundation grants In a statement, the foundation said it wiped much of its website to protect its donors, staffers, and board members from harassment amid the civil unrest that has gripped the country this spring and summer. The foundations website now directs viewers to a page that expresses support for Philadelphia police, condemns the killing of Floyd, and calls for ongoing police diversity and bias training. While we are very proud of our work and support of the PPD [Philadelphia Police Department], recently our board members, staff and donors were targeted, threatened and harassed online by groups and individuals during the ongoing unrest in the city, the foundation said. Thus, as a precaution for their safety, we made an internal decision last month to streamline the information on our website. The foundations efforts to shield donors and board members sheds light on a new front in the debate over police funding, one that could turn charitable donations to police agencies from positive public relations for corporations to a potential liability. Philadelphia is one of several large American cities whose police department gets support from such a foundation; others include Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. The Philadelphia Police Foundation spent more than $500,000 to support the police department last year, a drop in the bucket compared with the more than $700 million police budget. Still, critics of police foundations say the groups can buy equipment with little oversight, including weapons, and allow big companies to influence the police. These foundations are really well-positioned to if a lot of public funding gets taken away from police to kind of swoop in and say, We can fund our police through private money, said Molly Gott, director of strategic initiatives at the nonprofit watchdog group Public Accountability Initiative, which recently released a report on police foundations. Thats part of why we want people to have their eyes on this. READ MORE: Temple says it will no longer give money to the Philadelphia Police Foundation In Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University recently said they will withdraw funding from the foundation. Activists have criticized some of the citys biggest companies for backing the foundation too, but Gott said shes unaware of any firms cutting their support. The foundation says it fills crucial funding gaps in the city budget, paying for equipment and initiatives ranging from anti-bias training to 50,000 KN95 masks during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation said it replaced antiquated rifles used by the SWAT team in high-stakes situations, including last years North Philadelphia shootout that left six officers shot. The rifles used in that standoff were funded entirely by private, individual donors, the foundation said. As a result of our fundraising efforts, every dollar designated for the PPD is a dollar that the city does not have to expend on the police department, which can then be reallocated to other crucial needs within the community, the foundations statement said. Some of the nations largest companies have helped police foundations raise money in major cities from New York to Seattle, including Amazon, Coca Cola, and Goldman Sachs, according to the Public Accountability Initiative report. In Philadelphia, its hard to identify donors. The Philadelphia Police Foundation, a 501c3 founded in 1998, provided a copy of its IRS 990 disclosure form from 2018, but the pages that would include the names of contributors were blank. The foundations most recent 990 tax form available on Guidestar from 2017 did not include those pages. Eric Cushing, the foundations executive director, said the Internal Revenue Service does not publicly release top donors, so they do not appear on public 990 forms. The foundation followed the same protocol when sharing the 2018 form with The Inquirer, he said. The group was quite public about where it received support before it wiped its website. For example, a deleted webpage called Wawa a partner, and the convenience store chain said it donated $50,000 to the foundation last year. Independence Blue Cross was identified as a partner and a sponsor of a 2018 gala, and donated $100,000 in 2014 to pay for bulletproof vests. In 2010, Comcast donated $20,000 and gave $60,000 worth of radio advertising, and one of its employees sits on the foundations board, according to deleted webpages. The Inquirer was able to see deleted web pages using Internet Archive, a nonprofit that has been collecting web pages since 1996. Wawa spokesperson Lori Bruce said the company supported the foundations efforts to enhance police-community relations. Comcast acknowledged its previous donations, but said it doesnt have a program in place to fund the foundation on an ongoing basis. We understand the concerns regarding our support for Philadelphia Police Foundation at a time when there is a public outcry for police reform, said Independence spokesperson Donna Farrell. Independence looks forward to supporting foundation initiatives that focus on diversity, inclusion, and reforms that ensure fair, compassionate and equitable policing for all citizens regardless of race or other differences. Two other companies that supported the foundation Brandywine Realty Trust and television news station 6ABC did not return two emails each seeking comment. Both were listed as sponsors of the 2018 gala and had employees on the foundations board. Other companies or universities listed as foundation partners, event sponsors, or having employees as board members include Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, WSFS Bank, and 7-Eleven. Last year, the foundation helped pay for 72 ballistic helmets, anti-bias training for police cadets, canine bulletproof vests, improved saddle padding for horses, a drone program, and renovations to the 18th Police District and Southwest District Division buildings at 55th and Pine Streets, The Inquirer reported. The items had not been included in the citys 2019 budget. They provide money and support for different things that the police could not necessarily do themselves because they were part of city government, said Everett Gillison, who oversaw public safety and served as chief of staff under former Mayor Michael Nutter. Its not a secretive organization by any stretch of the imagination. In this file photo the rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot (R) is seen with the then Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during a party function in Jaipur. PTI Photo How Pilot crashed The sordid bid to topple the Rajasthan government has exposed the worst in both the Congress party and the BJP. Going by the confessions, the inspired leaks and the whispers, it is clear that chief minister Ashok Gehlot has not been on talking terms with his deputy, Sachin Pilot, since December 2018. But Gehlot apparently had a line of communication with the former maharani of Dholpur and princess of Gwalior, Vasundhara Raje Scindia. Sources in both the BJP and the Congress reveal that Gehlot was a step ahead of Pilot simply because someone from Vasundhara Raje's side was tipping him off about Pilots moves. Gehlot, a former magician, kept gathering information and piling up a dossier that read like a charge-sheet. The crafty Gehlot did not rush to Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi with this dossier. A chartered plane was reportedly sent to Thiruvananthapuram to fetch AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal, a favourite of Rahul; he, in turn, handed over the explosive material to the Gandhis. The Gandhis are now in a dilemma. Their stated position of opposing anyone having truck with the BJP is compromised as both Gehlot and Pilot were reportedly in touch with the enemy. Corona protocol Covid-19 has changed a lot in Lutyens Delhi. In the Raksha Rajya Mantris office for instance, defence ministry personnel are not encouraged to visit unless they are summoned. The informal list of dos and donts at Dr Subhash Bhamres office also demands that officers remain seated each time the minister walks in or out. Baluni fortunate Union urban development and civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri made a smart move by allocating Priyanka Gandhis bungalow 35, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi to Amit Shahs right-hand man Anil Baluni, who also heads the BJPs media department. Baluni is recovering from cancer so the sympathy factor also came into play. Puris statement that Priyanka tried seeking an extension was quickly denied by the AICC general secretary but it may have a grain of truth. Apparently, without Priyankas knowledge or consent, Anand Sharma or K.T.S. Tulsi are suspected to have spoken to Puri even while Priyanka was all set to move out of Lodhi Estate. Who broke quarantine Covid-19 continues to bother the political class. At a recently held meeting of Parliaments Public Accounts Committee, a senior official sat close to Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, the Congress party leader in the Lok Sabha. The additional secretary rank babu tested positive for the coronavirus. Everyone, including Chaudhary, had to while away time in home quarantine other than a BJP notable who is said to have ignored the advice. Sun shines for PR While the Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot tussle has stressed out a section of the Congress party, some public relations companies are gloating. A prominent Delhi-based PR person, known to have near-perfect relations with many politicians, quickly grabbed Gehlots account. Every morning, scribes and talking heads on TV covering the Rajasthan slugfest have been getting a healthy dose of talking points on WhatsApp. Pilots side is not sitting idle. Last heard, Pilot, an accomplished pistol shooter, has engaged some fine PR personalities. They are not missing the target either. Two weeks after border officers forced Canadian Stephen Barkey and American Cathy Kolsch to separate at the Canada-U.S. border, the couple has reunited. "We can't stop smiling and just looking at each other," said Kolsch, 61. She's currently quarantining with Barkey, 65, in their recreational vehicle (RV), which is parked at a friend's farm in Grenfell, Sask., located about 125 kilometres east of Regina. It's been a difficult journey for the couple, who has struggled to prove their common-law status to Canadian border officers. They said they finally won their case by spending $1,500 to hire a lawyer, who compiled a 250-page document detailing their life together. "It was so painful," said Kolsch of their ordeal. "My heart hurts for the [couples] who can't get back together." To help stop the spread of COVID-19, Canada restricts foreigners from entering the country for non-essential travel. The Canada-U.S. land border also remains closed to non-essential traffic. Last month, Canada loosened its travel restrictions to allow foreigners to visit immediate family in Canada including spouses and common-law partners. To qualify as common law, couples must have lived together for at least a year and prove it with documentation, such as shared household bills, or a joint mortgage or lease. The rules have led to frustration and heartache for couples who can't easily prove their common-law status. 'I cried all the way' Kolsch and Barkey said they've lived together for a year-and-a-half in their RV, dividing their time mainly between California and Barrie, Ont. As a result, they don't have shared, monthly household bills or a mortgage. The couple had been living in their RV in the U.S. when they first tried to cross the border from North Dakota into Saskatchewan on June 22. Kolsch was denied entry into Canada, because the couple didn't have the right documentation to prove that they're common law. Story continues Then, when they turned back to re-enter the U.S., Barkey was denied entry because the U.S. land border is now closed to Canadian visitors. Consequently, the couple was forced to separate and retreat to their respective countries. "I drove away and I cried all the way," said Barkey, who took the RV to Grenfell. submitted by Cathy Kolsch Desperate to reunite, Barkey and Kolsch hired a Canadian immigration lawyer who worked with them to compile 250 pages worth of documents into a binder detailing their year-and-a-half together. It included a timeline, date-stamped photos, receipts from RV campgrounds, testimonial letters from friends and a previous CBC News article detailing the couple's struggle to prove their common-law status. Kolsch then tried to enter Canada again, two weeks later on July 8. This time, she said she won over a border officer with the binder. "He said, 'I can see what you were doing here with the lawyer papers, the timeline, the pictures and the article. I know what you're saying is truthful.' "I let out a big sigh and tears flowed." submitted by Cathy Kolsch The couple's lawyer, Ali Esnaashari, suggested the Canadian government adopt more flexible common-law rules, so committed couples can more easily prove their status. "If the goal is to reunite immediate family members and that's why it's there, then we need to have a more broader interpretation, more flexible interpretation of what we're considering common law." Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told CBC News the onus is on couples to prove they've been living together for at least one year. "It must be established in each individual case, based on the facts," said CBSA spokesperson Jacqueline Callin in an email. 1-year ban at the border Kolsch and Barkey won their battle, but another cross border couple's struggle to prove their common-law status has ended in defeat. American Joseph Norris of Malone, N.Y., said he and his Canadian partner, Andrea Parraga of Ottawa, have lived together for at least one year. However, they don't have shared household bills, because they each own a home in their respective countries. Malone is about 125 km southeast of Ottawa. Norris, 45, tried to enter Canada at the Cornwall, Ont., crossing on June 25, but said he was denied entry because he didn't have correct documentation. He was told he needed a shared mortgage or lease agreement, or an official document certifying the couple was common law, said Norris. So he dug up a common-law union document on the Canadian government's website. submitted by Joseph Norris Five days later, on June 30, Norris tried to cross the border again so he and Parraga, 46, could sign the document together and get it verified. He thought his trip would be considered essential travel. But it wasn't. According to CBSA documents, Norris was denied entry again, and this time barred from entering Canada for one year. "I was just beside myself. I couldn't believe that this was happening," he said. CBSA said that when a foreigner doesn't meet the requirements to enter Canada during the border closure, they run the risk of receiving a one-year ban if they try to re-enter. Norris said he was never warned of this consequence and was just trying to get the evidence required to reunite with his partner in Canada. "In these sad times, this was just another disheartening blow in an already horrible situation." The Canada-U.S. land border remains closed to non-essential traffic until at least Aug. 21. But for Norris, it remains closed until July 2021. WATCH | U.S. politicians call for plan to reopen Canada-U.S. border: WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers said Sunday that they don't want tweets or condolences to honor civil rights icon John Lewis. They want policymakers to get to work to honor the Georgia congressman's legacy. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the House majority whip, urged President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to pass legislation that would expand voting rights in Lewis's name. "It should be the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of 2020," Clyburn said on CNN's "State of the Union." "That's the way to do it. Words may be powerful, but deeds are lasting. " Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., also echoed this sentiment in interviews on Sunday morning and called for swift passage of the legislation, called the Voting Rights Advancement Act. The House in 2019 passed the legislation, which would restore key protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court struck down in 2013. Lewis lost his months-long battle with pancreatic cancer on Friday night, at a pivotal moment for race relations in the United States. Protesters in cities from coast to coast are demanding widespread reforms in the wake of the May killing of George Floyd, a black man, in police custody. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are surging in states nationwide, shedding fresh light on the inequities black Americans encounter in health care. Clyburn also called for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., to be renamed in honor of Lewis, a lifelong friend. The bridge, named after a former Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader, became a critical site during the civil rights movement. On Bloody Sunday in 1965, Alabama state troopers beat peaceful demonstrators there, including Lewis, who suffered a fractured skull. "Edmund Pettus was a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan," Clyburn said during an interview on NBC News's "Meet the Press." "Take his name off that bridge and replace it with a good man, John Lewis, the personification of the goodness of America, rather than to honor someone who disrespected individual freedoms." Photo for The Washington Post by Astrid Riecken Today's protests have prompted cities nationwide to reconsider monuments and other honors granted to people with ties to the Confederacy or other racist legacies. An online petition to rename the bridge in Lewis's honor was drafted last month and has gained more than 450,000 signatures. Lewis's death comes amid accusations that Trump has sought to foment racial divisions in the United States as Election Day approaches, rather than unite the country. Trump did tweet a message of sympathy and prayers on Saturday about the Georgia congressman, who was one of the most vocal critics of the president's policies and rhetoric in Congress. Pressley, appearing on CNN, said she wished Trump didn't tweet at all. "If you really want to honor the life of John Lewis, you don't do things like gut the fair-housing laws," she said on CNN. "You don't sow the seeds of division." Pressley said she was a "beneficiary" of Lewis's activism. "There would be no Ayanna Pressley and countless others were it not for John Lewis," she said. Many leaders on Sunday spoke of Lewis's impact on Congress, where he was known as a moral compass for both parties in an increasingly divided political environment. "There is a need for more John Lewises," Colin Powell, a former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Not just one, but many. We got a lot of work to do. " In Atlanta, mourners gathered Saturday at the site of a 65-foot-tall mural depicting Lewis. The mural has stood in the Sweet Auburn district - the beating heart of the city's black business community during the days of segregation - for years. A steady stream of visitors stopped by Saturday to drop off flowers or notes, take pictures, or simply stand and look on. Bouquets, posters and handwritten messages were left at the site. Some of them had simple messages such as "silence equals violence" and "love one another," while others shared deeply personal stories of encounters with the congressman or recollections of how he served as an inspiration. Sisters Saundra Howard Jackson and Lorna Howard also were moved to pay a visit to the mural on Saturday. They live in nearby Decatur, Ga., but like Lewis originally hail from Alabama. They are planning to visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge and hope to see it renamed for Lewis. "Something in me moved," Lorna Howard said about hearing of Lewis's death. She hasn't left her house much since the pandemic began but made an exception to pay tribute to him. "They've left us," said Lorna Howard, referring not only to Lewis but also C.T. Vivian and Joseph Lowery. "Those civil rights icons have passed. Who is going to take the baton now? Who is going to keep it going?" Lewis was just 23 when he delivered his famous speech at the March on Washington in 1963. Many mourners expressed hope that a new generation of leaders emerges from the wave of protests that swept the United States in recent weeks. "Lewis started out when he was a student - 17, 18 years old," Howard Jackson said. "The movement struck a chord with him to endure, to get to meet Dr. (Martin Luther) King. He had the spirit. It took people like him to be courageous and lead peaceful protests to get things changed." Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye termed the allegations as baseless and false Mumbai: The political stalemate in Rajasthan has taken an interesting turn with the stunning allegation from the Maharashtra Congress that the BJP leaders collected a whopping `500 crore from the builders and traders in Mumbai to fund the efforts of toppling the Ashok Gehlot-led government. We have got information that collection of more than 500 crores have been done from Mumbai in order to topple the @ashokgehlot51 ji led @INCIndia govt in Rajasthan. I have spoken to @AnilDeshmukhNCP ji and requested him to look into this serious matter to find the masterminds, Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant tweeted. The Congress leader cited inputs from the intelligence agencies and independent sources for his claims and also alleged that the money was collected from the hawala transactions. He referred to the tweet from Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, who said that there are audio tapes, which shows that plans were afoot to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan. There are leaked tapes of conversation between a BJP leader and the suspended Rajasthan MLAs over the exchange of money to topple the Gehlot government. This proves that a huge amount was collected for horse trading in Rajasthan, Mr Sawant. The Congress leader has asked the state home minister to probe the alleged hawala transaction of money. He has agreed to conduct a probe in the transfer of the funds, he added. However, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye termed the allegations as baseless and false. JASPER, ALTA.Three people were killed and more than a dozen others were critically injured when a glacier sightseeing bus rolled at one of the most popular attractions in the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia Icefield. RCMP said the rollover happened early Saturday afternoon. Pictures posted online by people at the scene showed one of the attractions big-wheeled ice explorers on its roof down a moraine embankment. The iconic red and white coaches, which look like buses with monster-truck tires, regularly leave from a visitor centre and take tourists up a rough road onto the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park. Police did not say what caused the wreck, but Rob Kanty, who was on an earlier bus and witnessed the crash, said he believes a rockslide may have played a role. We watched the event unfold from the parking lot, he wrote in an email. We could see the dust and rocks still sliding down the mountain towards the tour bus already rolled over on its roof. Cpl. Leigh Drinkwater says there were a total of 27 passengers on the vehicle when it crashed. Air ambulances were sent from all over the province to ferry the injured from the picturesque but remote location. Alberta Heath Services said 24 patients were transported to hospitals in Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Calgary, 14 of them with life-threatening injuries. AHS said four others were in serious but stable condition while the remaining six were listed as stable. Police said all of the dead were adults, but they did not release any names or ages. Drinkwater said getting updates from the scene was difficult due to unreliable cellular service in the remote part of the mountains. RCMP said that members from the Jasper detachment, with help from Lake Louise and Banff, were on the scene as well as crews from numerous fire departments and Parks Canada. The injured were transported from the site by rescue helicopters then taken to hospitals by air and ground ambulances. AHS said EMS crews from Calgary, Jasper, Nordegg, Banff, Rocky Mountain House, Canmore, Hinton, Edmonton and Sundre responded to the incident. Fixed wing air ambulances from Slave Lake, Lac La Biche and Edmonton, along with two STARS helicopters, and a chartered helicopter out of Canmore, were also on scene. STARS air ambulance spokeswoman Fatima Khawaja said the choppers brought a 31-year-old man and a middle-aged woman to hospitals in critical, potentially life-threatening condition. She said a 27-year-old woman was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition. Khawaja said a doctor was also sent to the scene, and was on board a private chopper that helped perform sling rescues off the icefield. She said STARS sent choppers from its bases in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie. Tanya Otis, a spokeswoman for Pursuit, the company that runs the tours, said the ice explorer was on its way to the glacier when it crashed. Our immediate concern is with the injured and their families and we are supporting the efforts of first responders, she said in a statement. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney tweeted about the crash, thanking emergency crews for their quick response. Saddened to hear of this accident in the Icefields, Kenney said. Prayers for all involved in the incident. The Columbia Icefield is one of the largest non-polar icefields in the world. It is located about 100 kilometres south of Jasper and accessed from Highway 93 North, the Icefields Parkway. The parkway leads from Jasper down to Lake Louise through Banff and Jasper national parks and is one of the most picturesque drives in Canada. Pursuit offers a Columbia Icefield Adventure, which it bills as a must-do experience for any resident or visitor in the Canadian Rockies. The tour has guests board an ice explorer to drive onto the Athabasca Glacier, where guests can get off the bus to walk on the glacier and fill their water bottles with the pure, cold runoff. The company reopened the icefield tours about a month ago with 50 per cent capacity after being closed due to COVID-19. When full, Pursuit says the ice explorers can transport up to 56 passengers, including seated and standing room. Most of Canadas national parks, including Banff and Jasper, reopened to visitors in early June. The mountain parks are typically flooded with international visitors at this time of year but, with the pandemic squelching travel, officials have encouraged all Canadians to explore their national parks this summer while respecting provincial rules. Some of the more popular sites in the two national parks have been getting busier in recent weeks. A phlebotomist draws blood from my arm for a COVID-19 Immune Response test at Quest Diagnostics in Washington Twp., Gloucester County, N.J. on May 27, 2020. Read more WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval to a new approach to coronavirus testing that combines test samples in batches instead of running them one by one, speeding up the process. The FDA said Saturday that it reissued an emergency use authorization to Quest Diagnostics to use its COVID-19 test with pooled samples. It is the first test to be authorized to be used in this way. With pooling, instead of running each persons test individually, laboratories would combine parts of samples from several people and test them together. A negative result would clear everyone in the batch. A positive result would require each sample to be individually retested. Pooling works best with lab-run tests, which take hours not the much quicker individual tests used in clinics or doctors offices. READ MORE: Coronavirus antibody testing is now easy to get. But its hard to be sure what youre getting. The potential benefits of sample pooling include stretching laboratory supplies further, reducing costs and expanding testing to millions more Americans who may unknowingly be spreading the virus. Health officials think infected people who arent showing symptoms are largely responsible for the rising number of cases in more than half the country. The approach might enable mass testing at schools or businesses, though it's unclear when that could happen. Its a really good tool. It can be used in any of a number of circumstances, including at the community level or even in schools, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious-disease expert, told a Senate hearing last month. FAQ: Your coronavirus questions, answered. Pooling is not always be the best option. It wont save time or resources when used in a COVID-19 hot spot such as a nursing home outbreak. Thats because the logistical and financial benefits of pooling only add up when a small number of pools test positive. Experts generally recommend the technique when fewer than 10% of people are expected to test positive. For example, pooling would not be cost-effective in Arizona, where a surge has pushed positive test results to well over 10%. But the approach could make sense in areas with a lower rate of positive results. Washington The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday. The administration is also trying to block billions of dollars that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and billions more for the Pentagon and State Department to address the pandemic at home and abroad, the people said. The administration's posture has angered some GOP senators, the officials said, and some lawmakers are trying to ensure the money stays in the bill. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal confidential deliberations, cautioned that the talks were fluid and the numbers were in flux. The negotiations center on a bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is preparing to unveil this coming week as part of the negotiations with Democrats on what will likely be the last major coronavirus relief bill before the November election. The two parties are far apart on a number of contentious issues, such as unemployment insurance, but the conflict between Trump administration officials and Senate Republicans on money for testing and other priorities is creating a major complication even before bipartisan negotiations get underway. Some lawmakers are trying to reach a deal quickly, as enhanced unemployment benefits for millions of Americans are set to expire in less than two weeks. One person involved in the talks said Senate Republicans were seeking to allocate $25 billion for states to conduct testing and contact tracing, but that certain administration officials want to zero out the testing and tracing money entirely. Some White House officials believe they have already approved billions of dollars in assistance for testing and that some of that money remains unspent. Roughly 3.7 million Americans have already tested positive for coronavirus in the United States, according to a Washington Post analysis. Wait times for test results can vary by state, but in some places people have to wait more than a week to find out if they have tested positive. The administration is also seeking to zero out $10 billion in new funding for the CDC, while slashing spending for the Pentagon and State Department related to foreign aid, the person said. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of conducting widespread coronavirus testing, arguing that if there were fewer tests conducted, the numbers of infections would be lower. Coronavirus infections and deaths are on the rise in many states. A White House spokesman declined to comment. At the same time they push cuts in some areas, administration officials are trying to use the spending bill to fund priorities that appear not directly related to the coronavirus including a new FBI building, which has been a longtime priority for Trump, according to people involved. Experiences of discrimination over a lifetime is associated with high blood pressure in African American adults, according to findings published this month in the journal Hypertension from researchers at the Urban Health Collaborative at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. High blood pressure is linked with many life-threatening conditions, including stroke, heart disease and dementia, and is also associated with higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This connection between poor heart health and higher risk of severe symptoms suggests the findings may also provide insights into current racial disparities in patient outcomes during the pandemic. The authors used survey responses from 1,845 African American adults living in Mississippi who participated in the Jackson Heart study (and did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study). Those who had a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg and/or were taking medicine to manage their blood pressure at any follow up examination were considered to have developed hypertension. Participants had a baseline visit between 2000 and 2004 and had two follow-up visits - one in 2005-2008 and the other in 2009-2013. At the time of study baseline patients reported previous experiences of discrimination via survey. The researchers counted instances of lifetime discrimination by counting any of nine domains -- such as in school/training, getting a job or housing, at work, etc. -- in which unfair treatment was reported. After adjusting for gender, age, socioeconomic status and other high blood pressure risk factors, the team found that individuals reporting medium levels (in one to two domains) and high levels of lifetime discrimination (in three to nine domains) had a 49 percent and 34 percent increased risk for hypertension compared to those who reported low levels of lifetime discrimination (zero domains), respectively. Our findings in a large population show that the stress resulting from discrimination may have a major impact on the health of African Americans." Allana T. Forde, PhD, lead author, postdoctoral research fellow at the Urban Health Collaborative The authors said the study could have implications for treating African American patients, but also renews attention towards the conditions in which people live and the significant influence of environment on health. "Structural racism affects health in many ways. The experiences of discrimination investigated in this study represent only one of the many ways in which racism has measurable health consequences," said senior author and Urban Health Collaborative Director Ana Diez Roux, MD, PhD, dean and distinguished professor of Epidemiology at Dornsife School of Public Health. "Addressing racism is critical to promoting health and achieving health equity." High blood pressure -- that is 130/80 or above according to current guidelines -- plagues 103 million adult Americans, nearly half of all adults. More than 40 percent of African American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Forde was awarded an American Heart Association grant to support this research. The Jackson Heart Study used in this paper is funded by the National Institutes of Health and implemented by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson State University; and Tougaloo College. Russian Army's Snap Combat Readiness Check Unrelated to Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Tensions Sputnik News 15:15 GMT 18.07.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Deputy Defence Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin refuted on Saturday any connection between the combat training activities carried out by the Russian armed forces and the escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. "When asked by reporters, Alexander Fomin has categorically rejected any connection between the military training activities carried out by the Russian Armed Forces and the escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," the ministry said in a statement. It added that Fomin was expected to hold a briefing for foreign military attaches on Monday, during which they would be informed about the progress of the snap combat readiness check. On Friday, Russia started a snap check of the combat readiness of its Southern and Western military districts, large troop units, airborne forces, and Northern and Pacific fleets. The ministry has informed foreign states about the goals and objectives of the military activities performed during the check. An ongoing armed confrontation escalated on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border last Sunday, notably far from where the two usually exchange hostilities in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The clashes took place near the Movses village along the contact line between Armenia's Tavush province and Azerbaijan's Tovuz province. Yerevan and Baku blamed the initiation of the firing on each other. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The president has dissolved the controversial court, one of the protesters key demands. Keita has said he is opening to re-holding the legislative election in those contested areas though no concrete plan has been laid out yet. The mediators, though, said their recommendations should be put into place this month. Oil market bulls are in for a surprise if we believe the latest statements from OPEC+ leaders Saudi Arabia and Russia. The official views proponed by the OPEC+ JMCC during the last few days were looked at as a positive sign as existing production cuts are being relaxed in August as a result of higher expected demand. The Saudi Minister of Energy and OPECs main power broker Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman added fuel to the fire by telling Al Arabiya yesterday that he could see a development in which the OPEC+ oil production agreement will be extended to the end of 2021 or even through the beginning of 2022. This news hasnt been digested by the markets yet and shows a possible split in views within OPEC+. The Saudi minister also reiterated that we still have a long way to go and actions will continue. Therefore, part of the recovery and coexisting with this situation until, God willing, this epidemic is gone, is that we decided to have a monthly meeting with the committee that monitors the market, to make sure of the obligations, and to make recommendations to the OPEC+ conference. Prince Abdulazizs statements differ from Russian Energy Minister Novaks view on the market. On Wednesday, Novak said that the expected easing of oil output cuts by the OPEC+ group from August to 7.7 million barrels per day is justifiable and in line with the market trends. Novak made his remarks at the opening of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMCC) meeting. Russias views seem to be much more optimistic about the possible demand increase for oil and petroleum products globally. Saudi Arabia has now made abundantly clear that it doesnt want to be confronted by a possible W-shape economic recovery and a possible 2nd wave of Corona. At least that is the official message. The underlying message could be more diffuse and could cause an internal OPEC+ discussion, in which Saudi Arabia could be threatening to stop making the lion share of the oil production cuts. Saudi Arabias grand oil strategy is facing critique at home as export revenues continue to decline. Official data provided by Riyadh and the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) show that the Kingdoms total oil exports, including crude and oil products, fell to 7.48 million barrels per day (bpd) in May from 11.34 million bpd in April. Exports in June and July could end up being even lower, and the same will apply to Russian oil production. The political and economic agendas, however, are now openly going into a different direction, judging Minister Novak and Prince Abdulazizs statements. Related: Second Wave Of COVID-19 Wont Crush Oil Prices Oil fundamentals are far from normal, even if OPEC+ members are stating something else in the media. OPECs monthly JMCC meeting outcome is a clear sign of a growing desire of Russia and some other OPEC members to relax the current oil production cut agreement. The current power struggle is masqueraded in media-friendly statements, but there is a clear and present danger that Moscow and Riyadh could be heading to a new collision. At present, theres no direct risk of a breakup, but Riyadh is fed up with taking the full brunt of the output cuts, while struggling to keep its economy afloat and the social contract in place. International media have shown a lack of critical analysis of the underlying critical developments inside of OPEC+. The current relaxation of output cuts is a full-scale sign of a belief in a global economic recovery in the coming months. This belief leans on somewhat shaky fundamentals as a second wave of COVID-19 is already showing its ugly face in several places. Still, OPEC, Russia and its allies, have officially decided to change its reasonably successful strategy by August 1. Until now, oil production was cut by 9.6 million bpd, while the new target for August is 7.7 million bpd. In order not to risk another internal crisis or outright oil price and market share war between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Putin, a compromise, based on shaky fundamentals, is being presented. Oil demand fundamentals remain rather weak, to say the least. The global economic recovery narrative is currently being used to support the relaxation of output cuts. Currently, oil markets are expected to be in deficit, resulting in a draw of crude oil in storage. In 2021, OPEC looks to further increase its overall production by another 6 million bpd. The need for higher revenues are the driver, not market stabilization. Optimism about a V-shaped recovery, bullish news from China and the removal of major lockdowns in Europe have been feeding the bullish sentiment within the OPEC+ group. The real economic recovery, however, remains fragile. Even in its own report, OPEC stated that it fears oil markets are still unbalanced, especially if a second wave of COVID-19 undermines the economic recovery. OPECs decision to ease output cuts or increase production is a unilateral decision. The real problem is that once one OPEC member raises production, others will likely follow suit. Then theres the risk of a U.S. shale comeback. Current oil prices are high enough to bring back the production that was shut-in during the oil crash. Further production increases by OPEC+ will result in a growing glut, as other oil-producing nations will not feel obliged to keep cuts in place and will instead feel the need to save market share. Related: Russia Looks To Woo Tech Companies As Oil Lags Again, OPEC+s success seems to be blinding advisors. The very fragile balance at present between supply and demand could easily turn into a glut. After months of oil storage crisis headlines, rational reasoning now seems to be pushed overboard. Global inventories are still brimming and need to be drawn down to further stabilize the market. The threat of a W-shape or even Triple-V recovery is clear. OECD markets are boosted by quantitative easing measures and markets are being artificially propped up by trillions euros and dollars of federal funds. The negative signs of the real economic impact of COVID in Europe are beginning to show as bankruptcies are increasing and unemployment levels continue to rise. The iceberg that the OPEC+ Titanic fails to see is that Chinas growth depends on its exports to OECD markets. The current OPEC+ approach is not sustainable, there is no room for flexibility, and as long as oil inventories remain elevated and demand remains lackluster, markets will not see a full recovery. Moscow and Riyadh must find a long-term solution if they want to see a real recovery in oil markets. If this doesnt happen, a possible break-up between Saudi Arabia and Russia looms. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: 3 1 of 3 Bexar County Sheriff's Office Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Tom Reel /Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of 3 The 37-year-old woman who died Sunday in an apparent suicide while jailed on drug charges was identified by the Bexar County Sheriffs Office as Julie Marie Alvarado. Alvardo was arrested Thursday on charges of possessing less than 1 gram of a controlled substance. She also was wanted in Wilson County on a theft charge, the sheriffs office said. Recent research led by scientists from Kings College London, UK, revealed that there are six types of COVID-19 and each is distinguished by a particular cluster of symptoms in patients. According to the study published in medRxiv, the researchers used a machine-learning algorithm in a bid to analyse data of around 1,600 users in the US and the UK with confirmed cases of coronavirus, who had logged their symptoms using the app in March and April. The scientists believe that the recent findings have major implications for the clinical management of COVID-19 patients. Claire Steves, a co-author of the study from King's College London, said, These findings have important implications for care and monitoring of people who are most vulnerable to severe COVID-19. With the help of the data, the scientists analysed that if particular symptoms appeared together and how they were related to the progression of the disease. The researchers noted that the patient symptoms can fall under on the six following categories, including flu-like with no fever, 'flu-like' with fever, gastrointestinal, severe level one with fatigue, severe level two with confusion, and severe level three accompanied by abdominal and respiratory pain. READ: Steroid's Coronavirus Benefits Confirmed, Immune Cells Recognise Virus Years Later: Study Types of COVID-19 As per the study, the researchers explained that in the flu-like with no fever category, the COVID-19 patients also experienced other symptoms including loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, but no fever. In the second category, the researchers said that the patients had a headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever and loss of appetite. In the third category, which is gastrointestinal, the virus-infected patients had a combination of headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, sore throat, chest pain, but no cough. Under the severe level one with fatigue, the scientists said that patients complained about a loss of smell, cough, headache, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, and fatigue. In the fifth category, that is the level two of severity the patients expressed similar aforementioned symptoms with the addition of loss of appetite, sore throat, confusion and muscle pain. Last but not the least, the sixth category, which is the most severe, the researchers noted that the patients had experienced headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. READ: Hydroxychloroquine Found Ineffective On COVID-19 Patients With Mild Symptoms: Study While the COVID-19 patients mostly experienced varying combinations of additional symptoms at various times with headache and loss of smell, the researchers noted that some symptoms such as confusion, abdominal pain and shortness of breath, are not widely known as coronavirus symptoms, however, they said that the symptoms are hallmarks of the most severe forms of the disease. According to the study, the scientists analysed that people with cluster four, five or six symptoms tended to be older and frailer and most likely also overweight. The researchers said that these patients had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lung disease than those in the other types. Further, they noted that nearly half of the patients in cluster six ended up in the hospital, compared with just 16 per cent of those in cluster one. (Inputs: PTI) READ: COVID-19: Obese People At Greater Risk Of Severe Complications, Says Study READ: COVID-19: CBD May Help Reduce Lung Inflammation In Patients, Says Study Three men were killed after being beaten and shot while out fishing in Florida, with one of the men managing to call his father and cry 'help' before he died. Damion Tillman, 23; Keven Springfield, 30; and Brandon Rollins, 27, were described by their families as having been best friends for years, and all died in the Friday night massacre. The three men were fishing at a popular lake in Frostproof, 70 miles south of Orlando in central Florida. Tillman traveled to Lake Streety first and arrived by himself, according to Grady Judd, sheriff of Polk County. Brandon Rollins, 27, was murdered on Friday night on a fishing trip to a Florida lake Three men were murdered by Lake Streety in Frostproof, Florida, on Friday night When Rollins and Springfield arrived soon after, Tillman was being beaten by unknown attackers, and the two friends intervened to help Tillman and were shot. Rollins called his father at about 10pm Friday and managed to only say 'help.' The father jumped into his car and went to where his son had said he was going fishing. 'When he arrived he found his son Brandon barely alive, and his two friends deceased,' the sheriff's office said in a press release. 'Brandon was able to say a few things to his dad, which we are not releasing at this time.' Rollins' father had left his home without his cellphone, so he returned to a nearby gas station and called 911, the sheriff's office said. 'I was just so upset last night, I just didn't know what to do,' said Cyril Rollins, the father of Brandon. 'We heard some background and they fussing all that,' he told WFLA 8. 'But I left, I went on out here. When I got there I was looking for my son. It was a mess. 'I found my son. I was holding him he was telling me what happened but I was too shocked to know what was going on.' When authorities arrived at the scene, all three men were dead. Grady Judd, sheriff of Polk Country, said the 'horrific' scene was among the worst he'd seen 'This is a horrific scene,' said Judd. 'I've been to a lot of murder scenes in my life and this ranks among the worst I've been to.' The sheriff said they believe there was more than one killer, and that the victims knew their murderers. 'We are seeking leads; we need help so we can solve this crime sooner rather than later because there are one or more, we suspected more, murderers that killed three people in a quiet community,' he said. Judd added that the suspect or suspects may have known the men. 'You don't just stumble upon somebody out here,' he said. 'It's not like there's a lot of people around here. 'As you can see, it's cow pastures and lakes.' Police have issued a $5,000 reward for information over the attack. Rollins's girlfriend Jessica Steenson told WFLA 8 that the sheriff promised to find the killers. 'That he will not stop until justice is served for them three boys, my boyfriend, and his two best friends,' she said. 'I moved here from Jacksonville, Florida, for him two years ago and this is not how it was supposed to be and I want justice for him. 'And I will not stop until he gets it.' Dottie Payton, Rollins's mother, said she too wants justice to be done. 'I want it to be served the right way and I'm sure they're out there watching and seeing what's going on and they need to come forward,' she said. " " Joanna the Mad (as this Spanish queen was known) was rumored to caress the corpse of her husband Philip. DeAgostini/Getty Images Our understanding and treatment of mental illness has advanced quite a bit over the centuries -- and thank goodness for that. It wasn't so long ago that people who had been deemed "mad" (among other things) were routinely locked up and basically left to rot away in deplorable conditions. It was considered shameful and embarrassing to have an insane person in the family. But what if that person happened to be the most powerful person in the country? Dealing with a mad monarch takes more than a little finesse. He or she could choose to execute the royal physician for suggesting that he or she might not be fit to rule. Meanwhile the country is falling into ruin. And in many places, the monarch was considered to have been divinely appointed, so questioning authority is akin to questioning one's god. Advertisement This is why history is full of royals who may not have been diagnosed as mentally ill by a medical professional, but whose actions and behaviors have qualified as "crazy" to the layperson. We'll start with a possible case of mistaken identity just to complicate things. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Opposition, which has until now been demanding for the ouster of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan owing to his office coming under a cloud of smoke in the gold smuggling case, has come up with a latest demand that a stage has come where he should be questioned. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala opined that the State has become consultancy Raj after consultant agencies have been appointed against the central CPM leaderships decision. Chennithala alleged that Pinarayi is a party to treason when Sandeep Nair, one of the key suspects in the case had claimed that M. Sivasankar, the former principal secretary to the CM had helped the suspects in the gold smuggling. Talking to reporters at Cantonment House here, Chennithala unleashed his tirade against Pinarayi. He alleged that the Chief Minister has deliberately feigned ignorance about what is happening in his office. He maintained that Pinarayi has been cheating the people. Replying to the allegation of chief minister that the Opposition has been trying to defame the LDF Government, Chennithala said only if the ruling Government has any image, he can come up with such a claim. They never had that quality to boast about, he said. Pinarayi had been claiming that those officials who had committed mistakes would be punished. If thats the case, then Pinarayi should also be questioned. Pinarayi had claimed that he is not aware of whats happening in his office. Moreover, party secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had said in a television interview that it is surprising that Pinarayi was not aware of his former principal secretary being smart, said Chennithala. The Opposition Leader also said that the Chief Minister cannot run away from the moral responsibility as CMO is having links in the gold smuggling case. He also demanded to know from the Chief Minister whether the LDF Government had taken a decision to cancel the consultancy agreement given to London based PricewaterhouseCoopers as there has been lack of clarity on it. Chennithala also blamed the lapse of the LDF Government in combating the Covid -19 pandemic. Government should become a corrective force in combating the corona virus when so far they resorted to public exercise to garner the attention of the people. Out of 38 Covid -19 deaths so far, 24 of them were diagnosed with the virus after their death. The State Government should ensure 30,000 tests per day where its outcome should be known within 24 hours as per ICMR guidelines, added Chennithala. Every individual has their own priorities and our priority is to handle the Covid crisis. However, some feel that the coronavirus pandemic will vanish by erecting the Ram Temple, said Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar indirectly hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone (bhumi pujan) for the Ram Temple on August 5, according to the priests of Ayodhya. Pawar is currently on a tour of Solapur as it has the highest Covid-19 case fatality rate in Maharashtra (6.85%). According to the state health department as of July 19, Solapur has 5,615 progressive positive cases, 2,469 recovered patients, 385 deaths and 2,761 active cases. Pawar added, Our priority is to handle the pandemic and effects of lockdown on industries, small businessmen and bring the overall economy back on track. I dont want a tussle between the Centre and the state government and urge all to work together to solve the Covid crisis. I will visit Delhi along with other MPs and speak to central government representatives about various issues. Pawar and Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope were in Solapur to review the districts Covid-19 preparedness. I am not part of the government. As I have personal affiliation with cities like Solapur, Kolhapur, Nashik and Jalgaon, which have more Covid-19 cases, I am visiting these cities. I will submit my observations and demands to the chief minister, deputy chief minister and others. Promotion of plasma therapy Health minister Rajesh Tope said, We are planning to promote plasma therapy and have allowed its implementation at 18 places, mainly hospitals, which are affiliated to medical colleges. As the case fatality rate in Solapur is high, I was instructed to promote institutional quarantine facilities in Solapur and not allow home quarantine facilities here. DUBAI (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that some 25 million Iranians may have been infected with coronavirus, as Iran reimposed restrictions in the capital and elsewhere. The figure, from a report Rouhani cited in a televised speech, was far higher than Saturday's official figure for infections of 271,606, and corresponds to more than 30% of Iran's 80 million population DUBAI (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that some 25 million Iranians may have been infected with coronavirus, as Iran reimposed restrictions in the capital and elsewhere. The figure, from a report Rouhani cited in a televised speech, was far higher than Saturday's official figure for infections of 271,606, and corresponds to more than 30% of Iran's 80 million population. Rouhani's office said the number of infections was based on an "estimated scenario" from a health ministry research report. Iran has been the Middle East country hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with infections and deaths rising sharply since restrictions were eased, beginning in mid-April. "Our estimate is that so far 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus and about 14,000 have lost their lives," Rouhani said. He added that "there is the possibility that between 30 and 35 million more people will be at risk", but did not elaborate on what he meant. More than 200,000 people have been hospitalised, he said, adding the ministry expected that another 200,000 might need hospital treatment in the coming months. An official at the government's coronavirus task force said the 25 million people mentioned by Rouhani were "mildly affected patients who ... did not need to seek medical advice", the semi-official news agency ISNA reported. The Health Ministry reported 188 deaths in the previous 24 hours to take Iran's total to 13,979. Authorities on Saturday reimposed restrictions for a week in the capital Tehran, including banning religious and cultural functions, closing boarding schools, cafes, indoor pools, amusement parks and zoos. From Sunday, 22 cities and towns in the southwestern Khuzestan province will be under a three-day lockdown, the province's governorate announced on Saturday. That will include Behbahan, where police on Thursday fired tear gas into a crowd protesting over economic hardships. (Editing by Jason Neely and Clelia Oziel) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A resident of Hasang-dong area in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, some 16 kilometers southeast of Incheon, reported on July 16 of finding a 4-5 millimeter-long larva, above, from household tap water in the washroom. Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwan More citizens have reported bugs in their tap water, after the Incheon government launched an on-site investigation of the city's water distribution system following earlier complaints. The additional reports, 15 from Seo-gu and one from Ganghwa County, came in last Friday and Saturday. During the period, meanwhile, 24 new reports were made from the two regions. After the first report of chironomus plumosus, also known as the buzzer midge, in the city's tap water on July 9, the number of complaints peaked at 55 last Wednesday, with reports coming from Incheon and Siheung. The daily figure from then on dropped to 16 until last Saturday. The bugs, according to the city, seem to have originated from a purification plant in Seo-gu's Gongchon-dong area, where the eggs were laid. The authority said larvae could have been transmitted to water pipes that connect to households in the regions. The city said Sunday that the bugs found in the Gongchon purification plant and those found from households were the "same species," bolstering the theory the bugs were carried from the plant to the households. Seo-gu and Ganghwa share the plant as a tap water provider. The purification plant in Incheon's Gongchon-dong, above, is believed to be the hotbed of the city's latest tap water bug infestation. Courtesy of Incheon City Government Indias largest private sector mortgage financier Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC ) Ltd has finalised a legion of as many as 19 merchant banks for its fundraising exercise aimed at raising up to Rs 14,000 crore and bolstering its balance sheet, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol. This is arguably the biggest consortium of merchant bankers/advisors ever taken on board by an Indian corporate for fundraising purposes in the equity capital markets and sets a new record for India Inc, these sources said. Moneycontrol was the first to report the finance powerhouses fundraising plans on June 17, 2020. Morgan Stanley, Kotak Mahindra Capital, Bofa Securities, Jefferies, JP Morgan, Citi, Nomura, HSBC Securities, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, UBS, Goldman Sachs, SBI Capital, ICICI Securities, JM Financial, Motilal Oswal, Axis Capital, HDFC Bank and IIFL Capital are the 19 merchant banks which have been shortlisted by HDFC Ltd, said an individual familiar with ongoing deliberations. Three other individuals confirmed the names and quantum of the merchant bankers. Typically, corporates engage multiple merchant banks for big-bang fund raises which can turn out to be complex, logistically challenging exercises and may be carried out in one or more tranches. Global and domestic merchant bankers are key to the success of these exercises and are involved in several aspects of the transaction based on their respective strengths. These include marketing the issue in India and overseas, tapping marque investors, due diligence and documentation, compliance and coordination with various parties including regulators amongst other functions. Earlier this year, Reliance Industries had appointed 14 merchant bankers for its Rs 53,000 crore rights issue which kicked off on March 20, 2020. This was Indias biggest ever equity fund raise and the worlds biggest by a non-financial issuer in the last ten years. Another instance of a big clutch of advisors being engaged was Bharti Infratels 2012 IPO which raised Rs 4,118 crore and had 13 merchant bankers. The Rs 4500 crore Mindspace Business Parks REIT IPO backed by K Raheja Corp and Blackstone, which is likely to be launched later this month, also has 13 merchant bankers on board, a second individual added. HDFC Ltd is mulling a QIP of NCD + Warrants but hasnt taken a final call on the fundraising mechanism as yet or the number of tranches. The fund raise is likely to be launched in August post shareholder approval, a third individual told Moneycontrol. HDFC Ltd has raised capital via the NCD + warrants route on two earlier occasions: in 2009 and 2015. The 43rd AGM of the firm is scheduled to be held on July 30, 2020. Other financial sector heavyweights like ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are also looking to raise up to Rs 15,000 crore each and strengthen their respective capital buffers. All the four individuals spoke to Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Securities, ICICI Securities, Credit Suisse, UBS and Jefferies declined to comment in response to an email query from Moneycontrol. Moneycontrol is awaiting an email response from HDFC Ltd and the other merchant banks and will update this article as soon as we hear from them. HDFC Ltd: On the prowl for M&A? On June 19, 2020, HDFC Ltd announced that the fundraising exercise was aimed at augmenting its long term resources, finance organic and inorganic business opportunities that may arise in financial services including housing finance and /or in areas where its subsidiaries operate, and to maintain sufficient liquidity and for general corporate purposes. In the emerging scenario, there may be 'inorganic opportunities' for Housing Development Finance Corporation's (HDFC) group companies, HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh said on July 2. He added that the company has identified new investment opportunities and some of its subsidiaries will require additional capital for their expansion plans. The company reported a standalone profit of Rs 2,232.5 crore for the quarter ended March 2020, declining 22 percent due to higher provisions related to COVID-19 and high base last year. Provisions (expected credit loss) increased significantly to Rs 1,274 crore for the quarter ended March 2020 which included the impact of COVID-19, against Rs 398 crore in March quarter 2019. HDFC said it has made provisions of Rs 10,988 crore as of March 31. This is Rs 6,800 crore over and above the regulatory requirement. To be sure, HDFC Ltd has a capital adequacy of 17.7 percent (of which 16.6 percent is tier one capital), which is one of the highest in the financial sector in India. The gross non-performing loans as of March 31, 2020, stood at Rs 8,908 crore. This is equivalent to 1.99 percent of the loan portfolio. The non-performing loans of the individual portfolio stood at 0.95 percent while that of the non-individual portfolio stood at 4.71 percent. The Houston Chronicles Live Updates blog documents the latest events in the coronavirus outbreak in the Houston area, the state of Texas and across the U.S. with a focus on health and economic impacts. The Houston Chronicles ongoing coverage is available to subscribers. Subscribe now for full access and to support our work. Total coronavirus cases: 326,895 cases in Texas, including 3,918 deaths. 78,787 in the Houston region, including 753 deaths. More than 3.7 million in the U.S., including 140,103 deaths. Click here to see a U.S. map with state-by-state death tolls and coronavirus case counts. More than 14 million in the world, with more than 600,000 deaths. More than 8 million people have recovered. You can view the worldwide totals here. Resources on COVID-19 and Texas' reopening: Use our interactive page to track the spread of cases through Harris County and the rest of Texas. For a detailed look at our state, check out the Chronicle's Texas Coronavirus Map. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter. Latest updates from today: 9 p.m. Well-known Houston restaurant owner Vincent Bubba Mandola died of COVID-19, his family announced Sunday. Mandola is best known for opening a trio of restaurants on West Dallas Street Nino's, Vincent's and Grappino's that became Houston favorites. He also owns Pronto Cucino in Montrose. The Mandola family has lost one of our own to Covid, according to a statement from the family, shared on the Mandolas Deli Facebook page. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, children, grandchildren and siblings. Vincents many friends and cousins, including Frank, will miss him dearly His staff and loyal patrons will miss him too. 7:30 p.m. Texas on Sunday reported the lowest positive test rate in nine days, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. The rate dropped from 16.05 percent to 15.03 percent. The state also saw the lowest single-day increase in new cases and deaths over the last two weeks, as fewer counties reported updated case numbers, The statewide total rose from 326,895 to 334,586 -- an increase of 7,691 cases. Another 73 deaths brought the statewide fatality count to 3,991. The counties that did not issue updates Sunday included Fort Bend and McLennan counties. The state's seven-day rolling average for new cases is now 10,261.9, a slight increase from Saturday. The Houston region's case count rose by 1,107 cases to 79,894. Harris County added 963 new cases today and is now at 55,769 total. There have been 757 deaths in the Houston region, up 4 from Saturday. Statewide, there were 10,592 patients hospitalized for lab-confirmed COVID-19, a slight decrease from Saturday. There are 11,072 beds available, including 943 ICU beds available. - Reporter Matt Dempsey 5 p.m. The Houston Health Department is partnering with several outside agencies to provide free COVID-19 testing sites this week. Texas Division of Emergency Management will will operate drive-thru testing sites, available by appointment only, at the following locations: Sinclair Elementary School, 6410 Grovewood Lane, Eden Event Center, 7450 N. Wayside Crosby Community Center, 409 Hare Road, Crosby Crump Stadium, 12321 High Star Dr. HCC-Northeast Campus, 555 Community College Dr. HCC South Campus, 1990 Airport Blvd Appointments can be made by calling 844-778-255 or visiting txcovidtest.org. United Memorial Medical Center also will offer weekday testing at drive-thru test sites at the Southwest Multi-Service Center, 6400 High Star; Houston Community College-Southeast, 6815 Rustic; and Houston Community College-Felix Fraga, 301 N. Drennan St. These sites do not require appointments. They operate from 8a.m. to 3 p.m. or until reaching the daily capacity of 250 tests. Visit the city's website for a more complete list of testing sites. 4 p.m. The Houston Health Department reported 706 new cases of COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the city's total to 36,101. Three new deaths brought the fatality count to 322. Newly reported cases in Houston have declined since Thursday, when the city reported roughly 1,000 new cases. 11:11 a.m. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Sunday that the U.S. Department of Defense would send Navy medical personnel to south Texas to help local hospitals manage the COVID-19 outbreak. The federal teams will staff hospitals in Harlingen, Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Rio Grande City. "I am grateful for this ongoing partnership with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, and the State of Texas will continue to utilize every resource available to protect public health and keep Texans in every community safe," Abbott said. Image: Twitter/@AamAadmiParty Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi, who recently recovered from COVID-19, took to Twitter on Saturday to say that she is now eligible to donate her plasma for plasma therapy that has gained currency among doctors in India to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. Atishi added that she will be donating plasma at Delhi government's plasma bank in Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) on Sunday. Happy to share that Im now eligible for donating plasma, as per medical protocols. I will be donating plasma at Delhi Govts plasma bank in ILBS today! https://t.co/iWoyQ2VuIC Atishi (@AtishiAAP) July 18, 2020 Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who has frequently urged Delhiites that have recovered from the deadly disease to come forward and donate plasma, commended the 39-year-old tweeting "V good Atishi!" in response to her tweet. The MLA from Kalkaji constituency of South Delhi had tested positive for COVID-19 last month becoming the third MLA from AAP to contract the deadly virus after Vishesh Ravi and Rajkumar Anand. According to the Union health ministry, Delhi has 120,107 cases of COVID-19 with 3,571 deaths so far. Close 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 Related stories Punjab Elections | AAP takes a calculated risk in naming Bhagwant Mann its CM face Co-working firm Awfis plans to double office centres to 200 this year Goa Assembly Polls 2022 | AAP, TMC further muddy the waters for Congress "Happy to share that I'm now eligible for donating plasma, as per medical protocols. I will be donating plasma at Delhi Govt's plasma bank in ILBS today," the AAP tweeted. Srinagar, July 19 : The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday cleared the way for the formation of a real estate authority in the Union Territory, an official statement said. "The Administrative Council, which met here under the chairmanship of Lt Governor, G. C. Murmu, accorded sanction to the draft Jammu and Kashmir Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2020 under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, which has been recently made applicable to the Union Territory by way of an Adaptation Order issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. "The decision will facilitate establishment of Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Authority in the Union Territory for regulation and promotion of the real estate sector which includes sale of plots, apartments, building and real estate projects, in an efficient and transparent manner," it said. The proposed authority will also protect the interest of consumers through established adjudicating mechanism for speedy dispute redressal, the statement added. According to the statement, the new rules make it mandatory for all real estate projects and real estate agents to receive prior registration through a web-based online system. "As such, details about the promoter in respect of track record, real estate projects executed, litigations, as well as details regarding registered agents, consultants, developmental plans, financial details among others will be made public." The Rules, in addition to defining powers of the Authority and Appellate Tribunal and prescribing penalties, have provisions for filing of complaint by aggrieved persons with the Authority for any violation under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development), Act, 2016, it said. The Rules also provide for preparation of budget, maintenance of accounts and filing of an annual report by the Authority. "The augmented legal framework in Jammu and Kashmir will bring transparency and boost investments in the real estate sector and bring a paradigm shift in working of the real estate industry," the statement added. 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. Indigenous leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has slammed 'privileged' Meghan Markle for spreading a 'false narrative' of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Alice Springs councillor called out the Suits star after she and Prince Harry filmed a video encouraging people to be 'a little uncomfortable' when tackling racism. 'Black Lives Matter continues to push a false narrative. There are a lot of people with a lot of goodwill who think by jumping on the bandwagon they are supporting Aboriginal Australians, but they are doing the exact opposite,' Ms Price told the Daily Telegraph. Scroll down for video Indigenous leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has slammed Meghan Markle for spreading a 'false narrative' of the Black Lives Matter movement The Alice Springs councillor called out Meghan and Prince Harry after they filmed a video encouraging people to be 'a little uncomfortable' when tackling racism Just weeks after her relative was bashed into a coma by her indigenous boyfriend, Ms Price said Black Lives Matter supporters only tend to care when the perpetrator is white. 'There is no interest in learning the truth. Aboriginal people are dying at a far greater rate at the hands of other Aboriginal people - that is something this movement is not interested in,' she said. Ms Price described Markle as a 'woman of great privilege' who is 'completely removed from reality and circumstances on the ground'. 'Her lending her voice to the Black Lives Matter movement is silencing the voices of those people in the communities who are vulnerable to black-on-black crime,' she said. Ms Price said said several of her family members have been murdered, including one woman who was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend a decade ago. Since the alleged murder of African-American father George Floyd at the hands of a cop in Minnesota, Black Lives Matter supporters have been calling for police to be defunded. But Ms Price said the push is 'ridiculous' when the 'most vulnerable members of society' are African-Americans. She said that here in Australia, indigenous women and children who are suffering sexual abuse and family violence, need the support of police and authorities. Black Lives Matter protests swept the U.S. and Australia in June, but Ms Price said the movement has actually created a 'racial divide' in our nation. Prince Harry, 35, and Markle, 38, filmed the video earlier this month from their $11million California mansion during a call with young leaders from the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. As part of the discussion on 'justice and equal rights', the Duchess of Sussex said people have to 'acknowledge whatever mistakes we've all made'. Prince Harry, 35, and Markle, 38, filmed the video earlier this month from their $11million California mansion during a call with young leaders from the Queen's Commonwealth Trust The Alice Springs councillor said Black Lives Matter supporters only tend to care when the perpetrator is white 'You have to look at each of us, individually. What have we done in our past that we put our hand up to,' she said. 'This is a moment of reckoning where so many people go: 'I need to own that. Maybe I didn't do the right thing there. I knew what I knew, but maybe it's a time to reset in a different way.' Referring to the changes that need to be made, Meghan said the change requires people to feel 'uncomfortable' but come through the other side. 'We're going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it's only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships. 'Equality does not put anyone on the back foot, it puts us all on the same footing - which is a fundamental human right.' Markle, who became the first mixed race person to marry a senior British royal, also highlighted the 'quiet moments' of unconscious bias as a key issue, drawing on her own 'personal experience'. Ms Price described Markle as a 'woman of great privilege' who is 'completely removed from reality and circumstances on the ground'. Pictured: Prince Harry Meghan watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo in 2018 Prince Harry admitted to having his own 'unconscious bias'. Pictured with Indiginous Australian Joe Gala during his visit to Fraser Island, in Queensland on October 22, 2018 Prince Harry said the Commonwealth needs to follow others who have 'acknowledged the past' and are 'trying to right their wrongs'. Pictured with aboriginal man Joe Gala on Fraser Island during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to Australia in 2018 'It's not even in the big moments right? It's in the quiet moments where racism and unconscious bias lies and hides and thrives,' she said. She added: 'So much of what I've come to the understanding of, especially in learning even more about it of late, and obviously having had personal experience with it as well, in people's complacency, they're complicit.' Harry added that the Commonwealth needs to follow others who have 'acknowledged the past' and are 'trying to right their wrongs,' and admitted to having his own 'unconscious bias'. 'When you look across the Commonwealth, there is no way that we can move forward unless we acknowledge the past,' he said. 'So many people have done such an incredible job of acknowledging the past and trying to right those wrongs, but I think we all acknowledge there is so much more still to do.' News Washington, DC - For years, the Swamp has interfered in the lives of private American citizens by piling regulations on nearly every form of economic activity. This expert rule from Washington has created thousands of jobs for bureaucrats while costing everyone else time, money, andfor manytheir careers. Today, President Trump announced more results from his Administrations historic regulatory relief efforts. The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that just 20 of the Administrations deregulatory actions will save U.S. consumers and businesses over $220 billion per year. What does that mean for your family? According to the CEA, President Trumps deregulation program is projected to boost household incomes by upwards of $3,100 annually in the years ahead. These benefits will take many forms: Americans will have access to cheaper cars, and patients will save nearly 10 percent on prescription drugs. Most important, these rollbacks on everyday items will help blue-collar and middle-class Americans significantly more than the richest among us. Overregulation falls disproportionately on the shoulders of lower-income families, who spend a larger share of their incomes on heavily regulated goods and services. Those purchases include transportation, food, and healthcare. Government labor-market burdens also cost American jobs by causing workers to be replaced with lower-cost machines. Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode on Saturday said the idea that highly celebrated 23-year-old helicopter pilot, Tolu Arotile was killed by being knocked down at the Airforce Base by her best friends car is nonsensical. Arotile, Nigerias first female combat helicopter pilot, died after sustaining head injuries from a road traffic accident at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Kaduna on Tuesday. Reacting to the development, Fani-Kayode said Arotiles death was sad and tragic. According to him, The death of the highly celebrated 23 year old helicopter pilot, Tolu Arotile, is sad & tragic. She was courageous & formidable in battle, doing much harm to Boko Haram. The idea that she was killed by being knocked down on the Airforce Base by her best friends car is nonsensical. Who is this best friend and what is his/her name? Fani-Kayode added: I suspect that Tolu was murdered and the truth is bring covered up. I urge the Chief of Air Staff to investigate this matter thoroughly. So much is being read into it and it does not augur well for the reputation of the Air Force Justice must be done. May Tolus soul rest in peace and may the Lord comfort her parents and family. Related Emlen Bage overseeing the papaya saplings she has planted A tribal woman who rose against all odds to become agri-entrepreneur is currently inspiring others with her motto of organic farming Once getting the confidence to move ahead in life, she started reaching to the government and different organisations to know about developmental schemes and how to avail them. In 2016, due to her continuous effort, her SHG was nominated by Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) in her panchayat to receive farm implements (a power tiller, a pump set, an electronic sprayer set for fertiliser, pipe for drip irrigation- 35 pieces, a paddy threshing machine, and a drum for mixing manure) worth Rs 2 lakh. Emlen Bage making her organic fertilizer Emlen is passionate about farming. She proudly says, I took 66 decimal of land on lease and cultivate vegetables and cereals through jaivik farming. She is ardent propagator of sustainable farming. According to her, the organic farming costs much less as the ingredients required to prepare organic fertilisers and pesticides are locally available and practically have no cost. She makes her organic fertilisers like kechua khad (vermicompost), jivamrit (fertiliser), ghana jivamrit, and agniastra (an organic insecticide). The crops retain most of their natural values and are fresh and healthy. For her, chemical fertiliser is a thing of the past now. For three years now, she has been successfully growing organic vegetables and selling them in nearby markets. Her motto is quite simple, , , [(I will) plant organic, eat fresh, be healthy and at the same time, save the environment too]. In early 2020, Emlen Bage took technical training on Improved Papaya Nursery Raising, a one-day training programme from Indian Council of Agricultural Research- Research Complex for Eastern Region (ICAR-RCER) in Plandu, Ranchi along with other farmers of Lohardaga and Gumla District. This detailed training programme helped her to understand the village entrepreneurship model. She studied the establishment of a nursery, maintenance, usage of fertilizers and appropriate tools. She also received some input materials like papaya seeds and poly bags for nursery raising under the Tribal Sub Plan of ICAR-AICRP on fruits from ICAR, Ranchi. I was very inspired, I thought I can raise a papaya fruit nursery and sell the seedlings. She took it as a challenge and built her papaya nursery and raised almost 5,000 papaya seedlings of both, hybrid variety (Red Lady) and local variety (Ranchi Local) in her homestead. She sold these papaya seedlings to more than 50 farmers in and around her Panchayat during the lockdown period. She says: Initially, because of the lockdown, it was difficult to sell the seedlings, people did not have enough cash to buy the seedlings. I reduced the prices and also asked to pay me later. I had contacted farmers who were interested to cultivate papaya and reached out to 45-50 farmers. I earned around Rs 30,000 by selling the hybrid variety plants at the rate of Rs 12-15 and local variety plants at Rs 5 during the lockdown. Emlen Bage is currently planning to expand her organic nursery farm of just planting papaya to other fruits and vegetables by using this hard-earned money and through different linkages. She, thus, plans to expand her nursery and convert it into a full-fledged business. Even in the difficult times as of Covid-19 pandemic, when a huge number of reverse migrations were occurring due to lockdown in our country, Emlen Bage stood against all the odds to show how a village economy can fight this epidemic all being just self-reliant. Her journey has been an extraordinary one, not because of the problems she faced but how she faced those problems, with dignity. She, thus, proudly establishes her identity as a female agri-entrepreneur. She has compared this return with her experience. She has expressed how to create opportunities for them, so they will never want to go to cities for the livelihood, "Now, our sisters and brothers are returning back from cities to their villages. I also returned from a city, but now I am standing at a place where I dont have to depend upon anyone. It is a necessity that we pave new ways for our worker brothers and sisters, and stop them going back to cities." --- *B.Tech from Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Odisha and MA in development studies from IIT, Guwahati, Chandrashekhar is development practitioner, working with rural communities in Jharkhand. Kriti is studying English (hons) at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and works as content writer; she has worked with student-run start-up, Shelfebook, facilitating educational material These schemes by the government and non-government organisations have proved advantageous for her. She urges others to benefit from such projects. Nowadays, there are many schemes and programmes that our government and several organisations are curating, we just need to connect with such schemes. Women have to step out of the houses, as we will gain nothing while sitting in our homes." The same year, she also received a drip machine through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project. She is even working as an active woman in Jharkhand Opportunities for Harnessing Rural Growth (JOHAR) Project and, had formed a Producer Group to start collective farming and collective marketing for small scale farmers. Who is a farmer? Type this question in the google search and check out the images? You can see men thronging the screen. This is the popular perception around the globe. Well one can understand how difficult it would be for a woman to defy this perception. Breaking this stereotype is Emlen Bage, a rising entrepreneur in the agriculture sector. Her journey from a migrant labour to a farmer and an agriculture entrepreneur is no less inspiring. A native of Rania village in the Khunti district of Jharkhand, Emlen belongs to the Munda tribe of Jharkhand and speaks fluent Mundari, Sadri, and Hindi.A strict follower of routine, she sets to work sharp at 6 a.m. for her nursery. She remembers fondly, going into a haze of her sweet memories and says, "I have always followed a routine in my life since childhood throughout my marriage, I am still following it. I would work hard and then also take out time for the studies. Although education seemed inaccessible, she relentlessly pursued her education and almost completed her graduation.After her marriage, she stayed with her husband in Durgapur, West Bengal, for five years till 2003, where he used to work as wage labourer in a fertilizer company. The company closed down in 2002, and they both tried to find menial jobs in Durgapur but unable to sustain for long they returned to Latehar, her husband's native place.In search of better prospects for income and their child's education, they shifted to Kuru village in Lohardaga district and bought four decimals of land after taking loan from a relative. After settling down, she immediately joined an SHG named Mukti Mahila Mandal promoted by Pradan and started saving and credit activities. For her, joining Mahila Mukti Mandal was a new family.A tragedy struck home in 2006 as her husband succumbed to brain malaria and her effort to save him dried up their entire savings. An existing bank loan for a tractor became a burden for the family whose repaying responsibility fell upon her. She was devastated. But it was not the end of her story.During her tough times, Mukti Mahila Mandal, her self-help group (SHG), became her backbone and gave her a new breath of life. Mukti Mahila Mandal, thus, became an essential part of her life as they not only helped her in her financial needs, but they also provided her with the required emotional and social support.She talks very fondly about them, Mukti Mahila Mandal is my extended family, it has been there for me throughout my ups and downs and has always boosted my morale, it is because of didis that I have made an identity for myself." With their help, she started indulging in social work and learnt useful skills, most importantly, leadership.In 2013, she became the first executive member of Block Level Federation (BLF) and was trained on women's rights and empowerment by Pradan under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) project. In 2014, she went for an exposure training to Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Andhra Pradesh where she learnt about the community-level work done by women, and how they are supporting each other and uplifting the community at the same time.She was highly impressed by this model and started applying this in her village. Inspired by the exposure, she took a loan of Rs 50,000 in the same year to start a stationery shop and later expanded it to a cosmetic shop to finally become financially independent.The next year, in 2015, she got the opportunity to visit Kudumbashree, Kerala, where she understood about the Pandhayati Raj Institute-Community Based Organization (PRI-CBO) collaboration through which several government schemes especially social security schemes were efficiently delivered to the last mile person. She even observed their organic-based farming which stayed there in her heart, on which she later started working. Mumbai, July 19 : Warning of heavy job-losses by August, the Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) has urged the Maharashtra government on Sunday to urgently consider reopening the malls in the state. In a memorandum to Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, the SCAI said at least five million (50 lakhs) jobs could be hit if the malls - shut since nearly mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic - are not reopened soon. The SCAI has over 75 malls in the state, with more than 50 percent in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, besides 20 percent in Pune and the rest scattered across other cities, and plans of another 30 new malls are currently on hold. Due to freeze in revenues in lockdown, the entire retail industry is hit hard, they can't meet routine expenses and salaries of staff, stocks worth crores of rupees will be damaged even as the industry has piled up losses of over Rs 100,000-crore, said SCI Chairman Amitabh Taneja. "We have already taken several measures to maintain safety and hygiene, all Covid precautions," said Mukesh Kumar, SCAI's SOP Committee Chairman and CEO of Infiniti Malls, urging for reopening of the malls. Taneja said several states have already opened up their 500 malls since June 8 with stringent SOPs implemented, including Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bhopal Agartala, Siliguri, Raiganj, Indore, Cuttack, etc. CEO of Viviana Malls Manoj K. Agarwal just as other states have expressed confidence in the malls to strictly adhere to Corona guidelines for safe shopping the state government should also permit controlled operations for the industry's survival. Palladium and High Street Phoenix malls President (West) Rajendra Kalkar said in Bangalore, Lucknow and Bareilly, serious shoppers are coming unlike the times when malls were seen as a hangout destination, and there is increased demand in certain categories like electronics, cosmetics, apparels, etc. Taneja said that after the capping of visitors, crowd control and strict safety measures implemented, a recent quick survey revealed that malls are the safest places to visit. SCAI has also recommended its own set of guidelines to Aditya Thackeray after malls are reopened including crowd control by adopting a 75 sq ft per person formula, mandatory Aarogya Setu app, single-shift operations with around 30-40 percent staff, food courts and restaurants seating at 50 per cent, reduced parking, encouraging contactless payments, isolation room facility, availability of oxygen cylinders, etc. Britain has heard the call for reparations and ignored it for decades. When the case for reparations is made, we are told to move on as then-British Prime Minister David Cameron put it to Jamaican politicians four years ago. When statues of imperialists and slaveowners come down, we are told that we are trying to bowdlerise or edit our history as Boris Johnson has recently said. In other words, the conservatives insist we move on when the conversation of colonialism or slavery comes up, and when the statues that memorialise them come down, we are condemned for trying to move on from history. They cannot seem to make up their mind, but that should not be an obstacle to self-determination in its former (and some current) colonies. And that is what the case for reparations is about: self-determination. On July 6, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) an organisation of 15 countries in the Caribbean renewed its calls for reparations, emphasising their importance for the second stage of independence in the Caribbean. We were not given a development compact, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados argued, we were given political independence. According to her, the Caribbean has made great strides to reverse legal inequalities. But only reparations could help overcome the psychological, sociological, and economical inequalities that exist within Caribbean countries and between them and their former colonisers. Here in Europe, progressives should understand that this is a call to action. In his reflections on his friendship with Pan-Africanist George Padmore, the late Trinidadian scholar CLR James recalled that roughly 10 of his friends, mostly West Indian, were the ones that were agitating for the independence of Africa. They reared, trained and prepared young Africans to take the reign of government. They were all based in London, including several people who would become the first heads of states in their own independent countries. Most of the people, he recalled, looked upon us as well-meaning but politically illiterate West Indians. The conversation for independence had not yet become mainstream, and some even said it would not happen for another 100 or so years. That was in 1935, only 20 years before the process would begin. Now there are two reasons why this history is instructive. First, because the case for reparations, inspired by the works of thinkers like CLR James, Eric Williams, and Walter Rodney, is itself rooted in radical West Indian tradition that led to the agitation of African and Caribbean independence, and is indeed a continuation of that struggle. Second, because that legacy of bringing the fight to London implied that the struggle could not be waged in the Caribbean and Africa alone. If the Caribbean right now is advancing the cause for reparations, then we need to bring that frame of thought and action back. People of African descent everywhere have to see this struggle through. There has never been a more opportune moment than the present, when we are fighting for the cause of Black lives. At the University of Cambridge, there is a continuing inquiry into the legacies of slavery set to finish in 2022. In the best-case scenario, if all of the constitutive colleges get their act together and stop pedalling the simplistic lie that their only contribution to the slave trade was to train abolitionists, then the inquiry will follow the lead made by Glasgow University. In 2019, Glasgow University publicly acknowledged its links to slavery and promised to raise and spend $26m in a reparative justice programme, which would include the establishment of a research centre to be shared with the University of the West Indies (UWI). UWIs Vice Chancellor Hilary Beckles praised them for taking the bold step of saying we are not going to research and run, we are going to research, and then we are going to stand up and repair. Students, staff and faculty at Cambridge should do what they can to ensure the inquiry does not entail the research and run approach and that it should, in fact, move in the direction of Glasgow. But educational partnerships, and other forms of aid, cannot be rebranded as reparations either. That is just a PR exercise. We are at risk here of stripping that word of its meaning. Cambridge ought to deal with Beckles not in his capacity as UWI vice chancellor but as the chairman of the CARICOM reparations commission. The student governments of each Cambridge college ought to demand that the inquiries in their colleges come with a promise of reparations and that those reparations be provided directly to the CARICOM Reparations Commission. Now, this admittedly would require a shift in perspective among many students. The biography of Eric Williams, the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and the man whom Beckles credits with developing the case for reparations, is replete with his experiences of facing racism as a student in Britain. But like many of his peers, he focused less on making the university a hospitable space for Black students and prioritised self-determination in the British colonies. The two, are of course, not mutually exclusive. Imagine if university students in Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, which Williams identified as the three cities that provid the link between early industrial capitalism and slavery, stood with the CARICOM reparations commission. What a force would that be? Today, Black and minority ethnic (BME) politics cannot be merely about making sure we get more scholarships and hires for Black people in universities in Britain. This is important, but should not be our only goal. As the Caribbean announces its fight for its own Marshall Plan, we ought to return to an older pro-independence legacy here as well: In our universities, in our neighbourhoods and parliament, we should agitate in solidarity with the struggle for reparations. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. PORTLAND, Ore. - City officials on Friday demanded the Trump administration remove what they called a heavy-handed army of federal agents who have been grabbing protesters off the streets - tactics that federal officials defended as legal and necessary to quell ongoing unrest. The fight between the White House and the left-leaning city government intensified Friday amid videos and firsthand accounts of mysterious federal agents driving around in unmarked rental minivans and detaining protesters. Friday night saw additional clashes as federal agents used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to disperse a group of protesters. At least one person was arrested. The unrest intensified in the early morning hours, as some protesters hurled water bottles and set off smoke bombs and fireworks aimed at courthouse and police buildings. "I wonder what country I'm living in," protester Beth Fernandez said. "Having the feds come in and try to quench this anger is not the right approach and we want them out." Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the federal agents Trump's "personal army" and said they should leave the city. "This is part of a coordinated strategy of Trump's White House to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data, and it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials," Wheeler said. "As we were starting to see things de-escalate, their actions last Saturday night and every night since have actually ratcheted up the tension on our streets." Portland, a city with a long history of clashes between protesters and law enforcement, has been gripped for roughly 50 days by unrest since the death of George Floyd after he was arrested by police in Minneapolis. While other cities saw flashes of such conflict, Portland's clashes have been more intense and persistent. Acting secretary of homeland security Chad Wolf traveled to Portland this week to supervise the federal actions there, and he sharply criticized local law enforcement for not getting tough with "violent anarchists." Wolf told Fox News on Thursday night that he offered law enforcement assistance to the mayor and local leaders but was asked to "pack up and go home," which he said is "just not going to happen on my watch." He accused local leaders of "fostering an environment that continues to breed this type of lawlessness." One widely shared video showed two men in military garb on the street at night taking a young man wearing all black into custody. On the video, the two agents do not answer shouted questions before putting the man into an unmarked minivan and driving away. On Friday, Customs and Border Protection issued a statement taking responsibility for the apprehension and asserting its agents were wearing gear that identified them as CBP personnel. CBP agents went after that person because they suspected he was involved in "assaults against federal agents or destruction of federal property," the statement said. "Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyone's safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location for further questioning." The agency said the CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the apprehension. One protester, 29-year-old Mark Pettibone, described being grabbed by several men in green military fatigues and generic "police" patches on their clothing in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Pettibone said he did not know whether the men were police or far-right extremists, who frequently don militarylike outfits and harass left-leaning protesters in Portland. "I was terrified," Pettibone said in an interview. "It seemed like it was out of a horror/sci-fi, like a Philip K. Dick novel. It was like being preyed upon." Pettibone was taken to the city's federal courthouse and placed in a holding cell. Two agents eventually read him his Miranda rights and asked whether he would waive those rights to answer questions. He declined, and the agents let him go. The federal agents who detained him did not tell him why he was being held or provide any record of an arrest, he said. The federal law enforcement response in Portland has prompted a debate among current and former law enforcement officials about whether DHS and Justice Department law enforcement agencies are being misused by the Trump administration. "The idea that they are leaving the perimeter of that federal property and going out in the streets of Portland gives me a lot of personal angst about their concept of policing in general," said David Gomez, a former FBI official. "Policing is essentially a contract with the community. That's why a lot of these communities are erupting, because they feel the police have effectively violated the contract. When you have the federal government coming in there, acting as state police, you're effectively pushing the community away." CBP's acting commissioner, Mark Morgan, tweeted Friday that his agents are not hiding their affiliation and are "clearly marked as federal [law enforcement officers] & have unique identifiers." The incident and others like it have sparked widespread criticism of the DHS, particularly after an unidentified federal agent outside the courthouse fired a nonlethal round into a protester's face over the weekend. That protester was badly injured and suffered facial bone fractures. Oregon's U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, all Democrats, asked the Justice Department and DHS inspectors general to investigate what they called "the unrequested presence and violent actions of federal forces in Portland." The U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy Williams, said he had referred the shooting of the protester to the inspector general in the Justice Department. A U.S. Marshals Service spokeswoman said Friday that the agency was not involved in the arrests and apprehensions described by Pettibone and others, adding that its agents always wear identifying insignia. However, nearly a week after the event, Marshals officials will not say whether the person who fired the impact munition into the protester's face was one of their employees. On Friday night, Oregon state law enforcement officials said they and the local district attorney's office had opened an investigation into the July 12 incident. "It's painfully clear this administration is focused purely on escalating violence without answering my repeated requests for why this expeditionary force is in Portland and under what constitutional authority," said Wyden. Blumenauer, who represents part of Portland, said the "jarring reports of federal law enforcement officers grabbing peaceful protesters off the street should alarm every single American. This is not the way a government operates in a functioning democracy." Civil liberties advocates said they will keep fighting in court against the use of federal agents to police the streets of Portland. "The Trump administration has added escalation on top of escalation in our community," said Kelly Simon, the interim legal director of the ACLU of Oregon. "We won't stand for it, and we will see them in court more than once in the near future." Jo Ann Hardesty, a Portland city commissioner, said in a statement that she was proudly "among the loud chorus of elected officials calling for the federal troops in Portland's streets to go home." She said their presence "has escalated tensions and put countless Portlanders exercising their First Amendment Rights in greater danger." Hardesty also called for the Portland police "to immediately disengage in any coordination or collaboration with the federal officers," saying they should not be "a subsidiary of [Trump's] federal forces." The police bureau did not respond to a message seeking comment Friday about its involvement in the federal response and whether its officers had any role in the detention or questioning of anyone by federal officials. Portland has a history of disagreement with federal law enforcement; the city council has voted to pull its police detectives out of the FBI's joint terrorism task force, out of concerns about the civil rights of Muslim residents. An FBI spokeswoman said the agency is not responsible for crowd control, and she declined to say whether it is investigating any actions of law enforcement surrounding the unrest. The Russian Ambassador to the UK has rejected allegations that the secret to give service to his country's hackers have access to information on a vaccine against the Coronavirus. Appropriate charges were levied last week, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Andrei Kelin said in a Sunday broadcast Interview with the BBC, the allegations would "not make sense". He did not know of the existence of hacking from the British media, said Kelin. It is impossible for computer hackers to a particular country. The UK National centre for cyber security, declared on Thursday, Russian hackers spying on Corona-researchers. The group APT29, also known as the Cozy Bear, permanently try to gain access to academic and pharmaceutical research facilities, in which a vaccine against the novel Coronavirus is sought, said the center. The findings came from a joint investigation with the United States and Canada. Cozy Bear is, according to the assessment of the three countries part of the Russian secret service. Russia has rejected the accusations. If in fact, research data has been captured, is unclear. Raab wants to "reprehensible behaviour" of Russia brand The British foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab explained, "Russian actors" have attempted, in the parliamentary election last year, to interfere, they would have reproduced, stolen government documents online. Kelin said in the Interview that his country had no interest in British domestic politics to interfere. To do this, as there was no reason, because Russia will strive for better relations with every government, no matter which party is in the country. Updated Date: 19 July 2020, 13:20 How desperately humiliating it is for our country to claim that much progress has been made because we no longer dress up, pack lunches and drag our children along to a lynching, as if going to the county fair. Thousands of our citizens no longer gather in public squares to shout and cheer and celebrate the public, extralegal murder of an individual by stabbing, choking, battering and burning as happened when 17-year old, mentally disabled Jesse Washington was tortured to death in the town square of Waco. Officials who had given license to these public orgies of cruelty gradually began to realize that such extreme events, often widely publicized, did not benefit the reputation of their communities. There was no general moral awakening or renunciation of racism. But in an age of intense commercial boosterism, the realization finally dawned: If our town becomes known for outrageous violence, businesses wont want to locate here and our town wont grow and prosper. Lynchings, of course, did not abruptly end. But they no longer took place in the town square at high noon. They were conducted by more and more marginalized individuals, often in remote rural areas under cover of night. S unseekers have flocked to Barcelona's beaches, ignoring please from Catalan authorities to stay at home as coronavirus cases continue to rise. People sunbathed and played in the sea along the coastline on Sunday in one of Spain's worst-hit regions. Police were patrolling the coastline in masks to try and ensure social distancing. But Barceloneta beach - a favourite with tourists - reached capacity and had to be closed to new bathers by the afternoon. People were queueing to access the beach. Earlier in the day, authorities urged the more than 96,000 residents of three Catalan towns to stay home as part of a toughened response to the crisis. A man plays as he enjoys the sunny weather at Barceloneta beach / REUTERS On Friday, some four million people, including in Barcelona, were advised to leave their home only for essential trips. "Staying at home in the summer is stifling and stressful," said Felipe, when asked why he had come to the beach despite the advice. Police officers patrol at Barceloneta beach / REUTERS "I work five days a week and can't spend every day at home. My mental health comes first," said the 24-year-old, who was wearing a mask. The latest figures from Catalonia's regional health ministry on Sunday showed a daily increase of 944 cases. People dance at Barceloneta beach / REUTERS The stay-home call stops short of imposing a mandatory lockdown, but is the strongest measure taken to returning people to home confinement since Spain emerged from a nationwide lockdown on June 21. The new measures also include a ban on meetings of over 10 people. Bars and restaurants will be allowed to open, but at 50 per cent capacity inside and with a 2-metre (6.5-foot) distance between tables outside. Spain was one of Europe's hardest-hit countries by Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, with more than 28,000 deaths. Since the national lockdown ended, more than 170 infection clusters have sprung up, prompting regional authorities to impose a patchwork of local restrictions. Booksellers might need to shove Malcolm Turnbulls A Bigger Picture aside on their shelves to make way for a new Turnbull title. High school teacher Daisy Turnbull - daughter to Malcolm - has written a parenting book, called 50 Risks to Take with Your Kids. Turnbull has been signed to Hardie Grant under publisher Sandy Grant - also publisher of A Bigger Picture. A book on building resilience, 50 Risks is apparently a practical take on the work of Coddling of the American Mind co-author Jonathan Haidt and others. Risks include letting your kid lose the thing and letting them navigate a socially awkward situation. Like stealing the show at a prime ministerial farewell press conference, perhaps? Malcolm Turnbull, with daughter Daisy and granddaughter Alice. Credit:Tim Bauer But shes not the only one in the former PMs orbit about to be published. Grant has also signed up former Liberal MP Julia Banks to write her story about working in law, her time in parliament and the Liberal Party. The Chisholm MP ditched the Liberals to join the crossbench after Turnbulls overthrow. Banks called the coup the last straw in an environment ridden with cultural and gender bias [and] bullying and intimidation" of women. Were already keen to hear more. T J S George By Admittedly the Covid pandemic is dangerous in multiple ways. But that is not the real issue. The real issue is whether Covid can be used for political purposes. The honest answer is Yes. Any development can be used by shrewd political leaders to promote their interests. The idea of using a worldwide disease for personal purposes may look like human values reaching new lows. But, there is no running away from reality. India has seen many prime ministers using their prerogatives to neutralise those who pose a threat to them. Jawaharlal Nehru himself dismissed Keralas elected Government in 1959 for trumped-up reasons. It is immaterial that the real force behind that coup was Indira Gandhi and that the unseen force behind her was the American lobby. What Indira did in 1959 was repeated by her son in 1982. There was haughtiness in the way Rajiv Gandhi dismissed Andhra Chief Minister T Anjaiah. With the arrogance of dynastic power, he publicly called Anjaiah a buffoon. That the Congress lost Andhra for good after that never bothered him. No prime minister has had a God-given opportunity like Covid to consolidate his power and put himself beyond challenge. The gods including the gods of Covid are on the side of the present Prime Minister. And he is putting it to good use with an expertise that is unrivalled. Look at what might seem like an innocuous issue, the CBSE syllabus. Many subjects have been dropped from this years syllabus to reduce examination stress on students. What a considerate government, you might think. But take a closer look at the subjects that have been removed from the syllabus: Citizenship, Nationalism, Secularism, Federalism, Five-Year Plans. Got it? Under such a syllabus, young new-gen Indians can grow up without realising that a modern, secular, justiciable democracy had evolved in Indias constitutional governance. Evidently, the erasure of that part of history is what the power-wielders of the day want. Who will lose, who will gain from such contrived education? After Jawaharlal Nehru, the only prime minster who looked at policy making from a historical and national perspective was P V Narasimha Rao. And the Congress party went out of its way to make Narasimha Rao a non-person. The interior decay of the party that surfaced then was never set right. In fact, it got worse under Sonia Gandhi because, despite her best efforts, she could not acquire the legitimacy of Indira. Sonia speaking for the Congress with the Presidents cap on somehow doesnt click. In fact, it can be said that it diminishes the public appeal of the Congress. Add to this the new phenomenon of Rahul Gandhi trying to change his persona. Is some kind of personality shift taking place within him? All of a sudden he is appearing with new hair styles and wearing collared shirts that make him look like a senior clerk in an export-import company in Connaught Place. The Congresss curse and Indias is that no one dares look outside of the Gandhis. This is when it is obvious that dramatic changes will occur if Sonia retires and Rahul joins a team of leaders comprising Mallikarjun Kharge, Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram on the one side and Milind Deora, Jitin Prasada and Deepender Hooda on the other, all working as a team of equals. The days of Gandhi monopoly are over.India has marched ahead of many other countries because of its multiculturalism and liberal democracy. Forces have lately developed in opposition to both these strong points. If they succeed, it will be at the cost of the strength India derives from the multiplicity of its civilisational components. Chole-bhature and lassi are as integral to Indias continuance as a confluence of traditions as are kozhukattai and Mylapores kathrikkai fry. Imagine a day when all these are taken off the menu and only dhokla and puri-chunda are permitted to be eaten. Life will lose its flavours. It is natural for rulers, in democracies as well as autocracies, to go for absolute power which corrupts many things absolutely. It is the exercise of absolute power that made Delhi recently ban all liquor sales, knowing that liquor sale is a state subject.The lesson being taught is obvious: There is only one authority in India today and that is in Delhi. What Indira and Rajiv tried to do amateurishly is being done professionally, determinedly and comprehensively. Take it lying down because you have no choice. 20.07.2020 LISTEN The Ashanti Regional branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress NDC has accused the Ghana Armed Forces of interference and intimidation of its agents in the ongoing voter registration exercise in the Ashanti Region. The accredited NDC agents who were assigned at the Tepa SHS were denied access to the center by the military presence. The military according to the NDC, said they were acting on the orders of NPP big guns to prevent any NDC person from the center. This was contained in a statement release on Sunday to inform the general public of governments intention to turn the country into military state. Ashanti Regional NDC is urging its members to remain calm as the leadership of the party will take any necessary steps to address the issue. Below is the full statement: We regret to make public that our registration agents accredited by the Electoral Commission to Tepa SHS in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency were physically prevented from undertaking their lawful duty by the Military. It is important to state that the Tepa SHS as per the ECs gazette has two registration centres and does not qualify to be used as a special registration centre according to the Electoral Commissions own publication. Again, the Electoral Commission in spite of the flagrant disregard for its own publication, deployed sixteen (16) BVRs to the Tepa SHS for registration. Unfortunately, heavy Military officers were deployed by the state to the Tepa SHS and they prevented 14 of our agents from performing their lawful duties. Sadly, Not even our Regional party monitoring agent, Mr. Brogya Genfi, who has been duly accredited by the EC was granted access to the registration centres. We were informed by the Military that they have been ordered to prevent all/any NDC officials and agents from accessing the registration centres. A meeting convened by the District Police Commander over this unlawful restraint of deserving participants by the Military where all stakeholders were present did not yield the required results because the Military was determined to execute the orders for which they were deployed. It is sad that our country is turning into a Military State where all is done by the failed Akufo-Addo government to use the Military to unlawfully intimidate citizens for political gains. In spite of these challenges, we encourage all Party members in the Ahafo Ano North Constituency to be resolute even in the face of extreme intimidation. The NDC shall prevail. Kwame Zu (Regional Secretary) Here are todays leading news stories: Society -- A hot weather pattern with high temperature and low humidity is forecast to linger in central Vietnam over the next days, posing a high risk of forest fires. Meanwhile, the scorching weather in northern provinces is expected to become less intense from Monday. -- Four people were killed in two separate accidents involving four motorbikes in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on Saturday. Most victims in both cases were riding their motorcycles at a very high speed. -- A scrap facility has been caught dumping chemicals into a stream in a residential area in the southern province of Binh Duong, causing its water to turn white and have an unpleasant stench. -- A total of 241 Vietnamese citizens stranded in the Philippines were brought home on Saturday evening. They were all quarantined after landing in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. -- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed to the prime minister that environmental pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City be monitored and controlled regularly, as the situation has recently escalated at an alarming level. -- Authorities in the Central Highlands of Vietnam have asked the prime minister to consider the construction of expressways and the establishment of a railway network in the region to help boost economic development. Business -- National carrier Vietnam Airlines may face a liquidity shortage starting in September and a drop of VND50 trillion (US$2.16 billion) in revenue this year due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, CEO Duong Tri Thanh said. Lifestyle -- Thousands of visitors, including many foreigners, participated in the 2020 An Bang Beach Food & Music Festival at the namesake beach in Hoi An City, located in the central province of Quang Nam on Saturday. World News -- Over 14.4 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus around the world while more than 604,800 have lost their lives, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health's statistics. Above 8.6 million patients have recovered. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Hong Kong: 108 COVID-19 cases reported The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is investigating 108 additional COVID-19 cases, taking the number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 1,885. The new cases involve 45 males and 63 females aged between seven and 91. Among them, 25 had travel history during the incubation period. As for the local cases, the CHP will distribute deep throat saliva specimen bottles to residents of buildings with the confirmed cases and to those who have had contact with the patients during the infectious period. As there are a large number of confirmed cases, the testing capacity remains limited even though the Department of Health has procured testing services directly from local private laboratories to enhance public testing capacity. The CHP will therefore accord priority to people with higher risk such as residents of buildings with more than one unit with confirmed cases of unknown source when distributing specimen bottles. People are urged to seek medical attention early even if mild symptoms develop to help prevent the diseases spread in the community. Epidemiological investigations and contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that 463 confirmed COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalised and 1,294 confirmed and suspected patients have been discharged. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A well known Longford crime family has seen its financial clout seriously dented thanks to the latest wave of search operations carried out by gardai, the Leader can reveal. It comes after over 140,000 in cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis were seized by gardai following three separate operations over the past 48 hours. The first of those came last Wednesday night when suspected cannabis herb with an estimated street value of 20,000 and suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of 30,000 were seized during a search at Shroid, Co Longford. A man in his 60s, who is a licensed taxi driver in Longford was arrested at the scene and appeared in court the following day in connection to the incident. ALSO READ: Longford taxi driver granted bail following seizure of 50,000 worth of drugs in his vehicle Then, on Friday 52,000 worth of drugs were seized by officers attached to Longford/Roscommon's Divisional Drugs Unit as a result of a search of farmlands in the Ballinalee area. No arrests have been made but investigations continue apace with senior garda officials confident of further progress being made over the next number of days. The third and final operation came during the early hours of this morning when Gardai in Longford seized cash in excess of 40,000 as a result of information received regarding suspected money laundering. ALSO READ: Longford Gardai seize over 40k in suspected money laundering probe The Leader understands that operation was very much intrinsically linked to a well documented Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) operation two weeks ago which led to the confiscation of cars, caravans and luxury jewellery in a seizure which could fetch 500,000. The prime target of this morning's raid is a notorious Traveller crime faction who are heavily involved in drug dealing, prostitution, intimidation and extortion. It's understood members of the gang have been turning up the heat on beneficiaries of its money lending activities in a bid to recoup the losses sustained from the recent CAB raid. However, it is understood this morning's seizure has inflicted another blow to those well laid plans with senior gardai vowing to continue to ensure those involved in organised crime endure the full rigours of the law. "It's a serious effort and shows the level of commitment we have in clamping down on this type of activity. We always said we would act and act decisively and that's what we have been doing and will continue to do," said Supt Jim Delaney as he thanked members of the public for their co-operation in the gardai most recent efforts into tackling organised crime in recent weeks. The Big Brother Australia hunk is known for his chiseled abs and muscular physique. But on Sunday, Chad Hurst revealed he's been fat-shamed during his career as an international male model. In an interview with Body+Soul, the resident heartthrob, 27, said: '[Before entering the house], I was spending a lot of time overseas modelling, most out of LA.' Candid: Big Brother star Chad Hurst (pictured) opened up about facing 'fat-shaming' in the male modelling industry '[But] I don't do fashion weeks because they're all after guys who are almost 7ft tall and skinny. I've done it in the past for experience but it's not worth it - you do 12-hour days and get paid peanuts,' he continued. Chad went on to say that models face pressure while doing fashion shows as they've always got someone 'telling you that you're too fat'. 'With fashion shows, you've got someone ripping into you all the time and telling you that you're too fat... I'm not into that,' he said. Chad's interview comes after he revealed that he'd been bullied as a child for being overweight, before he completely transformed his body. 'I'm not into that': Chad said models face pressure while doing fashion shows as they've always got someone 'telling you that you're too fat' Speaking to TV Week this month, he confessed: 'Growing up, I was the fat kid. I was pale and freckly, and had bleached hair that went a bit ranga.' 'I got duct-taped to a tree once. They used to call me Ch**d, Little Blob and Fatty. I struggled.' At 15, Chad started working out at the gym and went from 90kg to 75kg. After becoming 'addicted' to lifting weights, he ended up putting the weight back on in muscle, eventually tipping the scales at 102kg with just seven per cent body fat. Transformation: Chad's interview comes after he revealed that he'd been bullied as a child for being overweight, before he completely transformed his body After being told to lose 20kg in order to pursue a career in modelling, Chad 'stopped lifting weights' and instead focused on doing 'cardio every day'. Once he dropped some of the muscle, his modelling career hit new heights and he was eventually sent overseas for work. Chad is one of five housemates left vying for the cash prize on Big Brother. Big Brother continues Monday from 7:30pm on Channel Seven She's become one of Channel Ten's most popular journalists after her stint as 2016's The Bachelorette. And on Sunday in Melbourne, Georgia Love reported for duty in a face mask, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 31-year-old shared a candid selfie to Instagram with the majority of her face covered, and sarcastically remarked in the caption that 2020 'isn't good'. Safety first! Former Bachelorette Georgia Love (pictured), 31, reported for Channel Ten duty in a face mask in Melbourne on Sunday, amid the coronavirus pandemic In the photo, Georgia wore a chic tan ensemble, and angled the camera to capture her face mask and microphone with the Channel Ten logo. The brunette sarcastically wrote in the post's caption: 'I don't know if I'm the first person to point this out but 2020 is....not good.' It comes after Georgia and fiance Lee Elliott, 38, were forced to scrap their destination wedding in Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they hope to say 'I do' in Georgia's home state of Tasmania, but are having trouble organising the day due to the lockdown in Melbourne, where they both live. Trademark wit: Sharing a candid selfie to Instagram, the brunette sarcastically wrote in the post's caption: 'I don't know if I'm the first person to point this out but 2020 is....not good' 'We're just planning as if everything will be okay by next year, but we still don't know whether it will be,' Georgia recently told Now To Love. 'It's also hard to do a lot of it when we can't even get down to Tassie.' The couple are unable to leave Victoria due to the lockdown, which has been put in place after a second wave of COVID-19 infections hit the state. Change of plans: It comes after Georgia and fiance Lee Elliott (pictured), 38, were forced to scrap their destination wedding in Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic New destination: Instead, they are planning to say 'I do' in Georgia's home state of Tasmania, but are having trouble organising the big day due to the lockdown in Melbourne As the situation changes from day to day, Georgia acknowledged that her wedding plans may have to adjust once again. 'We still don't know if we actually will be able to go ahead with what we're planning,' she said. Despite the challenges of lockdown, Georgia has enjoyed having 'so much time at home' to plan her special day. 'That's how Lee and I are looking at it, we feel grateful to have this dedicated time to plan and get excited,' she said. Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Rajasthan, Congress MLA Rajendra Gudha said on Sunday that Sanjay Jain, the middleman arrested on charges of sedition and conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government, contacted him a few months back and offered to organise meeting with former CM Vasundhara Raje and other BJP leaders. Jain approached me around eight months back and wanted me to meet Raje in Delhi but I refused, Gudha said. He said the BJP has been playing this game for a long time and contacted him a few months back. They were trying but they failed. The Congress MLA said, We supported Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in his last and this government without any conditions. It is unjustified to make attempts to destabilize the government, especially when the country is suffering from Covid-19. BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek questioned Gudha about the timing of his revelation. Why was he quiet for eight months? There was an assembly session; he could have raised it in the House, he said. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed that the rebel MLAs were acting in tandem with the BJP to bring down his government. But rebel leader Sachin Pilot has refuted the allegations and denied that he was joining the BJP. On Friday evening, there was a lot of drama at the hotel in Manesar where the dissident Congress MLAs are staying after an SOG team was not allowed to enter the premises by the Haryana Police. They were eventually allowed to enter the hotel later. Police had to use a dispersal order to break up a large crowd of Londoners illegally partying on Saturday night near Portobello Road. Alarming footage showed several people dressed up for a night out singing and dancing in one of London's busiest areas despite a public health risk during the coronavirus pandemic. A witness to the block party revealed that 'hundreds' attended the event in central London and claimed some people urinated on the locked-up food stalls belonging to market traders, took cocaine and defecated in the street. Violent altercations also occurred at the block party, believed to be near Notting Hill, with police saying that the event was disruptive, illegal and posed a serious health risk. Police had to break up a large party taking place on Portobello Road near Notting Hill, central London on Saturday night with a dispersion order A witness to the block party revealed that 'hundreds' attended the event in central London and claimed some people urinated on the locked-up food stalls belonging to market traders, took cocaine and defecated in the street The party, which was captured on video, was described as disruptive, illegal and police said it posed a serious health risk during the coronavirus pandemic A Kensington and Chelsea Police spokesperson said on Twitter: 'There is a s35 dispersal zone in the Portobello Road area. 'Do NOT attend these areas. Officers have the power to move you on, and will do so. If you attend within this period you could be arrested. 'Unlicensed music events are illegal. As well as being very disruptive to communities and posing an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission, they have in some cases led to violent incidents affecting both those attending and the officers who have to shut them down.' Oliver Gerrish, believed to be a witness of the event, tweeted: 'People defacating, taking cocaine, shouting and swearing - and in their hundreds. This is Portobello Road - our home - at this time of national crisis. Members of the large crowd were seen dancing very close to each other like they were in a nightclub, which will remain closed until further notice 'This country is a mess. We can't leave our door on Friday or Saturday evenings without feeling we live by an open sewer. Sad.' Another social media user, Michael Zeiter, said: 'It's been like this for weeks now - and nothing ever is done until late a night when trouble potential (and disturbance to the neighbours has been the greatest), which just makes no sense.' Many people in the video were dancing like they were in a nightclub, an industry which Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed on Friday would remain shut until further notice. Kensington & Chelsea Police made a dispersal order in order to break up the crowds, which did turn violent on Saturday evening Members of the public complained about the block party on social media on Saturday evening Pubs in England reopened at the beginning of July as lockdown regulations were eased, much to the delight of many young people across the country. On Saturday, Britain announced a further 40 coronavirus-related deaths, taking the overall total to 45,273. Today's figures are down 140 from last Saturday's coronavirus-associated deaths across the UK, as recorded by the Department for Health and Social Care. Police's five-hour battle to break up rave mob By Scarlet Howes for the Mail on Sunday Riot cops came under a hail of bricks and bottles as they shut down an illegal rave early yesterday just hours after beleaguered police chiefs vowed a 'swift and robust' crackdown. Officers were pelted with canisters of laughing gas and even a bicycle at the drug-fuelled party attended by up to 1,000 revellers who later complained that the event had 'barely got started' when police moved in. The Metropolitan Police said two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested for violent disorder and obstruction in Finsbury Park, North London, They remained in custody while one officer needed hospital treatment for bruised ribs. Members of the Metropolitan Police were pelted with laughing gas in Finsbury Park on Friday Angry residents called police who arrived at 11pm on Friday, only hours after Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she would take tougher action against unlicensed music events following Home Secretary Priti Patel's criticism of a soft approach. As a police helicopter circled above, riot police marched on to the Woodberry Down Estate where the rave was being held. It took five hours to clear the area, with videos posted on social media showing revellers throwing kerbstone bricks and bottles at officers. A dispersal zone was set up and trained public order officers entered the estate to try to disperse the group, but the Met said they were met with 'hostility and violence' and two officers were injured after items including canisters, bottles and a bicycle were hurled at them. One was taken to hospital with bruising to his ribs and has since been discharged, and the other suffered a leg injury but was able complete the remainder of his duty. Scotland Yard later vowed to deploy more officers on the streets in anticipation of more illegal raves and violent crimes in the event of warmer weather. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi said: 'Officers responded to calls from residents concerned about a large gathering, noise, anti-social behaviour and violence. The disorder they encountered is totally unacceptable as is the fear I am sure this generates amongst the local community, who called the police for help.' Unlicensed music events have become a regular issue for police across England ever since lockdown restrictions were eased. Earlier on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a statement saying they had dismantled a planned illegal rave by engaging with audio equipment suppliers. The statement said: 'Following two large illegal raves that were held last month, GMP set up a dedicated operation to carefully monitor any planned future events. 'These raves pose significant risks as previous events have demonstrated and we're committed to working with our partners to prevent further raves from taking place. 'These events are unacceptable, they put lives at risk and they will not be tolerated.' Instead, I must explain why Tamir Rice never celebrated his 13th birthday. I must tell my son why the officer who shot him was never arrested another sobering, unjust and often repetitious outcome that has become commonplace when Black people have been killed during interactions with police officers. My son is only 10 years old, just two years shy of Tamir Rices age when his life was stolen forever. Soon my son will join the world of licensed drivers and enter that horrifying space where simple traffic infractions can lead to life-altering and life-ending results for young Black boys. As Black parents, we are often forced to wear masks of feigned courage, armed with the frightening reality that even the most routine traffic stop can forever change the dynamic of a family. Traumatizing my son is not my goal, but not preparing him for a world that has repeatedly rejected Black boys would be the ultimate act of negligence. Not everyone values him, cherishes him and loves him the way my wife and I do. Today, he is cute and harmless, still short of the threshold of being labeled as menacing or threatening. Yet one day, without proper warning or prior notice, he will be unceremoniously stripped of this innocence, forced to lean solely on the lessons and counsel that we have previously provided him. What terrifies me most is not being there to protect him when that moment occurs. Other friends of the director, including Bajpayee, filmmakers Anubhav Sinha and actor Urmila Matondkar paid tributes to the late director Mumbai: Filmmaker Rajat Mukherjee, best known for directing Manoj Bajpayee-starrer "Road" and romantic thriller "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya", passed away due to kidney ailments in the wee hours of Sunday. He was in his late 50s. Producer Anish Ranjan, a close friend of Mukherjee's, said the director breathed his last in Jaipur, where he had gone to be with his family for Holi but got stuck when the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown was announced. Ranjan said the director had developed breathing issues over a month ago and had gone to get a COVID-19 test done, when the doctors realised that his "sodium potassium levels" were imbalanced. "He had kidney and heart issues as well. About 12-15 days ago, one kidney was removed. He was on dialysis and had come back to his house. On Saturday, he went for dialysis and returned around 8 pm. "His wife, who was taking care of him, realised something was amiss. By the time the ambulance arrived and he was taken to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead," Ranjan told PTI. Other friends of the director, including Bajpayee, filmmakers Anubhav Sinha, Hansal Mehta and actor Urmila Matondkar paid their tributes to the late director. Bajpayee recalled filming the 2002 thriller "Road" with Mukherjee and said his passing was shocking. "I will always remember the shoot days of 'Road' and how we created it while having so much fun all because of you! Will miss you dearly my friend Rajat... Still can't believe that we will never meet or discuss our work ever again. Be happy, wherever you are," Bajpayee wrote on Twitter. Matondkar, who worked with Mukherjee in "Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya" in 2001, said she was saddened to hear about his demise. "A talented and live wire personality who made this rare gem of a Film. Deepest condolences to his family. Rest in peace dear friend," she wrote on the microblogging site. Mehta said Mukherjee was one of his oldest friends from his struggling days. "Rajat Mukherjee, director of 'Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya' and 'Road' was a friend from our early, early struggles in Bombay. Many meals, many bottles of Old Monk consumed. Many more to consume in another world. Will miss you dear friend," the "Aligarh" director wrote. Sinha said that in Mukherjee's death, he had lost a friend. "Another friend gone too soon. Director Rajat Mukherjee. He was dealing with multiple health situations past few months in Jaipur. Go well mate," he added. Mukherjee is survived by wife, mother and brother. A senior civil servant has caused a storm by claiming that systemic racism exists in Britain and endorsing the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in an email to hundreds of staff. Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said he was learning about my white privilege and how that looks to others and expressed regret that a Census question on ethnicity had caused offence. Elsewhere in his email, he described the vital role of the ONS in shining a light on todays society, but added that too often the collection of... statistics is done with only White People in the virtual room. He signed off his note: Black Lives Matter! Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said he was learning about my white privilege and how that looks to others and expressed regret that a Census question on ethnicity had caused offence However, some staff claim his email is at odds with the principle of Civil Service impartiality and point out that BLM UK, the group behind the fundraising campaign that has raised more than 1 million, supports the dismantling of capitalism. One staff member claimed: The ONS is completely divided and the saga wont go away. People are in absolute shock that he can stand by the actions of BLM. In his email, Mr Bell wrote: Following the abhorrent killing of George Floyd, there have rightly been a string of protests about bringing an end to systemic racism in America, here and in many other countries. I know it has affected us all. He added: It worries me how often we have caused offence in the development of the Census question on ethnicity. I know it means as a leader I have much more to learn and do. The email prompted a flurry of internal emails. One, from an ONS field interviewer, said the phrase Black Lives Matter! with which Iain signs his email is not a politically neutral expression of the anti-racism we all feel in our bones. It is the name of a specific organisation with an explicitly radical agenda. Last night, the ONS said: Impartiality and independence are fundamental principles of the ONS. While raising eyebrows with that goal, the UAE has successfully built a space program with local talent working out of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai. The Hope probe was built here by a program cooperating with other nations to quickly reach out to the stars. The UAE already sent its first astronaut to space last year on an eight-day mission to the International Space Station. Pyar Tune Kya Kiya and Road director Rajat Mukharjee died on Sunday in Jaipur. As per the reports, he was suffering from some kidney-related issues from a long time. Rajat Mukharjee, the Bollywood director, died on Sunday morning. Films made in his direction include Pyar Tune Kya Kiya and Road. His death news sent shockwaves across the industry. Actors took it to twitter to express their condolences. As per reports, Rajat Mukharjee was suffering from an illness for a long time. He also directed the film Love in Nepal. The director was in his late 50s. He had close relations with many actors and directors in the industry. Rajat Mukharjee was in Jaipur when he died. He had some kidney-related problems for a really long time. He is survived by a brother, wife and his mother. His friend Manoj Bajpayee shared the news of his death on Twitter. Manoj wrote that his friend and director of the movie Road, Rajat Mukharjee passed away on Sunday morning in Jaipur. Bajpayee also wrote that he died after fighting a long battle with his illness. He went on to write that he still couldnt believe that theyll never meet or discuss work ever again. Also, he wished for Rajat Mukharjee to stay happy wherever he is. Also read: Threatened for refusing Sultan, felt like shaving off my head and leaving: Kangana Ranaut My friend and director of Road ,Rajat Mukherjee passed away in the early hours today in Jaipur after a long battle with illness!!! Rest in peace Rajat !!Still cant believe that we will never meet or discuss our work ever again.khush reh jaha bhi reh. manoj bajpayee (@BajpayeeManoj) July 19, 2020 Also read: Vyjayanthi Movies announces historic pairing of Prabhas and Deepika for their next! Anubhav Sinha tweeted that his another friend has gone too soon. The director of Pyar Tune Kya Kiya and Road was dealing with multiple health situations from the past few months in Jaipur. Hansal Mehta also tweeted that he just got the news of the passing of his dear friend. He mentioned that the director of Pyr Tune Kya Kiya and Road was his friend from his early days of struggle in the industry in Mumbai. Mehta shared that they had many meals and consumed bottles of Old Monk together. He wrote that theyll consume many more in other world and wrote that he will miss Rajat Mukharjee. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister reminisces actors personal life with a special video, watch Another friend gone too soon. Director Rajat Mukherjee (Pyar Tune Kya Kiya, Road). He was dealing with multiple health situations past few months in Jaipur. Go well mate. Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) July 19, 2020 Just got news about the passing away of a dear friend. Rajat Mukherjee director of Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and Road was a friend from our early, early struggles in Bombay. Many meals, many bottles of Old Monk consumed. Many more to consume in another world. Will miss you dear friend. Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) July 19, 2020 For all the latest Entertainment News, download NewsX App High-ranking Portland police officials told state lawmakers theyve tried to de-escalate violence at nightly downtown protests but a small group of anarchists intentionally try to injure officers and require them to use tear gas and other munitions that affect entire crowds. Portland Police Deputy Chief Chris Davis testified Friday that officers who face off with violence-prone demonstrators know who a lot of them are, but the risks are usually too high to forge into the crowd and immediately arrest people they see engaged in criminal activity. Its very challenging to go into a large, dynamic crowd and pluck one person out of there without creating an even bigger problem for ourselves, Davis said. Davis and Captain Craig Dobson, a Portland police incident commander who has helped coordinate the bureaus response on the ground for all but a few of the last 50 nights, testified before the Oregon Legislatures Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force Reform during a hearing on police use of tear gas in Oregon. Portland police was the only agency questioned by lawmakers during the hearing. The 12-member committee, co-chaired by Sen. James Manning Jr., D-Eugene, and Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, sprang from the June special legislative session centered on racial justice. In their testimony, the pair characterized a small group of protesters who gather downtown each night as harboring a very criminal element. They portrayed officers, many of whom are outfitted in body armor, as at serious risk of dying from the impact of items protesters throw at them from a distance, including rocks, water bottles and fireworks. Davis said leaders of the group are motivated by an anarchistic ideology. Portland polices use of tear gas during protests has prompted lawsuits against the city as well as repeated objections from people whove said theyve been caught in the gas while at protests but refraining from criminal activity or, in some cases, simply being in their homes or stuck in their cars near a demonstration. In mid-June, a federal judge banned Portland police from using tear gas except in cases where the lives or safety of officers or the public are at risk. And a state law that took effect June 30 says tear gas can only be let loose after police have declared a riot and given people time to disperse. Portland police havent reported using tear gas since June 30. But federal officers, whove been in contact with Portland police during downtown demonstrations, have used tear gas as recently as Friday. Davis told lawmakers while city and federal officers have no authority over what the other is doing, Portland police "try to coordinate as much as we can with the federal authorities." He said a member of the Federal Protective Service has regularly been in the Portland Police command post during downtown demonstrations. This is as Mayor Ted Wheeler repeatedly says the city doesnt want or need federal aid during protests. The police bureau announced Saturday that no one from the Federal Protective Service would be in the city police command post during protests that night. The same day, Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty released a statement demanding Wheeler either stop local police from working with federal officers to use force against protesters or put her in charge of the police bureau. Hardesty noted the latest police response came soon after she left a peaceful downtown vigil she organized that drew several hundred people. She said federal agents launched an unprovoked brutal attack on attendees still in the area that included her own staff members and members of the citys hip-hop community as they were performing for the crowd. Portland police later joined in, Hardesty said. She accused Wheeler, the citys police commissioner, of putting her staff and the community in danger. We need you to be better, Hardesty said of Wheeler. We need you to stop denying the violence being perpetrated by our own police force and make it clear and unambiguous: Portland police are directed from the top to never collaborate with (President Donald Trumps) goon squad, to take off their riot gear, and to stop contributing to the violence that was occurring before the feds arrived and still continues night after night. Wheelers office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. When asked Friday by Bynum if Portland police may have used the new statute to escalate its use of tear gas, because it allows use of the toxin as soon as police declare a riot, Davis said no, citing an unusual level of violence police encounter at the demonstrations. I can assure you that we have not somehow ratcheted down our standards so that we can get to tear gas faster, Davis said. Dobson said a riot is declared by police only after six or more people engage in tumultuous activity, such as throwing rocks, bottles, fireworks and other objects at officers. Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer, D-Portland, said that police use of tear gas and other force strikes her as far more violent than the protesters lobbing of hard items toward police. Davis acknowledged deploying the gas doesnt look good. But he said he and all other Portland officers who control crowds have been subjected to it to know what it feels like and if people want to stop feeling its effects, all you have to do is walk out of the area. Davis and Dobson said officers give several warnings and allow time for people to leave before they shoot out tear gas. Dobson later likened some of the fireworks thrown toward Portland officers to improvised explosive devices like those deployed against U.S. soldiers in Iraq and said that several officers have reported permanent or temporary hearing loss. The water bottles arent just filled with water, often those water bottles are filled with urine or feces or some other kind of putrid type substance that theyre throwing at us, Dobson said. When we talk about fireworks, theyre not sparklers. These are fireworks that if they hit us and land correctly, they will kill us. Davis and Dobson said officers try to keep out of the crowds view during protests unless incidents escalate to where they feel they have to intervene. He cited the time when protesters set a fire in a dumpster next to the police bureaus North precinct as a prime example of an urgent threat to officers lives that demanded police response. When it comes to de-escalation, we run the gamut, but at this point, we wont present ourselves unless we have to, Dobson said. This group is an anarchist group who shows up with the purpose of continually poking at us and doing things until we do show our face and they present themselves so that they create life safety issues such as trying to burn a building down or hurting someone in the crowd. Many members of the public testified in opposition of tear gas at protests, challenged police accounts of the conduct of protesters during demonstrations and that the collateral damage caused by the gas isn't worth the use. Jordan Barbeau, a Portland-based attorney and member of the Multnomah County Bar Association, said she felt it was particularly grotesque for a chemical irritant to be used during a pandemic caused by an illness that affects the respiratory system. She said Davis and Dobsons statements on police de-escalation efforts dont match what people are experiencing nightly. Were seeing officers reacting with overwhelming force and characterizing and identifying all of these people as working towards some nefarious aim together, she said. Its part of that problem mentality that prevents officers from seeing these people as their constituents and more as an enemy to fight. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox. This was revealed by British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC report states that the DC origin movie received 20 complaints relating to the film's age classification, which is 15, reports digitalspy.com. London, July 18 (IANS) Joaquin Phoenixs Oscar-winning starrer "Joker" is the most complained about film of 2019 in the United Kingdom. Complaints said that the BBFC should have classified the film as suitable for an 18-rating owing to its "violence and tone", while some people felt it should have been banned altogether. The BBFC feel that the movie doesn't "dwell on the infliction of pain or injury in a manner that requires an 18", despite scenes of strong violence, including stabbings, shootings and blood. While "Joker" received the most complaints in 2019, its total number is far less than the amount of complaints "Red Sparrow" received in 2018. The Jennifer Lawrence-starrer was BBFC's most complained-about movie in 2018 with 64 complaints. The total number of complaints filed to the BBFC dropped by nearly half from 2018 to 2019. There were only 149 total complaints filed in 2019. Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" had received a total of 364 complaints back in 2008. Todd Phillips' "Joker" tells the story of the popular DC supervillain of the same name. The film traces the protagonist's early life as Arthur Fleck (essayed by Phoenix), who is an aspiring stand-up comedian struggling to make ends meet and constantly derided by society. The film narrates how circumstances push Fleck into the path of crime after he fails to find his way in Gotham's fractured society. Apart from winning Oscars for Best Actor (Phoenix) and Best Original Score (Hildur Guonadottir), "Joker" was a global box-office success. The film's impact sparked conversations around mental health. A follow-up to the film is also in the works. --IANS sug/vn Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. You love a good latte. But maybe you've never thought of making one at home because you assumed you'd have to buy an expensive espresso maker. News flash: You don't actually need fancy equipment to make a latte. We asked the coffee taster who helps assess coffee makers in Consumer Reports tests for his secrets to making great lattes without all the extra equipment (he's an anonymous tester who tastes coffee for boutique and major coffee brands). Below, you'll learn everything from the kinds of coffee beans to buy to frothing milk without a milk frother. And if after reading the steps you decide youd like to upgrade to a coffee maker capable of making lattes after all, weve picked out the top models from our tests that turn out delicious espresso drinks lickety-split. For more on our top-performing coffee makers and coffee grinders, CR members can view our coffee maker and coffee grinder ratings. Secret #1: Start With Whole Beans Believe it or not, you dont need to buy espresso beans. Medium to dark roast coffee thats finely ground is great for lattes, says our coffee taste tester. Grind them fresh for each brew to get the most flavor, though (oxygen robs flavor from pre-ground beans). Use a high-quality burr grinder like those in our coffee grinder ratings or see our review of the best and worst burr coffee grinders. Our taste tester prefers Baratza grinders, and the Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder we tested earns a Very Good rating for fine grind performance. Whatever you do, dont rely on a spice grinder. If all youve got is a spice grinder, then using the pre-ground beans is probably going to give you a better cup, says our taste tester. Thats because spice grinders use blades, which dont yield as consistent a grind as burr grinders that actually crush the coffee beans. Story continues Secret #2: Use an Espresso Maker Alternative Skip the expensive espresso maker and use an AeroPress ($30) or a moka pot ($30 to $70 for those made by the popular Italian brand Bialetti) to brew espresso. Both use pressure to force water through the coffee grounds, similar to a real espresso machine. They yield brews that taste pretty darn close to the real thing (a regular coffee maker wont yield as rich a brew). With the AeroPress, you just put it over a mug, and add fine coffee grounds and hot water. Then stir the water around for 10 seconds and use a plunger to slowly force the brew through the filter and into your mug. Moka pots consist of three chambers that, when heated on a stove, force water through fine coffee grounds and a filter so you get espresso in the top chamber that you can pour out. Secret #3: Skip the Milk Frother You dont need a milk frother or an espresso makers steam wand to make foamed milk for your lattes. A blender, hand mixer, or French press will do the trick. With a blender, simply pour warm milk into it and blend until you achieve your desired level of froth. The hand mixer method is similar, just pour warm milk into a bowl and aerate it. For the French-press method, our expert taste tester says to pour your warmed milk into the French press and pump it up and down repeatedly until you get a frothy milk. Best Coffee Makers for Lattes Youd rather have a machine do all the work? Below are three of the best combination coffee/latte makers from our tests, all of which come with a milk frother. For more options, see our guide for the best combination coffee makers. Mr. Coffee Occasions BVMC-O-CT CRs take: The Mr. Coffee Occasions BVMC-O-CT is a combination coffee and espresso machine with a twistit can brew coffee from either fresh grounds or Keurig K-Cup pods. This Mr. Coffee also features a built-in milk frother, allowing you to make lattes and cappuccinos. It earns a Very Good rating for brew performance in our tests, and our testers found it's fairly convenient to use. This model also comes with a thermal carafe, a removable water reservoir and drip tray, a permanent filter, and auto-shutoff. Nespresso by DeLonghi Lattissima One Espresso Maker EN500BW/W CRs take: If youre a fan of Nespressos proprietary coffee capsules, you might want to try the Nespresso by DeLonghi Lattissima One Espresso Maker EN500BW/W. Using Nespresso OriginalLine capsules, it can brew coffee and espresso as well as lattes and cappuccinos using a built-in milk frother and tank that dispenses milk foam right into your cup. (That means you wont have to froth milk in a separate cup, as you would with other machines.) This appliance receives strong scores in our lab tests, and Nespresso pod machines, as a group, receive an Excellent rating for owner satisfaction. Ninja Specialty CM401 CRs take: A more affordable take on Ninja's Coffee Bar brewers, the Ninja Specialty CM401 is a terrific all-in-one machine, capable of brewing hot and iced coffee, lattes, macchiatos, and other specialty brews. In our tests it receives an Excellent rating for brew performance, and its glass carafe is easy to hold and pour. This model is also packed with features, including an over-ice brew mode for iced coffee, a built-in milk frother, brew-strength control, and brew-size adjustment for everything from travel mugs to full carafes. It's one of the most versatile coffee makers weve tested. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc. The income-tax department, which implemented faceless tax assessment from October 7 last year, has randomly selected 58,319 cases for scrutiny in the first phase and already resolved 7,116 of those, two finance ministry officials said. The objective of the faceless assessment is to completely eliminate physical contact between the taxpayer and the taxman to make tax administration objective, transparent and corruption free, they said requesting anonymity. The faceless assessment system has been a game changer in the arena of direct taxation. It has empowered the taxpayers and has, as a foremost mechanism, altered the facets and perception of overall tax administration in India, one official, who holds a senior position, said. The official said this is the future of direct tax administration in India with automated and random allocation of income tax assessment cases without human interface at any stage. Also Read: Stakeholders responsible for the manifold growth of NPAs: Urjit Patel The second official mentioned above said, 7,116 assessment cases have been already disposed of and assessment orders issued without any additions in the first phase. In 291 cases additions are proposed and the cases have been sent to the risk management unit. In all the above cases, the grievances of over-pitched assessment or harassment by the taxpayers/tax professional have been almost eliminated. The taxpayers have been advised to check their registered e-filing accounts or emails for notices or updates. Now, all the communications with taxpayers is made electronically by a central cell in Delhi and identity of all the assessing officers remains unknown to the taxpayers at all times, he added. The faceless system was first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced it in her first budget speech on July 5, 2019 and subsequently launched the system on October 7, 2019. The random selection of tax cases are done through artificial Intelligence and machine learning, with a reduced discretion or no human interface from the income-tax department, the officials said. Also Read: At G20, Germany pledges 3 billion euros for poor countries: Finance ministry Faceless Assessment has further brought in the concept of team based assessment with dynamic jurisdiction and has, thus, induced enhanced transparency, improved efficiency and resulted in superior standardisation of procedures, the first official said. The system works under National Assessment Center (NeAC) headquartered in Delhi and eight Regional Assessment Centers (ReAC) located in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Now almost 99% returns are e-filed, the second official said. Out of more than 6 crore returns filed annually, only about 3 lakh returns come under scrutiny on the basis of select risk parameters, he said. He, however, added that some scrutiny cases are also selected manually on the basis of specified criteria. Old assessments can also be re-opened if the assessing officer has sufficient reason to believe that some income has escaped assessment, he added. South Africa now ranks fifth in the world for confirmed coronavirus cases as the African continent faces the pandemic's first wave head-on, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. South Africa on Saturday reported 13,285 new confirmed cases for a total of 350,879. That puts the country ahead of Peru, and accounts for roughly half the cases in Africa. Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg and the capital, Pretoria, is now Africa's epicentre for the virus. It has one-quarter of the country's population and many of the poor are crowded in township areas with inadequate access to clean water and sanitation. South Africa has seen 4,948 reported virus deaths, but the South African Medical Research Council in its most recent report shows the country had 10,944 "excess deaths" between May 6 and July 7. Source: aljazeera.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 Plans for a premium plane to connect London with Barbados have been put on hold. Caledonia Jets, based in Glasgow, had aimed to launch its 7,500 return flights from Stansted airport to the Caribbean island today. But the firm says the link is waiting for Atol approval from the Civil Aviation Authority. The plan is to use an Airbus A340 with just 100 lie-flat seats, about one-third of the usual capacity. It is owned by a Maltese carrier, Air X, and will be operated in association with a company called Blue Sky Luxury which rents villas in the Caribbean. The jet would fly out of the private terminal at Stansted, previously used by the failed US carrier, Eos, carrying 100 passengers the 4,232 miles to Grantley Adams airport in Barbados. Until the coronavirus pandemic, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic competed with daily flights from Gatwick. But Virgin will not resume services for some weeks, while British Airways will offer only a twice-weekly service from the Sussex airport from 22 July. Caledonia Jets says: With first class seating throughout, the Airbus A340 allows passengers to feel relaxed with spacious distanced seating in a luxury environment. A range of champagne, spirits, wine and beer will be served by a team of VIP attendants at your convenience, alongside gourmet dining in the form of a luxury lunch and afternoon tea on the outbound flight, and brunch and afternoon tea on the return. The baggage allowance is a remarkable 90kg per passenger four times the economy limit on BA and Virgin. Travellers to Barbados are required to arrive either with evidence of a negative test for Covid-19 or be subjected to a mandatory test on arrival, according to the Foreign Office. You will need to isolate until the test results are provided, says the FCO. This can take a maximum of 48 hours. Instead, Caledonia Jets insists that prospective passengers stay in a designated hotel in close proximity to the private airport terminal thn night before departure. Here you will be welcomed by a member of the Caledonia Jets team where you will check in while maintaining social distancing requirements. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Show all 8 1 /8 Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Four Seasons has revealed its new private jet, launching in 2021. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet The luxury aircraft seats just 48 passengers in custom-made leather seats. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet New features include a large lounge in which guests can socialise and partake in interactive workshops. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Seats can be adjusted into full flat beds. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Each seat also has a personal ottoman to encourage passengers to mingle and chat. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Bathrooms are bigger and more flexible too. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Onboard staff include a concierge, executive chef and director of guest experience. Inside Four Seasons' exclusive private jet Itineraries include a 24-day trip across Australasia. From here, we ask you to relax in your room where a healthcare professional will come and carry out a PCR Covid-19 test. From this point, we kindly ask you to remain in your room while your test is being processed in a nearby lab. The following morning we will contact you with the results of your test. Providing your result is negative, we will inform you of the transport arrangement to the private terminal at Stansted Airport. Here you are welcome to board and enjoy your onward journey to Barbados in the knowledge that nobody aboard is positive for the virus. It is not known when the flights will now begin. Parliamentary panels have started scrutinising the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country a little over three months after Parliament was adjourned ahead of its schedule due to the virus and a shorter timeframe to hold the standing committee meetings would not have been possible given the present situation, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday. In a Facebook post hailing the medias role during the pandemic, the vice president also said Parliament is on course for holding the Monsoon session. The Rajya Sabha chairman said he has held several rounds of discussions with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on enabling the meetings of the parliamentary committees and the Monsoon session of Parliament. Given the corona-induced social distancing norm, the logistics of seating of MPs required detailed deliberation and planning. The government also recently reached out to both the presiding officers (Naidu and Birla) on holding the Monsoon session. We are on course, Naidu said. With the easing of restrictions on domestic air travel in May and to a lesser degree on rail travel, the department-related standing committees of both Houses of Parliament have resumed their meetings this month, he pointed out. They have undertaken an examination of various aspects of the management of the pandemic and its fallout, Naidu said. This, in effect, means the required parliamentary scrutiny of the handling of the pandemic started in about three and half months of the last sitting of the apex legislature of the country. Any other shorter timeframe may have not been possible given the situation prevailing in the country, he asserted. Some members of Parliament had suggested holding the standing committee meetings online due to the pandemic and the resultant lockdown. But the committees met physically. At least four parliamentary panels have met in the last few days and the ones relating to home affairs and science and technology have discussed various aspects of the pandemic. Naidu pointed out that the Budget session had to be cut short a few days ahead of the schedule as the MPs wanted to be with the people in this hour of crisis. Both Houses were adjourned sine die on March 23. According to the provisions of the Constitution, Parliament has to meet within six months of the last sitting. Normally, the Monsoon session starts in July with some exceptions over the years. This year, we are living in abnormal times due to the pandemic. The central and state governments are engrossed in handling the pandemic for the last over four months on a day-to-day basis, Naidu pointed out. Referring to journalists, he said the media, as the fourth pillar of democracy, is often said to be the bridge between parliamentary institutions and people by enabling a two-way communication. This role has assumed even more significance during the time of the pandemic, the vice president said. National medical team dispatched to Xinjiang responding to epidemic: China CDC official Global Times By Xu Keyue Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/18 17:04:17 The National Health Commission (NHC) dispatched a medical expert team on Saturday to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to investigate the epidemic amid a spike of domestic COVID-19 cases, the deputy director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) told the Global Times. Feng Zijian, deputy director general of China CDC said Xinjiang is now conducting an investigation over the source and route of infection regarding the confirmed cases as the region has reported 17 cases in the past two days after 149 clear days of no infection. An expert team led by officials from China's NHC went to Xinjiang on Saturday, Feng said, noting that the scale of the epidemic in Xinjiang is unclear and needs further field investigations. Xinjiang has seen a spike of local cases as it reported one confirmed case on Thursday and 16 on Friday, according to Chinese health authorities. Apart from the national medical team, another team of 21 medical staff members from Wuhan, the city in Central China's Hubei Province once hit hardest by the coronavirus, on Saturday morning flied to Xinjiang to assist the fight against the epidemic. The team is led by Wuhan's veteran doctors who are experienced in dealing with coronavirus cases. The team carried medical detection instruments including nucleic acid detection kits, extraction apparatuses and PCR-Cyclers. The team is expected to begin carrying out nucleic acid testing after arriving in Xinjiang. A team of 21 medical staff members from East China's Jiangsu Province also flied to Xinjiang on Saturday to provide assistance in nucleic acid testing as the city is conducting full-scale screening of potential infections following a resurgence of coronavirus cases. After the public health emergency, Xinjiang's capital Urumqi has suspended public transport, implemented closed management for residential communities. Many stranded tourists are also waiting to take nucleic acid tests before going outside. Before the epidemic rebound, Xinjiang had reported one of the fewest caseloads in the country - 76 in China's administrative regions. The region fully resumed work, production and normal life on March 11. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address If young people are getting infected, they are transmitting that to older folks who usually are not so lucky, he said. They are putting their parents and grandparents, their friends parents and grandparents and the entire community at risk. Jelane Stanley can attest to how devastating COVID-19 can be for those both young and old. Shes not sure how she and her family first became infected. They had not recently been around anyone who had the virus. She and Wayne first became sick together, though she was the sickest of the two and was the first to end up in a Sioux City hospital on April 26. She recalls as she labored to breathe, she at one point asked her caregivers about her chances to live. We dont think you will make it until Monday, she was told. Her husband also got worse, and soon they were in beds side by side in intensive care. Wayne was struggling so badly to breathe he was wearing an oxygen helmet that made him look like a spaceman. Even lying next to each other, they could communicate only through hand signals. Dear Rusty: I have been a widow since November 2019. I retired under the Federal Civil Service Retirement System. Before my husband died, I made an appointment with Social Security to see if I could receive his Social Security if he passed on. I was told I could. Since he passed, Social Security has adamantly refused to let me have my husbands Social Security. I have had many problems with them. Who is correct here? I have lost $1,400 per month. My Social Security check is about $126 per month. Signed: Frustrated Widow Dear Frustrated Widow: First, please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband. Unfortunately, I dont have good news for you. Because of your Federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension, you are subject to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision of Social Security. The GPO reduces the survivor benefit for anyone who also has a pension from an employer which did not participate in Social Security (neither the employer or the employee paid into Social Security), and your Federal CSRS pension falls into this category. GPO reduces any survivor benefit you might otherwise be entitled to by 2/3rds of the amount of your CSRS pension, which often eliminates the survivor benefit. For clarity, GPO also applies to a Social Security benefit from a living spouse. As you probably already know, your CSRS pension caused your own Social Security benefit, earned from other work outside of your Federal employment, to be reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Unfortunately, whoever you previously spoke with at the Social Security Administration prior to your husbands death gave you some incorrect information, because you are also subject to the GPO. And that is why Social Security will not now pay you a survivor benefit from your husband. Im afraid you have no recourse on this, as both the GPO and WEP have been the law for decades. The Federal Government has now changed to a Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) which fully participates in Social Security (both employees and the employer contribute to Social Security), so more recent Federal retirees are not subject to the WEP and GPO rules. But there are still many U.S. State and local government employers which, to varying degrees, do not participate in Social Security and whose employees are still impacted by both GPO and WEP. Russell Gloor is a certified Social Security advisor with the Association of Mature American Citizens. Mayor Jim Kenney's leadership style, including his proclivity to allow subordinates to take the spotlight, has been questioned by some as the city faces two unprecedented crises. Read more With a strong economy that padded city coffers and a rising progressive movement that aided his agenda, Mayor Jim Kenney in his first term scored a series of high-profile victories, such as enacting the soda tax and returning Philadelphia schools to local control. But Kenneys fortune ran out during the first seven months of his second term. The coronavirus pandemic has upended political agendas while blowing a $749 million hole in the city budget. And the administrations widely criticized handling of the protests over police brutality has jeopardized his support among progressives. Through it all, Kenney has maintained his hands-off leadership style, allowing allies to take the spotlight mayors usually dominate and rarely overruling his subordinates. While Kenneys approach to the job hasnt changed, the political environment has, and many are now calling for a more assertive voice to lead the city through a period of unprecedented crises. Kenneys management style is not an inappropriate problem-solving dynamic, said George Burrell, a former City Council member who served in John F. Streets mayoral administration. What I want now from the mayor is: Whats the vision, and what are they doing? How do all of these moving parts fit together to change our city to address the issues that everybody says uniquely impacts the Black community? Last weeks surprise announcement that Managing Director Brian Abernathy will resign in September is emblematic of the way perceptions of Kenneys leadership have changed as the city has been rocked by 2020s catastrophes. A headstrong politico-turned-bureaucrat who oversees the operations of city agencies and reports to Kenney, Abernathy had become a leading face of the citys largely praised response to the pandemic, as well as a target of criticism for protesters disgusted with the heavy-handed crackdown on the demonstrations. In a different administration, Abernathy may have been virtually unknown to the public during both emergencies. But the attention he has received in recent weeks led several members of Kenneys tight inner circle to encourage the mayor to seek a change. Two weeks after saying he had no plans to leave city government, Abernathy on Tuesday announced he would resign Sept. 4, a decision he said was reached mutually with Kenney. READ MORE: Brian Abernathy is one of the most powerful people in Philly. Coronavirus and protests put him in the spotlight. Kenney said he prefers a collaborative approach to decision-making. Im not a police command operations person. Im not a sanitation route person. Im not a health commissioner. I dont have those expertise. When we have decisions to make I sit and collaborate, listen to the experts, Kenney said in a recent interview. I like this style. I dont think that dictating from the top down is always effective. Kenney spokesperson Deana Gamble said the protests have given Mayor Kenney new clarity and a greater sense of urgency to transform Philadelphia into the equitable, thriving city that all Philadelphians deserve. She said the mayor has been planning to speak directly to Philadelphians about his vision for moving Philly forward soon. I ignored what my instincts told me The mayors hand-off approach, however, can backfire when his subordinates make mistakes. That dynamic appears to have factored into two high-profile decisions over the police response to the Floyd protests for which the city has been heavily criticized: a lack of preparation for the initial demonstrations, and the later use of tear gas on protesters. On the first day, there were not enough police officers in Center City to simultaneously prevent looters from ransacking stores on Chestnut and Walnut Streets and guard City Hall and the Municipal Services Building, which some protesters had tried to break into. The Police Department weighed deploying a larger force that day, The Inquirer previously reported, but ultimately chose a smaller one. READ MORE: Peaceful Philly protests over George Floyds death give way to violence, looting, arrests Abernathy said neither he nor Kenney were aware that there were two options the Police Department was weighing prior to the Saturday demonstration. He and Kenney simply asked Outlaw if the police were prepared, he said, because neither are experts in policing. I didnt ask how many officers we had, how we deployed [them]. And even if I did, I wouldnt be able to say if its the right thing or the wrong thing, Abernathy said. In a statement, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw acknowledged police were short-staffed but said the deployment plan was never scaled back to any significant degree. I relied on the recommendations, and trusted the judgment of those who advised me, who have experience managing protests here in Philadelphia, Outlaw said. At the other key decision point during the protests, the authorization of tear gas, Kenney was aware of the options and followed Outlaws suggestion. As demonstrators and looters clashed with police along the 52nd Street corridor in West Philadelphia on the second day of protests, Outlaw proposed that police be allowed to deploy tear gas to disperse crowds, a tactic not used in Philadelphia since former Mayor Frank Rizzos administration. READ MORE: BLACK AND BLUE Kenney has since said he regrets not overruling Outlaw. I ignored what my instincts told me, Kenney said at a news conference apologizing for the gassing of protesters on I-676 a day after the 52nd Street incident. I have never believed tear gas was an effective tool when Ive seen other cities use it in protests. It always seemed to me to make situations worse. And it has. Still their mayor David L. Cohen, the Comcast executive who as chief of staff to former Mayor Ed Rendell, helped guide the city through its financial crisis in the early 1990s, praised Kenneys performance in recent months. He said each mayor must use the approach that matches his personality. The management style and structure of decision-making has to be flexibly determined by the culture of the organization, by the personality of the mayor, Cohen said. Kenneys, he said, is a heavily delegated management style, and I dont think theres anything wrong with that style, in times of crisis or in good times. The structure is not the problem, if there is a problem, Cohen said. The quality of people and its deeper than just the first level of people is the critical test. For the first three years of Kenneys administration, Chief of Staff Jane Slusser and Managing Director Mike DiBerardinis, both ardent progressives, steered the mayor toward a more assertively liberal agenda. READ MORE: Philadelphia protesters gassed on I-676, leading to pandemonium as they tried to flee Abernathy, however, is one of the most politically moderate voices in the top rungs of the administration and is especially friendly with the Police Department, a characteristic that the civil unrest over George Floyds death has made politically unpalatable. And Jim Engler, Kenneys longtime aide who became chief of staff in 2018, is seen as more task-oriented and less ideological than Slusser. Even before the economic effects of the pandemic sapped the city of resources, Kenneys second-term agenda, highlighted by a new community college scholarship program and a promise to bring street sweeping to every neighborhood, was less ambitious than that of his first four years. City Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez said a consequence of Kenneys approach is that high-ranking administration officials have significant power to shape the agenda in their policy areas, creating a government that can lack cohesion and vision. We have what has become a somewhat fragmented city administration built around portfolios around people and personalities, and weve got to go back to being a mission-driven government, said Quinones-Sanchez, one of Kenneys most outspoken critics on Council. We need a comprehensive plan that recognizes that, in order to get equity, you have to be committed to filling the structural, historical, socioeconomic gaps. Quinones-Sanchez, who is rumored to be eyeing a mayoral run in 2023, also said Kenney needs to be more visible as the city moves forward. A willingness to share the spotlight can be a useful trait for leaders, for instance when building support for an ambitious initiative. But thats not what Philadelphians need now, she said. For the process of moving from crisis to recovery, people want to see their mayor, they want to believe their mayor, she said. Theyre pissed off at him now, but hes still their mayor. China, Germany ink $15 billion in deals Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference at the chancellery in Berlin. The two countries held their first joint cabinet meeting and inked more than $15 billion in business deals but Wen warned Europe against interfering in its internal affairs. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a joint press conference at the chancellery in Berlin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao review an honour guard during a welcome ceremony at the chancellery in Berlin. The two countries signed more than $15 billion worth of deals during the visit by high-ranking business and political leaders, Wen said.Germany and China held their first joint cabinet meeting Tuesday and inked more than $15 billion in business deals but Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned Europe against interfering in its internal affairs. The new contracts, including one for the purchase of 62 A320s from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, were signed at a press conference with Wen and Chancellor Angela Merkel after a meeting of 23 German and Chinese ministers. Berlin rolled out the red carpet during the two-day stay of the Chinese delegation, starting with an informal dinner for Wen and his inner circle hosted by Merkel at a lakeside villa Monday. But Wen insisted Tuesday that despite "growing and deepening ties," he would not accept lectures on human rights or the rule of law from European partners. "China respects the political system and the development model chosen by the citizens of the EU," he told a conference of German and Chinese business leaders at a Berlin hotel. "In exchange, we expect from the EU respect of our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and the autonomous choices of the Chinese people." At the press conference, Merkel welcomed the release of prominent Chinese dissident Hu Jia and outspoken artist Ai Weiwei from custody amid a government crackdown on dissent. But she said that Germany expected Ai\'s case and others like it to receive a "transparent" handling by Chinese authorities. Western nations including Germany had repeatedly urged Ai\'s immediate release. But Berlin has expressed serious concerns about apparent restrictions on Hu and Ai including their freedom to speak to the media. Human Rights Watch had urged Berlin to place the issue front-and-centre at the talks, saying that Ai\'s release showed "that political pressure on the Chinese government works." While Merkel welcomed Wen to her chancellery with military honours, a few dozen demonstrators waved Tibetan flags and shouted "Freedom for Tibet!" in German. And at the end of the press conference, a German protester held up a golden-coloured, waving cat figure emblazoned with Chinese characters and a club in its paw, which he called a "prize" for Wen. "For the economy, for billions in deals," he shouted. Relations between China and Germany hit a low point in September 2007 when Merkel welcomed the Dalai Lama, Tibet\'s exiled spiritual leader whom Beijing brands a dangerous separatist. Wen told reporters in London Monday that China would not accept "finger-wagging" over human rights. No financial details were given on the Airbus deal but press reports in Germany said the framework agreement was worth more than seven billion euros ($10 billion). Other contracts signed included one on an electric car project between German auto giant Volkswagen and its Chinese partner FAW and a factory in Foshan. VW also signed a deal with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, while Daimler and the Beijing Benz Automotive Company inked an agreement on investment in new products, engines and a research and development centre. The ministers also signed a raft of agreements on deepening cooperation in areas including climate protection, energy efficiency, food safety, education and the arts. The globe\'s number two economy, China, and number four, Germany, have seen trade volume rise by leaps and bounds in recent years, to hit a record 130 billion euros ($184 billion) in 2010. Both sides hope to boost the figure to 200 billion euros annually by 2015. "We want to encourage (Chinese companies) to invest even more in Germany," Merkel said, adding: "You are welcome." But amid German firms\' concerns about protection of their intellectual property rights and widespread piracy in China, Merkel highlighted the need for "fair and reliable rules of play" between the two countries. By Express News Service VIJAYAWADA: The state government on Saturday sent two bills the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Bill and APCRDA Repeal Bill to Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan for his approval. Once they get the Governors consent, the state government will go ahead with its plan of developing three capital cities Visakhapatnam as executive capital, Amaravati as legislature capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital. The Governor is likely to approve the bills soon notwithstanding a demand by the TDP to refer them to the President. Even as the opposition parties argue that both bills, despite getting the approval of the AP Legislative Assembly, are pending with the Select Committee in the AP Legislative Council, leaders of the ruling YSRC maintain that since a month has passed after tabling both bills in the Council, they are deemed to have been passed and can be sent for getting the Governors assent. Though both bills were passed in the Assembly in January and introduced in the Council, the chairman referred them to the Select Committee. But the treasury benches claimed due procedures were not followed in referring the bills to the Select Committee, and again passed them in the Budget Session of the Assembly and introduced them in the Council on June 17. The bills could not be passed for the second time also as the House session ended abruptly amid pandemonium. With one month lapsing, after tabling the two bills in the Council for the second time, by July 17, the government sent them for the approval of the Governor under Article 197 (1) and (2) of the Constitution, considering them deemed to have been passed. The fate of the bills will now be decided by the Governor. Sources said the Governor has various options, including sending the bills to the law department for legal opinion as the matter is sub-judice, or forwarding them to the Ministry of Home Affairs for advice. Alternatively, the Governor can approve the bills. Though a petition challenging the bills was pending with the High Court, the leaders of the ruling party are of the view that courts would have no jurisdiction over the bills once they were deemed to have been passed. War of words over sending capital bills for Guvs assent Meanwhile, the governments move to send the bills to the Governor triggered a war of words between the ruling and Opposition parties. When the TDP government enacted the CRDA Act, was it referred to the President? Was the Presidents approval sought before naming Amaravati as capital? Capital is the States prerogative. The Governor need not refer the bills to the President, an official source told TNIE. TDP floor leader in the Council Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the two bills are pending with the Select Committee and the capital issue is pending in the High Court and also conflicting with the AP Reorganisation Act. He appealed to the Governor to take the opinion of the Attorney General before taking a decision. Ramakrishnudu said that as per the AP Reorganisation Act, the Centre will facilitate the creation of a new capital for the successor State of Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, the mandate was clear that the State of AP is to have one capital and not more, he pointed out. Countering Ramakrishnudu, Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kannababu lambasted the TDP for writing to the Governor. He said that instead of introspecting as to why it lost the public mandate, the TDP is demanding public opinion. It should first explain to the public why it is against decentralised development and administration and why Ramakrishnudu is obstructing the bills, which are meant for equal development of all regions, he said. He added that the TDP is struggling to safeguard its interests in the guise of the Amaravati movement, and the public are well aware of the TDPs real motives. We are going as per the Constitution and set procedures. All are aware of what happened in the Legislative Council. The Council chairman, under the pretext of using discretionary powers, acted for Chandrababu Naidu, he said. BJP state leadership pulled up The BJP central leadership is learnt to have asked party state chief Kanna Laksh-minarayana why he wrote to the Governor against the partys stand, asking him not to approve the two bills One of the worlds forgotten conflicts is now making headlines again. In the last week, the military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has reignited, with the two nations having already been engaged in a military confrontation for decades. Nagorno Karabach, an Armenian enclave inside of Azerbaijan, is one of the main underlying factors for the conflict, but the growing rivalry between Russia and Turkey is also playing a part. More than 16 soldiers have been killed in the most recent round of fighting. Both sides are accusing each other of aggression and military action. The use of full scale armed forces and drones have been involved, killing several soldiers on both sides and reportedly an Azerbaijani general. The current outbreak of fighting has been the deadliest since the April War of 2016. While most clashes normally occur in and around the Armenian controlled Nagorno-Karabakh region, the current clashes are on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The international community is urging both sides to end the clashes. The United States, European Union, and the OSCE Minsk Group are trying to defuse the situation. While it remains unclear what reignited the conflict, it seems that Armenia played a large role in increasing tensions. Armenia recently constructed a new military outpost, which could have given Armenian armed forces a tactical advantage and tempted Azerbaijan to strike. At the same time, Azerbaijan is being buoyed by strong support from Ankara and may have wanted to test Russias support for Armenia. Remarkably, Armenia has called upon the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which Armenia is a member, to intervene. The CSTOs response, from Yerevans point of view, however, is lacking. As of July 14, the CSTO has only called for a normalization of the situation on the border, not implying that it would provide military support for Armenia. The lack of vocal support from Moscow for Armenia is improving Azerbaijans position in the conflict. There is, however, a risk that the conflict will escalate to involve both Russia and Turkey. While the military conflict may be drawing the majority of media attention, there is also an energy aspect to this conflict. The military conflict gets full attention but another issue is a major threat to energy markets. The Caucasus is a major oil and gas transfer chokepoint, on which involves Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Central Asian countries. Energy market observers should be concerned about the proximity of the current military clashes to the Baku-Turkey oil and gas pipeline systems. Threats to these important oil and gas pipelines, which not only connect the Central Asian producers to the global markets but also stabilize the region due to growth potential and revenues, are already significant. Gazprom Armenia, a subsidiary of Russias energy giant Gazprom, stated on July 14 that gas pipelines had been damaged near the border of Azerbaijan. Increased military action on both sides will only increase the danger to existing regional oil and gas infrastructure. Turkey will be hit hard if this conflict does escalate as it is largely dependent on oil and gas from the region. Related: Second Wave Of COVID-19 Wont Crush Oil Prices Regional analysts are already assessing the possibility that the current flare up may have been instigated by Russia. The Tovuz region where the fighting is taking place is particularly close to Azerbaijan's crucial South Caucasia pipeline (SCP). The SCP channels natural gas to Turkey's TANAP pipeline and is a key component of Ankara's efforts to decrease its dependence on Russian energy. For years, Turkey has been trying to diversify its energy imports, but Ankara is still heavily dependent on Moscow. Russian gas is twice as expensive for Turkey than it is for most European customers, which is why Ankara is so desperate to move away from Russia gas. By getting Azerbaijani gas via TANAP, Turkey has been able to significantly reduce its costs. The Azeri-Turkish partnership could deepen further as a new opportunity arises in 2021, when a major gas deal between Turkey and Russia is up for renewal. Those discussions stalled in April when the two counties failed to reach an agreement. All of this combined means that Russia could be looking at losing market share in a very important growth market. Related: Russia Looks To Woo Tech Companies As Oil Lags The main pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline, that supplies gas to Turkey from Azerbaijan, passes through the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan. This area borders the Armenian Tavush, where the clashes took place. Due to its geopolitically strategic location, a possible Turkish military intervention, especially considering its operations in Syria and Libya, is not unthinkable. Blowing up the current infrastructure in Azerbaijan would almost certainly ensure Turkish military involvement. "Turkey will never hesitate to stand against any attack on the rights and lands of Azerbaijan," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. Erdogan suggested a wider conspiracy lay behind the latest fighting. Turkish pro-government media have been quick to accuse Moscow of encouraging Armenia to attack Azerbaijan, albeit without substantiating evidence. Some analysts believe Turkeys actions in Libya and Syria are related to this new conflict. Ankara could be forcing a new front, and the hand of Moscow, to get some bargaining power in North Africa. Whatever the cause of this latest conflict, the situation is on a knifes edge. Azerbaijan, via its defense ministry, has warned Armenia that it could launch missile attacks on its Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. These threats could be easily be countered by Armenian actions on Azerbaijans weak point, its oil and gas transit pipelines. The fallout would be felt not only in European markets, but globally as well. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-20 04:37:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's National Defense Council (NDC), headed by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, discussed on Sunday the latest developments of the Libyan crisis and the Ethiopian grand hydropower dam built on the Nile River, said the Egyptian presidency. The NDC comprises the parliament speaker, the prime minister, the defense minister, the army chief of staff, the intelligence chief, the ministers of foreign affairs, interior and finance and other senior officials. The national defense body reiterated Egypt's commitment to end illegal foreign interventions that exacerbate the security situation in Libya and pose threats to neighboring states as well as international peace and security, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. "Libya's security is an integral part of the Egyptian and Arab national security," the NDC said, highlighting its commitment to a political settlement for the Libyan conflict, according to Rady. Sisi has recently vowed that his country would not stand idle in the face of any direct threats to the security of Egypt and Libya. Meanwhile, the Egyptian parliament is expected to have a vote this week on approving Egyptian military intervention in Libya to help defend the western neighbor against Turkish intervention. Libya has been engaged in a civil war since the ouster and killing of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The situation escalated in 2014, splitting power between two rival governments with warring forces: the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) based in the capital Tripoli and another in the northeastern city of Tobruk allied with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates support Haftar's LNA, while the GNA is mainly backed by Turkey and Qatar. The NDC also discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), affirming that Egypt will continue working on reaching a comprehensive tripartite agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the outstanding issues regarding the dam, including filling and operating the reservoir. Over the past few years, tripartite meetings over the rules of filling and operating Ethiopia's grand dam have been fruitless, including those hosted by Washington, amid Egyptian concerns that the GERD would affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of Nile water. Earlier this month, the 11-day talks between the water ministers of the three countries, sponsored by the African Union, also failed to reach a tripartite agreement on running the controversial dam. Ethiopia has recently said it would soon start filling the reservoir, while Egypt has repeatedly warned against any unilateral action without a prior tripartite agreement. Earlier in the day, Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati said Egypt will not stand idle in the face of the challenges posed by the GERD. "We will never stand still or just as spectators," he warned. The 4-billion-U.S.-dollar GERD is expected to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity and become Africa's largest hydropower dam upon completion. Filling the reservoir, whose total capacity is 74 billion cubic meters, may take several years. Egypt seeks to prolong the period of the filling process to avoid the possible impacts of water shortage which has been a main point of their talks. Enditem Micheal Martin's phone pinged at 7.30am last Tuesday with a message that changed everything and would ultimately force him to sack Barry Cowen as Agriculture Minister just 12 hours later. Cowen spent much of his ill-fated 17 days as a member of the Cabinet dealing with the fallout from an incident that occurred nearly four years ago - the circumstances of which are now the subject of three separate probes by State agencies and a potential defamation action against a newspaper. On the night of September 18, 2016, Cowen was breathalysed by gardai at Kilshanroe, near Carbury, Co Kildare, on his way home from Dublin where he had attended the All-Ireland final at Croke Park. He was found to be over the limit and was later hit with a three-month road ban, a fixed charge notice and a 200 fine. Read More He has repeatedly and sincerely apologised for drink-driving and has admitted he should not have been driving on a learner permit at the age of 49 - though he has not explained why this was the case. But the Laois-Offaly TD has been infuriated by the suggestion that he sought to avoid or evade the Garda checkpoint on that now infamous night. When this allegation was first put to him over two weeks ago, he vehemently denied it and warned of legal action against any newspaper, including the Sunday Times and Sunday Independent, if they published it. He also denied it to Micheal Martin when they first discussed the matter on July 3, just as the Irish Independent was preparing to break the initial story of his three-month road ban for drink-driving. Cowen had no issue making a Dail statement to outline the facts of the case from his perspective on July 7 and did so, expressing profound remorse for a "stupid, stupid mistake". He did not say anything about the allegations which were then swirling in media and political circles suggesting he had avoided or evaded the checkpoint. But by this stage Cowen, believing the leaking of information to be a "criminal offence", was seeking the Garda records of the incident. He rang An Garda Siochana - it's unclear who exactly - looking for these records and later submitted a subject access request. These requests can take weeks to fulfil but Cowen, a Cabinet minister, got a transcript of what was on the Garda Pulse system about him within days. It is not a copy of the Pulse record itself, and does not include the details of others involved. Politically the story appeared to be dying, with neither the Opposition nor Martin's coalition partners seeking further explanation. Martin gave Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan an assurance that there would be no further surprises. Expand Close Driven out: Barry Cowen spent 17 days as agriculture minister before being sacked. PHOTO: ROLLING NEWS.IE / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Driven out: Barry Cowen spent 17 days as agriculture minister before being sacked. PHOTO: ROLLING NEWS.IE He was wrong. Controversy The report on the front page of the Sunday Times last weekend, based partly on the legal letter Cowen's solicitors had issued to the newspaper eight days previously, changed everything. In the letter, Cowen's legal representatives referenced the allegations that he was denying. "Our client did not turn or attempt to turn his car as he approached a garda," it said. The story was deeply problematic for Cowen and the Government and gave the controversy new life. A senior Fine Gael source texted: "There's a real unease now that it's back again. Another week of it ahead." They weren't wrong. Just after 9am last Sunday a statement was issued in Cowen's name to a number of journalists denying the damaging allegations and outlining his intention to pursue legal avenues to rectify matters. "I did not evade, or attempt to evade, a garda. Such an act would constitute a serious criminal offence and I was not charged with such an offence. On being informed of its existence, I sought a copy of this incorrect record and am taking steps under the Data Protection Act to have it corrected." Cowen said it was obvious that the disclosure of information was "a flagrant breach of the criminal law and my rights under data protection law" and "a disgraceful attempt to cause me the maximum personal and political harm". The statement came through an email address linked to Mary Cowen, who is Cowen's wife. That it did not come through the Government press office, Fianna Fail, or his ministerial or Oireachtas office was perhaps the first indication that the minister was becoming increasingly isolated. On Monday he deflected questions on the matter as he visited the scene of a bog slide in Leitrim, telling RTE: "Under legal advice, I've been advised not to comment any further on the matter". For someone as steeped in politics as Cowen, the decision to adopt a strictly legal defence in the face of a growing political problem seemed out of character, but also tactically flawed and ultimately what would bring about his demise as a minister. Even Cowen's allies in Fianna Fail sensed danger. "He opened up a whole new frontier on the whole thing," said one TD. Pressure was also growing from within the Government, where Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin was making clear publicly that she had questions about the matter. Privately, she told colleagues she intended to pursue the issue - but it was not raised at the Cabinet meeting in Dublin Castle that afternoon. The Taoiseach, however, knew it had to be addressed. After the Cabinet meeting, he instructed Cowen to bring the Garda record he had obtained and meet him at Government Buildings that evening. Cowen showed up for a one-on-one meeting in Martin's office but without the record. Nonetheless, the pair met for an hour and 20 minutes. Cowen walked Martin through the entire incident, again denying that he had made any effort to turn away from the checkpoint. Martin was still not satisfied and Cowen gave an undertaking to send his leader a copy of the record. He did so at approximately 7.30am the following day. It was the last request from the Taoiseach that he would comply with as a member of Cabinet. Questions When Martin read the one-page sheet detailing the Garda version of events, that had been sent to his phone, he quickly formed the view that Cowen had to make another statement and answer questions in the Dail. He met his embattled minister again at around 9.30am in Government Buildings and told him this, explaining it was not tenable to simply remain silent and go the legal route as it would completely undermine the Government's ability to do its job. Cowen believed the matter would not be raised in the Dail later that day because he had gone the legal route. The Taoiseach was stunned by this assessment. Cowen acknowledged yesterday that there was a "difference of opinion" over how the matter would evolve. In the Dail chamber at 2pm, Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald and Labour's Alan Kelly sought to draw Martin into the debacle. Under siege from the two party leaders, Martin defended his Agriculture Minister, insisting that the Garda record of the incident that he had seen was "not quite as portrayed". A Fianna Fail TD looking on said Martin appeared increasingly exasperated. "He was extremely shook," said another TD. After dealing with other Government matters, the Taoiseach left the chamber in the late afternoon and phoned Cowen, hoping that the earlier scenes in the Dail might have changed the minister's mind. "He [Martin] was asking him to reflect on his position and if he wasn't going to go in [to the Dail] he would put himself and the Government in an impossible position. It would just go on and on," said a source. "If you have a certain opinion about what happened, you should be able to defend it." The ultimatum, if it hadn't already been delivered that morning, was made abundantly clear to Cowen over the phone that afternoon. But the minister was unmoved. At that stage, at around 7.30pm, Martin felt he had no choice but to sack Cowen and set in train the formal - and rarely used - process for doing this. He made contact with President Michael D Higgins, asking him to terminate Cowen as a member of the Government under Article 28.9.4 of the Constitution. Given the events of the day - and the very clear message from Martin that morning - Cowen could not have been shocked at the outcome, and yet in his statement afterwards he said he was "surprised and disappointed" when he received the phone call from Martin confirming the news. He informed his supporters and the text message to Fianna Fail councillors in Offaly dropped at around 8.15pm. It was to the point: "Barry has been in contact to say that he had been sacked by Micheal Martin from his position as Minister for Agriculture." Less than an hour later, the Taoiseach was on his feet in the Dail explaining why he had to do it, while Cowen issued a statement in which he concluded that what Martin had done had "undermined and potentially prejudiced my entitlement to fair process". Cowen has told colleagues that he was disappointed and felt very let down, but that no one had died. There has been an outpouring of sympathy for him from Fianna Fail TDs in recent days. Some believe Martin had no choice, others privately argue the Taoiseach mishandled the matter from the outset and has created yet more enemies, not just Cowen himself but the strong party organisation in Offaly. Cowen struck a defiant tone on his local radio station, Midlands 103, yesterday, saying he had paid "a hard price" for his drink-driving offence following his sacking from Cabinet - but said "there will be opportunities in the future". He added: "We have our health, we get over these obstacles, we get over these setbacks, and we put things into perspective and be thankful for what we have and I had a good job before I became a minister. I still have a good job after being a minister and, who knows, I might be again." He is carefully watching what others, namely the media, say or infer about the matter. How and who leaked the information is now the subject of three separate inquiries by An Garda Siochana, the Garda Ombudsman (GSOC) and the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC). Gardai have formally notified the DPC of a suspected unauthorised disclosure. The DPC has written to gardai seeking further information about the so-called breach notification. Investigation That a Government minister accused a member or members of An Garda Siochana of criminality fairly took the breath away of the force's most senior managers, an informed source said. There was no option but to call in the Garda Ombudsman to investigate Cowen's allegation that a garda engaged in a criminal act by leaking the "incorrect" Pulse record. Gardai are investigating, however, if the Pulse data about Cowen's drink-drive incident is actually correct. The Garda's version of what happened after the All Ireland final is documented not only on the internal database and the Pulse system, but in a notebook used by the garda on the night in question. According to one source, there may be a written report to the sergeant on duty that night and an audio recording if the garda involved phoned in his Pulse report to the Garda call centre, rather than typed it in himself. One informed source said the narrative entry of the incident runs to "four or five lines" on Pulse and notes that the car "turned", at which point a garda approached the car. There is no reference to "U-turns" or "turning away" or evading the checkpoint, said the source. As of Friday, a senior source said the garda who dealt with Cowen was standing by his account of what happened at the checkpoint. But Cowen is also adamant. The solicitor's letter could not be clearer - it states he "did not turn or attempt to turn" his car. Cowen last week said that at no time did he "attempt to evade the gardai". But perhaps the biggest issue for the force is whether any of its own members facilitated a devastating and blatantly political leak clearly designed to cut the legs from under a fledgling minister. Everyone who accesses the Pulse system leaves a technological 'print' behind. And every member of An Garda Siochana who accessed Cowen's Pulse entry since it was first uploaded in 2016 is in the frame. It won't take long for the Garda Ombudsman to identify who they are, if it has not already been done. All will be contacted and will have to prove they accessed the record for legitimate reasons. A source said most of the Pulse activity around Cowen's offence appears to have been after the Irish Independent broke the news of his drink- driving offence. Cowen hopes the GSOC will identify the person who leaked it and that under data protection law, he will be able to correct the Garda record. Sources close to the former minister believe that he will pursue a defamation action against the Sunday Times. Cowen, who declined to answer queries from the Sunday Independent this weekend, told his local radio station yesterday that he believed the outcomes from the various inquiries and processes his case is now going through would "ultimately paint me in a different light". By Ko Dong-hwan After comedian Noh Woo-jin embarrassed himself last week , wife took to social media to apologize. She apologized for her husband's "stupid act" and said that after first learning about it from the news, she was "very confused and disappointed" in him. "When I saw him on the day of the incident when he returned home drunk, I thought it was typical of him because, not having a manager, he always hustled to meet people for business until late hours on his own," the apologetic wife said online. "I didn't have any suspicious doubt and went to bed." She added that as a child-rearing mother, she "understands how dangerous drunk driving is" and would make sure her husband "ponders upon his wrongdoing." A video of Noh zigzagging in a white SUV on Olympic Highway below Seoul's Han River made headlines last week. The video was recorded by a vehicle behind who called police, urging them to come to the "very dangerous" scene fast. The video further showed Noh skidding to a left lane to evade police. The celebrity was eventually stopped by a taxi driver who braked in front of him, helping police to nab the comedian near Seongsan Bridge. Noh, apprehended after having travelled at least 13 kilometers on the highway, was found to have a blood alcohol level well above the legal tolerance limit for license revocation. Two days after the incident, Noh admitted his wrongdoing on Instagram. (Natural News) Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that Antifa is, in fact, highly networked, well-funded and has a global presence. It has a flat organizational structure with dozens and possibly hundreds of local groups. (Article by Soeren Kern republished from GatestoneInstitute.org) Antifas stated long-term objective, both in America and abroad, is to establish a communist world order. In the United States, Antifas immediate aim is to bring about the demise of the Trump administration. A common tactic used by Antifa in the United States and Europe is to employ extreme violence and destruction of public and private property to goad the police into a reaction, which then proves Antifas claim that the government is fascist. Antifa is not only officially tolerated, but is being paid by the German government to fight the far right. Bettina Rohl, German journalist, Neue Zurcher Zeitung , June 2, 2020. , June 2, 2020. Out of cowardice, its members cover their faces and keep their names secret. Antifa constantly threatens violence and attacks against politicians and police officers. It promotes senseless damage to property amounting to vast sums. Bettina Rohl, Neue Zurcher Zeitung, June 2, 2020. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has blamed Antifa a militant anti-fascist movement for the violence that has erupted at George Floyd protests across the United States. The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly, he said. Barr also said that the federal government has evidence that Antifa hijacked legitimate protests around the country to engage in lawlessness, violent rioting, arson, looting of businesses, and public property assaults on law enforcement officers and innocent people, and even the murder of a federal agent. Earlier, U.S. President Donald J. Trump had instructed the U.S. Justice Department to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization. Academics and media outlets sympathetic to Antifa have argued that the group cannot be classified as a terrorist organization because, they claim, it is a vaguely-defined protest movement that lacks a centralized structure. Mark Bray, a vocal apologist for Antifa in America and author of the book Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, asserts that Antifa is not an overarching organization with a chain of command. Empirical and anecdotal evidence shows that Antifa is, in fact, highly networked, well-funded and has a global presence. It has a flat organizational structure with dozens and possibly hundreds of local groups. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating individuals linked to Antifa as a step to unmasking the broader organization. In the United States, Antifas ideology, tactics and goals, far from being novel, are borrowed almost entirely from Antifa groups in Europe, where so-called anti-fascist groups, in one form or another, have been active, almost without interruption, for a century. What is Antifa? Antifa can be described as a transnational insurgency movement that endeavors, often with extreme violence, to subvert liberal democracy, with the aim of replacing global capitalism with communism. Antifas stated long-term objective, both in America and abroad, is to establish a communist world order. In the United States, Antifas immediate aim is to bring about the demise of the Trump administration. Antifas nemeses include law enforcement, which is viewed as enforcing the established order. A common tactic used by Antifa in the United States and Europe is to employ extreme violence and destruction of public and private property to goad the police into a reaction, which then proves Antifas claim that the government is fascist. Antifa claims to oppose fascism, a term it often uses as a broad-brush pejorative to discredit those who hold opposing political beliefs. The traditional meaning of fascism as defined by Websters Dictionary is a totalitarian governmental system led by a dictator and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism, militarism, and often racism. Antifa holds the Marxist-Leninist definition of fascism which equates it with capitalism. The fight against fascism is only won when the capitalist system has been shattered and a classless society has been achieved, according to the German Antifa group, Antifaschistischer Aufbau Munchen. Germanys BfV domestic intelligence agency, in a special report on left-wing extremism, noted: Antifas fight against right-wing extremists is a smokescreen. The real goal remains the bourgeois-democratic state, which, in the reading of left-wing extremists, accepts and promotes fascism as a possible form of rule and therefore does not fight it sufficiently. Ultimately, it is argued, fascism is rooted in the social and political structures of capitalism. Accordingly, left-wing extremists, in their antifascist activities, focus above all on the elimination of the capitalist system.' Matthew Knouff, author of An Outsiders Guide to Antifa: Volume II, explained Antifas ideology this way: The basic philosophy of Antifa focuses on the battle between three basic forces: fascism, racism and capitalism all three of which are interrelated according to Antifa. with fascism being considered the final expression or stage of capitalism, capitalism being a means to oppress, and racism being an oppressive mechanism related to fascism. In an essay, What Antifa and the Original Fascists Have In Common, Antony Mueller, a German professor of economics who currently teaches in Brazil, described how Antifas militant anti-capitalism masquerading as anti-fascism reveals its own fascism: After the left has pocketed the concept of liberalism and turned the word into the opposite of its original meaning, the Antifa-movement uses a false terminology to hide its true agenda. While calling themselves antifascist and declaring fascism the enemy, the Antifa itself is a foremost fascist movement. The members of Antifa are not opponents to fascism but themselves its genuine representatives. Communism, Socialism and Fascism are united by the common band of anti-capitalism and anti-liberalism. The Antifa movement is a fascist movement. The enemy of this movement is not fascism but liberty, peace and prosperity. Antifas Ideological Origins The ideological origins of Antifa can be traced back to the Soviet Union roughly a century ago. In 1921 and 1922, the Communist International (Comintern) developed the so-called united front tactic to unify the working masses through agitation and organization at the international level and in each individual country against capitalism and fascism two terms that often were used interchangeably. The worlds first anti-fascist group, Arditi del Popolo (Peoples Courageous Militia), was founded in Italy in June 1921 to resist the rise of Benito Mussolinis National Fascist Party, which itself was established to prevent the possibility of a Bolshevik revolution on the Italian Peninsula. Many of the groups 20,000 members, consisting of communists and anarchists, later joined the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War (193639). In Germany, the Communist Party of Germany established the paramilitary group Roter Frontkampferbund (Red Front Fighters League) in July 1924. The group was banned due to its extreme violence. Many of its 130,000 members continued their activities underground or in local successor organizations such as the Kampfbund gegen den Faschismus (Fighting-Alliance Against Fascism). In Slovenia, the militant anti-fascist movement TIGR was established in 1927 to oppose the Italianization of Slovene ethnic areas after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The group, which was disbanded in 1941, specialized in assassinating Italian police and military personnel. In Spain, the Communist Party established the Milicias Antifascistas Obreras y Campesinas (Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias), which were active in the 1930s. The modern Antifa movement derives its name from a group called Antifaschistische Aktion, founded in May 1932 by Stalinist leaders of the Communist Party of Germany. The group was established to fight fascists, a term the party used to describe all of the other pro-capitalist political parties in Germany. The primary objective of Antifaschistische Aktion was to abolish capitalism, according to a detailed history of the group. The group, which had more than 1,500 founding members, went underground after Nazis seized power in 1933. A German-language pamphlet 80 Years of Anti-Fascist Actions (80 Jahre Antifaschistische Aktion) describes in minute detail the continuous historical thread of the Antifa movement from its ideological origins in the 1920s to the present day. The document states: Antifascism has always fundamentally been an anti-capitalist strategy. This is why the symbol of the Antifaschistische Aktion has never lost its inspirational power. Anti-fascism is more of a strategy than an ideology. During the post-war period, Germanys Antifa movement reappeared in various manifestations, including the radical student protest movement of the 1960s, and the leftist insurgency groups that were active throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, was a Marxist urban guerrilla group that carried out assassinations, bombings and kidnappings aimed at bringing revolution to West Germany, which the group characterized as a fascist holdover of the Nazi era. Over the course of three decades, the RAF murdered more than 30 people and injured over 200. After the collapse of the communist government in East Germany in 1989-90, it was discovered that the RAF had been given training, shelter, and supplies by the Stasi, the secret police of the former communist regime. John Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University, described the groups tactics, which are similar to those used by Antifa today: The goal of their terrorist campaign was to trigger an aggressive response from the government, which group members believed would spark a broader revolutionary movement. RAF founder Ulrike Meinhof explained the relationship between violent left-wing extremism and the police: The guy in uniform is a pig, not a human being. That means we dont have to talk to him and it is wrong to talk to these people at all. And of course, you can shoot. Bettina Rohl, a German journalist and daughter of Meinhof, argues that the modern Antifa movement is a continuation of the Red Army Faction. The main difference is that, unlike the RAF, Antifas members are afraid to reveal their identities. In a June 2020 essay published by the Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung, Rohl also drew attention to the fact that Antifa is not only officially tolerated, but is being paid by the German government to fight the far right: The RAF idolized the communist dictatorships in China, North Korea, North Vietnam, in Cuba, which were transfigured by the New Left as better countries on the right path to the best communism. The flourishing left-wing radicalism in the West, which brutally strikes at the opening of the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt, at every G-20 summit or every year on May 1 in Berlin, has achieved the highest level of establishment in the state, not least thanks to the support by quite a few MPs from political parties, journalists and relevant experts. Compared to the RAF, the militant Antifa only lacks prominent faces. Out of cowardice, its members cover their faces and keep their names secret. Antifa constantly threatens violence and attacks against politicians and police officers. It promotes senseless damage to property amounting to vast sums. Nevertheless, MP Renate Kunast (Greens) recently complained in the Bundestag that Antifa groups had not been adequately funded by the state in recent decades. She was concerned that NGOs and Antifa groups do not always have to struggle to raise money and can only conclude short-term employment contracts from year to year. There was applause for this from Alliance 90 / The Greens, from the left and from SPD deputies. One may ask the question of whether Antifa is something like an official RAF, a terrorist group with money from the state under the guise of fighting against the right.' Germanys BfV domestic intelligence agency explains Antifas glorification of violence: For left-wing extremists, Capitalism is interpreted as triggering wars, racism, ecological disasters, social inequality and gentrification. Capitalism is therefore more than just a mere economic order. In left-wing extremist discourse, it determines the social and political form as well as the vision of a radical social and political reorganization. Whether anarchist or communist: Parliamentary democracy as a so-called bourgeois form of rule should be overcome in any case. For this reason, left-wing extremists usually ignore or legitimize human rights violations in socialist or communist dictatorships or in states that they allegedly see threatened by the West. To this day, both orthodox communists and autonomous activists justify, praise and celebrate the left-wing terrorist Red Army Faction or foreign left-wing terrorists as alleged liberation movements or even resistance fighters.' Meanwhile, in Britain, Anti-Fascist Action (AFA), a militant anti-fascist group founded in 1985, gave birth to the Antifa movement in the United States. In Germany, the Antifaschistische Aktion-Bundesweite Organisation (AABO) was founded in 1992 to combine the efforts of smaller Antifa groups scattered around the country. In Sweden, Antifascistisk Aktion (AFA), a militant Antifa group founded in 1993, established a three-decade track record for using extreme violence against its opponents. In France, the Antifa group LAction antifasciste, is known for its fierce opposition to the State of Israel. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of communism in 1990, the Antifa movement opened a new front against neoliberal globalization. Attac, established in France in 1989 to promote a global tax on financial transactions, now leads the so-called alter-globalization movement, which, like the Global Justice Movement, is opposed to capitalism. In 1999, Attac was present in Seattle during violent demonstrations that led to the failure of WTO negotiations. Attac also participated in anti-capitalist demonstrations against the G7, the G20, the WTO, and the war in Iraq. Today, the association is active in 40 countries, with more than a thousand local groups and hundreds of organizations supporting the network. Attacs decentralized and non-hierarchical organizational structure appears to be the model being used by Antifa. In February 2016, the International Committee of the Fourth International advanced the political foundations of the global anti-war movement, which, like Antifa, blames capitalism and neoliberal globalism for the existence of military conflict: The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war. In July 2017, more than 100,000 anti-globalization and Antifa protesters converged on the German city of Hamburg to protest the G20 summit. Leftist mobs laid waste to the city center. An Antifa group called G20 Welcome to Hell bragged about how it was able to mobilize Antifa groups from across the world: The summit mobilizations have been precious moments of meeting and co-operation of left-wing and anti-capitalist groups and networks from all over Europe and world-wide. We have been sharing experiences and fighting together, attending international meetings, being attacked by cops supported by the military, re-organizing our forces and fighting back. Anti-globalization movement has changed, but our networks endure. We are active locally in our regions, cities, villages and forests. But we are also fighting trans-nationally. Germanys domestic security service, in an annual report, added: Left-wing extremist structures tried to shift the public debate about the violent G20 summit protests in their favor. With the distribution of photos and reports of allegedly disproportionate police measures during the summit protests, they promoted an image of a state that denounced legitimate protests and put them down with police violence. Against such a state, they said, militant resistance is not only legitimate, but also necessary. Part II of this series will examine the activities of Antifa in Germany and the United States. Read more at: GatestoneInstitute.org or Antifa.news The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condemned the destruction of the campaign billboards of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu. This was contained in a statement endorsed by Chris Osa Nehikhare, Edo Sate Publicity Secretary of the PDP, made available to BREAKINGTIMES, on Sunday. The statement reads: In a desperate attempt to change the narrative, the APC vuvuzelas have gone to town making frivolous and unsubstantiated allegations against the PDP and the State Government over the destruction or damages to their billboards. Let me make it categorically clear that PDP or the State Government have no hands in the destruction or damage to billboard posted by APC. We condemn the act! However, we advice APC to look inwards as it is common knowledge that the APC is seriously divided, populated by known thugs and brigands in the many factions that exist within it. Edo people have not forgotten how they resorted to bombing each others residences as they battled for their gubernatorial ticket. Edo people have not forgotten the treachery, blackmail, threats and counter threats employed to arrive at their predetermined candidate. We are indeed surprised that a party made up of characters that throw bombs at each other at will, shoot at their party members while they are holding meetings, exported to other states to rig elections and is lagging behind in an independent opinion poll it conducted itself would contemplate that PDP or its Government would pay attention to its posters or billboards without messages and want them destroyed or damaged. On the contrary! The quality of the messaging on their billboards exposes APC as empty and having nothing to offer or motivate Edo people. PDP and Edo State Government cannot be blackmailed or distracted by these baseless allegations and besides, Edo people are too political sophisticated to fall for this scam! We will concentrate on our agenda of Resetting Edo for a better and brighter tomorrow and not loose sleep over the rantings of a political ant the APC has become. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his leadership position to urgently set up a presidential investigative panel to probe grave corruption allegations in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), including allegations that the agency illegally spent N81.5 billion, on travels, condolences, consultancy and public communication between January and July 2020. The organization also asked him to immediately suspend Mr Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and all those implicated in the allegations pending the outcome of any such investigation. Witnesses and whistle-blowers must be protected and the findings of the investigation should be made public. Where there is relevant admissible evidence, suspected perpetrators should be handed over to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for prosecution. In the letter dated 18 July, 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: These are extremely serious allegations. Nigerians expect that those who run the NDDC should be free of corruption, and should enjoy no impunity. Nigerians who want to see development and prosperity in the Niger Delta will want you to take the lead to get to the bottom of these allegations and take appropriate and decisive action to address them. According to SERAP, A special panel to probe allegations of corruption in the NDDC, and that is able to work closely with anti-corruption agencies would protect the integrity of the forensic audit, remove the possibility of obstruction of justice, and interference in the process by those suspected to be involved in alleged corruption in the NDDC. SERAP said: The investigation by the National Assembly has been controversial, and has reportedly turned into a dirty fight between the NDDC and the National Assembly. Similarly, the hearings have reportedly indicted lawmakers of both the Senate and House of Representatives. SERAP also said: Any perception of politicisation and bias in the investigation of the corruption allegations in the NDDC would undermine public trust in the process, and ultimately, the public interest and good government, as well as justice for the victims of corruption in the Niger Delta. The letter, read in part: SERAP is concerned that allegations of systemic and widespread corruption in the NDDC are not only punishable offences but also directly undermine the human rights of Nigerians, especially the people of the Niger Delta. SERAP notes that your government has expressed the commitment to get to the root of the problem undermining the NDDC. However, the most effective way to get to the root of the corruption problem in the agency, and to ensure and protect the integrity of a forensic audit is to establish a special panel to carry out credible, independent, impartial and effective investigations into the alleged corruption in the NDDC. A decisive action is needed by you and your government to stop the corruption in the NDDC, ensure that anyone suspected to be responsible is brought to justice, and to fully recover stolen, mismanaged or misappropriated public funds. Ensuring an independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation into the corruption allegations in the NDDC would be entirely consistent with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the NDDC Act, and Nigerias international obligations, including under the UN Convention against Corruption to which the country is a state party. Section 15 subsection (5) of the Constitution requires your government to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power, including corruption allegations in the NDDC. Similarly, the UN Convention against Corruption requires your government to ensure effective investigation and prosecution of allegations of corruption. Specifically, article 26 of the convention requires your government to ensure effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption. Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations. Your government should send a strong message of intolerance for grave corruption in the NDDC, and show that you are willing and able to enforce important constitutional, statutory and international principles and obligations. SERAP also urges you to instruct the police authorities and security agencies to immediately end the harassment and intimidation of Ms Joy Nunieh, former Acting Managing Director of NDDC, or any other witnesses and whistle-blowers. Suspected perpetrators will escape justice if witnesses and whistle-blowers are intimidated, harassed or threatened. Effective investigation and prosecution will not be achieved if such crucial participants in the investigation are not sufficiently protected to perform their roles unimpeded. Stopping the harassment and intimidation would also ensure that innocent people are not wrongfully punished and that suspected perpetrators would not subvert the course of justice and escape sanctions. We request that you take the recommended action within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, failing which SERAP will institute legal proceedings to compel your government to act in the public interest. These allegations and the apparent attempts to weaken the independence, work and freedom of action of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) including alleged deliberate targeting of some directors of the agency have undermined the public's confidence in the governments oft-repeated commitment to fight corruption. According to reports, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have indicted the NDDC of illegally spending 81.5 billion between January and July 2020. Further, the Bureau of Public Procurement has also reportedly stated that it did not issue Certificates of No Objection to the NDDC for the procurements made by the commission with the money. The breakdown of the N81.5 billion reportedly include: community relations, N1.3bn; condolences, N122.9m; consultancy, N83m; COVID-19, N3.14bn; duty tour allowances, N486m; imprest, N790.9m; Lassa fever, N1.956bn; Legal services, N900m; maintenance, N220m; and oversea travels, N85.6m. Others are: project public communication, N1.121bn; security, N744m; staffing related payments, N8.8bn; and stakeholders engagement (Feb 18 May 31, 2020), N248m. A senator also allegedly used 11 companies as fronts to secure for himself N3.6 billion contract in September 2016. The current managing director of the NDDC also reportedly said that the commission spent N1.5 billion for staff as COVID-19 relief funds. Kolawole Oluwadare SERAP Deputy Director 19/07/2020 Lagos, Nigeria Emails: [email protected]; [email protected] Twitter: @SERAPNigeria Website: www.serap-nigeria.org For more information or to request an interview, please contact Kolawole Oluwadare on: +2348160537202 In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. AP-Yonhap By Do Je-hae The latest U.S. media reports are hinting at a possible reduction of U.S. troops stationed in Korea. In an article titled "Trump administration weighs troop cut in South Korea," The Wall Street Journal reported on July 19 that the Pentagon had reported options to "reduce the American troop presence in South Korea" to the White House. The WSJ report comes amid the rocky bilateral negotiations on the Korea-U.S. Special Measures Agreement (SMA) to determine Korea's share of the costs for maintaining U.S. forces here, raising speculation that Trump is willing to seriously consider a troop reduction as leverage to extract a better deal with Korea. Quoting a U.S. military official, the WSJ reported that the Pentagon has "reviewed the structure of U.S. forces in South Korea as a part of a broader re-examination of how to reposition and potentially reduce military deployments world-wide," including the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. In June, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed plans to cut troops in Germany, down to 25,000 from the current 34,500, which has raised concerns from NATO and Berlin over mutual security. "We routinely review global force posture, our forces remain postured to respond to any threat, and the president has been clear and consistent regarding cost sharing worldwide," a Pentagon official was quoted as saying to Yonhap. The WSJ report comes as the two countries have been unable to close the gap on the SMA negotiations, as Trump has continued to criticize Korea for paying "peanuts" for the U.S. troops. Seoul has proposed a 13 percent increase from the 2019 SMA, which was around $870 million. But Washington reportedly wants $1.3 billion a year, about a 50 percent increase. The latest reports said Trump once again underlined his discontent over the U.S. presence in Korea, saying "they don't pay us" during a private event sponsored by the Republican Governors Association. The remark was made public in a column by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in the Washington Post. According to the governor who has a Korean-born wife, Trump made some derogatory remarks about President Moon Jae-in and South Koreans, describing them as "terrible people." Trump's handling of the SMA and treatment of Korea is being criticized even among experts in Washington. "I am all for asking allies and partners to pay more and share the burden of defense. However, treating South Korea like this is wrong. They do pay 'their fair share,'" Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, said on Twitter. Cheong Wa Dae has emphasized the need for an equitable share and close communication for mutual benefit. "We checked on the progress of the defense cost sharing negotiations and will continue to engage in close consultations with the U.S. to settle the SMA at an early date," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement after a National Security Council meeting on July 2. A 20-year-old man was arrested by Sakinaka police for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl who lived in his neighbourhood. According to police the incident occurred on July 16 at around 8pm when she was alone at home. In her statement the victim told the police that the accused on the day of the alleged incident he had come to their house and requested her for water. However, while taking the bottle the man grabbed the victims hand and molested her. Victim later narrated the ordeal to her mother after which they lodged a complaint against the accused with Sakinaka police. Kishor Sawant senior inspector from Sakinaka police station said, Following her complaint we registered the offence and have arrested the accused. The investigation is on, Police booked the accused under sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code and section 8 (Punishment for sexual assault) and 12 (Punishment for sexual harassment) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The UKs coronavirus test and trace system would not stop the feared second wave because it can only find a third of the people it needs, a top civil servant admitted last night. Alex Cooper, who looks after two of the five pillars of the test process, said it could only identify 37 per cent of the total contacts it needed to be fully effective. The senior official admitted in an industry briefing, the number needed to be higher to make the system work properly. Forms filled in as part of the system to help test and trace people who could be infected Matt Hancock has describe the text and trace system as 'world-beating' in press conferences He said: We need to be finding roughly half of the the people that have got Covid so that we can keep R down if test and trace is going to work. Concerns over the effectiveness of the system will come as a blow to Government heads who are desperately trying to encourage people to return to work in an effort to save the economy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week he was hoping things would be nearly back to normal in time for Christmas. Mr Cooper, in an update to industry figures reported by the Telegraph, Essentially where we sit with test and trace is we are identifying around a third of the the people we really should be finding. Those who need to be contacted are sent messages by handlers who try to find other contacts The UK has recorded 40 coronavirus -associated deaths today, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths during the pandemic to 45,273 So the main challenge for us now is to make sure that we can test more and identify those index cases. Government figures released last week suggested that the tracing service was finding 77 per cent of those who tested positive to get details of their contacts. Those associated individuals would then have to self-isolate until their own test came back. The Department of Health said last night that the service relied on people playing their part. Blackburn with Darwen Council imposed local restrictions in an effort to avoid lockdown It came as the Independent said the system had failed to reach over half of contacts named by infected residents in outbreak-hit Blackburn with Darwen. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was also said to have bowed to pressure to release the names of positive tested people to their local councils. The Observer said he was expected to let local authorities have the identities of those infected to help them fight the pandemic on the ground Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti listens as California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks in front of the hospital ship US Naval Ship Mercy that arrived into the Port of Los Angeles on Friday, March 27, 2020, to provide relief for Southland hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Admiral John Gumbleton, U.S. Navy stands behind Mayor Garcetti. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool) Associated Press LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the city is "on the brink" of another stay-at-home order on Sunday. During an appearance on CNN, Garcetti criticized a lack of national leadership on stopping COVID-19. Last week, Los Angeles County broke its record for a single day, with more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday that Los Angeles is "on the brink" of another stay-at-home order. Los Angeles County has seen a surge of cases recently, with new record high hospitalizations and infections. The city has more than 150,000 cases. "A lot of things went wrong," Garcetti said. He pointed out that cases haven't increased as quickly in LA as in some cities, but said there is "no national leadership" in efforts to slow or stop the pandemic. "It was politicized when it should have been unified." Garcetti also mentioned that many people are "just exhausted," after the length of the pandemic, and have stopped social distancing, mask-wearing, and practicing diligent hand washing. He said that the city previously opened too quickly. While LA isn't under stay-at-home orders just yet, many measures to fight the coronavirus resurgence have been reinstated. On June 28, Governor Gavin Newsom closed bars in several counties, including Los Angeles, and indoor dining at restaurants was put on hold on July 1. Garcetti mentioned that mayors don't necessarily have much power in coronavirus shutdowns, which primarily happen at the county and state levels. Last week was the worst week for new cases in LA since the pandemic started, with several record-setting days for cases and hospitalizations. Thursday remains the record for infections, with more than 4,500 new cases. Officials are warning residents about the danger for people under 40, who are seeing higher hospitalization rates than earlier in the pandemic. LA County is home to more than half of all the coronavirus deaths in California, The LA Times reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath held a meeting with his party legislators here on Sunday night, two days after one more MLA quit the grand old party and joined the ruling BJP, second one do so within a week and 24th since March. Congress leaders said that Nath held talks with the party lawmakers to feel the pulse after two MLAs- Sumitra Devi Kasdekar and Pradymna Singh Lodhi- resigned from the state assembly in just six days and joined the BJP. While Lodhi had resigned last Sunday, Kasdekar had done so on Friday. An MLA said on the condition of anonymity that during the meeting, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) decided to expose those BJP leaders who come to them with allurements. Former state minister Tarun Bhanot said, "We will go hammer and tongs against the BJP in the by-elections to 26 constituencies two of which fell vacant due to the demise of sitting MLAs." "Our party is going to raise issues of public concern to corner the ruling BJP. Ever since the saffron party came to power in March, lawlessness has been on the rise in MP," he added. Another MLA said that four to five party legislators, including former state minister Lakhan Gangoria who is unwell, could not attend the meeting. "The meeting was called to decide that we will take the BJP head-on in the by-elections. We are not at all scared of the people leaving us and joining the BJP for selfish gains," state Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta said. In March, 22 Congress rebel MLAs, mostly loyalists of former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had resigned, reducing the Nath-led government to a minority. Following Nath's resignation on March 20, the BJP returned to power with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the chief minister for the fourth term. More than a dozen MLAs, out of the 22 who had resigned, got cabinet berths in the Chouhan government. With the exodus of 24 MLAs, the Congress is left with 90 MLAs in the MP assembly, whose existing strength is 204. The actual strength of the House is 230. WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is trying to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing in the upcoming coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Saturday. The administration is also trying to block billions of dollars that GOP senators want to allocate for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and billions more for the Pentagon and State Department to address the pandemic at home and abroad, the people said. The administration's posture has angered some GOP senators, the officials said, and some lawmakers are trying to push back and ensure that the money stays in the bill. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal confidential deliberations, cautioned that the talks were fluid and the numbers were in flux. The negotiations center around a bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is preparing to unveil this coming week as part of negotiations with Democrats on what will likely be the last major coronavirus relief bill before the November election. Negotiations are expected to kick off with increased urgency because of the rapid growth of cases - and steady uptick in deaths - in the United States. The number of cases began falling in April but accelerated sharply after Memorial Day, shattering records in the past two weeks. In late May, there were fewer than 20,000 new cases of coronavirus reported each day. On Friday, there were more than 76,000 new cases reported of the extremely contagious virus. The two political parties are far apart on a number of contentious issues, such as unemployment insurance, but the conflict between Trump administration officials and Senate Republicans on money for testing and other priorities is creating a major complication even before bipartisan negotiations get under way. Some lawmakers are trying to reach a deal quickly, as enhanced unemployment benefits for millions of Americans are set to expire in less than two weeks. One person involved in the talks said Senate Republicans were seeking to allocate $25 billion for states to conduct testing and contact tracing, but that certain administration officials want to zero out the testing and tracing money entirely. Some White House officials believe they have already approved billions of dollars in assistance for testing and that some of that money remains unspent. Roughly 3.7 million Americans have already tested positive for coronavirus in the United States, according to a Washington Post analysis. Wait times for test results can vary by state, but in some places people have to wait more than a week to find out if they have tested positive. Trump and other White House officials have been pushing for states to own more of the responsibility for testing and have objected to creating national standards, at times seeking to minimize the federal government's role. The last major coronavirus spending bill Congress approved, in April, included $25 billion to increase testing and also required the Health and Human Services Department to release a strategic testing plan. The agency did so in May, but the plan mainly reasserted the administration's insistence that states -- not the federal government -- should take the lead on testing. Several Senate Republicans including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are exploring pushing a testing and tracing provision in the next stimulus package but are expected to meet resistance from the White House. "Cases and deaths are now both rising again, including in many red states," said Sam Hammond, a policy expert at the right-leaning think tank the Niskanen Center, which has been working with Senate Republicans on testing legislation. "Senate Republicans have asked for funding to help states purchase test kits in bulk. As it currently stands, the main bottleneck to a big ramp-up in testing is less technical than the White House's own intransigence." President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the value of conducting widespread coronavirus testing, arguing that if there were fewer tests conducted, the numbers of infections would be lower. Coronavirus infections and deaths are on the rise in many states. The administration is also seeking to zero out $10 billion in new funding for the CDC in the upcoming bill, while slashing spending for the Pentagon and State Department related to foreign aid, the person said. Trump has been skeptical of State Department spending and foreign aid generally, but it was unclear why the Trump administration would seek to block money for the Pentagon for a variety of covid-related expenses such as reimbursing contractors for providing paid leave to employees. A White House spokesman declined to comment. Congress has already approved roughly $3 trillion in new spending and tax cuts as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Some White House officials had hoped to keep the next bill at less than $1 trillion, but they also want to include numerous elements that could prove costly. For example, Trump has demanded a payroll tax cut as part of the legislation. And he also wants to include another round of stimulus checks, though lawmakers are split on how to design new payments. White House officials have been sharply critical of the CDC's performance during the pandemic, complaining that its initial testing efforts were faulty and that it didn't know more about the virus earlier this year. At the same time they push cuts in testing and CDC funds, administration officials are trying to use the spending package to fund priorities that appear not directly related to the coronavirus -- including a new FBI building, which has been a longtime priority for Trump, according to people involved. Due to the surges of novel coronavirus cases seen in Laredo, the Red Roof Inn located at 1006 W. Calton Rd. is set to become a temporary hospital. Although the company did not want to comment regarding its agreement with the federal government, it is believed it will be transformed like other venues have in cities like New York City. It will become completely concealed to the public and only focus on providing rooms for the patients. An employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said the operations will halt all business, and they will not work while the hotel is used for medical purposes. This is a confidential agreement, and therefore Red Roof is unable to comment, said Andrea Thompson, the account director for Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a public relations consulting company that works for Red Roof Inn. Although Red Roof Inn did not comment, the shift to a temporary hospital appears to already be underway. Phone lines to the front desk are no longer operational, and their booking website shows no available dates for months. When trying to book a room with just one guest, there were no available dates until the first week of October. READ MORE: 121 new cases, three more deaths confirmed in Laredo This could signify the hospital has been rented by the federal government to transform it into a temporary hospital for a period of more than 60 days. This could help offset the increasing capacity seen in local hospitals with an average of 162.7 patients over the past week. It marked a significant increase with an average of 119.9 the previous week. The temporary hospital is expected to bring much needed resources to a city that is on the brink of exceeding capacity in hospitals. Local residents have reacted positively to the support for the city. I believe this is good and shows that the government does care for the people of Laredo as such help could have easily be provided to other larger cities in the country, but it also shows how bad the situation is here locally, Maria Ramirez said. However, she also said she is concerned with the potential airborne spread of the virus since it is located next to Sams Club. Jesus Bermudez said the temporary hospital should help illustrate how dire the situation is locally. I think there is no better way to show the people the seriousness of a matter rather than showing them how much is needed just to care for the local people, Bermudez said. By having this serve as a temporary monument of the virus, then people may finally understand the gravity of the issue and of the tragedy that can be avoided if people simply stay home or wear masks all the time. Photo credit: Paramount From Digital Spy The latest SpongeBob movie may have been deprived of a theatrical release by the coronavirus pandemic, but luckily Netflix has swooped in to save the day. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is now heading to the streaming service, allowing UK and international fans of the Bikini Bottom inhabitant to watch his latest adventure from the comfort of their own homes. There is a slight caveat to this, however. This international Netflix release excludes the US and China (the streaming service is currently unavailable in the latter). Photo credit: Paramount Related: Nickelodeon announces SpongeBob SquarePants is LGBTQ+ to celebrate Pride Back in June, Paramount announced that the third SpongeBob movie in the franchise would be skipping cinemas entirely, instead being released on premium digital rental services in early 2021, before arriving on the streaming service CBS AllAccess in the US. "We are thrilled to have The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, a premier, first-run movie from one of ViacomCBS' biggest brands, join CBS All Access' expanding slate of franchise content from across ViacomCBS," said Marc DeBevoise, chief digital officer at ViacomCBS, and president and CEO of ViacomCBS Digital. "This launch will be perfectly timed with our continued expansion and planned rebranding of the service in early 2021, as we welcome SpongeBob and the gang from Bikini Bottom to the service in the biggest way possible." The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is yet to have its UK and internationally release date on Netflix confirmed, while US audiences will be able to watch it on premium digital rental services in early 2021, and then CBS AllAccess. Digital Spy now has a newsletter sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox. Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now. You Might Also Like By PTI JAIPUR: The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. Citing the two audio clips, in one of which Shekhawat is allegedly heard during a conversation on a plot to bring down the state government, Congress leader Ajay Maken said the BJP leader should quit on moral grounds. He said the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the state police has registered a case in connection with the audio tapes against Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, Shekhawat and one Sanjay Jain. ALSO READ: Not my voice, ready to face probe, says Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Rajasthan audio clips "If Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is claiming that it is not his voice and the reference in the audio clip is of some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving his voice samples," Maken asked. He said Shekhawat has no moral authority to continue as a Union minister and should resign so that the investigation is not influenced. Maken also alleged that the police in Haryana and Delhi are giving protection to the rebel Congress MLAs from Rajasthan. He said the Centre is threatening in the name of the CBI because it wants to stop the probe into the conspiracy. The former Union minister also asked why a team of the Rajasthan Police was stopped by Haryana Police to carry out its investigation and take voice samples of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh. ALSO READ: No talks held between Sachin Pilot, BJP, says Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat If the BJP has no role in it, then why the MLAs took shelter in the party-ruled Haryana, he asked in a apparent reference to the 19 Congress MLAs' stay at a hotel in Gurgaon. On charges of horse-trading, Maken asked the BJP to reveal the route of black money" as it is being said that Rs 30-35 crore were offered to each MLA. Maken, who has come to Jaipur as a Congress observer, said it is the betrayal of people's mandate and the murder of democracy if an elected government is toppled with money power. If such attempts are not stopped, then people will lose faith over the voting process and democracy, he added. From left are cover images of "Summer, Speed," "Times and Mood" and "The 11th Young Writer Award Collection." The titles were translated from Korean. Courtesy of Changbi Publishers and Munhakdongne Publishing By Park Ji-won The nation's leading publishers suspended publication of award-winning gay author Kim Bong-gon's books as they stirred up a controversy by revealing private information of acquaintances without their consent in his novels, even disclosing their sexual orientations. Munhakdongne Publishing said Friday it will stop selling Kim's embattled "Summer, Speed" (2018) and "The 11th Young Writer Award Collection" (2020) over the complaints raised against the two books, while making apologies to the victims over the situation. "We confirmed that there were complaints against author Kim Bong-gon's novel Summer, Speed on social media and Kim admitted it. To prevent further damage and take additional measures over the situation, we decided to stop publishing the book and The 11th Young Writer Award Collection We apologize to anyone affected," the publisher wrote on Twitter Friday. Changbi Publishers also said it will stop publishing "Times and Mood" in Korean, a collection of Kim's works, as there are similar problems with his story "Such Lives" (2020). It apologized to those affected and readers. "Changbi takes the situation very seriously while listening to the voices of the victims. We decided to suspend publication of Kim's Times and Mood and will take further measures over the situation. We again apologize to the readers and those unfairly affected," Changbi Publishers tweeted, Friday. Kim, an openly gay author who debuted in 2016, has been gaining popularity for his autofictional books as a gay man and for paving the way for queer literature in Korea. "Summer, Speed" is highly assessed among viewers as it depicts the mentality of gay men. Kim was also awarded by the publisher for "Such Lives," which also explores sexual identity. The remarks came after two person claimed for breach of privacy because Kim cited private text messages with them in his two novels "Summer, Speed" and "Such Lives" without their consents and modification. A man claimed on Twitter Friday that the book outed him as gay without his consent and detailed his personal information including text messages between him and Kim in the novel "Summer, Speed." The person said the description of the character is pretty much the same as himself except for the character's name. The person said he felt embarrassed and insulted after reading the book and asked Kim to fix the novel but it didn't happen. He expressed anger and questioned the legitimacy of the literacy by saying "Can we define it as literature only because it is titled as a novel even though it took advantage of a person's private text messages and life as materials, which ended up outing and hurting someone?... I want to publicly call it as an (Kim's) exploitation with full of personal desire under the name of 'autofiction' which hurts living individuals." A woman earlier claimed that she asked Kim to modify the novel "Such Lives" over the quotes of intimate text messages between her and Kim, but her request was ignored by Kim and the publishers. "As you can see in the novel, there are expressions that could show shame on sexuality and self-loathing. As the author writes something for living, an ordinary person has a life which should remain private for living," the person said on Twitter on July 10. Even though the publishers released statement to apology, but multiple authors started boycotting the publishers, pledging not to publish their pieces with the companies. Stressing that she was disappointed by Changbi, author Kim Cho-yeop said on Instagram she will not publish her next book with Changbi and she already told the publisher that she will not send her piece for its quarterly publication. Jeong So-yeon, a lawyer and science fiction writer, also said on Twitter that she asked Changbi to cancel the contract with her and will take her intellectual rights back citing the publisher's inappropriate countermeasures against the controversy. THE chairman of An Taisce Limerick has said the heritage group locally has not considered taking further action over Curragower House. There has been disappointment in some quarters after An Bord Pleanala overruled its own inspector and gave the green light to the demolition of the red brick building on Clancys Strand. In its place, one living space, three apartments and a cafe are proposed. It caused the former chairperson of An Taisce Limerick Michelle Hayes to suggest a High Court judicial review to try and block the national appeals bodys ruling. But John Logan, who took over from Ms Hayes last year, played down the chances of this happening. A judicial review is a highly serious issue. An Taisce Limerick has not considered that as a possibility. We are not opposed to it, but we havent actively considered it, he told the Limerick Leader. He said judicial reviews which can cost in the six figures are extremely rare. They often centre on procedural matters. I know An Taisce has done judicial reviews before, but its not something they enter into lightly. They do it very reluctantly, Mr Logan explained. If I heard one of my friends was considering initiating a judicial review, my advice would be to be very very careful. Its hugely expensive. Its at least a day in court, and they very often last more than a day, he added. Councillors had campaigned to have the red-brick building included on a list of protected structures. But the fact that a planning application was active at the time they decided to do this presented legal problems. Mr Logan said Curragower House is integral to an historic streetscape and warned other historical buildings face the same fate. Germany pledged 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) at a meeting of G20 finance ministers to help the worlds poorest countries, the finance ministry said on Saturday. The funds will be made available as long-term loans for the International Monetary Funds Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT). IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed Germanys generous pledge and urged other donors to follow suit. In April, IMF officials said they had received pledges of a combined $11.7 billion from Australia, Japan, Canada, France and Britain to replenish the PRGT. Spain has also contributed. The United States has been noticeably absent from the relief drive. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the IMFs steering committee in April that Washington was exploring contributions to both facilities, but gave no details on the amount or timing of such a contribution. With the funds ... low-income countries can receive greatly discounted loans and bridge liquidity bottlenecks, the German finance ministry said. It added that Germany will provide a total of 8.7 billion euros for international aid measures in 2020 and 2021. ($1 = 0.8752 euros) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Egypt's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday that Egypt will never stand idle in the face of the challenge posed by the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD), Trend reports citing Xinhua. The minster's statements came during a meeting held by parliament's small and medium-scale enterprises committee to explore the possibility of offering loans to farmers who wish to modernize their irrigation systems, state-run Ahram Online reported. "It is by no means an easy case and we have a lot of challenges in this respect, but we will never stand still or just stand as spectators," Abdel-Ati said. "Egypt has internal tools to address the problems that might be caused by the GERD." The Egyptian minister noted that Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is closely following the GERD negotiations. He revealed that the ministry's current strategy focuses on rationalizing the use of Nile water in agricultural projects, pointing out that the government is now expanding the use of sprinkling irrigation systems instead of the old-fashioned flood irrigation system. "The government is keen on helping farmers obtain soft-term loans to adopt modern irrigation systems that can save water," he added. South Africa, the current chair of the African Union (AU), invited Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to participate in a mini-summit on the GERD on July 21. The call for the summit came days after the three countries recently ended a round of talks on the GERD without reaching an agreement on the filling of the mega dam. The three countries sent separate reports to the AU on the progress of the talks, waiting for the mini-summit to come out with a decision regarding the Ethiopian dam. Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources. The 90s had a ton of good things about it, but one of the best parts of the decade was the quality TV geared towards people in their teens and twenties. One of the standout series was Joss Whedons Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a series based on the 1992 film name of the same name. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, the Sunnydale based series follows Buffy, a teen girl trying to juggle the regular duties of a teenager, school work, friends, boys, and cheerleading, along with her nightlife of slaying vampires. Of course, because this was a teen drama, Buffy ended up falling for two vampires over the series, the evil vampire turned good, Angel (David Boreanaz) and the diabolical Spike (James Marsters). Whedon has been talking about rebooting the series for some time, and Marsters says hes down to embody his character once again under one condition. RELATED: Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Annoyed With Buffy the Vampire Slayer, According to Co-Star James Marsters wanted to give Spike a Southern accent Marsters Spike was known for his platinum blonde hair and English accent, even though Marsters is American. Originally, the actor wanted to give Spike a Southern accent. I had done a play where I used like a Louisiana accent, like deep on south, way on down Louisiana like that, revealed on Michael Rosenbaums Inside of You podcast. However, Whedon had other plans for the character. Marsters explained, Joss Whedon wanted an English punk rock vampire. Its not surprising that he said, No, that other accent is very cute but I want what I want. RELATED: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Cordelia Was Supposed to Be Played by a Black Actress Josh Whedon wanted to kill off James Marsters character Spike immediately Spike first appeared in Season 2 of the series, he was well known to Buffy because he had killed two Slayers previously. He was devious, diabolical, and dangerous and he was supposed to be killed off pretty early on. However, Marsters embodied the character so well that he became a fan favorite immediately. Whedon was disgusted by this. He was angry at the situation I think, Marsters revealed. Why should he? If it had been me in his shoes, Id have killed me off immediately. He resented a situation where he had to deal with another romantic vampire when his theme was that vampires are the problems you have to get over in high school, in season 2 when hes trying to hold onto a really good theme and its getting corrupted by a surprise character. Whedon eventually got over it with Marsters becoming a series regular in Season 4 and appearing on the Buffy spinoff Angel. James Marsters as Spike stars in 20th Century Foxs Buffy The Vampire Slayer Year 5. | Online USA via Getty Images. RELATED: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: James Marsters and Amber Benson Weigh in on the Upcoming Reboot James Marsters would play Spike again under 1 condition Following Angels cancelation, Whedon considered pitching a Spike spinoff, but that never came to fruition. Now, hes talking about rebooting the series with a Black actor playing Buffy. It appears that Marsters would be down to embody Spike again, but it would have to be sooner rather than later. I told Joss, whether its one line or 50, Id come, no matter where I was in the world, Marsters explained. But if he wanted to film me doing Spike, he had seven years, because Im aging and Spikes a vampire, and I dont want to play an aged Spike. If there was a way, or if Spike was always in vampire face. Then that might work. Life has been a struggle in recent months for Johanna Dixon as shes had to close her home daycare business due to COVID-19 and her own health issues. The greatest obstacle shes facing is coping with having leiomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer she was diagnosed with in February. The costs associated with driving from her St. Catharines home to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto are also a major hurdle. From February to late June, she travelled there for four days of chemotherapy before taking 21 days off and then repeating the cycle. Starting Monday, she will need to go to Toronto Monday to Friday for five weeks for radiation treatment. Dixon and her fiance John Guerreiro estimate they will need to spend $500 a week on gas, plus $20 for parking every two hours shes at hospital. On Saturday, Tailgates, a bar in the Fitch Street Plaza in Welland, donated close to $1,000 toward Dixons treatment costs. The restaurant heard about her story on social media, said co-owners Ryan Nava and Jevan Elia. Dixon said the gesture from the local establishment is overwhelming and heartwarming. Coping with cancer during a pandemic has been very difficult, she said Saturday. I havent been allowed visitors. Ive been going to appointments by myself, said the 40-year-old mother of children aged three, 10 and 17. Dixon and Guerreiro are still going ahead with a September wedding, a small gathering. Hopefully everyone can attend, she said. Donations can be made to support Dixon on a GoFundMe page created for her cause. Dixon found a mass when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter three years ago. The results came back negative for cancer. She was hospitalized over Christmas due to intensive stomach pains, said her GoFundMe page. The doctors found that the mass grew in size and changed colour. Throughout January and February, Johanna was in and out of hospital doing tests until she was diagnosed in late February with leiomyosarcoma. The fundraiser, started Fathers Day weekend, aims to raise money to help support transportation costs, medical bills, life necessities and costs associated with their upcoming wedding. Elia, one of the owners of Tailgates, said, it is so important for us to remember our community and if we can help out in any way we will. Nava said Dixon and her family are frequent customers at their business. With so much support given to them as young, new business owners who had their world turned upside down after opening in November and shutting down a few months later due to COVID-19, Nava said now is the perfect time to give back. A 25-year-old terrorist named Ayesha Jannat Mohana was arrested on Friday in Dhaka by the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit for having links with the proscribed terror outfit Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). During the interrogation, the police found out that the woman, Ayesha Jannat Mohana, was originally a Hindu before being converted to Islam when she was in Class 9. Before conversion, Ayesha was known as Pragya Debnath and she hailed from Paschim Keshabpur village that comes under the jurisdiction of the Dhaniakhali police station of Hooghly district adjoining Kolkata. Under the influence of her best friend, who was a Muslim, Pragya had converted to Islam in her high school back in 2009. Ayesha recruited and radicalised by Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Following her conversion to Islam, Pragya adopted the name of Ayesha Jannat Mohona and was indoctrinated by the Salafi clergymen in her hometown. A few years after her conversion, she came into contact with the JMBs women cell and was enlisted in the organisation. According to the report, the cells chief, Asmani Khatoon alias Bondi Jibon played an instrumental role in her recruitment. After being recruited for the JMB, Ayesha was tasked with luring Hindu girls to convert to Islam and then acquainting them with radical Salafi clerics to complete their radicalisation and subsequent induction into the terror outfit. Ayesha procured fake Bangladeshi birth certificate, Bangladeshi National Identity Card Since 2016, Ayesha has been regularly visiting Bangladesh, a report published in The Daily Star quoted CTTC assistant commissioner Sk. Imran Hossain as saying. She had reportedly procured a counterfeit Bangladeshi birth certificate and through it, a Bangladeshi National Identity card. Along with these fake documents, an Indian passport was retrieved from her. Primary responsibility of recruiting teenagers who could be radicalised to join the JMB Ayesha was entrusted with the responsibility of securing funding for the terror outfit. She had recently married a Bangladeshi national Amir Hossain Saddam over the phone as he is currently staying in Oman. Heeding her husbands advice, Ayesha started living in Bangladesh from August 10 last year. She took up residence in Dhaka and started preaching religious subjects in some madrassas in the citys Keraniganj and Narayanganj neighbourhoods. However, her main job was to identify potential teenagers and young adults who could be radicalised and brainwashed to join the JMB. Ayesha stopped teaching at the madrassas after her mentor Asmani Khatun was arrested by CTTC earlier this year. Instead of the religious seminaries, Ayesha started becoming more active on social media platforms to reach out to young and impressionable youth and entice them into joining the JMB. According to the police, Ayesha had successfully recruited some girls into the JMB over the past few months. She is also accused of crossing the international border illegally many times. The report quoting the police officials who arrested Ayesha claimed that the girl was uncharacteristically calm and composed and showed no signs of anxiety or trepidation on being arrested. The police believe that the girl is highly radicalised and committed to the terror outfit. Porous border between India and Bangladesh aides JMBs rampant terror activities The porous border between India and Bangladesh provides the terrorists associated with the JMB a reliable passage to recruit young and unwitting youth and continue their rampant terror activities. With the Hasina Sheikh government in Bangladesh coming down hard on the JMB, the very same passage has also provided a safe exit from Bangladesh to the terrorists. It is one of the reasons why so many JMB terrorists have been caught and terror modules busted on this side of the border. A Long Pond man pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing child pornography while on supervised release for a previous conviction for receiving and distributing child pornography, according to the United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Jonathan Brownlee, 42, admitted he used a laptop to possess and access the images between August 2017 and April 10, 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Brownlee faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison due to his previous child pornography conviction. Lionel Messi is only human and needs more support from Barcelona if the team is to return to become successful, says former team-mate Dani Alves. Messi was clearly unhappy when he Thursday's 2-1 defeat at home to Osasuna while Madrid beat Villarreal 2-1 to clinch the title. The Argentina ace warned that Barca will face Champions League elimination to Last 16 rivals Napoli if they do not improve their performances and claimed fans were "losing patience". Dani Alves thinks Messi understands only too well what is wrong with the current side, having enjoyed so much success during his 16-year career at Camp Nou. Full screen JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA (DIARIO AS) Messi can't be expected to do everything on his own - Alves "Leo is a natural winner," the Brazilian told Catalunya Radio. "He doesn't like losing. When the team loses, it's normal he gets angry, he always wants to win. Just like me. We always want to win. He's been doing what he does for so long, he knows when a team gives one thing and when it gives another. That's why he says what works and what doesn't because he knows. He's spent so many years at Barca, experienced so many things, and he knows exactly what the team needs to win. He sees what I feel, and that's a lack of support. I'll always say that Messi is the main course and we were the perfect ingredients for that plate. Now I have the feeling that he's doing everything, all the time, and we must remember he's only human." Full screen RODOLFO MOLINA (DIARIO AS) Current Barcelona side is ordinary Dani Alves won 23 major trophies alongside Messi, including six league titles and three Champions Leagues, during a glittering Barca career. Now, the Sao Paulo full-back thinks Quique Setien's side are just another team without the star quality that made them great in the past. "What this Barca lacks is the identity it has always had, like Ronaldinho's Barca , our Barca," he explained. "The identity of a team that dominates for 90 minutes, 100 minutes, or 150 minutes. Barca are there for people to enjoy. Now what I see, from the outside, is that Barca are just another team. They used to have an understanding throughout the team and made things look easy." Chinese Foreign Minister: US has been pursuing its egoism, unilateralism and bullying policy to the extreme Global Times By Global Times Source: Global Times - Xinhua Published: 2020/7/18 10:37:42 The US' "America First" policy and its egoism, unilateralism and bullying have become extreme, which are not how a big power is supposed to act, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. The strategic guidance provided by the two heads of state is the biggest political advantage of China-Russia relations, Wang said. After Russia carried out a referendum last week, the two heads of state had talks again by phone, confirming their firm support for each other and stressing that they regard China-Russia relations as the top foreign policy priority of the two countries, Wang said. By shifting its own responsibilities, the US side has used the pandemic to smear other countries and shift the blame in every possible way, and even created hot spots and confrontations in international relations, Wang said, adding that Washington has lost its sense of reason, morality and credibility. Wang said that the US side has revived its infamous McCarthyism and outdated Cold War mentality in its policy toward China, deliberately provoked ideological confrontation and crossed the bottom line of international law and basic norms governing international relations. China will not be misled by a small number of anti-China forces in the US, but will firmly defend its legitimate interests and dignity, Wang said. Lavrov said that the US has always believed in American exceptionalism and egotism, and had recently stripped off its pretense and was wielding sanctions against others. Russia opposes unilateralism in international affairs, he said. The two sides also had an in-depth exchange of views on holding a summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, maintaining international strategic stability, and on the development of regional conditions and international hotspot issues of common interest. During a high-level conversation of the United Nations Economic and Social Council on Friday, Wang stated in a speech that China supports multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, in tackling challenges and seeking common prosperity. In the face of unprecedented challenges, the role of the UN can only be strengthened, not weakened, while its authority must be safeguarded, Wang said. He noted that the world needs to uphold multilateralism and reject unilateralism and protectionism, to support greater democracy in international relations and reject hegemony and power politics and to safeguard the international order underpinned by international law and reject unlawful acts and double standards. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Release July 18, 2020 As Anti-Terror Law Takes Effect: Yes to Vigilance, No to Disinformation More at: https://pinglacson.net/2020/07/18/as-anti-terror-law-takes-effect-yes-to-vigilance-no-to-disinformation/ Now that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 is in effect, the Filipino people are assured of a law that allows the Philippines to mount the needed strong response against the threat of terrorism. As the one who painstakingly sponsored the measure in the Senate, I will not allow anyone to pervert the legislative intent of the law, thus my commitment to go the extra mile in guarding against possible abuse in its implementation. It is the responsibility of all Filipinos to see to it the law is implemented properly - meaning, it is meant to go after terrorists and not anyone else. Thus, the efforts of some groups to similarly keep watch against abuses despite the safeguards already in place are very much welcome, so long as they avail of the proper venues and follow safety protocols. That said, we cannot afford to have disinformation campaigns aimed to make the public reject the Anti-Terrorism Law. Terrorism knows no timing or borders. I hope the day will not come that critics of the law - especially those behind the disinformation drives - will not be at the receiving end of terrorist attacks. Bank chief executives have backed the government's revamp of a scheme to provide up to $40 billion in taxpayer-backed loans to help the recovery of small and medium-sized firms. Use of the program has been limited so far, with only about $1.6 billion lent, but there is a view among banks the changes will allow lending for longer term investments, rather than to just support short-term cash flow. Banks will be able to extend low-cost loans to a wider range of businesses under the government's revamp. Credit:Ryan Stuart On Sunday night the government announced an overhaul of its coronavirus small and medium enterprise guarantee scheme. It will now allow banks to provide low-interest rate loans of up to $1 million for terms of up to five years whereas previously it allowed three-year loans of up to $250,000. Commonwealth Bank chief Matt Comyn, who last week said support for small business would loom large in the government's thinking, said the expanded scheme would give businesses a deeper pool of financial support. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 08:56:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani intelligence agencies and police in southern port city of Karachi have arrested six terrorists who were planning a major terrorist attack in the city, police said on Saturday. A senior police officer told a news conference in Karachi that the terrorists belonged to the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of Baloch armed groups, were arrested on Friday in an intelligence-based operation. "They (terrorists) were busy planning a major attack in Karachi. They had been involved in terrorist attacks on the check posts and convoys of the army, police and other law enforcement agencies in Balochistan province. They confessed involvement in terrorism in their statements during interrogation," Senior Superintendent of Police of district West of Karachi Fida Hussain Janwari said. A rocket launcher, grenades, rifles, pistols, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from their possession, according to the police officer. Janwari said the intelligence agencies and police were on high alert since a terrorist attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) building in Karachi last month, in order to break the network behind the attack. The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), one of the armed organizations under the umbrella of BRAS, claimed the attack on the PSX building on social media. The BLA had planned the attack on the PSX building, said Janwari, adding that the sleeping cells of the group operate in Karachi and its outskirts, which facilitate and guide the terrorists to their targets. "This is a fact that the hostile intelligence agencies routinely plan terrorist attacks to destabilize the country. They use anti-state separatist and terrorist groups for attacks on the law enforcement agencies and key installations," the police officer said. Enditem Other people are more direct, asking for proof of Covid-19 or antibody test results, or suggesting both parties get tested before a meet-up, especially if they live in an area where testing is free. Tarryn Feldman, 36, a makeup artist who works in Nashvilles music industry, gets tested frequently because of her job. She currently has a friend with benefits (her description) and is rigorously honest with him about banal interactions that she would never normally discuss. We check in, Ms. Feldman said. Im not afraid to ask him anything about what hes been doing and where hes been. When a houseguests personal trainer tested positive for Covid-19, for instance, Ms. Feldman informed her friend-with-benefits, and everyone got tested. (No one, except the trainer, had the coronavirus.) For a first in-the-flesh date, keep it outside, where the risk of coronavirus transmission is lower. For the nearly 20 people interviewed for this article, walks were by far the top choice, followed by picnics and then backyard barbecues or a drink at a restaurant with outdoor seating. A clothing designer in Pomona, Calif., who requested anonymity because she didnt want to be judged for her choices, went over to a mans house for a dinner of takeout lamb and hummus after hed produced a screenshot of a negative Covid test and hed just had the place cleaned. He sprayed me down with Lysol and he had a HEPA filter right by his front door, which he said would get all the germs, she explained. But it didnt matter: They werent a good match and didnt meet up again. Embrace the mask. Nearly all the daters interviewed for this article skipped the masks except if there were other people around though most know its not necessarily a rational choice. Theres something psychologically when you like someone, you automatically trust that they dont have the virus, said Kaley Isabella, 31, who works in public relations in Los Angeles and has been dating a man she met during the pandemic. Its crazy. It doesnt make someone safe just because you like them. Marie Helweg-Larsen, a professor of psychology at Dickinson College, says its true we are biased toward people we choose to go out with. We tend to underestimate our own risk, she wrote in an email, and of course we want people we know/love to share our umbrella of invulnerability. This thinking can be tough to counteract; it requires recognizing your own bias in your risk assessment. My best advice is to tell the date beforehand that you intend to wear a mask and would like the date to do so as well, Dr. Helweg-Larsen wrote. You can also practice what to say if the date is resisting (something simple like, please put on your mask or, you are protecting me with your mask) or you can use non-verbal communication like stepping or turning away from someone. Here's a list of six tips of Google Calendar that you may not be aware of. With work from home being the new normal, were dependent on digital tools for streamlining work. There are multiple professional tools, apps and services available. Google Calendar is one thats probably being used quite frequently now owing to the number of virtual meetings taking place. Google Calendar makes it easy for users as its part of the whole Google ecosystem. It syncs to your Google account and other Google apps. Google Calendar comes with many features that you may not be aware of. Here we list down tips Google wants you to know to make the most out of Google Calendar. Different time zones Virtual meetings are taking place not just locally but globally as well. Different time zones make it difficult to find one balanced time for meetings. To make things easier, you can set a designated time thats suitable for users from different countries. You can do this by going to Settings > Time zone, and then click the box for a secondary time zone. You can choose your preferred time zone here. If you want more time zones to be displayed then just go to World clock > Show world clock. ALSO READ: Top 5 Gmail tips and tricks you should know Working hours Working hours can be maintained even when youre working from home. On Google Calendar you can do this by adding your official working hours so others can be notified of the same. To do this, open Settings > General/ > Working Hours > Enable working hours. Then select the day and times of your work shift. Your coworkers will be able to see your working hours when they schedule meetings with you. Google Calendar working hours. (Google) Out of office hours If you wish to decline meetings when youre not on your shift Google Calendar can do it for you. Just select Out of office from the event details box and choose the dates. Once enabled, Google Calendar will automatically decline meetings scheduled during your Out of office duration. Sharing your calendar Google Calendar also lets you share your calendars with others. This can be done by opening My Calendars, then select the calendar you wish to share and click on More > Settings and sharing. You can choose to share your calendar with specific people. ALSO READ: 5 features to get the best out of YouTube Privacy for events While you share your calendar with others you may want to keep some appointments private. You can do this on Google Calendar. Just open the event you want to hide and select Default visibility. Then select the privacy setting for that event and click save. Tasks in Google Calendar Google Calendar also comes with support for tasks. These will be visible only to you and you can do this by selecting Add a task from the side panel. Google Calendar also lets you sync tasks from other apps like Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides. Egypts wheat storage capacity has increased to more than 4 million tonnes, up from a capacity of 3.6 million tonnes at the end of 2019, a supply ministry official told Reuters on Sunday. Egypt, the worlds largest wheat importer, has been trying to increase its capacity by building more silos in recent years. Sundays announcement comes days after Egypt said it has purchased a total of 3.5 million tonnes of wheat from local farmers as the harvest season, which began in mid April, concluded. The figure is up 300,000 tonnes in comparison with wheat purchased last year, according to the supply ministry last week. Egypt consumes around 20 million tonnes of wheat yearly and imports around 12 million tonnes, according to a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture. Search Keywords: Short link: The Ghana Education Service (GES) today Sunday announced the death of Ms Cindy Aku Sika Addo of General Arts 4A, a final year student of the Methodist Girls Senior High School at Mamfe Akuapem. She was diagnosed with acute malaria and died on Friday July 17, 2020. This was in a statement signed by Mrs Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the Head of Public Relations, GES, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra. It said management of the school quickly rushed Cindy to Tetteh Quarshie Hospital at Mampong around 11pm on Thursday, July 16, when her friends detected she was not well. It said her parents were immediately informed and they went to the Koforidua Hospital, where she was referred, to see her. "Management of GES extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and stands with them at this difficult time. The statement assured the family of the GES' support in giving the deceased a befitting burial. May the good Lord grant her peaceful rest," it said. GNA After being forced to close its doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, a Midland preschool used the federal governments Paycheck Protection Program to keep teachers from being laid off or furloughed. Holy Trinity Preschool closed in March following spring break, along with most schools and day care facilities, according to the Rev. Bob Hennagin, rector at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The school briefly reopened before closing again for the summer. Hennagin said that after losing those months of tuition payments, paying preschool employees likely would have depleted the churchs savings had it not received a PPP loan. We certainly needed it, he said. Theres always a couple months in the summer when we have to use money in reserves. Without the PPP, we would have possibly had to use all of the reserves. Holy Trinity Episcopal qualified for a loan between $150,000 and $350,000, according to data released by the Small Business Administration. Eligible businesses were given a range and were able to receive a loan anywhere between the minimum and maximum values. Hennagin said they borrowed $165,000 to pay the salaries of their 34 preschool employees for the months of June and July. Several other churches received loans through the PPP program as well, including Crestview Baptist Church, First Methodist Church and Mid-Cities Church. Some private schools also used the federal loans to subsidize employee incomes. In a statement to the Reporter-Telegram, a spokeswoman for Trinity School said the school used the program to pay the salaries of about 150 employees. COVID-19 and the decline in the economy, in general, create huge uncertainties for independent schools like ours, which are dependent on tuition revenue, said Marketing Director Brandi Cooper. Through the PPP grant, we are doing our part to ensure that highly educated professionals can remain in the Midland area for both the short and long term. Trinity School borrowed between $1 million and $2 million, according to SBA data. The SBA data shows more than 600 businesses in Midland received $150,000 or more from the program, and about 25,000 jobs were retained because of it. Businesses that receive the loans are not required to pay them back instead, they will be paid with taxpayer money. Sanjay Jain, the man arrested on charges of offering money to MLAs to topple Ashok Gehlot government, was given a budget of 100 crore to buy out three MLAs, the Special Operations Group (SOG) claims to have found in its investigations. Jain was arrested on Friday night and is currently in four-day remand of the SOG. The money game was being controlled from the National Capital Region (NCR), said police officers, who are part of the investigations. The SOG is investigating three cases of alleged sedition and conspiracy, including the two based on the audio tapes, in which three people--Jain, Ashok Singh and Bharat Malani have been arrested. Singh was tasked to give 25 crore to an Independent MLA, one of the officers mentioned above alleged. The three arrested men were middlemen, he claimed. SOG claims that its preliminary probe into the three cases suggests that Jain was a small link to a long chain trying to lure members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) with crores of rupees to topple the government. Both Jain and Singh have strong financial background and political links, one of the police officers said. State BJP spokesperson Pankaj Meena however refuted the claims calling it a trap laid by some senior Congress leaders to defame BJP. Jain has been block president of Congress in Bikaner in past and has nothing to do with our party, Meena said. Reacting to the allegations of BJP, Archan Sharma, spokesperson of Congress party highlighted that the audio tape which has surfaced clearly reveals that Jain was acting as middlemen between central leadership of BJP and Sardarshahr MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma to topple the government. Jain has been office bearer of BJP and this case it is clear that an attempt was made by him with some central leadership of BJP to topple the government, Sharma added. A top police official related to the probe claims that other than Jain, there were at least three to four other chains of people including businessmen and politicians, who were trying to negotiate with Independents and Congress MLAs. The police are trying to trace the chain of links to the handlers behind the alleged attempt to topple the government. There have been definite attempts to induce the independents and Congress MLAs and the police has obtained messages and recording to prove that. Messages which talked about arranging money in crores of rupees have been obtained. We are trying to find out the main source of the entire game plan. People like Jain, who was arrested on Friday night, Malani of Ajmer and Singh of Banswara, arrested on July 11, are just the middlemen of different chains, the police official quoted above added. On Saturday along with the SOG, crime branch and city police were also roped in to investigate the different aspects of the case. Jain was called at the SOG on Thursday night for interrogation followed by registration of an FIR on Friday that named him, Sardarshahar MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma and a person identified as Gajendra Singh. The FIR was registered against the trio on the basis of three audiotapes of purported conversations relating to alleged attempts to destabilise the Gehlot government. In one audiotape, one of the MLAs can be heard purportedly speaking to another agent discussing the plot. In another tape, Jain is allegedly introducing one MLA to Singh and one person is heard saying that more legislators are needed to dislodge the Gehlot government and another person responds exuding confidence that the current dispensation would not last long. In a claim made in a conversation, recorded in another audio clip, one person says Gehlot government is unlikely to last more than 10-15 days. When Autumn Lee, a pre-med junior at the University of New Mexico, needs to download lectures or class assignments, she hops in her car and drives 45 minutes to the McDonalds nearest to her town of Sanders, Ariz., to connect to reliable Wi-Fi from her car. After the university sent students home because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ms. Lee grew frustrated with what she said is expensive and data-restricted internet service in Sanders, an unincorporated village of fewer than 1,000 people in eastern Arizona. Relying on her smartphone data plan wasnt much of an alternative. It took one or two hours to watch a 20-minute lecture, she said. I just got so frustrated, I figured there had to be another way. So she made the 40-mile trek several times each week and shell likely have to keep doing it now that the school has canceled nearly all in-person classes for the fall. Like Ms. Lee, many other Americans sheltering from Covid-19 are discovering the limitations of the countrys cobbled-together broadband service. Schooling, jobs, government services, medical care and child care that once were performed in person have been turned over to the web, exposing a deep rift between the broadband haves and have-nots. Those rifts are poised to turn into chasms, as the global pandemic threatens another year of in-person schooling for American children. Large public-school districts like Los Angeles and Prince Georges County in Maryland, as well as a variety of colleges and universities, from Hampton to Harvard to Scripps, have canceled in-school instruction at the start of the coming year. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced rules that would require the vast majority of schools in California to begin the year remotely, meaning millions of pupils will need a reliable internet connection throughout the day for instruction. Additional districts that are going online only at the start of the year include Nashville, Houston and Atlanta. Other districts will surely follow, as the raging contagion in their communities gives them little alternative. An adequate connection is no longer a matter of convenience; it is a necessity for anyone wishing to participate in civil society. A manhunt is underway for two fugitives who escaped from a jail in Virginia nearly a week ago. Jabar Taylor, 20, and Rashad Williams, 18, broke out of the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Chesterfield County on July 13 after assaulting a guard, according to the US Marshals Service. The men were recently spotted about 230 miles from the jail in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, officials said Saturday as they urged the public to remain on high alert. 'The danger posed by these fugitives and their escape should not be taken lightly by anyone,' Nick E Proffitt, US marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. 'The fugitives went to great lengths to affect the escape, and they pose a significant threat to any law enforcement officer or member of the public who may encounter them.' A manhunt is underway for fugitives Jabar Taylor, 20, (left) and Rashad Williams, 18, (right) who escaped from a juvenile detention center in Chesterfield County, Virginia, on July 13 Taylor and Williams broke out of the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center (pictured) after assaulting a guard, according to the US Marshals Service Taylor was behind bars after having been convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and aggravated malicious assault, officials said, while Williams was convicted of malicious wounding and robbery. The Marshals Service said the men escaped by attacking a corrections officer and then slipping through a hole in a perimeter fence before fleeing in a getaway car that was parked outside the jail. Officials believe that the men made their way north as they have 'significant known ties' to northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina. The agency said the pair are believed to be together but it's possible they may have separated. The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office issued a press release on Saturday confirming that the fugitives were recently spotted in the area. The men allegedly stayed at a Homewood Suites hotel in Lancaster earlier last week, and surveillance footage captured them at a nearby Turkey Hill store. The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office issued a press release on Saturday confirming that the fugitives had stayed at the local Homewood Suites hotel (pictured) earlier this week Surveillance video also showed the men at a Turkey Hill store in Lancaster (pictured) Three people have already been arrested in connection with their escape, including a relative of Williams and two employees at Bon Air detention center, WTVR reported. Williams' relative Gerald Thornton, 33, was arrested on two counts of aiding with the escape of a juvenile on July 14. He is currently being held in Pennsylvania awaiting extradition to Chesterfield County. Bon Air employee Destiny L Harris, 23, was arrested on the same charges, also on July 14. She is currently being held at Chesterfield County Jail. The following day the Virginia State Police arrested employee Darren Briggs, 42, on one felony count of providing a cell phone to a prisoner. He is also being held at Chesterfield County Jail. The Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $5,000 each for information leading to the arrests of the men. Taylor is described as 5'9" and about 140 pounds, and Williams as 5'7" and about 140 pounds. Officials asked anyone with information to contact the Marshals Service at 1-877-926-8332 or via the agency's website. A business in southwest England is using an electric fence to enforce social distancing rules to stop the spread of COVID-19. Johnny McFadden is the landlord of Star Inn, a public house or pub in the village of St. Just. He set up the fence in front of the pubs main drinking area to make sure that people keep at least two meters distance away from others. McFadden said, If I had put a little bit of rope there, I dont think anybody would have taken this much attention as they have to an electric fence. He spoke to the Reuters news agency. England is famous for its pubs, where locals gather to enjoy alcoholic drinks and sometimes food. The government gave pubs permission to reopen on July 4, but they must enforce social distancing measures. That includes limiting pub employees contact with customers, and reducing the time customers spend at the bar. McFadden said the rules represented a big culture change for his business. I run a very small bar. Everybody is accustomed to sitting at the bar, pushing at the bar. They cant do that now. Things have changed, he said. The fence is not actually turned on. But McFadden said that the same logic which works in the nearby farms of rural Cornwall also works for the local drinkers. He said, As long as theres a warning sign on an electric fence and you are warned about it, its totally legal. And theres the fear factor - it works. McFadden added, People are like sheep. Sheep keep away, people keep away. Im Jonathan Evans. Tom Nicholson reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story accustomed adj. being in the habit or custom customer n. someone who buys goods or services from a business factor n. something that helps produce or influence a result landlord n. a man who runs an inn, pub, or rooming house logic n. a proper or reasonable way of thinking about or understanding something "Forced demolition of mosques" in Xinjiang is totally nonsense: official People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:01, July 18, 2020 URUMQI, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The so-called "forced demolition of mosques" in Xinjiang is totally nonsense, an official of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said on Friday. Commenting on the 2019 report on international religious freedom issued by the United States, which claims that Xinjiang is dismantling mosques, Mehmut Usman, director of the regional ethnic affairs commission, told a press conference that, as long as venues for religious activities are registered with the government under the law, they have legal status, and all their rights and interests are protected by law. "Xinjiang has always attached great importance to the protection and repair of mosques, and the governments at all levels in Xinjiang have not only helped and supported the improvement of mosques, but also guaranteed the normal religious needs of religious believers," the official said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The federal government has extended the tenure of the Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana, by six months. The NSCDC spokesman, Emmanuel Okeh, disclosed this in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. Mr Okeh said the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbeshola, approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC boss for a six-month period and not five years as it had been speculated in some quarters. He noted that the tenure extension would be effective from July 17, 2020 to January 2021 and not for another five years as speculated in the media. It is therefore instructive to point out that the information, as being circulated in some sections of the media is untrue, incorrect and seriously misleading. And a figment of the imagination of the writers in an attempt to cause confusion and disaffection in the system while at the same time projecting the leadership of the Corps in bad light, he said. Mr Okeh said that the corps therefore wished to place on record that the interior minister had graciously approved an extension of the tenure of the NSCDC commandant-general for a six-month period. Mr Okeh also assured the government and all Nigerians that the added time for the NSCDC boss would be utilized very to further develop and grow the organization to the standard expected of an international organization like civil defence. (NAN) Since George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in late May, Black Lives Matter activists have taken to the streets demanding radical changes to police departments and other parts of government. So far, the political class is offering little more than words painted on streets. That, at least, is the emerging sentiment toward the Black Lives Matters street murals popping up in cities around the country. These efforts, meant to represent a commitment to social justice in local communities, have received praise from community members and some public figures. But theyve also garnered criticism from activists who are pushing their mayors and governors to move past symbolism and institute immediate policy changes. Rather than ordering the words painted on streets, activists argue, lawmakers should take action to protect Black lives in real time by enacting the policies that Black organizers have been calling for since before the Floyd protests began. So far, few of those in power are getting the message. It's not enough. What we're asking for is not, like, a symbolic recognition of how Black lives matter, said Delilah Pierre, an organizer with the Tallahassee Community Action Committee. The Florida state capital is one of the latest cities to paint the now-familiar yellow-and-black mural across a major intersection. We're asking for that to be something that's in practice. We're asking for real systemic change to the system that oppresses and marginalizes black people. The Black Lives Matter street art, meanwhile, originated more as a way to troll President Donald Trump, who has called Black Lives Matter a hate group. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned the first BLM mural in early June, in response to Trumps militarization of the citys downtown and use of chemicals to clear protesters in front of the White House. She re-named the intersection across from the White House Black Lives Matter plaza and had the words painted across the asphalt in bold yellow lettering. Story continues Duct tape covers the 16th Street NW street sign, renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza NW, near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) More than a dozen other cities have since adopted the practice. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was one of the first to follow suit, ordering Black Lives Matter to be painted on 5th Avenue, directly across from Trump Tower. Rev. Al Sharpton and members of the Central Park Five participated in its unveiling. Still, activists say that in most places, political leaders have not matched those expressions of support with the kinds of policy changes that would tangibly improve peoples lives. As coronavirus cases continue to spike, Black and Latino patients comprise the majority of cases and deaths . Since Floyds killing in late May, more African-Americans have been killed by police officers, only further injecting energy into the protest movement against police violence. State and national legislative leaders, meanwhile, have not responded with the kind of urgency the colliding crises demand. Congress has not passed a relief package since May while more than 30 million Americans could be without any income if unemployment relief is not renewed by the end of July. A rent crisis remains on the horizon as more than one-third of Americans missed rent and mortgage payments at the beginning of the month. Black and Latino populations stand to bear the brunt of these calamities, as unemployment remains disproportionately high in both communities. Those realities prompted D.C. activists to immediately paint a counter-message on the street next to Mayor Bowsers Black Lives Matter mural: Defund the police. Black Lives Matter D.C. has also since released a statement condemning the mural and calling it performative. The folks who painted that...they know very well that that wasn't a genuine thing by Muriel Bowser, said Sean Blackmon, an organizer with the D.C.-based Stop Police Terror Project, which organizes nationwide against police violence. And so what that really says is, if you think that Black Lives Matter, Muriel Bowser, then you must defund the police. They paint the letters of your movement on a street and are hailed across the country but they're not willing to look you in the eye and talk about solutions, said Jessica Byrd, co-founder of Three Point Strategies and an organizer with the Movement for Black Lives. I mean, it takes an incredible amount of cognitive dissonance to believe that a mural is enough and that it could replace a conversation about structural change in the city. In some municipalities, leaders have answered the protesters' calls for change. Minneapolis, the catalyst for the wave of anti-racism protests happening around the world, advanced a ballot measure that would disband the citys police department and establish a new security and violence prevention force. So far, it is the only city to pass legislation disbanding police since Floyds death. But with pressure rising from local organizers and the national outcry, a growing number of state and local leaders have announced plans to decrease police budgets for the upcoming fiscal year and redirect the funds to communities of color. Los Angeles city council cut $150 million from its police budget. San Francisco has enacted similar measures, pledging to cut from the citys police budget and reallocate the funds to programs benefiting the local Black community. Defenders of the murals say that art still has a special place in social movements, and the murals are not intended to be a substitute for policy changes. Some protesters have, themselves, erected Black Lives Matter art of their own. Its a different dynamic, however, Pierre explained, because there is a unique understanding behind the work. I think when activists go out, and they create those symbols, and they've been doing the work of really trying to uplift black people in their communities, it's way different. Because they're coming from the perspective of love. And it's kind of a sign of what's to come, she said. We can't stop at paintings. We have to really change the system, especially the way that black people and the police interact. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Jasmine Zheng & Benjamin Siegel-Wallace Hello there Jasmine and Ben, electronically acquainted by dating app, met in person for Popsicles. They laughed when they realized both wore bright red shoes that spring 2018 night, then enjoyed unearthed coincidences, witty banter, and a whole lot of chemistry. Both had moved to Philadelphia about a year prior. Ben, who is now 34 and works for Texas-based health-care tech firm Iodine, grew up in Center City and had moved back home from D.C. on Jasmines birthday. Jasmine, who is now 33 and a physical medicine and rehab doctor specializing in cancer care, moved here for a job at Penn Medicine. Born in Shanghai and raised in suburban Toledo, Ohio, and Kalamazoo, Mich., she had lived in D.C. some of the years Ben was there. Her parents live near Ann Arbor, as do Bens brother and sister-in-law. Alas, shortened by her 30-some minutes of lateness on one end, and his dinner plans with friends on the other, their fun first date was just 45 minutes long. Conflicting schedules meant a two-week delay for their second, but they talked and texted. While they didnt share the intel just yet, neither was interested in dating others. With [Ben] every time I went on another date it was just better and better and I liked him more and more, Jasmine said. I didnt have to try. Besides, the man can cook! One night, Jasmine joined Ben and his youngest brother/roommate Samuel for Bens take on burgers. Each ate a burger. Eyeing the remaining one, Jasmine asked if she could have it. Bens heart soared. Part of the family Ben could hear the caring in his voice whenever he spoke of Jasmine. I kept telling [Samuel] how delightful and wonderful Jasmine was from the moment I met her. How absolutely gorgeous, driven, and funny she is, he said. It really was a no-brainer that she was what I had been searching for. He adored the way she became part of his family. First, she befriended Samuel. Jasmine bonded with his mother, Ellen, over the shared experience of raising the puppy siblings they had adopted. And the still-new doctor cherished every discussion she had with a very experienced one: Bens father, Richard. Watching his father and his girlfriend grow close, Ben knew he had to share some difficult news: Richard had been battling cancer for more than a year. Jasmine supported Ben through the difficult experience. She also took on the role that would have been Richards had he not been the patient: answering with kindness and honesty every difficult medical question the family had. How does forever sound? In September 2019, Ben cooked up a plan, then cooked dinner. On their rooftop table, he had placed his yogurt-and-herb-marinated chicken and a lidded bowl. Jasmine, can you serve everyone some rice? he asked. She lifted the lid and found a small black box. Jasmine willed herself to stay calm while she opened it, to avoid any awkwardness if it wasnt what she was hoping for but it was! Jasmine pulled herself out of Bens embrace, put her hands on her hips, and smiled. Arent you going to ask me something? she asked. I want to see you get on that knee! Ben knelt and the couples puppy, Leeloo, and Bens parents puppy, Skye, jumped and yelped excitedly. After the question was asked and answered, they called Jasmines parents, Bob and Jean, and Bens mother, who had been visiting his father in the hospital. Ben always cooks extra, so Ellen joined them. They called Bens father to share the joy. You could hear in his voice how happy and relieved he was, Ben said. It was like he knew that I was going to be OK, because I have Jasmine. Bens father died a few weeks later. It was so them The couple postponed their Fairmount Horticulture Center wedding and reception, but married on their Graduate Hospital rooftop deck on May 16. Bens parents were married on May 19, Bens brother, Micah, and his wife, Rachel, on May 18, and Rachels parents, on May 17. Jasmine and Ben wanted to make it four in a row, and marrying within a year of Richards death felt like keeping a promise to him as well as to each other. The couples wedding day began like a typical Saturday with brunch in the backyard. They and their photographer took socially distant photos outside the Horticulture Center. Coronavirus restrictions meant just five people would be physically present for the ceremony: the couple, Bens mother and local brother, and the photographer. More than 100 others would watch on Zoom. The 6:30 p.m. start time came and went -- without Jasmine. She was ready, but a doctor who sees one of her patients had called seeking an opinion. Bens mother gently told Jasmine that she needed to walk down the aisle. Im so sorry, I didnt want to interrupt you, but Im actually about to get married, Jasmine told the other doctor. With his mazel tov, the wedding began. An instrumental version of Here Comes the Sun played as Bens mother walked him across the deck. Jasmine walked with Leeloo and Skye. She wore a silky dress in red the Chinese color of joy. Ben felt much joy as she joined him beneath their chuppah, which was covered with the same tallits that his parents stood beneath at their wedding in 1979. Samuel led the ceremony, made official with a self-uniting license. Ben and Jasmine spoke the vows they wrote. They danced to Acoustic by Billy Raffoul and then Samuel played some klezmer music for a tiny hora. Later, the couple, Bens brother and mother, and Jasmines parents -- seated at the head of the table via Zoom ate together. Ben will always remember Jasmines wedding day delay with fondness. If that had happened to me, I would have said, I cant talk right now; Im getting married, he said. The only other person I know who this would have happened to is my dad. Honeymoon staycation The couple had planned a trip to Paris and the French Alps; Florence, Italy; and the Greek islands. They booked fishing and museum trips, pasta-making classes, and imagined picnicking on the Seine. Instead, We went to France and Italy in Philly, said Jasmine. One nights rooftop supper came from Parc. They followed an Italian womans video to make pasta. They filled a picnic basket with French wine and food from Rouge and enjoyed it at Schuylkill Banks. An eventual reception The couple hope to re-take their vows and celebrate at the Horticultural Center on May 16, 2021. But they will wait as long as it takes for everyone they love to laugh, sing, and dance close together safely. Whether next year, their fifth anniversary, or some other May 16 to come, Jasmine will wear the still-secret wedding dress that no shop was open to alter this year, and there will be lots of food, cake, and fancy Popsicles to share. The Delhi government earlier this week told a 12-member committee, set up on directions of the Supreme Court to inspect Covid-19 hospitals in the national capital, to look into factors that can help reduce the deaths caused by coronavirus disease (Covid-19). According to an office memorandum from Delhis principal health secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, the government also provided a checklist containing questions such as time taken for triaging (the practice of assigning treatment based on urgency) Covid-19 patients; whether early warning scores to determine whether a patient might deteriorate was followed; and whether the hospital had a standardised investigation protocol. Since committees constituted for the inspection of hospitals in Delhi, consequent to orders passed by the Supreme Court, are already carrying out their mandate in a continuous manner, it would be appropriate that specific attention may now be focused upon aspects which have a bearing on the reduction of Covid-related mortalities, the memorandum read. This comes after the Delhi government released protocols for management of Covd-19 patients, including having a dedicated health care worker monitoring each critical patient. The protocols had also said that availability of dialysis has to be ensured by all hospitals as patients with Covid-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome may also develop acute kidney problems. The government had also said hospitals had to set up a proper holding area for Covid-19 patients, apart from ensuring an effective triage and monitoring of oxygen saturation. Dr Mahesh Verma, a member of the committee and vice-chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, said, The government has provided us with a checklist of questions to look into whether the hospitals are following protocols for admission, triage, critical care, and infection control. Even one death that can be prevented should be prevented and the committee has just been asked to look into whether there is anything that can be done. So far, most of the deaths in hospitals have been of patients who tried to managed their symptoms at home and reached hospitals only when their lungs were compromised or at a stage when they needed to be put on ventilators and the condition could not be reversed. Earlier, Covid-19 related deaths were also happening because doctors did not understand the progression of disease and there was a sudden coagulopathy (formation of clots) or drop in oxygen saturation, he said. The data provided by the chief ministers office showed that 691 deaths took place in Delhi between June 24 and July 8, which works out to an average of 46 deaths a day. The numbers have gone down further, with just 26 deaths being reported on July 17 in the daily health bulletin. Of the 691 deaths, the the CMs office said zero deaths happened in home isolation in July and only seven deaths were reported in home isolation between June 24 and 30. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 11:47:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PYONGYANG, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presided over an enlarged military meeting on Saturday to discuss the strategic mission of the major units for coping with the military situation in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday. The KCNA reported that the fifth enlarged meeting of the Seventh Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Workers' Party of Korea discussed the issues of intensifying the party's education and guidance of commanders and political officials of the army. After the enlarged meeting, there was a closed-door meeting to "examine the strategic mission of the major units for coping with the military situation in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula and the potential military threat," and to discuss the key issues of further bolstering a war deterrent of the country, it said. An organizational matter was tabled at the meeting on dismissing or appointing commanding officers of major posts of the army, the KCNA said, without giving details of the military reshuffle. Present at the meeting were CMC Vice-Chairman Ri Pyong Chol, members of the CMC and commanding officers of the armed forces organs at all levels. Enditem Following the detection of its first omicron case Saturday in Haidian district of Beijing, the Chinese capital locked down certain communities and office buildings just weeks before the Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday. The city opened 30 emergency testing points in Haidian on Monday as it rushes to contain the spread Jan 19, 2022 05:37 PM Local journalism is important and producing it costs time and money. To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe. New Delhi, July 19 : With 38,902 new cases reported in past 24 hours India's total coronavirus cases on Sunday reached 10,77,618. With 543 deaths the toll stood at 26,816, Health Ministry data said. Karnataka is the new hotspot state nearing 60,000 cases, as Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state, with 3,00,937 cases and 11,596 casualties. It crossed the 3-lakh-mark on Saturday with Mumbai reporting over 1 lakh coronavirus cases so far. It is followed by Tamil Nadu with total 1,65,714 cases, including 2,403 deaths. The national capital, on the other hand is projecting an uplifting trend. For 17 of the last 20 days, including 11 in a row now, the number of people recovering from Covid in Delhi has remained higher than newly detected infections -- no other state has come close to such a trend. According to Health Ministry data, as many as 6,77,422 patients have recovered, almost twice the number of active patients at 3,73,379, though India continues to be the third worst-affected country after the US and Brazil. In the last 24 hours, 3,58,127 samples were tested, as the testing lab network continued to expand. States with more than 10,000 cases include Karnataka (59,652), Gujarat (47,390), Uttar Pradesh (47,036), Rajasthan (28,500), Madhya Pradesh (21,763), West Bengal (40,209), Haryana (25,547), Andhra Pradesh (44,609), Telangana (43,780), Assam (22,918), Jammu and Kashmir (13,198), Kerala (11,659), Odisha (16,701) and Bihar (25,136). The AIIMS Ethics Committee has given its nod for a human clinical trial of the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin following which the premier hospital is likely to begin the exercise by enrolling healthy volunteers from Monday. Globally, over 14 million people have been infected with the virus and 602,656 have died. It has taken just four days to climb to 14 million cases from 13 million recorded on July 13. The WHO warned that fresh daily tallies are breaching all records. U.S. army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Yeoncheon, South Korea, April 8, 2016. Reuters The Pentagon has offered the White House options to reduce American troop levels in South Korea, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Citing unnamed U.S. officials, the paper said the options were presented in March following a broader review of options for withdrawing troops from around the world, including in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The White House requested the review last fall, and by December, the Pentagon had come up with broad ideas, it said. No decision has yet been made to reduce the number of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea from the current 28,500, according to the WSJ. The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 60 packets of heroin, weighing a total of 64.3kg, from the border outpost at Nangli Ghat near Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Sunday. BSF deputy inspector general (DIG) and public relations officer BS Rawat said the heroin was being smuggled into India from Pakistan through the Ravi river. BSF sources said a boat patrol at Nangli Ghat found the contraband floating in the Ravi. The packets of heroin were tied in four cloth pipes held together with a rope and concealed with water hyacinth. This is one of the major seizures made by the BSF in the recent past. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Trump administration is seeking to phase out funding for coronavirus testing and contact tracing, as well as funds for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health in a forthcoming GOP coronavirus relief package, according to two sources familiar with ongoing negotiations between the White House and Senate Republicans. The Washington Post first reported these negotiations, which according to two officials are not going over well with Republicans. Senate Republicans are proposing some $25 billion in grants to states for testing and contact tracing, as well as about $10 billion for the CDC and $15 billion for the NIH, the sources said. PHOTO: St. Johns Well Child & Family Center workers prepare to test a woman for COVID-19 at a free mobile test clinic set up outside Walker Temple AME Church in South Los Angeles amid the coronavirus pandemic on July 15, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) A senior White House official told ABC News, "the President is fully committed to a robust aid package that addresses real needs" and said "there have really been no negotiations to date." The official did not directly dispute that the administration is seeking to zero out funding for contact tracing and testing, arguing that health experts even say it will never work, but said it's early in the negotiating process and talks will start in earnest Monday. "There have really been no negotiations to date. There have been a couple of conversations about current funding needs and reserves from the previous legislative packages," the official said. "The President is fully committed to a robust aid package that addresses real needs. There remains 14.7 billion dollars in NIH and CDC from the previous cares act allocations and discussions will start in earnest on Monday." MORE: Congressional leaders at odds over next coronavirus relief package This news comes days after public health officials and lawmakers sounded alarms over a new program that directs hospitals to report COVID-19 data directly to the Department of Health and Human Services instead of to the CDC. While the White House says the new requirement, which started Wednesday, will help make coronavirus data collection from hospitals more centralized and efficient, some fear HHS control and using a system run by a private contractor instead of existing CDC data collection channels could politicize findings and cut experts out of the loop. Story continues MORE: Tracking Trump and Fauci's tense relationship The White House on Friday also blocked CDC Director Robert Redfield from testifying before Congress next week on how to reopen schools safely PHOTO: Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield, speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Education building Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Congress is now racing to put together the next coronavirus stimulus package before lawmakers break for the August recess, tentatively scheduled to begin Aug. 10, and unemployment benefits -- desperately needed by so many Americans -- run out at the end of the month. Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is poised to introduce his bill this week as he prepares to sit down with Democrats to negotiate the next stimulus package before the November presidential election. Two senior GOP aides said the Republican bill will come in at roughly $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion. MORE: Coronavirus updates: Florida now has over 350,000 cases as hospitalizations rise House Speaker Nancy Pelosi derided that sum as far too little, pointing to her chamber's passage of a more than $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill two months ago. It included $75 billion for testing, contact tracing and isolation measures. "I have no doubt they will come around," Peolsi said in a Bloomberg interview. "In the beginning they said, 'No, we have spent enough money.' Now, they're at $1.3 trillion. That's not enough. We have $3.4 trillion." McConnell has knocked the bill as a "liberal wishlist." The two sides remain far apart in several key areas. Democrats have insisted on the House-passed bill that includes aid for front-line workers, state and local governments, and more money for hospitals, testing, schools, nutrition and housing assistance. Senate Democrats are seeking to add an additional $430 billion for education-related needs. Thursday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and his caucus also unveiled a $350 billion plan to target aid to communities of color, which have been disproportionately hit by the coronavirus. Outlining his bill Thursday, McConnell said four key themes will prevail: liability protection, schools, jobs and health care. MORE: Pandemic surge damages Trump, boosting Biden's White House bid: POLL As the nation's unemployment rate remains historically high, it seems certain lawmakers will continue expanded pandemic jobless benefits. But Congress is unlikely to continue those benefits before they run out at the end of this month. Republicans have fought against a flat $600-per-week rate created under the original CARES Act virus relief bill, claiming it is a disincentive to work for those who made less before the virus hit. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who would manage that portion of the bill, has indicated that the benefit is likely to taper off and not end abruptly. There is a lingering question about whether or not to send Americans of modest income another round of stimulus checks, one of the more popular provisions of the last stimulus bill. Trump has expressed support, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Thursday he was "open to it." PHOTO: People visit the Destiny USA mall during the reopening, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are eased in Syracuse, N.Y., July 10, 2020. (Maranie Staab/Reuters) The one area where there is far more agreement is aid to small businesses. The popular Paycheck Protection Program, which was renewed until Aug. 8, is likely to be reformed to target the smallest of businesses. Many businesses have requested a chance to apply for a second PPP loan, but it is unclear if Republicans will approve such a move as it would swell the overall price tag of the bill. McConnell said on Thursday he knows the path forward will not be an easy one. Unveiling his plan mid-week "will just begin the process," he said. What to know about the coronavirus: How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Mariam Khan, Libby Cathey, Anne Flaherty and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report. Administration seeks to zero out CDC, NIH funding in coronavirus relief bill: Sources originally appeared on abcnews.go.com By Mitch Prothero July 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Israel is involved in an extended campaign to pressure or damage Iran before President Donald Trump can be voted out of office in the November election, a former Israeli defense official and a current European Union intelligence official told Insider. Iran has seen weekly incidents, including explosions at a missile-production facility on June 22; the Natanz nuclear facility, Iran's largest uranium-enrichment center, on July 2; and an important shipyard in the port city of Bushehr on Wednesday. These attacks have put the country on edge, with nearly daily reports of fires, explosions, and other mishaps treated as potential foreign sabotage. A Middle Eastern official told The New York Times earlier this month that Israel's intelligence services were responsible for the nuclear-facility explosion. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said at a press conference on July 5 that in regard to Iran, "we take actions that are better left unsaid." The Israeli government's ongoing policy on Iran is clear, the former official added. "It's been decided to follow the Trump administration's lead of exerting 'maximum pressure' on the Iranians," they said, referencing the US's economic-sanctions policy directed toward Iran. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter 'Maximum pressure, minimal strategy' The attacks appear to be part of a campaign of "maximum pressure, minimal strategy," said the EU intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they cannot be named discussing active intelligence matters. Their identity is known to Insider. The source said Iran could be considering a rash response after exhibiting relative patience in the wake of the January assassination of top commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike. "It's one thing to ask hard-liners to take the long view on an incident like Soleimani in light of the worldwide COVID crisis and a host of other factors," the official told Insider, referring to the shift in global attention to the coronavirus pandemic. "It's another thing to conduct a rapid series of operations without a strategy, and I fear the Israeli plan here is to provoke an Iranian response that can turn into a military escalation while Trump remains in office." With a broad belief among America's allies that Trump is unlikely to win reelection, Israel's apparent shift in tactics toward high-pressure "kinetic" operations seem to reflect a belief that under a Biden administration, there would be a move to save the 2015 nuclear deal that had been scuttled by Trump. "There would be a lot less appetite for adventures and secret missions to blow up nuclear facilities under a Biden administration," said the EU official. Copyright 2020 Insider Inc. All rights reserved. - " Source " - Post your comment below The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. By Trend Finance officials from the Group of 20 major economies on Saturday vowed to resolve major differences over taxing big tech companies and reach a broad, consensus-based solution on international taxation this year, Trend reports citing Reuters. The United States has been at loggerheads over the issue with Britain, France and other key allies, who have adopted or are considering digital service taxes as a way to raise revenue from the local operations of big tech companies. Critics say those firms profit enormously from local markets while making only limited contributions to public coffers, but Washington contends the taxes discriminate against U.S. tech firms such as Google (GOOG.O), Facebook (FB.O) and Apple Inc. The Trump administration this month ratcheted up pressure on France over its 3% digital services tax, saying it would impose additional duties of 25% on French imports valued $1.3 billion but would hold off on implementing the move while talks continued in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. G20 finance ministers and central bankers on Saturday acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic had slowed work toward an international plan, but said they expected concrete proposals to emerge before their next meeting in October. We remain committed to ... overcome remaining differences and reaffirm our commitment to reach a global and consensus-based solution this year, they said after a virtual meeting. After the meeting, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said, Fair taxation of international companies and large digital groups is more urgent than ever. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said reaching an agreement by year end was indispensible. The (pandemic) crisis proved that these digital giants were the big beneficiaries of the crisis. They must pay their fair portion of tax, he said. In New Jersey, 55% of prison inmates are Black. Incarcerated youth, also disproportionately Black, can remain plagued by court fines into adulthood. In custody matters, Black children wait longer to get a permanent home. These are some of the disparities in the states judicial system that the New Jersey Supreme Court has recognized in recent months, after the death of George Floyd sparked a racial reckoning around the world. Last week, the Supreme Court announced a yearlong action plan, laying out steps it says will make the judicial system fairer for people of color, from ensuring more diverse, impartial juries to reducing probation terms and removing fines that keep people tied to the judicial system long after rehabilitation. Judge Glenn A. Grant, acting administrative director of the courts, said the Supreme Court has been working to improve racial equity in the courts for years, most notably with the elimination of cash bail in the state, but the recent social unrest gave them an opportunity to reaffirm that commitment with specific goals and actions. Reducing timeframes for supervision will have a direct impact on many, many individuals. Eliminating fines and penalties for juveniles, likewise an extraordinarily important area, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said Friday. Its a commitment that we will follow through in concrete areas that we believe will make an important difference in terms of equal treatment, access and fairness questions, he said. New Jersey, like the rest of the country, is grappling with the impact of racism and bias, especially in policing and law. Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced statewide police reforms and legislators are pushing bills aimed at diversifying jury pools and police forces and increasing police transparency. At the same time, a lack of diversity in the judiciary remains an issue. Only 17% of the 447 judges in the states superior, appellate, supreme and tax courts are minorities, according to a 2019 report of the Supreme Court. Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina, a Cuban native, is the only Supreme Court justice of color. If nominee Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a Haitian-American lawyer and former assistant U.S. attorney, is confirmed to the Supreme Court later this year, she will be the first Black woman and only the third Black justice ever to serve. Fabiana Pierre-Louis, who was nominated to the New Jersey Supreme Court by Gov. Phil Murphy, speaks during a news conference Friday, June 5, 2020, in Trenton, N.J. (Chris Pedota/The Record via AP, Pool)AP A need for diverse, unbiased juries Recognizing the need to root out bias in jurors, the judiciary said it will expand juror orientation regarding bias, write new mandatory jury selection questions and mandatory jury charging instructions, and consider court rule changes regarding impartiality in juror selection. Jennifer Sellitti, of the state Office of the Public Defender, said she thinks the judiciary can do more to ensure juries are unbiased. One way, she said, would be to allow attorney-conducted voir dire, a practice used in most states where attorneys can question potential jurors instead of just judges. Now, she said, a judge can ask if the defendants race will affect the jurors ability to be impartial, but it generally doesnt go beyond that. Our jury selection process is just not as robust as it is in other states. I would like to see us look at being able to have more frank discussions with jurors about race, because I think that is a way that you really test bias in the system, she said. Rutgers Law professor Stacy Hawkins, a member of the Supreme Courts Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement that advised the justices on this and other policy initiatives, said they are right to focus on diversifying juries. Its one thing to inform juries of bias and train them on implicit bias, its another thing to just have diverse juries, so that the operation of implicit bias is reduced because you have a diversity of perspectives, Hawkins said. And we know that diverse juries tend to engage in more thoughtful discussion particularly around racial issues. Last month, a bill passed the Assembly that could increase diversity by expanding the source list for potential jurors to include those with state ID cards, using public utilities or on government assistance. A bill to eliminate past convictions as a disqualifier for jury service has also been proposed, but never got out of committee. The state is also looking at whether peremptory challenges which allow attorneys to exclude a limited number of jurors without giving a reason are being used to whitewash juries. Grant said the court has been working with external experts for roughly 18 months to analyze jury composition and peremptory challenge use, and hopes the results will be available this fall. Attorneys must give a reason if their peremptory strike is challenged as potentially race-based, but every year cases across the country are still overturned because Black jurors were unfairly excluded. Ending the cycle of court-involvement The Supreme Court also committed to reforming the use of probation, so that defendants are not stuck in the court system for ages, always facing the potential for reincarceration for missing a probation appointment or drug test. Others might be kept on probation for years for fees or unpaid child support, which then only impairs their ability to make a living, Grant said. The science says the longer you have someone on supervision, the greater the probability that person reoffends, Grant said. If a person has satisfied all of the other conditions and youre simply keeping them on because they have a balance, that is not a benefit to anyone. The plan said the court will codify recommendations for probation lengths for adults, reexamine durational requirements for probation, and look at ways to improve the effectiveness of juvenile probation terms. In the juvenile system, the Supreme Court is looking at rescinding existing and possibly eliminating court-imposed fines for juveniles, including many who are now adults. The court would like to wipe out those debts to give people a fresh start, he said. It would be a similar move to the courts 2019 decision to dismiss more than 787,000 unresolved, minor offenses that were at least 15 years old. Lengthy municipal court matters, including warrants issued for failing to appear on minor offenses, can also keep people stuck in a harmful cycle. Grant said the court is already trying to make it easier for people to resolve these issues by expanding the number of offenses that can be handled by paying a fine online, never requiring a court appearance. A new online dispute resolution system, where a defendant can work out a deal with the prosecutor remotely, should be rolled out statewide next month, Grant said. The action plan also commits to the following goals: Making the ongoing anti-bias legal education mandatory for all judges and attorneys. Using new technology to make the expungement process easier. Improving language access for remote court proceedings and indigenous language services. Weighing whether some records that create inappropriate hardships for disadvantaged populations, including landlord/tenant complaints, should no longer be public. Improving the landlord-tenant process by sharing clearer information and ensuring tenants representing themselves get fair settlements. The action plan also notes the court will continue to collaborate on and support legislative reforms, including possibly modifying or eliminating mandatory minimum terms, limiting incarceration, probation and fines for juveniles, and continuing municipal court reform, including possible consolidation of courts. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. A longtime San Antonio Fire Department employee lost his life due to COVID-19 complications Friday night. Fire Apparatus Mechanic Hector Rodriguez had been hospitalized in recent days for COVID-19, according to fire officials. Rodriguez served the SAFD and the city of San Antonio for 29 years. The fire department said in a statement that Rodriguez had kept our fire trucks and ambulances running so that the firefighters and paramedics of the SAFD could continually work to serve the people of San Antonio. The department ended the statement by asking the community to honor Rodriguezs memory by doing everything you can to protect yourself and others from the disease. Golden Globe winner Lena Dunham jokingly asked her 8.5M social media following if she should 'go pro' after giving herself a quarantine haircut on Saturday. 'During this quarantine, just like many of you, my contact with the outside world has been limited - and so, still no professional haircut,' the 34-year-old Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress explained. 'I feel @sallyhershberger taught me well [because] it's working from all the angles. Am I ready to go pro!? Not quite but it'll do! I also shaved 2 dogs!' 'I also shaved 2 dogs!' Golden Globe winner Lena Dunham jokingly asked her 8.5M social media following if she should 'go pro' after giving herself a quarantine haircut on Saturday The 34-year-old Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress explained: 'During this quarantine, just like many of you, my contact with the outside world has been limited - and so, still no professional haircut. I feel @sallyhershberger taught me well [because] it's working from all the angles' After California's COVID-19 numbers spiked, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of hair salons and barbershops in 30 counties on Monday in order to slow the spread of the virus. As of Saturday, there have been over 150K confirmed COVID cases in Los Angeles County, which has lead to 4,048 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University. Lena's latest post received a glowing comment of clapping emojis from Ione Skye, who acted in HBO series Camping which Lena co-created in 2018. DIY: After California's COVID-19 numbers spiked, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of hair salons and barbershops in 30 counties on Monday Applause: Lena's latest post received a glowing comment of clapping emojis from Ione Skye, who acted in HBO series Camping which Lena co-created in 2018 Giving back: Through Sunday, fans can stream the Diana Oh play Dunham directed starring 13 Reasons Why's Tommy Dorfman (pictured) as part of The Homebound Project benefiting children affected by the coronavirus Through Sunday, fans can stream the Diana Oh play Dunham directed starring 13 Reasons Why's Tommy Dorfman as part of The Homebound Project benefiting children affected by the coronavirus. Next up, the C-Word podcaster executive produced and directed several of the eight-episode series Industry about young British bankers and traders premiering this fall on HBO/BBC. Speaking of the cable network, HBO Max picked up a half-hour teen dramedy called Generation, which Lena executive produced alongside Daniel & Zelda Barnz. Premiering this fall on HBO/BBC! The C-Word podcaster executive produced and directed several of the eight-episode series Industry about young British bankers and traders 'I cannot wait for people to see Zelda's brilliance come to life!' Speaking of the cable network, HBO Max picked up a half-hour teen dramedy called Generation, which Lena (2-R) executive produced alongside 18-year-old Zelda Barnz (3-L, pictured in 2018) 'I have fallen head over heels for this brilliant family, who have allowed their 18-year old daughter Zelda to express herself in a way that's both effortlessly funny and plumbs the depths of the adolescent experience,' Dunham told Deadline back in December. '[Her father] Daniel's direction is sensitive and artful and as a producer, Ben is equally committed to rigor and fun. I cannot wait for people to see Zelda's brilliance come to life and to meet this insanely impressive cast of honest, powerful performers and I'm so excited to be a part of the soon to be juggernaut of HBO Max.' The eight-time Emmy nominee's relationship with HBO goes as far back as 2011 before she created the millennial dramedy Girls, which aired for six seasons (2012-2017). The series of pictures were taken in the Algarve in July 1999 eight years before the youngster was abducted from Praia da Luz Mugshots of Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner dating back two decades prove Portuguese police knew about his sordid past but still dismissed him as a suspect. The series of pictures were taken in the Algarve in July 1999 eight years before the youngster was abducted from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, then 22, was being extradited back to Germany to be sent to jail for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in a playground in 1994. The drifter served a two-year sentence before he returned to Portugal living in towns and villages close to Praia da Luz. The pictures, buried in court documents held in the provincial town of Silves, provide further evidence of the incompetence of the initial police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from a holiday apartment in May 2007. Brueckner's name should have been added to a police list of know sex offenders living in the Algarve. But it was not and Portuguese detectives never considered the German could be involved in Madeleine's disappearance. Brueckner (left and right in the 1999 mugshots), then 22, was being extradited back to Germany to be sent to jail for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl in a playground in 1994 The drifter (pictured in the 1999 mugshots) served a two-year sentence before he returned to Portugal living in towns and villages close to Praia da Luz The drifter confessed to Portuguese authorities seven years later he was a sexual predator but this too was never recorded. He told a Portuguese judge he had been in jail in Germany for sex crimes against children after he was arrested for stealing diesel in 2006. Brueckner only became a suspect ten years later when he boasted to a friend in a bar in Hannover Germany while drinking that he was knew what had happened to Madeleine in Portugal. Brueckner only became a suspect ten years later when he boasted to a friend in a bar in Hannover Germany while drinking that he was knew what had happened to Madeleine (pictured) in Portugal The German Federal Police asked the PJ to investigate Brueckner and they discovered that the took a phone while he was in Praia da Luz just before the youngster vanished. His former lover Nicole Fehlinger has been accused by a couple of acting as his apparent accomplice to steal their 100,000 life savings and think she might hold the key to solving the mystery of Madeleine's disappearance. The police have never determined who stole the family money and neither Fehlinger nor Brueckner were arrested or charged in relation to the theft. The mother-of-three has also always maintained she hardly knew the serial sex offender. The German Federal Police asked the PJ to investigate Brueckner (pictured in 2018) and they discovered that the took a phone while he was in Praia da Luz just before Madeleine vanished Last month German police named Brueckner as their prime suspect in the kidnap and murder of three-year-old Madeleine, who vanished on May 3rd 2007 while on holiday in Praia da Luz with parents Kate and Gerry McCann. Detectives in northern Germany have spent six weeks making desperate appeals for information to link Brueckner to the youngster's abduction but have not so far secured the vital evidence they need. Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation, has told the McCanns they have concrete evidence Madeleine is dead, in the biggest break-through in the 13-year-old case. He said he hoped to be able to charge Brueckner within the next two months but has added their investigation will not drag on forever. American parents and policymakers hoping for a safe return to schools in the fall have been looking to Europe, where several countries reopened as early as April without a subsequent spike in cases. Why it matters: Theres a growing body of evidence suggesting that schools can operate safely, at least under certain circumstances. But no country that closed schools has attempted to reopen them with outbreaks still raging as they are across much of America. The first countries to bring students back, as Denmark did in April, didn't detect much spread in schools but the virus was also under control in the broader communities. Harder-hit countries, like France or Belgium, contained the spread through lockdowns before bringing students back something the U.S. has largely failed to do. Americas unenviable position as a global epicenter complicates matters, but the challenge is similar: adapting schools to our pandemic reality. Social distancing: Danish class sizes were initially limited to around 12, and arrival times were staggered to avoid crowding. As they plan for the fall, though, countries like Belgium are dropping distancing mandates for younger students, while France is trimming its spacing requirements from 4 meters (about 12 feet) to 1 (3 feet), per the Washington Post. Thats due to space limitations and the difficulties of keeping children apart, as well as indications that young students are unlikely to spread the virus to one another. Masks: Similarly, countries including Austria initially required masks but loosened those restrictions over time. Masks are optional for both students and teachers in Denmark, Norway, the U.K. and Sweden, per Science. Some German schools force students to wear them in the hallway, but not in class. Masks are required for both students and teachers in several Asian countries, including China. Some experts argue that mask requirements would make reopening safer, particularly for teachers and older students. "Bubbles": When the U.K. fully reopens schools in September, smaller subsets of students will spend classes, lunch and recess together an approach several other countries have experimented with. If a student gets the virus, the logic goes, there are only so many people they could give it to, or who would need to self-isolate. Italy is asking schools to open on Saturdays to allow for lower daily attendance, and schools are encouraged to hold classes outdoors or in larger venues like cinemas, per The Local. Funding has been allocated to update schools and hire more teachers. Hybrid learning: Several countries have resumed in-person schooling on a more limited basis, supplemented by online education. School districts across the U.S. are designing such approaches now. Belgian students over 12 will attend school four days a week in the fall, with an additional half-day online. If cases increase, so will the proportion of online education. What to watch: It remains unclear how susceptible children are to the virus, though findings from a hard-hit town in France which are consistent with other evidence suggest it spreads significantly less easily among teens than adults, and hardly at all among young children. The bottom line: The risks to schools remain uncertain, but will almost certainly depend on whats happening outside their walls. Go deeper: The burden on teachers Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Running Mate of ex-President John Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for Election 2020, has urged women in the country to turn the enthusiasm with which they receive her nomination into reality by voting the NDC into power in the upcoming December polls. In a Facebook post on Saturday, July 18, this year, Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang, said "We should turn that enthusiasm into reality. And we all know we can. Yes We Can!" Prof. Opoku-Agyemang who was addressing groups of women that called on her last Thursday, reminded the various women groups of the sterling qualities of women, encouraging them to vote for her party in order to experience women leadership. Ex-President Mahama on July 6, 2020, selected Prof. Opoku-Agyeman to partner him to contest the upcoming December Presidential elections. Below is the statement When groups of women called on me on Thursday, I reminded them of the sterling qualities of women. I said the enthusiasm that has greeted the decision of former President John Dramani Mahama is not lost on any of us. We should turn that enthusiasm into reality. And we all know we can. Yes We Can! Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mark and Patricia McCloskey stand in front of their house holding firearms as activities walk through the gated neighborhood in the Central West End of St. Louis, Mo., on June 28, 2020. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Missouri Governor Says Pardon Likely If St. Louis Homeowners Are Charged The Missouri couple who was seen brandishing firearms as Black Lives Matter protesters marched on a private street and allegedly broke down a gate will likely be pardoned, said Gov. Mike Parson in an interview. Parson, a Republican, told a St. Louis radio station that he believes Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both lawyers, will be pardoned if they are charged in the June 28 incident. I dont think theyre going to spend any time in jail, Parson said, adding that a pardon is exactly what would happen should they be convicted. The McCloskeys displayed a pistol and an AR-15-style rifle as protesters walked on their street. The demonstrators were heading to the home of St. Louis Mayor Ldya Krewson after she read aloud the names and addresses of activists who sought to defund the citys police department in a Facebook Live conference. After the incident, which was captured on video, prosecutor Kim Gardner launched an investigation and alleged the couple infringed on the demonstrators rights. Later, police in St. Louis seized a rifle from the couples home after getting a search warrant. But Parson told 97.1 FM the McCloskeys did what they legally should do, reported The Hill. A mob does not have the right to charge your property, he said, according to the paper. They had every right to protect themselves. Parson later commented on Twitter that his office will not allow law-abiding citizens to be targeted for exercising their constitutional rights. Security personnel stand on the balcony the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey as protesters gather outside their neighborhood in St. Louis, Mo., on July 3, 2020. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images) A couple brandished guns as a group of activists moved into their gated neighborhood in St. Louis, Mo., on June 28, 2020. (Daniel Shular via Reuters) Gardner, a Democrat, has faced criticism from Parson, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and President Donald Trump, while Parson cited Missouris castle doctrine law that justifies lethal force for people protecting their homes. This means that if someone illegally enters your front porch or backyard, you can use deadly force against them without retreating first, according to the FindLaw website. The McCloskeys have defended their actions in interviews, saying that they felt threatened by the protesters, who had allegedly made threats to them. I didnt shoot anybody, Mark McCloskey said in an interview last week. I just held my ground, protecting my house, and Im sitting here on television tonight instead of dead or putting out the smoldering embers of my home. The longtime lawyer said that the legacy media is right behind the mob, describing them as a loud crowd of angry people and they are supporting these entities which are, from my understanding, Marxist and oppose everything that I stand for and I hold dear and near. Four people have been taken into custody in Pakistan's northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province for vandalising a rare Gautam Buddha statue discovered during excavation at an agriculture farm, police said as per a PTI report. The statue was discovered in tehsil Takhtbai of Mardan district. It was destroyed as ordered by a local Maulvi, according to residents in the area. Four suspects have been arrested and an FIR under the antiquity act has been filed, police said. AFP (Representational) District Police Officer Zahidullah said the incident took place when a water line was dug up and construction workers discovered the statue. "We have arrested contractor Qamar Zaman and his workers, Amjad, Aleem and Saleem for smashing the Buddha statue and have also recovered some of its pieces from them," he said. The arrests were made after a video showing people damaging the statue with hammers went viral on social media. A senior officer of the Tourism Department said after the video surfaced the authorities reported the matter to the police for action against the culprits. AFP (Representational) Takhtbai area is a tourist destination for people from Sri Lanka, Korea and Japan since it was a part of the Gandhara Civilisation - one of the earliest urban settlements documented in the history of the subcontinent. Director of Archaeology Department Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Abdul Samad Khan expressed anguish over the incident and assured that proper action would be taken against the culprits involved in damaging the rare statue. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's old name is Ghandhara and the region is a highly revered place for the followers of Buddhism. In 2017, two rare and ancient Buddha statues were unearthed at an archeological site in Bhamala in Hariput district. The largest ever statue found at the site depicts the death of Buddha and the second statue was a Buddha with a double halo. The statue depicting the death scenario was the oldest of its kind in the world. It was also verified by the American laboratory which identified it as older than third century BC. Peshawar Museum is also known for displaying one of the world's largest collection of architectural pieces on Buddha. A couple of years ago, the museum's tallest statue of Buddha in schist stone was transported to Switzerland for display there for 100 days at an international exhibition. Patna: A person was injured after Nepal Police opened fire and shot at three Indian nationals near the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar's Kishanganj. The incident is said to have taken place on Saturday (July 18) evening. According to ANI, the injured was immediately rushed to a nearby primary health centre and an investigation was launched into the matter. Kishanganj SP confirmed the development and said a probe is underway. The injured, identified as Jitendra Kumar (25) was first admitted to a primary health centre in Terhagachh from where he was referred to a Purnia hospital for better treatment. According to reports, his condition is said to be critical. According to reports, the injured, along with two companions, had gone to a farm near Mafi Tola along the Indo-Nepal border in search of their cattle at around 7:30 pm on Saturday. Nepal Police deployed at the border opened fire at youths in which Jitendra Singh received bullet injuries. Gurugram: A rare sighting of a long-billed dowitcher at Mohammedabad village in Sonipat has triggered excitement among birders in Delhi-NCR, with experts saying this is the first sighting of the bird in the region since it was last seen at the Sultanpur National Park in 2013. Suresh Sharma, a veteran birder from Sonipat, spotted the long-billed dowitcher on Friday afternoon in a paddy field. I saw the bird and took a photograph, realising that it didnt look like any of the other birds in the marsh. I initially thought it was an Asian dowitcher, but closer scrutiny showed that it was actually a long-billed dowitcher, Sharma said, adding that the bird was in its brighter, breeding plumage. Breeding adults of the species are known to have orange undersides, with varying black and white stripes around their necks and sides. Nikhil Devasar, a Delhi-based birder, explained that the long-billed dowitcher is a coastal bird that breeds in Central Asia before moving toward the tropics for the winter. Shorelines are the birds natural habitat. The specimen Sharma spotted on Friday is likely a vagrant, as it is rarely seen in the plains. The last sighting in Delhi-NCR is from at least five or six years ago, he said. The birds affinity for a shoreline habitat, birders said, is the reason for multiple sightings in Indias coastal states Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat, though it has also been previously seen in Punjabs Harike region. Describing the sighting as a lucky find, Sharma said: I dont think I would have spotted the bird if it wasnt for the rains. A downpour in Sonipat on Saturday has submerged a paddy field, creating the right marshy habitat that dowitchers prefer. West Bengal on Sunday registered 2,278 new Covid-19 cases and 36 deaths marking the highest single-day spike on both counts. The total number of cases stood at 42,289 on Sunday. Of them, 24,883 people have been cured while 1,112 people have died of the infection till now, according to state governments daily health bulletin. On Saturday, the state government said in a statement that only 13% of the total number of active Covid-19 patients in West Bengal need to be hospitalized. That means only 1,912 patients out of the 14,709 patients need to be hospitalized. The rest 87% are asymptomatic and mild. There is no need to panic, the statement said. The statement also said that the daily Covid-19 testing rate in West Bengal is 144 per million population, which is above the WHO threshold of 140. Chief secretary Rajiva Sinha on Saturday also ruled out the possibility of clamping a total lockdown in Kolkata or across the state, asserting that the restrictions would be enforced strictly only in containment zones. He was reacting to a letter from the Union health ministry that expressed concern about rise in cases in the city and adjoining districts. Coronavirus cases in Bengal rose exponentially in Bengal in July. On July 5, West Bengal registered 895 new Covid-19 cases and 21 deaths marking the highest single-day spike since the pandemic started. Till that day, 757 people had died and the number of active cases was 6,658. It was first time the single-day spike crossed the 800-mark. Out of those 895 new cases, 244 cases were reported from Kolkata while the adjoining districts of North and South 24 Parganas registered 214 and 118 cases. To contain the spread of the infection the state government has asked the civil aviation ministry to stop flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad. Also, lockdown restriction have been placed in new areas in the districts. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Dass long wait for construction of the Ram temple will end with the groundbreaking ceremony likely on August 5. Das wrote an emotional letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, requesting him to visit Ayodhya for the bhumi pujan. It was after this letter that the Prime Ministers Office sought tentative dates from the trust for Modis maiden Ayodhya visit for the bhumi pujan. Now, with the PM likely to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for the ceremony, Nritya Gopal Das is about to see his dream come true. The Mahant wants bhumi pujan of the Ram temple on lines that was held for the Somnath temple in Gujarat. A day after the trusts meeting in Ayodhya, Nritya Gopal Das interacted with Hindustan Times. Excerpts: Q: You always wanted a grand bhumi pujan for Ram temple. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will the ceremony be low-key? A: We had planned a grand bhumi pujan for Ram temple like the one organised for the Somnath temple. Then President of India Rajendra Prasad and home minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel attended the Somanth temple bhumi pujan. The ceremony continued for three days. It was a grand and elaborate event. We wanted something like this. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is not possible now. After much effort, we were able to get the PMs consent to attend the bhumi pujan. Q: The tentative date for bhumi pujan is August 5. But, if due to some unavoidable circumstances, the PM is not able to visit Ayodhya, what will be the trusts plan? A: We are confident that the PM will definitely come to Ayodhya for the bhumi pujan. However, if due to some unavoidable circumstances and national issues, the PM is not able to come to Ayodhya on August 5 for bhumi pujan then, in the nations interest, we will delay the ceremony and will wait for the PMs visit. Q: Finally, has the trust agreed to make changes in the existing model of the proposed Ram temple? A: The Ram temple model prepared by VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad) in 1989 will not be changed. It will remain the same. Ram temple will be constructed on the existing model. But some additions have been made to the temples model and that is what saints had been demanding. Now, the temples height will be 161 ft instead of 128 ft. The number of domes has been increased from three to five. Ram temples chief architect Chandrakant Sompura has approved these changes. A grand Ram temple will be constructed. In the meeting (Trust meeting on Saturday), we also discussed these changes. Q: Will the stone slabs lying at Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas Karyashala be used in construction of the Ram temple? A: Yes. All stone slabs carved at the Karyashala will be used in construction of the Ram temple. Male sexual worries: What has changed in the post-Viagra age? Scientists report a change in why men seek help for sexual problems, with fewer men complaining about impotence (erectile dysfunction) and premature ejaculation, and more men, especially younger men, complaining about low sexual desire and curvature of the penis (Peyronie's disease). Presenting the work at the European Association of Urology (virtual) Congress, after recent acceptance for publication, research leader Dr Paolo Capogrosso (San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy) said: "Over a 10 year period we have seen a real change in what concerns men when they attend sexual health clinics. This is probably driven by greater openness, and men now accepting that many sexual problems can be treated, rather than being something they don't want to talk about". The success of erectile dysfunction treatments such as Viagra and Cialis, and the availability of new treatments, means that men facing sexual problems have now have treatments for sexual problems which weren't available a generation ago. Now researchers at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan have studied why men come to sexual health clinics, and how this has changed over a 10-year period. In what is believed to be the first research of its kind, the scientists questioned 3244 male visitors to the San Raffaele Hospital Sexual Health Clinic in Milan over a 10 year period (2009 to 2019), and classified the main reason for the visit. They found that the number of patients visiting with erectile dysfunction problems increased from 2009 to 2013, then started to decrease. There were comparatively few patients complaining of low sex drive or Peyronie's disease in 2009, but complaints about both of these conditions grow from 2009 to the end of the study. In 2019 men were around 30% more likely to report Peyronie's disease than in 2009, and around 32% more likely to report low sexual desire. The amount of men complaining of premature ejaculation dropped by around 6% over the 10-year period. The average age of first attendance at the clinical also dropped, from a mean of 61 to 53 years. "Erectile dysfunction is still the main reason for attending the clinic, but this number is dropping, whereas around 35% of men attending the clinic now complain of Peyronie's disease, and that number has shown steady growth" said Paolo Capogrosso. "Our patients are also getting younger, which may reflect a generational change in attitude to sexual problems". Dr Capogrosso continued "We need to be clear about what these figures mean. They do not indicate any change in the prevalence of these conditions, what they show is why men came to the clinic. In other words, it shows what they are concerned about. The changes probably also reflect the availability of treatments; as treatments for sexual conditions have become available over the last few years, men are less likely to suffer in silence". These are results from a single centre, so they need to be confirmed by more inclusive studies. "Nevertheless there seems to be a growing awareness of conditions such as Peyronie's disease, with articles appearing in the popular press**. In addition, we know that the awareness of this condition is increasing in the USA and elsewhere, so this may be a general trend*** " said Dr Capogrosso. Commenting, Dr Mikkel Fode (Associate Professor of Urology at University of Copenhagen), said: "Although these data are somewhat preliminary as they stem from single institution they are interesting because they allow us to formulate several hypothesis. For example the drop in men presenting with erectile dysfunction may mean that family physicians are becoming more comfortable addressing this issue and that the patients are never referred to specialized centres. Likewise the simultaneous drop in age at presentation and increase in Peyronie's disease and low sex drive could indicate that both men and their partners are becoming more mindful to optimizing their sex lives. I will be very interesting to see if these trends are also present in other centres around the world." Dr Fode was not involved in this work, this is an independent comment. ### Notes *This work has recently been accepted by the peer-reviewed journal, International Journal of Impotence Research, https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41443-020-0324-7 **For example, see recent newspaper articles in the Daily Star, and The Guardian. ***See https:/ / www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/ pubmed/ 26907743 The 35th European Association of Urology conference takes place online from 17-19 July, 2020. This replaces the physical conference which was scheduled to take place in Amsterdam. The EAU conference is the largest and most important urology congress in Europe, with up to 14,000 attendees. Conference website https:/ / eaucongress. uroweb. org/ Type of study: peer-reviewed*/observational study/people This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that the reason the U.S. is doing "so poorly" with the coronavirus compared to Europe is because many states ignored federal reopening guidelines and let their guard down "imagining this was just a New York problem." Why it matters: The U.S. leads the world with over 3.7 million confirmed cases and 140,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. While Europe was initially hit hard by the pandemic, most countries have successfully flattened their infection curve and lifted lockdown restrictions. What he's saying: "We basically did a good job in New York and New Jersey and Connecticut with that terrible crisis that happened and took many lives. ... And basically steps were put in place and if you look to see what's happening now in those areas, they came down very close to zero," Collins said. "But meanwhile, the rest of the country, perhaps imagining this was just a New York problem, kind of went about their business, didn't really pay that much attention to CDC's recommendations about the phases necessary to open up safely, and jumped over some of those hoops." "And people started congregating and not wearing masks and feeling like it's over and maybe summer, it will all go away. And now here we are not only with 70,000 new cases almost every day, but from my perspective also, a quite concerning number of hospitalizations." The bottom line: Collins insisted that Americans are fully capable of "rising to a crisis" and said that he does not consider masks to be "optional" when it comes to people protecting themselves and those around them. China today accused Downing Street of 'dancing to America's tune' after Huawei was banned from the UK's 5G network as Beijing also warned imposing sanctions on officials over human rights abuses would be met with a 'resolute response'. Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK, said excluding the Chinese tech giant from the infrastructure represented a 'dark day' for Britain. He said Beijing is 'still evaluating the consequences' of the decision amid claims British firms operating in China have been told 'retaliation is coming' and they could be 'in the firing line'. Meanwhile, Mr Liu hit back over 'false accusations' of Chinese human rights abuses as he was confronted with video footage of Uighur people being detained and forced onto a train in Xinjiang province. The UK Government is under growing pressure to impose sanctions on any Chinese government officials involved in any such action. Mr Liu said it would be 'wholly wrong' for the UK to impose sanctions as he warned against engaging in a 'tit for tat' diplomatic battle. But Dominic Raab said this morning it is clear that 'gross, egregious human rights abuses' are being perpetrated against the Uighur people in northern China. Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary also said he will deliver a statement in the House of Commons tomorrow setting out the Government's latest response to Beijing imposing a controversial national security law on Hong Kong. Mr Raab has already offered a route to citizenship for to up to three million Hong Kongers with British National (Overseas) status. And tomorrow he will announce the conclusion of a review into whether the UK will suspend extradition arrangements with Hong Kong. Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the UK, said the decision to ban Huawei from the UK's 5G network represented a 'dark day' as he also dismissed accusations made against the Chinese government of human rights abuses Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said it is 'clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on' in northern China Relations between China and Britain are increasingly strained, with the two nations having repeatedly clashed in recent months over coronavirus, Hong Kong, Huawei and accusations of human rights abuses. The UK Government announced last week that Huawei will be banned from the 5G network because of national security concerns with all of the Chinese tech giant's equipment to be stripped out by the end of 2027. The decision to exclude the firm from the network prompted a furious response from Beijing while suggestions of the UK potentially imposing sanctions on Chinese government officials has further increased tensions. Mr Liu told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show it would be 'wholly wrong' to impose sanctions as he suggested the UK's approach to China was actually being directed by the White House. He said: 'We never believed in unilateral sanctions. We believe that the UN has the authority to impose sanctions and if the UK Government goes that far to impose sanctions on any individuals in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it. 'You have seen what happened between China and the United States. They sanctioned Chinese officials, we sanctioned their senators, their officials. 'I do not want to see this tit for tat between China and the US happen in China and UK relations. 'I think the UK should have its own independent foreign policy rather than to dance to the tune of Americans like what happened to Huawei.' Mr Liu said the Huawei decision was 'very bad' and meant the UK had 'missed the opportunity to be a leading country'. 'We are still evaluating the consequences,' the ambassador said. During his interview Mr Liu was confronted with video footage which has been widely circulated online in recent days which experts believe shows Uighur people in China being detained and forced onto a train to be taken away. Mr Liu rejected the accusations of human rights abuses as he said: 'Let me tell you this: The so-called Western intelligence keep making this false accusation against China.' But Mr Raab, appearing on the same programme, said the UK was in no doubt that human rights abuses were taking place. 'It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on,' he said. 'We are working with our international partners on this. It is deeply, deeply troubling. 'The reports of the human aspect of it - from forced sterilisation to the education camps - are reminiscent of something we have not seen for a long, long time. The UK has banned Huawei from the 5G network with all of the firm's equipment to be stripped out by the end of 2027 over security concerns 'This from a leading member of the international community that wants to be taken seriously and in fact who we want a positive relationship with. But we cannot see behaviour like that and not call it out.' Mr Raab said there 'won't be business as usual' with China moving forward. He insisted the UK will not be 'slipping into some outdated, dogmatic approach' but will be 'very careful in our dealings' with Beijing. The comments came after it emerged the leaders of UK businesses in Beijing had been summoned to a meeting where they were apparently told by a Chinese government official that their operations could suffer because of growing tensions with Britain. A source told the Sunday Times: 'The message was that retaliation is coming and that British firms in China are in the firing line.' It is thought some of the UK's biggest companies on the world stage like Jaguar Land Rover, BP and GlaxoSmithKline could all be targeted. Seven has scored its sixth ratings week in a row after the surprise success of true crime documentary Murder in the Outback. The CJZ doco on the Peter Falconio murder pulled just over a million viewers. But it was MasterChef that was the top drawcard outside of news bulletins. Nines week was led by News and current affairs. Network Seven: 29.5 Nine: 27.4 10: 18.5 ABC: 15.9 SBS: 8.7 Primary channel Seven: 21.1 Nine: 19.1 10: 12.6 ABC: 11.1 SBS: 5.2 Multichannels: 10 BOLD: 3.6 7mate: 3.4 7TWO: 3.3 ABC KIDS Comedy / 9GEM / 9GO!: 2.5 10 Peach: 2.2 9Life: 2.1 7flix: 1.8 ABC News: 1.7 SBS VICELAND: 1.4 9RUSH / SBS World Movies: 1.1 SBS Food: 0.9 ABC ME: 0.5 NITV: 0.1 Sven won 16-39 and 25-54. Seven claimed Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Nine scored Sunday and Monday. ABC bettered 10 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Seven led in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Nine was victorious in Sydney and Brisbane. Best brands last week were: Seven: Seven News (Sun: 1.24m), Murder in the Outback (1.03m), Big Brother (Mon: 723,000) and AFL (695,000). Nine: Nine News (Sun: 1.14m), A Current Affair (750,000), The Voice (748,000) and Emergency (591,000). 10: MasterChef Australia (Mon: 1.05m), Have You Been Paying Attention? (856,000), The Project 7pm (552,000) and Bachelor in Paradise (Launch: 507,000). ABC: ABC News (811,000), Hard Quiz (706,000), 7:30 (639,000) and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (638,000). SBS: Tony Robinsons World by Rail (362,000), Great Asian Railway Journeys (312,000), The Windsors Lost Letters (243,000) and Extreme Railway Journeys (242,000). Infograph supplied by Nine: Traveling down Highway 41A from Sewanee is the little town of Cowan which is seven miles from the domain of the University of the South and is six miles from the county seat of Winchester in Franklin County, Tennessee. Nestled at the foot of the Cumberland Mountains, Cowan is a village that exists because of the railroad. Since 1849, when construction began on boring a railroad tunnel through the mountain two miles northeast of the town, the railroad has been an integral part of Cowan. The Cumberland Mountain Tunnel was finished in 1852 before the railroad actually made it to Cowan from Nashville. In the 1840s a group of investors organized what would be the first railroad in Tennessee linking Nashville and Chattanooga. It was originally called the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. Later when the railroad expanded to Memphis and St. Louis, it was popularly known as the NC&StL Railroad. In the 1850s engineers decided to dig a tunnel through the Cumberland Mountain because it costs a lot more to lay track over or through mountains than it does to lay track on flat land. The actual construction began in 1847. The digging of the 2,200-foot tunnel was the most difficult part of the project. The work was done mostly by either Irish immigrants or slaves leased to the railroad. The conditions were hard with the work being performed all day and the workers sleeping in makeshift shelters or on the ground. Three continuous shifts were employed to complete the project. All the work was done by hand and many workers died doing the tunnel project. The railroad was completed in May 1851 and it was considered an important date in the development of the State of Tennessee. Cowan was not the only town to come into existence as a result of the railroad being built. Decherd, Tullahoma and Stevenson, Alabama all owe their existence to the railroad. During the Civil War the Union Army followed the Nashville and Chattanooga southeast through Murfreesboro from Nashville to Bridgeport and Stevenson, Alabama and then into Chattanooga. The railroad line also led to the development of coal mining in Tracy City and other parts of Grundy County and the Sewanee area as well as the creation of the University of the South in 1858. A wooden frame depot was built in 1904 and that building is where the museum houses its collection. With decline of railroad passenger service, the NC&StL merged with the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) and would eventually become part of the CSX Railway system. Also present at Cowan was an engine and car repair facility in support of the steam-powered pusher engines that hauled trains up and over the Cumberland Mountain because of the steep grade and sharp curves. Prior to the demise of passenger trains in the 1960s, the pusher (or helper) engines would be attached by coupling on to the front whereas freight trains were pushed from the rear. The train station sat vacant for decades but was saved by a campaign by the citizens of Cowan not to tear it down. As a result the station has been turned into the Cowan Railroad Museum and the many railroad worker families in the community donated many items that relate to the historical existence of the railroad such as history books, model trains and antique maps. The museum grounds feature a Porter-type steam locomotive, a diesel-electric switch locomotive, boxcar, flat car and a rare NC&StL caboose. One of the other local attractions that existed until December 31, 2019 was the old railroad hotel that was operated for many years. Hopefully a new owner will reopen the Franklin-Pearson Hotel across the tracks as it was Franklin Countys oldest hotel facility. In 2008, the Cowan Depot received a face-lift with an old bandstand being converted into a train watching platform and in 2011 the station was painted in green and yellow colors. A Fall Heritage Festival is held every year and this year is tentatively scheduled for September 18-20, 2020. The museum is located at 108 Front Street, Cowan, and is normally open May through October on Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (CST) and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (CST). Other times can be arranged by appointment and information can be obtained at (931) 967-3078. Admission prices are $2.00/adult; $1.00/child with $5.00 per family. Members of the military get in free. Take a step back in history to visit a railroad town! * * * Jerry Summers (If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com GOVERNMENT has granted Sakunda Holdings, a company with diverse interests in energy and minerals, a coalbed methane (CBM) concession in Mbungu, Matabeleland North province, where the firm intends to set up a power plant. The special grant (5 755) measuring about 333 000 hectares was previously owned by State-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), which now becomes a minority partner in the new venture. While providing an update on the partial restructuring of State-owned entities on Thursday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube indicated that Sakunda had been granted a special grant for coalbed methane. Sakunda chief operating officer Mr Charles Chitambo confirmed to The Sunday Mail Business that the company was now working with ZMDC on a special grant for coalbed methane in Matabeleland North. I can confirm that we are indeed working with ZMDC on a coalbed methane special grant in Lupane area, he said. We are assembling technical teams so that we can feed necessary expertise in the boxes. As what we intend to do, it all depends on the amount of the resources. At that stage we will be clear on what to do. Zimbabwe has huge deposits of untapped CBM gas in the Hwange, Lupane and Gwayi areas. Over the years, drilling and desorption tests have been conducted and resources that run into trillions of cubic feet have been discovered, according to Governments geological department. Chinese firm Sinosteel has already completed preliminary exploration works on some of its CBM claims in Lupane. Sinosteel is the majority shareholder in Zimasco Zimbabwes largest ferrochrome producer, which, in turn, owns 90 percent of Shangani Energy Exploration (SEE). SEE plans to exploit methane gas and build a power plant. According to Sinosteel, an investment of about US$780 million is needed for the project to be implemented in three phases, from exploration to full-scale power generation of 400 megawatts over a 10-year period. The investment is part of the US$1 billion deal signed by Presidents Mnangagwas administration and Sinosteel in May 2018, which will also see the building of additional chrome smelters at Zimascos Kwekwe smelting complex and in Mberengwa. The project is among those expected to make the country energy self-sufficient. SEE has carried out preliminary exploration work on two of its three special grants, where six core holes were drilled and three production wells sunk. Overally, the assessment demonstrated that gas and water could be produced. Although there is evidence proving the existence of a considerable methane gas resource, investors are in the process of establishing whether it can be exploited commercially. The Chinese company completed a consulting contract with a petroleum geologist with extensive experience to produce a work programme with accompanying expenditures. The programme will build on the preliminary works already done and will include more in-depth exploration work to confirm the commercial quantities of methane gas hosted by the three special grants. The next phase of work would be the intense exploration work, which will start with the installation of bigger pumps on the three wells to drain water so that the gas can be released as part of work to establish commercial viability. In addition to power generation, an integrated petrochemical industry, which has the potential to create new jobs and new revenue streams for the nation, will be established. The whole CBM industry has the potential to spur local economic growth. Matabeleland North is endowed with natural resources that can change the economic complexion of the province if exploited under a win-win arrangement. President Mnangagwa, who was on a tour of coal mining companies in Hwange last week, called on mining companies operating in the country to partake in infrastructure development for the benefit of communities they operate in. He made the call while officially opening South Mining (Pvt) Limiteds coking coal plant in Hwange. He visited Western Coal and Energy Companys Western Areas coal project, South Minings coking plant, Jin Ans Tutu coking plant, as well as Hwange Colliery Companys Chaba Mine. Push Back Against Operation Inclusion With Operation Restoration Commentary Did you know that the U.S. Army maintains an Equity and Inclusion Agency? Nor did I. But Operation Inclusion, its new course, is a vivid reminder of just how deep the cynical virus of anti-American racial redress has burrowed into the vital tissues of our culture. Two excellent columns appeared last week exposing the pullulating wound. The first, Teaching hate under the guise of inclusion by Hans Von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson, shows how the woke initiative violates the prohibition against military personnel engaging in overt political activities. According to a graphic distributed as part of its seminar, Operation Inclusion instructs its studentsU.S. Army personnel, rememberthat voicing support for enforcing immigration laws or repeating phrases such as Make America Great Againwhere have you heard that?are evidence of covert white supremacy. Thats not all. The list of verboten phrases is long and pointed. Youre a racist if you say (or even think) All Lives Matter, if you deny the reality of white privilege, if you support Columbus Day, the idea of American exceptionalism, or if you believe that there is such a thing as reverse racism. The second column, White Fragility Comes to Washington, by City Journals Christopher F. Rufo, underscores the truth of the old adage that things are always worse than you think. Rufo details the activities of a private diversity consultant who has imported far-left academic theories about white privilege into the upper reaches of several federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller. According to Rufo, the training begins with the premise that virtually all white people contribute to racism. Since 2006, Howard Ross, the white consultant whose brainchild this toxic garbage is, has cost taxpayers more than $5 million in fees. Hence the great irony, as Rufo notes, that Ross used his own privilege to enrich himself at taxpayers expense. In the language of his own discourse, he has monetized collective black pain to create individual white profit. Thats not the only irony. Incredibly, Ross and his like-minded colleagues have expanded their footprint under the conservative Trump administration. Based on a review of federal contract data, since Trumps inauguration, Ross has conducted at least 17 trainings for federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Health, and the Office of the Attorney General. The permanent bureaucracy understands that it can ignore the policies and priorities of any one administration, while building institutional power according to its own ideological agenda. The permanent bureaucracy. People say that the president of the United States is the most powerful man in the world (though these days woke or nervous people would substitute person for man). In some ways, thats true. But the enormous headwinds under which Donald Trump has had to maneuver remind us that there is an important sense in which the real power in Washington lies in the administrative apparatus, the deep state. President Trump came to Washington with a promise to drain the swamp. But the swamp is a self-perpetuating organism, as difficult to drain as the hydra was to kill. Operation Restoration Von Spakovsky and Stimson quote U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who has demanded an immediate investigation into Army personnel illegally using federal government resources to distribute racist and partisan political propaganda in direct violation of federal law and military regulations. That is all well and good, as are Rufos calls for the Senate Finance Committee to launch a probe into the activities of Howard Ross and for President Trump to issue an executive order banning federal agencies from engaging in what amounts to a new form of racism. But all such measures are but stopgaps, palliatives that might at best suppress particular symptoms of the disorder in certain cases. The disease itself can only be overcome by a restoration of public sentiment in favor of America. A tall order? In some ways, yes. But also a straightforward one. It isnt at all clear that federal agencies ought to be in the business of ideological indoctrination. But if they are going to go down that road, they should be required to promulgate a view of America that is historically accurate. The more serious deficit, however, is in our schools and colleges, few of which any longer teach a non-tendentious history of this great country, the last best hope of earth, as Lincoln put it. Into that vacuum where civic literacy once stood has rushed the rancorous distemper of identity politics and whiny racialist narcissism. America, as Wilfred McClay put it in the title of his new history textbook, is a Land of Hope. No honest telling of the story of the United States can deny that fact. As with all countries throughout history, America has had its share of mistakes, tragedies, wrong turns, and crimes. But it has also had more than its share of successes and triumphs. The material triumphs are the easiest to catalog. The social-political successes are trickier to articulate but no less central to our success. Perhaps the biggest task facing Americans today is the task of reaffirming our American identity. A good place to start is by returning to our founding conviction that all men are created equal endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Insisting on that in our schools is the surest way to restore our shared political consensus, that community of sentiment that gives life to the first-person plural, that We, the People, which made us who we are. To the extent that we succeed in Operation Restoration, to that extent, the diversity-industrial complex will founder. More, it will appear as the grasping and juvenile confidence trick it is, contemptible, yes, but also pathetic. Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion, and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is The Fortunes of Permanence: Culture and Anarchy in an Age of Amnesia. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Hong Kong: Expo's use as isolation centre mulled (To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.) The Government is looking into using AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) as a community isolation facility to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to a question during a press conference this afternoon on how long it would take to transform AsiaWorld-Expo into an isolation centre, Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan said the Government is inspecting the facility and moving in equipment. We have already started looking into the AWE and checked, for example, the air changes and also other facilities. We are also trying our best to put in the AWE, for example, the required furniture, such as beds and all those. So those are almost ready and one of the halls should be ready towards the end of next week. Prof Chan explained that AsiaWorld-Expo would be used for two purposes. One is for the decanting of our elderly homes in case there are more outbreaks. And second is for some cases and some isolation facilities for the Hospital Authority. At the press conference, Chief Executive Carrie Lam also announced measures to deal with the latest wave of the pandemic. Along with the AsiaWorld-Expo, quarantine facilities in Lei Yue Mun Park & Holiday Village will soon be converted into an isolation centre as part of the measures. The holiday village will provide about 300 units to isolate COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms, Mrs Lam said. This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Pentagon Says Turkey Sent 3,500 Syrian Fighters To Back Libyan Government By RFE/RL July 18, 2020 The U.S. military says Turkey sent more than 3,500 Syrian fighters to Libya during the first three months of 2020 to help the North African country's internationally recognized government in its civil war against a rebel commander. The Defense Department's report, seen by the Associated Press on July 17, was the U.S. military's first to detail the Turkish deployments that helped change the course of the war in Libya. The country has been torn by civil war since a NATO-backed popular uprising ousted and killed the North African country's longtime dictator Colonel Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. The current struggle pits rebel Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east of the country against the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli. Turkey has provided support for the GNA. Qatar and Italy have also backed the Tripoli-based government. Russia has supported the rebels, mainly through the Kremlin-connected military contractor Vagner Group. France, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates also back Haftar. Both Russia and Turkey have been criticized by the UN and Western officials, who say their efforts to arm their allies have led to an intensification of the violence. The United States has accused Moscow of deploying military jets to Libya to provide support for the Russian mercenaries Moscow has denied the Russian state is responsible for any deployments of the Vagner group and denied sending aircraft to Libya. The new Pentagon report says Turkey paid and offered citizenship to thousands of mercenaries fighting alongside Tripoli-based militias against Haftar's forces. The report said no evidence was found to indicate that the Syrian fighters were affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) extremist group or Al-Qaeda, saying instead that they were "very likely" motivated by financial reasons than by ideology. A string of Turkish-backed victories by the Tripoli forces has driven Haftar's troops from the capital's suburbs and other strongholds since Ankara's deployment of forces. The UN has been pressing the sides in the conflict to push forward with peace talks. On July 18, Germany, France, and Italy warned that they were prepared to apply sanctions on those violating the UN embargo on arms flowing into Libya. "We are prepared to consider a possible use of sanctions if infringements against the land, sea and air embargo continue," the three heads of government wrote in a joint statement on July 18, without naming a state or entity which could be the target. "We therefore call on all Libyan parties as well as their international backers to put a stop to combat activities and the acquisition of arms in the entire country," said the statement, drawn up during a summit in Brussels, by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. With reporting by AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pentagon-turkey-3-500- syrian-fighters-libya-russia/30734486.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 The stamp, designed by painter Nguyen Du, was unveiled on July 18 at a ceremony in Quang Ninh Province, where the battle took place. It recreates the battle on Bach Dang River over 700 years ago when scores of Yuan-Mongol ships were pierced by iron-tipped wooden stakes as the tidal water receded. To the powerful sound of war drums, the Tran army attacked and set the enemys ships on fire, throwing the adversaries into chaos. The stamp also shows a map of the battle and depicts a Vietnamese general riding a horse as he commands the soldiers and people to repulse the Yuan-Mongol forces. The illustration was created with warm colours to represent the seething power of the Tran army in one of the largest naval battles in Vietnamese history. The stamp will be available on the postal network from now until June 2022. From 1958 to 2019, Vietnam Post issued 15 stamp sets on Quang Ninh Province, including a two-stamp set issued in 1988 depicting the battle of Bach Dang to mark its 700th anniversary. When the city council in Asheville, North Carolina, approved reparations this week for its African American residents and apologized for its history of slavery, the move was called historic and received global media attention. The resolution stood out as a first in the racially unsettled months since the killing of George Floyd and resonated because it happened in what was once a Confederate state. But while Asheville's resolution promises reparations, it does not say when or how they will be paid for. Another city has gone further down the road to reparations than any other and may be a model for the small but growing number of places considering making amends for past racial injustice, including Seattle; Providence, Rhode Island; and the state of California. MORE: Asheville city council approves reparations plan as Providence explores idea Last November, Evanston, Illinois, not only adopted a resolution for reparations as part of the city budget, it found an inventive source of funds: tax revenue from newly legalized marijuana sales. "Evanston absolutely is the pioneer," said Nkechi Taifa, an attorney and member of the National African American Reparations Commission. "It basically is the first municipality to commit public dollars to reparations." PHOTO: Evanston Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, 5th Ward, proposed a reparations fund that Evanston City Council approved at their meeting on Nov. 25, 2019. (Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images) The plan calls for using $10 million collected by the city in cannabis sales taxes over an estimated 10 years to provide African American residents with housing assistance and economic development benefits. As of the 2010 Census, the Black population of Evanston was about 13,400 people. According to Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, who has led the effort, details for the first "remedy policy" are nearing completion: a $25,000 direct benefit payment to purchase a home. Those who qualify for such a check, according to the current proposal, are Black residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 or their direct descendants. "We are going to lead with housing," said Simmons, because homeownership is considered a "benefit that would build wealth," putting Black residents on the path toward bridging the "wealth gap." Story continues MORE: Marijuana sales in Illinois top $3M on first day of legal recreational cannabis in the state The next round of benefits from the fund will be designed to encourage business development and entrepreneurship. When Illinois readied to legalize marijuana sales last year, Simmons and others on the city council thought "there is no more appropriate place to use the sales tax from that industry." Over 70% of Evanston's marijuana-related arrests were among African Americans, even though they are less than 17% of the population, according to Simmons. "If there is going to be some benefit to the community from legalizing marijuana, then it certainly should be targeted to the Black community most damaged by this overpolicing," Simmons said. PHOTO: In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, photo, cannabis is grown at Revolution Global's cannabis cultivation center in Delavan, Ill. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo) So the council acted quickly, approving the reparations fund in an 8-to-1 vote. "We did not want the cannabis sales tax folded into our general fund and be spent in some way. Then we'd have to take it away from something," Alderman Melissa Wynne recalled. "We realized before a penny of this arrives in our coffers, we have to decide right now, 'We're putting this in a fund.'" Taifa said that since marijuana has been central to "a criminal punishment system that disproportionately sent Blacks to prison," it is "poetic justice" that cannabis serve as "the same entity that is seeking to close the Black-white wealth gap." Evanston could "provide a blueprint for the rest of the country," Taifa said. Evanston, Illinois, finds innovative solution to funding reparations: Marijuana sales taxes originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Expectant registrants turn out in their numbers as the fourth phase of the Electoral Commissions (EC) Voter Registration Exercise began on Sunday, July 19, at Ablekuma North Constituency. Mr Ernest Dagbui, Registration Officer for the Pentecost Church, Kwashieman Official Town (KOTA) Centre One, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the turn out was impressive, taking into consideration the importance most Ghanaians attached to exercise. It was interesting to meet people over here even when we arrived before 06:00 hours to set up the place for the exercise. They are really determined to get themselves registered, he said. Mr Dagbui said the pressure at his Centre was minimal because most people had rushed to register at other centres without waiting for the team to bring the registration to their doorstep. We are strictly enforcing all the COVID-19 protocols, ranging from hand washing, use of sanitizers and the like. If anyones nose mask isnt properly covering the nose, we ask them to do so. For those who do not come with it at all, we politely ask them to return home for them, he added. Also, Ms Catherine Sebuabe, Registration Officer for Centre Two of the Pentecost Church, Kwashieman Official Town (KOTA), said the high turn out was because most churches were yet to resume meetings. The Registration Officer said the Centres equipment were fully functional and expressed optimism that more people would be captured onto the electoral roll by close of the exercise. She called on Ghanaians to take advantage of the opportunity to get themselves registered and advised each citizen to follow the laid-down protocols. The comportment has been good so far; I am calling on everyone to maintain such discipline in all registration centres to ensure the success of the exercise, she added. 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 Chinese social media giant TikTok has reportedly shelved plans to build a global headquarters in the UK. TikToks parent company ByteDance has been in discussions with officials from the Department for International Trade and No 10 to establish a worldwide base in Britain, creating 3,000 jobs. However The Sunday Times reported ByteDance has made the decision to suspended those negotiations due to the wider geopolitical context. The Chinese social media giant Tik-Tok has broken off talks to open a global headquarters in Britain, The Sunday Times reports pic.twitter.com/9Q6X5ofCR2 The Sunday Times (@thesundaytimes) July 18, 2020 It comes amid increasing tensions between London and Beijing, stemming from the UK Governments criticism of the Hong Kong security law and the recent decision to ban Huawei from the countrys 5G network. An unnamed source reportedly told the paper that the plans could be revived should relations between China and the UK improve, however they added a decision would not be coming any time soon. A statement from TikTok issued to the paper said: We remain fully committed to investing in London and inspiring creativity and bringing joy to our users around the world. Meanwhile a Government spokesperson told the PA news agency: ByteDances decision on the location of their global HQ is a commercial decision for the company. The UK is a fair and open market for investment where it supports UK growth and jobs. India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist Coronavirus: India reports highest single day spike of 38,902 cases, total tally reaches 10,77,618 India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 19: With the highest single-day spike of 38,902 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's total Covid-19 tally on Sunday reached 10,77,618, informed the Union health and family welfare ministry on Sunday. The death toll has gone up to 26,816 with 543 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. Inter-state travellers responsible for spurt in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru The health ministry said the total number of cases includes 3,73,379 active cases and 6,77,423 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News With a surge in Covid-19 cases in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha, the Union health ministry has asked these states to make renewed efforts to suppress the transmission of the virus and keep the case fatality rate below one per cent. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday confirmed community spread occurring in two coastal villages in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, July 19, 2020, 10:45 [IST] The UK has decided to turn to Japan in quest of replacing China's Huawei in building 5 G services in the nation UK eyes the tech giants NEC Corp and Fujitsu as potential candidates for the 5 G investment . , According to Japanese business news publication Nikkei that cited sources in both companies. UK officials met with Tokyo counterparts earlier this week, days after Londons Secretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden announced the ban on Chinese juggernaut Huawei from 5G development. Also Read: Jio partners with Google to develop affordable 5G smartphones Downing Street had initially greenlighted Huaweis move to develop the network in the country, despite US pressure, but has since appeared to cave in. The parliaments Science and Technology Committee has held discussions with Samsung executives and other tech leaders for the role.Huawei has come under increasing attack from the US and UK over security and privacy fears. The Chinese firm is ahead of the pack in 5G technology development, which is seen by many as the main driver of US counteractions. For all the latest Business News, download NewsX App Statues have long been a way to honor leaders, benefactors, heroes and the war dead, giving them permanence and a three-dimensional presence. Over the years, they have come to mean many things to different people, including a way to remember, a work of art or simply a place for pigeons to roost. But increasingly some of those statues, particularly those honoring Confederate leaders or victories and those connected with slavery have become a flash point for many -- removed or destroyed because of the pain, suffering or oppression they represent. This push, which has ebbed and flowed over the years, recently gained renewed momentum after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, with statues either removed by protesters, the government or private organizations. Not all agree that these historical representations should be taken down. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have denounced "rioters" for pulling down the statues. Trump even signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues, and has tweeted about jailing protesters for up to 10 years. "I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison," the president tweeted on June 23. I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran's Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020 But as some fight to preserve the monuments, even a descendant of Lee, Rev. Robert Lee IV believes they should be taken down now. "Why are we protecting statues that symbolize oppression instead of protecting the people that were oppressed?" Lee said to ABC News in a July 3 interview. Story continues In some cases, looters and vandals used the guise of peaceful protests to destroy property including statues dedicated to slave owners, Confederate leaders or other white men with controversial reputations. Many of those historical figures were prominent slaveholders and slave traders who acquired their fortunes through unpaid labor. But experts interviewed by ABC News say erasing the past isn't the answer to calls for justice, police reform and an end to structural racism. What to do with the statues, which are expensive to maintain, is a more complicated question, whether it be removal, which is also expensive, adding context, which may be insufficient, putting them in museums or destroying them altogether. 'Statues have always been about power' Historians have debated the issue for decades, with some saying cities and other locales should keep the sculptures intact and accept the historical figures for who they were -- warts and all -- while others see them as symbols of racism, oppression and African American pain. PHOTO: A crowd gathers at the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis after it was pulled down off of its pedestal on Monument Avenue in Richmond, VA., on June 10, 2020. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images) "These individuals who are being celebrated ... their sole purpose was to destroy the country. And the second thing is that they lost ... a war to dissolve the country, and they were traitors," Lionel Kimble, vice president for programs at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, told ABC News. "And I don't know of any other society, globally, where we hold up traitors and people who wanted to destroy the very fabric of ... society." Erin Thompson, an art crime professor at the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said statues generally weren't created to foster goodwill, but as an intimidation tactic. "Statutes have always been about power," said Thompson, who has a doctorate in art history and a law degree. "From the beginning of human art-making, we see statues of rulers of powerful people and they're meant to send messages ... to keep reminding people that they're in charge." PHOTO: CUNY John Jay College Art Crime Professor Erin Thompson. (Erin Thompson) "And because statues are about power ... when someone in power fell, their statues were attacked ... a way of sort of humiliating someone whose actual body you can't touch," Thompson added. MORE: Melania Trump statue in Slovenia torched, artist wants to speak with arsonists Kimble agreed, explaining that many Confederate statues were meant to elicit fear in opponents, and said they were also used as tools to terrorize Black citizens, including those who fought on the side of the Confederacy in the South. "I think there are really two conversations going on. On one hand you have the Confederate monuments, which have a very checkered history as many of them were created as instruments of racial terror, instruments to support Jim Crow to oppress Black people in the south," Kimble said. "And a lot of these statues came, not as a direct result of the Civil War, but really in response to Jim Crow and the civil rights movement. So a lot of these things were designed to terrorize black people." Conversely, the statues of the country's founding fathers, who were also predominately slave holders with histories of racism, are generally regarded in a different light, despite their pasts. PHOTO: Wisconsin's 'Forward' statue lies in the street on Capitol Square in Madison, Wis., June 23, 2020. (Emily Hamer/Wisconsin State Journal via AP) "The argument around these individuals as slaveholders is really a historical fact. These guys were some of the original American capitalists ... they made their money through the buying and selling of human beings," Kimble said. "In the larger American imagination, the Confederate statues occupy a very different space than statues of the Founding Fathers, which were erected to commemorate their work," he added. During the recent protest, statues of historic figures like Robert E. Lee, Christopher Columbus, Ulysses S. Grant, Edward Colston and Jefferson Davis were torn down in the United States and overseas. But Kimble said this is the wrong direction to take. "We essentially want to cancel these Civil War generals and monuments, which I think is a mistake. Tearing these things down should not be the goal in," he said. "But there is a place for these statues and the place is in some sort of museum and not in the public space, which is meant to be shared by all people." Shifting opinion A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that there are significantly more people who support removing Confederate statues from public spaces around the United States than from a couple years ago. "Historic figures in granite and iron that seemed protected just a few years ago now face the wrecking ball of public opinion," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy. PHOTO: A statue of Confederate General Albert Pike lays on the ground after being toppled near Judiciary Square following a day of Juneteenth celebrations in Washington, DC, June 20, 2020. (Michael Reynolds/EPA via Shutterstock) According to the poll, in August 2017, 39% supported the removal of Confederate statues compared to 52% who wanted to get rid of them in June. Of those who support the idea in the latest poll, 84% are Black, 58% are Hispanic and 44% are white. Those that opposed their removal are 52% from Southern states and 64% from rural areas. In Bristol, England, where a statue of Colston, a 17th-century slave trader, was tossed into the river, the monument was unofficially replaced with a statue of Black Lives Matter activist Jen Reid. Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees referred to the Colston statue as one of the city's "dirty" secrets, but did not condone the statue's unauthorized removal. The statue of Reid is in honor of her "life's work," which is the ongoing movement against racism and police brutality there and abroad. Twenty-four hours after Reid's statue was erected, the city council ordered it taken down and placed into a museum along with Colston's statue. What to do about controversial statues? Thompson said there have been several ideas floated to avoid removing statues, which costs just as much in some cases as it does to take care of them. MORE: Here's where Confederate statues and memorials have been removed in the US She suggested re-contextualizing statues with plaques that give context. "But seeing somebody up on a pedestal is so powerful that it's hard to believe that putting up a little bit of additional text, or putting up another statue nearby is really going to overcome that effective," she added. Friends of the Public Gardens, a Boston-based community restoration organization said that "the cost for cleaning a piece of sculpture is approximately $700, while the cost for full restoration can be $20,000-$25,000." MORE: Christopher Columbus statue removed from St. Louis park The Smithsonian Magazine found in 2018 that during a 10-year period, nearly $40 million of taxpayer funds were spent on cleaning and preserving Confederate monuments, including statues. PHOTO: People dance in a circle around the Christopher Columbus statue after it was toppled in front of the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on June 10, 2020. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP) "I also think a lot about where we allocate our preservation dollars because there are incredibly important Native American and African American historical sites that are just crumbling away because it's really hard to get funding to preserve," said Thompson. And relocating controversial statues to museums isn't a simple solution. "Museums have all sorts of stuff that they don't have room to display or don't have staff to conserve. And so it's not just as easy as treating a museum like the nation's attic for embarrassing racist stuff," said Thompson. Historians debate America's history of racism and Confederate monuments originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Sixty three CRPF personnel and three army personnel deployed in Manipur tested positive for Covid 19 on Saturday, taking the northeastern states coronavirus tally to 1,891 including 709 active cases, officials said. The CRPF personnel found to be infected are stationed at a training centre in Kangpokpi district while the three army men are from Leimakhong Garrison, according to a statement released by Dr Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, additional director and spokesperson of state health department. The release added that these personnel had recently joined their duty after a period of leave. For Coronavirus Live Updates As on Saturday, 91 persons including 82 male and 9 females were detected to have been infected with Covid 19. Sixteen of these samples were tested at RIMS (Regional Institute of Medical Sciences), 63 at JNIMS (Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences) three at the district hospitals of Tamenglong, eight at Thoubal and one at Ukhrul, the release said. All the new cases were being shifted to Covid care facilities. In the past 24 hours, 19 persons have been discharged from Covid care centres including from Meitram in Imphal West(6), Thoubal (1), Kamjong(7) and from RIMS(3) and JNIMS(2). The total number of recovered cases has risen to 1,182, taking the recovery rate to 62.50 percent. Meanwhile, a meeting of the state consultative committee for Covid 19 was held on Saturday with chief minister N Biren Singh taking stock of the situation. The eminent members expressed their satisfaction to the efforts of the Covid-19 Rapid Response Team and all the frontline warriors in checking the dreaded virus from spreading to the community, a facebook post from CM Biren Singh said. Also Read: Manipur: Top police officer hospitalised after allegedly shooting himself The post further claimed that the state government had successfully managed to keep a check on the spread of the disease. With the valuable advice and suggestions from the Honble Ministers, MLAs, intellectuals, HODs and other members of the Committee, the State Government has been able to contain the virus, it stated. Russian company signs deal to release Oxford vaccine against Covid-19 AFP : Russian pharmaceutical company R-Pharm signed an agreement on production of a coronavirus vaccine developed by British-Swedish AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The company plans to supply the drug to 30-50 countries, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Russian company Alexey Repik said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel. "We formalized this intention in the form of a signed agreement on production and supply of a vaccine that was developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, using the technological capabilities of R-Pharm to implement the project. Moreover, R-Pharm will act as a kind of hub for vaccine supplies to a huge number of countries - to 30, 40, 50 countries, including the countries of the Middle East, including the countries of Southeast Asia, European countries, of course, the CIS, and Russia," Repik said. The pharmaceutical company noted that the vaccine is currently undergoing research, which should determine how well it protects against coronavirus, and estimate its safety and immune response in humans. In late December 2019, Chinese officials notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Mastery of Constitution and Chinese proficiency should be prerequisites for national security judges: Hong Kong lawyer Global Times By Wang Wenwen and Zhao Juecheng Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/18 20:53:35 A Hong Kong lawyer has refuted the UK Supreme Court's decision, which, according to a Reuters report on Friday, would continue to assess UK judges' positions in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, the city's top court, amid the recent enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong. "It shows the stark-naked truth that UK judges are subordinate to the UK government, and foreign governments are using their judges to interfere in Hong Kong's judicial independence and the enactment of the national security law, which will pose a threat to China's national security," said Maggie Chan Man-ki in an exclusive interview with the Global Times. "The UK's Supreme Court still views Hong Kong as the country's former colony and the UK courts as superior to Hong Kong's judicial institutes," noted Chan. Chan, who is also Hong Kong's deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), attended the 20th session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee in late June when the national security law for Hong Kong was reviewed and passed. She has proposed that foreign judges be barred from national security trials. She also contends that judges who hear national security cases in Hong Kong should comprehensively understand and master the Chinese Constitution and the Chinese language. Chan told the Global Times that Hong Kong's legal system and judiciary always adhere to the principle that conflict of interests should be avoided. Judges who have dual nationality or have made a pledge to another country aren't fit to hear national security cases, she added. The passed law, however, does not specify the nationalities of judges. Article 44 of the law empowers the chief executive to designate a panel of judges to handle cases concerning offenses endangering national security. The chief executive may consult the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal. Chan believes this article is a combination of merits of the two laws - the national security law and the Basic Law, and does not conflict with article 92 of the Basic Law. Article 92 stipulates, "Judges and other members of the judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be chosen on the basis of their judicial and professional qualities and may be recruited from other common law jurisdictions." Chan told the Global Times that while the chief executive's selection of judges on hearing national security cases will adhere to the "judicial and professional" requirements stipulated in article 92 of the Basic Law, not all Hong Kong judges of the common law system have "professional qualities" to hear national security cases. "As the national security law for Hong Kong is a national law that touches upon issues of the Constitution and the background and systems [both socialist and capitalist] of the country, if a judge cannot comprehensively understand and master the Constitution, he does not have the 'professional qualities' required to hear national security trials," Chan explained. She also noted that as the language of China's legal system and national laws is Chinese, a mastery of the Chinese language should also be interpreted as a "professional quality" for judges concerning the national security law, and these two points are the main reasons that she proposes barring foreign judges from hearing national security trials. Chan said the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong shows the central government's fundamental authority and responsibility in looking after national security affairs in Hong Kong when the local legislation of article 23 of the Basic Law is absent. As for the circumstances when "a major and real threat to national security has occurred" that would lead to the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong to exercise jurisdiction over a case, as stipulated in article 55 of the national security law, the power of interpretation shall be rested in the NPC Standing Committee to define the threat. "There should not be too many restrictions on defining such a threat, as the aim of the national security law for Hong Kong is to solve problems that Hong Kong itself cannot solve," said Chan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Web Toolbar by Wibiya With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemics, many theories have raised about the future of humanity and the numerous threats it is facing today. One of these threats is related to an invisible enemy, as US President Donald Trump has mentioned. But, what is this invisible enemy? In a very interesting article published on Exopolitics.org, renowned Australian researcher Dr Michael Salla analysed Mr Trumps speeches and concluded that he could actually be talking about a joint effort of extraterrestrials and the Deep State to destroy our civilisation. While mainstream news outlets claim Trump is merely referring to COVID-19 as the invisible enemy that has afflicted the US and the rest of the planet, Mr Salla states, what emerges from examining the wider context of his remarks and [US CIA whistleblower] Qanon posts is that the real enemy Trump is alluding to is a Deep State which has a non-human dimension that is behind the plandemic, he adds. In the opinion of the Australian professor, there is a fierce battle between the Trump administration and the Deep State. According to him, members of the world elite have been trying to undermine Trumps government in order to impose their agenda, which is based on subjugating humans to the extraterrestrial power. The civil war between the Trump Administration and the Deep State is a battle between those wanting to free humanity from an oppressive group of global controllers that has enslaved humanity through its domination of the mainstream media, and political, financial, cultural and religious institutions for centuries, if not millennia, he asserts. [] in humanitys far distant past, extraterrestrials directly ruled over humanity, and then installed human-alien hybrids to rule as proxies as described in historical documents such as Sumers Kings List and Manethos chronicle of pre-dynastic Egyptian rulers, the former Australian National University professor affirms. If Trump and White Hats succeed in defeating the Deep State, humanity will have freed itself of an ancient invisible enemy that has manipulated human affairs through contrived global events for centuries if not millennia, Mr Salla claims. We are truly living in biblical times, as Archbishop Vigano asserts, where the children of light are locked in a spiritual war against the children of darkness, he expresses. Draw your own conclusions Congress' Ajay Maken alleged that Shekhawat's voice can be heard in one of the two audio tapes related to the conspiracy, adding that the ACB has registered a case against him. Jaipur: The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan. Citing the two audio clips, in one of which Shekhawat is allegedly heard during a conversation on a plot to bring down the state government, Congress leader Ajay Maken said the BJP leader should quit on moral grounds. He said the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the state police has registered a case in connection with the audiotapes against Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, Shekhawat and one Sanjay Jain. "If Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is claiming that it is not his voice and the reference in the audio clip is of some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving his voice samples," Maken asked. He said Shekhawat has no moral authority to continue as a Union minister and should resign so that the investigation is not influenced. Maken also alleged that the police in Haryana and Delhi are giving protection to the rebel Congress MLAs from Rajasthan. He said the Centre is threatening in the name of the CBI because it wants to stop the probe into the conspiracy. The former Union minister also asked why a team of the Rajasthan Police was stopped by Haryana Police to carry out its investigation and take voice samples of MLAs Bhanwarlal Sharma and Vishvendra Singh. If the BJP has no role in it, then why the MLAs took shelter in the party-ruled Haryana, he asked in an apparent reference to the 19 Congress MLAs' stay at a hotel in Gurgaon. On charges of horse-trading, Maken asked the BJP to "reveal the route of black money" as it is being said that Rs 30-35 crore were offered to each MLA. Maken, who has come to Jaipur as a Congress observer, said it is the betrayal of people's mandate and the murder of democracy if an elected government is toppled with money power. If such attempts are not stopped, then people will lose faith over the voting process and democracy, he added. Jeremy A Trapp, 24, was arrested on Friday in Brooklyn after cops said he cut the brake line on a marked NYPD van A man has been arrested in Brooklyn after cops said that he crawled under a marked NYPD van and cut the brake line in broad daylight. Jeremy A Trapp, 24, was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and other charges after police say they caught him red handed on Friday afternoon the Sunset Park neighborhood. Cops were watching -- and filming -- after they spotted a person underneath the van, and apprehended Trapp as he got up and tried to flee, WNBC-TV reported. Images provided to the outlet by police purport to show Trapp as he emerges from underneath the van, which was parked outside the NYPD's processing center for applicants at 4th Avenue and 42nd Street. Police in the area began filming after they spotted someone under the police vehicle outside of the NYPD's processing center for applicants at 4th Avenue and 42nd Street A police source provided this image to WNBC, which allegedly shows Trapp emerging from underneath the van. He was immediately taken into custody An investigation by a department mechanic revealed that the brake line on the van had been severed and the brakes were no longer functional, according to police. Cops call the incident a brazen attack on officers that could have injured or even killed NYPD officers. Police officials told the NBC flagship station that Trapp was well known to cops, and had frequently been seen coming and going from the Occupy City Hall protest in Manhattan. Protesters have been camped outside City Hall for weeks calling for the NYPD to be defunded, remaining even after Mayor Bill de Blasio slashed $1 billion from the department's $6 billion annual budget. It is the latest disturbing example of violence directed toward police in New York, where protests over police practices and demands to defund the NYPD have grown in recent weeks. Police say they discovered this cut brake line after a department mechanic checked the van The police van was parked outside the NYPD's processing center for applicants at 4th Avenue and 42nd Street (seen in a file photo) On Saturday night, a police officer was struck in the head by a bottle lobbed by a man in a Hawaiian shirt in the Brooklyn Crown Heights neighborhood. Police said no arrests had been made in the case. On Wednesday, what was supposed to be a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest turned violent when a small faction assaulted police officers, including NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan. Quran Campbell, 25, was released without bail after being charged with assault for allegedly punching Monahan in the face and striking a lieutenant. On Friday, Monahan took to Twitter to blast the judge who ordered Campbell's release without bail, accusing him of putting police officers and the general public at risk. 'Quran Campbell is captured on video for the nation to witness him viciously assault 3 cops in uniform 1 who lost consciousness,' the chief wrote. 'Judge Robert Rosenthals reckless decision to release Mr. Campbell WITHOUT BAIL endangers every NYer and the officers who risk it all to protect them.' A bicycle officer helping a fellow officer dress a head wound after protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge attacked multiple high-ranking officers on Wednesday Other police photos of the aftermath showed a lieutenant with a bloodied face, and a detective holding a bandage to his head Monahan, who suffered bruises and a jammed finger, also praised the Manhattan District Attorney's Office for requesting $75,000 bail. Two other officers - a lieutenant and a sergeant - sustained more serious injuries in the fracas that broke out during dueling pro- and -anti-police protests on the iconic bridge spanning the East River. 'My sergeant who works with me was hit in the head with a cane,' Monahan told Good Day New York on Thursday. 'He got eight staples put in his head; one of the lieutenants out on the walkway was attacked by an individual he had the broken orbital bone in his face.' Monahan identified the person who attacked Lt Richard Mack as Campbell, and said that as he reached over to grab the suspect, the 25-year-old punched him several times before getting arrested. On Thursday, a New Jersey woman was charged in the bridge brawl after allegedly beating beating two officers over the head with a cane. Chanice Reyes, 24, was arrested during an early morning raid near City Hall, a day after footage released by the NYPD showed a suspect clubbing cops. Begum travelled to Syria to join ISIS aged 15. (PA) The taxpayer could be forced to foot a 10 million security bill if Shamima Begum is allowed to return to the UK, it has been claimed. On Thursday, the Court of Appeal ruled Begum, who travelled to Syria to join ISIS - will be allowed back into the UK to mount a "fair and effective appeal" against the decision to strip her of British citizenship. According to The Sun, the ISIS bride would need to be monitored round the clock by police officers and security guards while awaiting trial. The cost of accomodating her could reach 70,000, and there would be extra costs to pay if Begum is put on a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure. Prime minister Boris Johnson said ministers are looking at changing the legal aid eligibility rules. (PA) Dr Alan Mendoza, of the Henry Jackson Society think-tank, claims the bill could reach 10 million over the 20-year-olds lifetime. It beggars belief that the taxpayer will likely have to fund a lifetime bill for Shamima Begum, Dr Mendoza said. This money, that could reach 10million, would be better spent on the real victims of terrorism in the UK. It comes as Boris Johnson said on Sunday that ministers are looking at changing the legal aid eligibility rules after the Court of Appeal ruling. Mr Johnson told The Sunday Telegraph: "It seems to me to be at least odd and perverse that somebody can be entitled to legal aid when they are not only outside the country, but have had their citizenship deprived for the protection of national security. "That, amongst other things, we will be looking at." The Prime Minister said that the Government would also be looking at the whole system of judicial review to establish whether it had "perverse consequences". "What we are looking at is whether there are some ways in which judicial review does indeed go too far or does indeed have perverse consequences that were not perhaps envisaged when the tradition of judicial review began," he said. Begum, now 20, travelled to Syria in February 2015 and lived under IS rule for more than three years before she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year. Story continues Then-home secretary Sajid Javid revoked her British citizenship on national security grounds later that month. Begum took legal action against the Home Office, claiming the decision was unlawful because it rendered her stateless and exposed her to a real risk of death or inhuman and degrading treatment. The Home Office spokeswoman said it would be applying for permission to appeal against the court's judgment. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK News It wasn't until Day 7 of her team's coronavirus investigation when it dawned on Linda Vail, the health officer for Michigan's Ingham County, that this was going to be a big one. It had started with just two infections at the college bar on June 18, not long after the state began reopening. But the numbers quickly jumped to 12, then 18, then 34. As of Friday, she was staring at a spreadsheet with 187 infected at Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub. "The tables were six feet apart, but no one stayed there," she said. "The DJ was playing music so people were shouting, the dance floor started to get crowded. We had flattened the curve and then boom." The East Lansing case is what's known as a superspreading event - possibly the largest so far in the United States among the general public. Many scientists say such infection bursts - probably sparked by a single, highly infectious individual who may show no signs of illness and unwittingly share an enclosed space with many others - are driving the pandemic. They worry these cases, rather than routine transmission between one infected person and, say, two or three close contacts, are propelling case counts out of control. More than 1,000 suspected clusters - ranging from the single digits to thousands - have been logged in a database compiled by a coder in the Netherlands. A megachurch in South Korea. A political rally in Madrid. An engagement party in Rio de Janeiro. Nearly all took place indoors, or in indoor-outdoor spaces. Even as the Trump administration pressures schools to reopen this fall, the latest research suggests that understanding how and why these events occur - and how to prevent them - is key to reopening safely. In recent days, governors from at least 18 states, including Michigan, have backtracked on plans to loosen restrictions due to outbreaks. But even those efforts may fail if people ignore the most common ways the virus is considered to spread. Transmission, it turns out, is far more idiosyncratic than previously understood. Scientists say they believe it is dependent on such factors as an individual's infectivity, which can vary person to person by billions of virus particles, whether the particles are contained in large droplets that fall to the ground or in fine vapor that can float much further, and how much the air in a particular space circulates. Donald Milton, a professor of environmental health at the University of Maryland, and other experts have wondered if superspreading events could be the "Achilles' heel" of the virus. If we could pinpoint the conditions under which these clusters occur, Milton argued, we could lower the transmission rate enough to extinguish the spread. "If you could stop these events, you could stop the pandemic," Milton said. "You would crush the curve." One key factor in such events may be airborne transmission - an idea gaining new adherents but that has not been proved conclusively. The World Health Organization has described most infections as occurring from close face-to-face contact involving large, virus-laced respiratory droplets that drop to the ground within a few feet of the person expelling them due to gravity. But this month, a group of prominent scientists made the case that superspreading clusters suggest the virus is sometimes being transmitted over longer distances through the air in far smaller and more numerous particles. The coronavirus does not appear to be airborne in the same way as measles or tuberculosis, which have much higher rates of transmission. But the proponents of airborne transmission say it appears the virus could act similarly in some environments - a theory with major implications for the reopening of businesses and schools, as well as for nursing homes and residences dependent on ventilation systems that recirculate air. Jose-Luis Jimenez, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, was one of 239 scientists who penned an open letter to the WHO, calling for greater recognition of the role that clouds of fine aerosols containing the virus may play in its spread, prompting the agency last week to acknowledge "emerging evidence" of airborne transmission. "It is becoming clear that the pandemic is driven by superspreading events, and that the best explanation for many of those events is aerosol transmission." Jimenez said. As we enter the seventh month of the global pandemic, scientists are still frustratingly in the dark when it comes to key aspects of how the virus is transmitted. Why, for instance, didn't the earliest infections in the United States, or the infamous Lake of the Ozarks party, spur lots of cases, while a much smaller gathering at a Michigan bar produced nearly 200? Why out of countless large gatherings held - church services, soccer games, choir rehearsals, and Zumba classes - did only a fraction ignite significant infections? Part of the uneven spread of the coronavirus - and the phenomenon of superspreading - can be explained by extreme individual variation in infectivity, researchers say. Some people will not transmit the virus to anyone, contact tracing has shown, while others appear to spread the virus with great efficiency. Overall, researchers have estimated in recent studies that some 10% to 20% of the infected may be responsible for 80% of all cases. Scientists are only starting to understand the different factors - physiological, behavioral, environmental - that play a role in amplifying transmission. An infected person's viral load can impact how much they "shed"; the differences have been shown to be on a scale of billions of virus particles. A recluse is less likely to spread the virus than a social butterfly. And being outdoors with masks, as we've been told countless times, is less likely to lead to spread than being indoors. When many U.S. states imposed stay-at-home orders in mid-March, epidemiologists stressed the importance of the R0. Known as the basic reproduction number and pronounced "r-naught" (a Britishism for the number zero), it is a measure of how many people on average a single individual infects. In measles, that number is very high - somewhere between 12 to 18. In Ebola, it's about 1.5. For the novel coronavirus, it's thought to be somewhere in between, around two to three. But researchers say that number obscures what is really happening on the ground. A growing body of evidence suggests that SARS-CoV2, like other coronaviruses, expands in a community in fits and starts, rather than more evenly over space and time. Adam Kucharski of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has estimated that the value of what's known as the k-parameter - a measure of how much a virus tends to cluster - indicates that just 10% of people may be responsible for 80% of novel coronavirus cases. Real world data corroborates the skewed transmission pattern. In a detailed analysis of outbreaks in Hong Kong, for example, researchers found three distinct groups of incidents. The superspreading individuals, representing 20% of the total, were responsible for 80% of transmissions. A second group, involving about 10% of cases, transmitted the virus to one or two others. The final group, 70%, did not infect anyone else at all. In Israel, investigators looking at 212 cases concluded that they could be linked back to 1% to 10% of people. And in an outbreak in a South Korea office tower, investigators found that about 45% of 216 workers got the virus from a single person. In the United States, an analysis from five counties in Georgia found that superspreading appeared to be "widespread across space and time," and that 2% of the infected seeded 20% of the cases. Most of these events took place in coronavirus hot spots of which most people are now aware: buildings where people live in close quarters, such as nursing homes, prisons, worker dormitories and cruise ships. There have been a fair number of clusters at meat-processing and frozen food factories, as well as at a curling event in Edmonton, Canada, leading some to speculate that temperatures could be a factor. "It is possible that the cold atmosphere in this setting has facilitated the spread of the virus," Gwenan Knight and others at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wrote in an analysis of 201 events that was published in Wellcome Open Research. The rest of the known superspreading events were set in a hodgepodge of social venues where people gather in crowds: concerts, sports games, weddings, funerals, churches, political rallies, restaurants, shopping centers. And nearly all took place indoors, or in venues with indoor-outdoor spaces. Stanford researcher Morgan Kain, who focuses on mathematical modeling of disease transmission, said his analysis shows that regions that have not been greatly affected by the pandemic are most vulnerable because almost everyone would theoretically be susceptible to infection and a single unlucky confluence of an infectious person in the right environment could very quickly set off a chain reaction of transmissions. Kain and others argue that out-of-the-box ideas are needed to combat such spread. "That's why it's particularly dangerous in the United States that places that don't have cases are opening up, going back to indoor restaurants, bars, gyms where infected people move about," he said. One proposal, from a Moscow State University professor, calls for shifting testing resources from the general public to efforts to identify potential "super emitters" with high viral loads by using randomized testing. Other proposals focus on limiting people's more random interactions, such as on public transit, or at bars and restaurants, while loosening restrictions on their regular contacts, such as through work or school. This would still pose some risk but would theoretically help contain it to certain social "bubbles." Scientists are also looking to technology to help prevent superspreading events. Several teams in far-flung parts of the world are trying to build breathalyzers or special paper that can detect active virus. Numerous governments and companies are experimenting with ultraviolet lights hooked up to ventilation systems to try to kill the virus as it passes through air conditioning and heating systems. Yuguo Li, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who studies infection control and air, steers clear of the space between two tall buildings where there's no wind. He prefers to take his walks by the sea. And he avoids city buses. After spending several months scrutinizing some of the most famous superspreading cases involving the coronavirus, Li is convinced virus transmitted through the air played a role in many of them. In a case involving a restaurant in the Chinese city of Guangzhou where families from three adjacent tables were infected, for example, he describes how air currents near people flow in an upward plume, lifted by the warmth of the human body. He suspects the particles went into the air conditioning, which blew them toward those tables. None of the other diners or wait staff were affected. He believes ventilation may also be to blame for a case involving a young man from China's Hunan province, who sat in the back of a bus but ended up infecting seven others in various areas of the vehicle and then two more on a second minibus he hopped onto next. Li interviewed the patient, driver, passengers and reviewed video footage and found it odd that few of those who became infected were nearby. In fact, at least one passenger who fell ill was as far away as possible at the front of the bus - 31 feet away - from the coronavirus-positive man. Similar inferences have been made about the outbreak at the Skagit Valley Chorale in Washington state, where 52 of the 61 singers who attended a 2-hour practice became ill. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote that the act of singing may have "contributed to transmission through emission of aerosols, which is affected by loudness of vocalization." In addition, the researchers wrote, that "super-emitters, who release more aerosol particles during speech than do their peers, might have contributed to this and previously reported covid-19 superspreading events." William Nazaroff, an environmental engineer from the University of California at Berkeley, explained that when people are indoors, they are literally breathing the same air as everyone else in the room. If the virus can be airborne, which he believes it can, then he said we need to consider whether every building that's open should modify its ventilation systems to be able to filter out more virus or use ultraviolet lights to kill it. "It has to do with the plume of what is emitted and the extent it can infringe on your breathing zone," Nazaroff said. While it's often impossible to identify the person who triggered an outbreak, there have been some commonalities among those who have been pinpointed as the likely source in studies. They tend to be young. Asymptomatic. Social. Scientists suspect these "super-emitters" may have much higher levels of the virus in their bodies than others, or may release them by talking, shouting or singing in a different way from most people. Research based on the flu, which involved college students blowing into a tube, showed that a small percentage tended to emit smaller particles known as aerosols more than others. These particles tend to hang or float, and move with the flow of air - and therefore can go much farther and last longer than larger droplets. In a study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases by Japan's Hitoshi Oshitani at Tohoku University of 22 superspreading individuals with the coronavirus, about half were under the age of 40, and 41% were experiencing no symptoms. Julian Tang, a virologist at University Hospitals of Leicester in Britain, emphasized that whether someone triggers an outbreak often comes down to happenstance. Unlike some other viruses that may be contagious for a lifetime or months, the coronavirus has a very short window of infectivity - at most, four to nine days - according to multiple studies. Tang said studies of other diseases have shown the asymptomatic can sometimes shed more virus for longer periods, although whether this applies to the coronavirus is unknown. "Normally if you get very sick, you clear the virus quickly," he explained. "Ironically, if you are quite mildly ill, or not ill at all, your immune system might tolerate it more and you will shed longer with higher viral loads." He said Typhoid Mary, the asymptomatic cook who was a superspreader of Salmonella typhi, was known to have a quirk in her immune system that did not allow her to clear the bacteria as well as others, so it was still present and more readily transmissible. In the case of the Hunan man who transmitted the virus while riding two buses, Li said that "amazingly" after that four-hour window of infectivity, he is not known to have infected anyone else at all. "Like autumn leaves suddenly all falling off," he said. In the case of Ingham County, where the superspreading event occurred at the college bar, the surrounding community of about 280,000 had mostly experienced slow transmission throughout the pandemic. But even after the owners of Harper's Restaurant and Brew Pub in East Lansing closed June 20 after the outbreak - and after Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut indoor bar service throughout most of the state July 1 - the outbreak continued to spread. Of the 187 total cases traced back to Harper's Restaurant as of Friday, 144 were among people who had been at the venue. The other 43 were their family members, friends, co-workers and other contacts. The infected spanned hundreds of miles and 16 counties. Investigators were told there were 225 customers on two floors with a normal capacity of 950. The air conditioning was on, and some people were out on a deck. There was a line outside of people waiting to be let in. Harper's did not respond to request for comment but said in a Facebook post that it is working to modify its heating and air conditioning system with air purifying technology. Health officials have yet to find the first patient but are focusing on a few possibilities. Vail said it may be impossible to find the original source given that about a third of the initial cases were asymptomatic, as were 19% of people who caught it from those at the bar. "It's just crazy," she said of how quickly infections climbed. While the numbers have continued increasing for more than three weeks, Vail takes comfort in the fact that most people they have reached are providing lists of their contacts, and that new cases appear to be slowing down. "I guess I might have thought that was going to go higher," she said, "which tells me that at least people paid attention when we told them to quarantine." - - - The Washington Post's Emily Rauhala contributed to this report. Once-reticent Republican governors are now issuing orders on mask-wearing and business restrictions that run counter to Mr. Trumps demands. Some of those governors have been holding late-night phone calls among themselves to trade ideas and grievances; they have sought out partners in the administration other than the president, including Vice President Mike Pence, who, despite echoing Mr. Trump in public, is seen by governors as far more attentive to the continuing disaster. The president got bored with it, David Carney, an adviser to the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, said of the pandemic. He noted that Mr. Abbott, a Republican, directs his requests to Mr. Pence, with whom he speaks two to three times a week. A handful of Republican lawmakers in the Senate have privately pressed the administration to bring back health briefings led by figures like Dr. Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, who regularly updated the public during the spring until Mr. Trump upstaged them with his own briefing-room monologues. And in his home state of Kentucky last week, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, broke with Mr. Trump on nearly every major issue related to the virus. Mr. McConnell stressed the importance of mask-wearing, expressed total confidence in Dr. Fauci and urged Americans to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Mr. Trump has ignored or dismissed. The straight talk here that everyone needs to understand is: This is not going away until we get a vaccine, Mr. McConnell said on Wednesday, contradicting Mr. Trumps rosy predictions. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here ASTON Reopening plans for area schools are coming into focus this week despite changing guidance from state officials On Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf signed new orders in response to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, limiting indoor events and gatherings of more than 25 persons. One group that was affected was the Penn-Delco School Board, which had planned to meet that evening at the Northerly Middle School for its first in-person meeting in months. We know the situation with COVID-19 is changing, my gosh, by the hour sometimes, said Superintendent Dr. George Steinhoff as he presented school board members with their Pathways to Reopening 20/21 held on the Zoom virtual meeting platform. How do we get our kids back to school? How do we get back to the place prior to March 13? If we cant get back to that place, what is the best option we can create for our kids so they have an experience that was better than most of the experience between March and June? Steinhhoff said just a week ago most districts felt they were in a very good place to be able to reopen their doors and get back to school on a day-to-day basis and meet all their students needs, but the situation had changed as school administrators dug deeper in really examining what it all meant, getting students back in and having students and staff attend school in a healthy and safe manner. He said just a week ago they expected to open the schools for every student, five days a week; that is now uncertain. It is much more challenging than much of us expected, Steinhoff said. Although regional conditions are more favorable than last spring, its still serious. Trends can redirect quickly and the country continues to set national records for total cases of COVID. Our experts continue to learn more about this virus, it seems, by the day. On Friday evening, Steinhof said he anticipates recommending a hybrid model that will blend in-person and virtual instruction by creating separate cohorts of students. With school enrollment split in half, districts can manage the spacing regulations while having a greater confidence in the safety measures for student and staff. They will also offer an all-virtual option via the Penn-Delco Cyber program. On Thursday, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and Education Secretary Pedro Rivera announced updated guidance on reopening schools for in-person learning, saying it was up to each school entity to determine if classes resume in-person at school buildings, remotely or a combination of both options. The Department of Education had released a 13-page preliminary guidance for phased reopening for Pre-K to 12 schools in June. Our goal is to ensure a safe return to school for students, educators and staff by following best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus, including wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing, Levine said. In those instances when someone tests positive, public health staff from the department will immediately assist the school with risk assessment, isolation and quarantine recommendations, and other infection control recommendations. The best practice recommendations include: Face masks must be worn by students and staff at school and on the bus; students or caregivers should do a daily symptom screening before leaving for school; social distancing throughout the day with 6 feet of separation; hold classes in gyms, auditoriums, other large spaces or outdoors, where physical distancing can be maintained; student seating should be facing in the same direction; class times should be staggered; one-way walking patterns should be created in hallways; and, when feasible, students should be kept in a classroom and teachers would be rotated instead; for breakfast and lunch, consider serving individually packaged meals in classrooms and avoid across-the-table seating; limit the number of students on playgrounds and encourage virtual technologies for gathering and extracurricular activities. Last week, Upper Darby became the second Delaware County school district to have its reopening plan approved by its school board. In a video message on Youtube Thursday evening, Superintendent Dr. Dan McGarry went over the highlights of the plan; by Friday afternoon, it had been viewed nearly 2,000 times. He said the school board considered Pennsylvania Department of Educations four options to reopen schools and decided on in person instruction with flexible scheduling and remote learning. The plan recognized the importance that students be in class and in front of teachers and was the result of numerous hours of preparation. It included recommendations from many other organizations such as the Chester County Department of Health, the American Academy of Pedriatrics as well other school districts, McGarry said. Upper Darby has contoured its plans to the needs of the three separate grade levels. Elementary school students will meet in person four days a week with half-day schedules. During this in-person time, a morning meeting will be held and the primary mission will be math and reading. Other classes such as science, social studies and music will take place both remotely and in person. The two middle schools will meet in person twice a week with three classes each day and six different classes each week. Middle school students will be broken up into a subset of teams, known as cohorts, and remain in their classrooms together while the teachers move from room-to-room. High school students will also be broken up into smaller groups of cohorts rotating through morning, afternoon and remote learning classes. There will be eight-person sessions over a three week period. Special education students will meet four days a week. There will be no in-person classes held in Upper Darby on Wednesdays to allow for the opportunity for virtual office hours and teacher training and lesson prep; school and bus cleaning will also take place Wednesdays. Students will have remote learning on Wednesdays. Families who dont want to send their children into school buildings can sign up for virtual-only classes, but must submit classes by July 23 to allow the district to plan. By Friday there were many questions about the plans from parents on the school district Facebook page. So is after care free? Youre making half-days mandatory. Whos going to watch my child while I work? asked one parent. I am glad to hear that my autistic son will be getting four days in person. But what if you wanted to allow your other children virtual learning only? I have four kids. My two elementary I do not mind sending on flex but the two middle schoolers I would prefer to keep virtual learning. Is this an option? asked another. Please be patient and please do not give up on us as we need your help navigating through this pandemic, McGarry said. He added more information had been sent directly to families and additional information would be going out soon. Ridley School Districts plan, which has also been approved by its school board, was posted on its website (ridleysd.org) and be can be found at the eBackpack link. It has targeted early August to be at 100 percent workplace operations, which would indicate a return to full in-person instruction with classes beginning on Sept. 1. Among the details Ridleys plan includes additional space will be made on campus with reconfigured classrooms for all students to face the same direction and allow for appropriate physical distancing of 6 feet. Buses will have only two students per seat, and students must wear a mask. Drivers will be trained to identify possible symptoms to alert the school nurse. Families and staff will be responsible for all daily screening prior to arrival at school. School nurses will be the contact for any self-reporting by families and staff and individuals will be encouraged to stay at home if not feeling well. Other school boards will be finalizing their plans in the next week. Wallingford-Swarthmore is expected to do so July 20. Haverfords plan will be up for approval on July 30, Rose Tree-Medias on July 25, Springfelds and William Penns on July 27, while Chichester and Garnet Valley will present their plans on July 28. Penn-Delcos plan is expected to go before the school board on July 29. Haverford Township School District Superintendent Dr. Maureen Reusche spoke at her districts school board meeting Thursday evening about the state Department of Educations new guidance and added that the Centers for Disease Control was expected to weigh in in the coming days. Reucsche compared the school cafeteria to a restaurants and noted that Wolfs recent plans reduced restaurants to 25 percent capacity. The district plan in elementary schools is for 46 students dining in the cafeteria and 40 in the school gymnasium. She said the hybrid model fits with Wolfs and state guidance. We are really counting on parental support, said Reusche in reference to parents checking their students temperatures. We will only be successful if we partner together and not sending to school children exhibiting those symptoms. She added in a email Saturday there are numerous family situations and dynamics that make returning to school in a pandemic extremely emotional and challenging. We know that none of our suggested plans are ideal, and ultimately it will be impossible to find a path forward that suits every one of our families and students. However, we have thoughtfully and carefully planned throughout the summer. We know that any plan we put forth may have to be adapted, based on the trajectory of the virus and state direction, she said. Haverford expects to release information to parents next week. Kenneth Gavin, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, wrote in an email Friday that Catholic schools throughout the five-county area will be releasing full information regarding its plans to parents and the media in the latter portion of next week. Like other districts, Radnor has sent a survey to parents and staff with more than 1,350 community members and the 220 staff members responding. Among the results, of interest was that 62 percent of parents said they would allow the school to check their childs temperature upon entering the building while 37 percent would sign an agreement to do so. On the subject of masks, over half of the teachers agreed to masking with a number asking for additional information. A sizable number said they did not wish to have mask all day. On the parents portion of the survey, 73 percent said their children would wear a mask. All staff will be provided a face shield for their protection and the protection of their students, was one of the recommendations from the Penn Delco presentation. Staff may also wear a personal cloth or N95 mask when not working in close contact with students. It added there needs to be understanding of the challenge of masks for certain special needs students or very young children. Principals are working on opportunities to get students in places where they can take a mask break with necessary distancing. My mind keeps going back to our kindergarteners, first-graders, even sixth- and ninth-graders to a brand new building for the first time. Its nerve-wracking to begin with. Now theyre coming back in a completely alien type environment, where we have to operate with a structural program during a pandemic, said Penn Delcos Steinhoff. We have to be nurturing caring and welcoming. Thats our job, to care for kids. Staff Writer Terry Toohey contributed to this story. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein for talks at the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad on Sunday. The two officials discussed relations between the two countries and regional developments. Zarif was also expected to meet Iraq's president, the parliament speaker, and the prime minister to discuss regional security, bilateral relations, and investments. The visit comes amid tensions between the US and Iran, which escalated following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike in the Iraqi capital earlier this year. Zarif visited a memorial to Soleimani at the site where he and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in US airstrikes near Baghdad's international airport. Soleimani was the head of Iran's elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy.Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), was killed in the same strike. Imphal, July 19 : Manipur's Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Arvind Kumar, who on Saturday reportedly shot himself, was flown to Delhi by an air ambulance on Sunday for further treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), officials said. A Manipur government official said that Kumar is out of danger after his treatment at a private hospital in Imphal. Kumar's wife accompanied him in the air ambulance. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who visited the hospital here, spoke to the doctors attending Kumar and enquired about his health. Chief Secretary J. Suresh Baby, and top police officials including Director General of Police L.M. Khaute also visited the hospital. Kumar, a 1992 batch IPS officer, shot himself with his service revolver at his official chamber at the 2nd Manipur Rifles Complex near the Police headquarters on Saturday afternoon. He was immediately taken to a private hospital in Imphal and admitted to the ICU. According to a senior police officer, Kumar used his service revolver and shot himself on his chin and the bullet pierced his cheekbone. Police is looking into the incident and efforts are on to ascertain the cause of the likely suicide attempt. Kumar was earlier posted in the Intelligence Bureau at a very senior position in Delhi before returning to Manipur recently. "The police officer was staying alone in Imphal and he was in mental stress due to some unknown reasons," the official said. By PTI NEW DELHI: Amid the political firestorm in Rajasthan following Sachin Pilot's rebellion, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday called for amending the anti-defection law to ban all defectors from holding public office for five years and fighting the next election. Sibal also said that the "antibodies" against the "virus of corrupt means" to topple elected governments lie in amending the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution (anti-defection law). His attack comes in the wake of Pilot's open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government, which has been on shaky ground since, with at least 18 legislators backing the rebel leader. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the state Congress chief earlier this week. The Congress has accused the BJP of making efforts to topple the Gehlot government by indulging in horse-trading. "Need for Vaccine: Virus of 'corrupt means' to topple elected governments has spread through a 'Wuhan like facility' in Delhi," Sibal tweeted, in an apparent swipe at the BJP. "Its 'antibodies' lie in amending the Tenth Schedule. Ban all defectors from: Holding public office for five years, fighting the next election," he said. Taking a swipe at Pilot over his claim that he is not joining the BJP, Sibal on Thursday had asked what happens to his "ghar wapsi" and whether Rajasthan's dissident legislators are vacationing in Haryana under the "watchful eye" of the saffron party. In the house of 200, the Congress has 107 MLAs, including the 19 dissidents who have been issued notices of disqualification by the speaker and they have challenged them in the high court. The Congress has maintained the claim that the Gehlot government has the support of 109 MLAs, including the two BTP MLAs. AIIMS Ethics Committee has given its approval for conducting randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials for India's first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech, releases contact details and eligibility criterion for all who wish to participate. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Ethics Committee on Saturday gave its approval for conducting the human clinical trial of the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin. Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS told ANI that the hospital will start enrolling healthy individuals from Monday onwards. Today, we got approval from AIIMS Ethics Committee for starting the human clinical trial of the indigenously developed Covaxin. We are launching the enrollment process from Monday. We are going to select healthy participants with no comorbidities and without a history of COVID-19. The age group of the study population is 18 to 55 years. This would be a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, Dr Rai told ANI. The countrys top drug regulator had recently gave a green signal for human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, which has been developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV). Also read: Community spread has started, cases in rural areas a bad sign: Indian Medical Association Also read: Andhra Pradesh: 5,000 beds in every district for Covid care Asked about the concerns raised by AIIMS Ethics Committee a few days back regarding the trial, Dr Rai said that those concerns were addressed in the Ethics Committee meeting and the panel gave green signal to initiate the trial. Any healthy individual who wishes to participate in the trial can send in an email on Ctaiims.covid19@gmail.com or send an SMS or call on 7428847499, he said, adding that in the first and second phase AIIMS (Delhi) will choose only 100 participants out of 375 volunteers and the remaining will participate at other sites. We have already registered a few volunteers for the trial. From Monday onwards, our team will start their health screening before giving them vaccination, he said. It may be noted that there are 12 places where the trial for Covaxin is taking place as per the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). Trials have started at AIIMS, Patna and few other places. ANI had cited Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Balram Bhargava as saying on July 14 that as far as coronavirus pandemic is concerned the country has two indigenous candidate vaccines which scientists are trying best efforts to fast-track as their moral duty so that there should not be a delay of a single day for regulatory clearances for these vaccines to break the transmission of the virus as soon as possible. There are two Indian indigenous candidate vaccines and they have gone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits. The data was submitted to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) following which both these candidate vaccines got clearance to start the early phase of human trials, he had said. ANI had also reported that DCGI has given its permission to pharma giant Zydus Cadila besides Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), which had partnered with ICMR to conduct phase I/II clinical trials on humans for COVId -19 vaccine. Also read: AAP MLA Atishi donates plasma, Arvind Kejriwal responds For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Shankkar Aiyar By In 1963, journalist Welles Hangen authored a book which asked After Nehru, who. The echoes of the chorus which followed signalled the morphing of the party from being a collective with political purpose into one of convenient ambiguity. Shorn of the piety and nostalgia of the Independence movement, the Indian National Congress has largely been an idea, with a leader in the quest for power. In 2020, Congressmen are in a desperate hunt for an idea to revive the leader and a rapidly disintegrating party. The saga of young Sachin Pilot, denied his due after he rebuilt the party, and his outrage at what he terms as being stabbed in the back is neither unique nor unprecedented. In 2003, the party made Sheila Dikshit, who single-handedly won a second term for the party, sweat it out for 10 days before re-nominating her as Chief Minister.Whether it is Kamaraj in 1970s, Vasantdada Patil in 1980s or P V Narasimha Rao in the 1990s, the old normal is the new normal in the Congress. The cause of the convulsions, the bouts of fight or flight political epileptic fits are located in the structural decay and the absence of inner party democracy last seen when the enigmatic K Kamaraj ensured the anointment of Lal Bahadur Shastri as Nehrus successor, thwarting Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi. Grass roots activism within the party is visible only when sponsored or fertilised by the high command. For three decades, between 1967 and 1990, first under Indira and then Rajiv Gandhi, the Congress followed the familiar model of election by selection wherein the high command would choose who gets elected to lead the party. The substitution of merit with loyalty and popularity with sycophancy is best symbolised by D K Barooah of the Indira is India fame. The consequence is manifest in the electoral record of the party. Following its losses, the Congress has not returned to power in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat for decades. The slide continued in the nineties and the new millennium with losses in Odisha, MP, Jharkhand, with the Congress rarely repeating terms. What happens in the States does not stay in there but creeps into the Centre. Its loss in 2014 was most eloquently described by Sanjay Nirupam who said even Modi would have lost had he contested on a Congress ticket. Worse was to follow in 2019 when the party scored a duck over a dozen states and Union Territories and won just one seat each in nine other states. Market share in business or the business of politics depends on product and dealerships. By the 1990s, the Congress had national reach but no product. In 2004, it crafted a franchise model to acquire market share and came to power in the Centre. However, while management of power was professionalised with the adoption of the CEO route chosen by family enterprises, little was done to modernise the party or its management. In the real world economy, the success of the enterprise whether listed, privately owned or a family business depends on how it operates in the market. Would an enterprise appoint juniors or nobodies to assess markets or divisional heads? The Congress persists in appointing rootless wonders as overseers to states. The fate of entrepreneurs who stacked boards with family retainers is known yet the Congress nominates non-entities to its highest decision making body. The chasm between the anointed and the elected has widened disconnect between the idea and the market. And this explains the absence of a viable product line and the shrinking market and mind share. Every failure is followed by the standard promise of introspection. If the party has introspected in 1998, in 2014 or in 2019 it is largely a secret to its members. The 1998 A K Antony report on whether reforms are anti-poor could qualify for an archaeological dig. Succession in the Congress has followed a pattern. Indira Gandhi slowly but surely got rid of Nehrus people. Rajiv Gandhi, pitchforked into politics after the death of brother Sanjay, grasped the connotation of carpe diem and brought his own team from Arun Nehru to Arun Singh. Sonia Gandhi used a mix and match approach to craft her core group even as she inducted advice from left of centre NGOs. Seven years since Congressmen applauded the anointment of Rahul Gandhi as successor in January 2013, the leader to be is yet to be. The successor continues to be the young leader and remains surrounded by generations of geriatric leaders. Authority in the party is diffused and decision-makers are divorced from accountability. He could have implemented his own structure the primaries model, the politburo model or seized the idea signalled by his mother when she appointed Manmohan Singh as PM in 2004 and chosen the CEO and board approach. However, Rahul Gandhi or RaGa as he is pitched on social media is yet to compose his own raga. A political party cannot be in perpetual paroxysm if it has ambitions of being a credible competitive idea. As a young traumatised leader put it, the monarchy must look at the Queens kingdom and learn to democratise. Shankkar Aiyar is author of 'The Gated Republic - India's Public Policy Failures and Private Solutions', 'Aadhaar: A Biometric History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution', and 'Accidental India'. He can be reached at - shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com A resident of Sector 8, Panchkula, was duped of Rs 7 lakh on the pretext of getting job in Singapore. As per Davinder Singhs complaint, Sachin Sharma, a resident of Penta Homes, VIP Road, Zirakpur, who runs an immigration business told him that hes part owner of a hotel in Singapore, and they could work together. Singh met Sharmas associates, Kiran Geotra and Aarti Sharma, with whom he struck a deal for Rs 7 lakh. He paid Rs 1 lakh in advance and arranged the remaining amount by borrowing from his friends and taking a loan from the bank. However the visa never arrived, and Singh went to meet Sharma at a hookah bar he owned in Sector 21, Panchkula, but he refused to meet him. Singh later found out that Sharma had cheated another person, Sanjeev Garg, in the same way following which he lodged a complaint. A case has been registered under Sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 24 of the Immigration Act against Sachin Sharma and his associates. The accused are yet to be arrested, police said. The University of Wyoming opened its doors in 1886 as Wyomings land-grant institution, created to be a partner with communities in our state. From partnerships with our community colleges, articulating courses to build toward seamless student transfer, to our partnership with the Wyoming Business Council to aid entrepreneurs and Wyoming business owners, we are committed to continue to serve the state across these troubling times. Many of our partnerships may seem invisible for example, 4-H programs across the state represent a decades-long partnership with our counties for youth development programming. And yet, our colleges, schools and our administrative units serve as important resources linking UW to our people across the state. UW has gone virtual with many of its services since the coronavirus hit us. We reach every corner of the state with webinars addressing the business environment during the coronavirus pandemic from College of Business experts and services offered by the network of business incubators that advise and support high-growth startups in the early stages of business development. The College of Health Sciences provided immediate expertise and assistance to the state Department of Health and Wyoming clinics, while the College of Engineering and Applied Science produced medical-grade masks for frontline health workers. This summer, UW went online, offering affordable courses from resume building to the arts. The College of Education is serving our K-12 educators by sponsoring online curriculum and teaching workshops across the summer, with new resources available to all through the school year. UW professors also continue to serve important advisory roles with Gov. Mark Gordon and state agencies, bringing their expertise to bear on pressing policy issues. These are just a few of the multitude of examples of how UW as your university is stepping up to the plate. We dont know if we are hitting a home run, but if effort scores points, then we are batting a thousand. As articulated by UWs Strategic Plan, Breaking Through: 2017-2022, as an institution we emphasize service and outreach that extend UWs talent and capacity to serve people in our communities, our state, the nation and the world. The UW Strategic Plan for Community Engagement emphasizes our commitment to communities providing a breadth of outreach activities, as well as building depth in our community engagement partnerships. Today, every college, school and division of UW participates in numerous activities in the state, with significant impacts on communities in each of Wyomings 23 counties and on the Wind River Indian Reservation. President Ed Seidel offers tremendous expertise and a new energy to roll up our sleeves to develop a process that will prioritize the key components necessary, even through tough times, so that UW can continue to fulfill its land-grant education, research and service mission at the highest level possible. Now starting my 21st year as a faculty member at UW, having seen many ups and downs, I and my colleagues join President Seidel in our commitment to serve our students and the communities of Wyoming. Jean Garrison is a professor at UW and has led UWs community engagement initiative for the last three years. She currently serves as director of the Office of Engagement and Outreach. She can be reached at 307-766-6119 or garrison@uwyo.edu Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Beirut: At least 11 people including four children were killed on Thursday in air strikes on rebel-held areas near Damascus, a monitor said. One strike on the besieged town of Douma killed eight people including three children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A separate strike on nearby Sabqa killed two women and a young girl, it said. The raids are part of a six-month offensive by government forces that has chipped away at rebel-held villages and farmland across Eastern Ghouta, according to the observatory. Douma, the largest town in the Eastern Ghouta area with more than 100,000 residents, is surrounded and regularly shelled by regime forces. Syria's five-year conflict has left more than 300,000 people dead. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Historic Flooding Wreaks Havoc on Large Swathes of Southern China Heavy rainfall in the regions downstream of the Yangtze River caused severe flooding in southern China, with the cities of Zhenjiang and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province upgrading their flood response alert to the highest level over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Chinese minister of water resources hosted two meetings on July 18, instructing local authorities to arrange for dikes to be broken and the rural areas of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi provinces to be submergedsacrificing the countryside in order to protect the big cities. The Yangtze River basin is home to roughly 459 million, with 51 percent (234 million) of them living in rural areas. On July 19, water levels of the Yangtze River reached higher than the alert level throughout most of its roughly 3,900-mile length. State-run media Xinhua reported on July 18 that the Three Gorges Dam had received the largest amount of floodwater to date, and that the dam had displacement, seepage, and deformation. Chinas National Meteorological Center announced on July 19 that more heavy rain was due for the Yangtze River basin. The Yangtze and its affiliated three largest lakesPoyang, Dongting, and Tai Lakewere overflowing. Huai River, a major river north of the Yangtze, also faces the risk of embankment breaches. Map of the Yangtze River Basin. (Cncs/CC BY-SA) Due to the heavy rain, northeastern Liaoning, as well as Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Tibet in the south may experience mudslides on July 20, authorities warned. Other areas of northeastern China, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces, may also have torrential rainfall, according to the meteorological center. Chinas Ministry of Emergency Management announced on July 19 that over 23.86 million people from 24 provinces have been impacted by flooding in July. Residents believe that the true numbers could be higher. Residents also told The Epoch Times that embankment breaches have caused floodwaters to submerge their hometown villages. Our lives are very difficult this year. Very hard! said Mr. Sun, resident of Jianxin Zhou village in Maanshan city, Anhui Province, in a phone interview on July 17. Now we only hope that we can survive. A flooded walkway in Nanjing, in Chinas eastern Jiangsu Province, on July 19, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Two Rivers, Three Lakes E Jingping, Chinese minister of water resources, noted the severity of the flooding on July 18. The level of the Yangtze River at Yichang city, Hubei Province reached the same level as the highest point during the 1998 flooding, while the water level at Nanjing city, Jiangsu Province became a new historical record. In the summer of 1998, heavy rain caused flooding in the Yangtze, Min, Xi, Songhua, and Nen rivers, killing at least 4,150 people. An aerial view shows the swollen Yangtze River in Jiujiang, in Chinas central Jiangxi Province on July 17, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) Moreover, regions upstream of the Yangtze River will experience heavy rain from July 21 to 23, authorities said, with rainfall reaching 50 millimeters (1.97 inches) per day. The midstream and downstream areas will have heavy rain until July 20, with rainfall of more than 50 millimeters per day. E said the heavy rain would cause water levels to rise in the Yangtze River, Dongting Lake, Poyang Lake, Tai Lake, and Huai River. To protect cities, E asked local authorities to release waters from the Yangtze into the rural areas between Yichang and Yueyang cities. Waters from Dongting and Poyang lakes would be discharged to rural areas around them; while water from the Tai Lake would be discharged to the rural areas to its north and south. Residents Plea Zhang is a doctor from Susong county, Anhui Province. He told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on July 18 that authorities had broken local dikes and submerged dozens of villages since July 12. Just one order, and authorities sent out the police to push people to leave, Zhang said about the evacuation orders. Now all has been submerged under the flood. Zhang said many villagers didnt have time to carry out their clothing or valuables as they were forced to leave their homes. Li and over one thousand of his fellow villagers from Sizhou village in Susong county are now staying at a local school that has been converted into a shelter. The authorities sent troops to my village to force us to leave, he said. Li said villagers had about six hours to evacuate, so most of them tried their best to move their belongings to the second floor or higher of their homes. However, the floodwaters submerged the entire village. Cai, from Shaxi village of Nanchang city, Jiangxi Province, said he and over 1,000 others were staying at a middle school that was converted into a shelter. All our houses are under water now, Cai said. An aerial view shows flooded residential buildings in Jiujiang, Chinas central Jiangxi Province, on July 18, 2020. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images) Residents in big cities also reported flooding. In Enshi city, Hubei Province, locals said the floodwaters had reached the second floor on July 17. A resident told The Epoch Times that the reason for the flooding was because authorities had discharged water from the nearby Dalongtan Reservoir. A resident of Wanzhou district in Chongqing city said the situation in the metropolis was dangerous, very dangerous, with floodwaters reaching nearly five feet in his district. Many residential buildings were inundated, he said. The sight of legislators being packed off in buses, and lodged in comfortable, even luxurious, hotels and resorts, has become a common feature of Indian politics. It usually happens when a state government is in crisis, when a crucial election for a Rajya Sabha seat is underway and numbers are fluid, or when a rebellion is underway to change the regime in a state. A political party or the rebel faction then rushes to consolidate the legislators who are in its favour. The objective is to ensure that these legislators dont succumb to temptations and inducements offered by the other side; and instead remain under constant surveillance. The method then adopted is to lock them in, till the crisis is resolved one way or the other. While Rajasthan is only the most recent example members loyal to Ashok Gehlot were sent off to a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur and members loyal to Sachin Pilot were brought to a resort in Haryana this is neither unique to one party nor to one state. Similar examples of resort politics were witnessed in Madhya Pradesh (rebel legislators went to Karnataka), Karnataka (legislators were brought to Maharashtra), Gujarat (to preserve numbers for a Rajya Sabha poll, legislators were taken to Karnataka), among others. It is important to go back to first principles here, to understand how this growing pattern makes a mockery of Indian democracy, speaks poorly of elected representatives, is a reflection of the distortions in political party structures, and is an insult to the voter. Voters elect representatives, who belong to a political party or who may be an independent, for their ideas, agenda and ideology. These representatives are, within the framework of party discipline, understood to be autonomous leaders who act in public interest. But, instead, what resort politics shows is that these legislators can shift allegiances based on whoever can offer a better prize (either price or position); even parties have little faith in their integrity and so they are locked up; public interest is far-removed in these calculations; and money is an active determinant in how legislators make their choices. Resort politics is, in many ways, a symbol all that is wrong with Indian democratic politics. An Australian beauty expert has shocked the internet by saying you should never let a face mask completely dry out when it's on your skin. The founder of Beauty Affairs Luxury Skincare and Cosmetics business shared a video of herself on TikTok applying a white mask, explaining to her audience that dried face masks can dehydrate the skin. 'Do you want to know why you shouldn't keep your clay mask on until it dries all the way through? Because it dries you out - everything you knew is a lie!' she said in the footage, which has since been viewed more than 84,000 times. Scroll down for video An Australian beauty and cosmetic expert has revealed a shocking insight as to why you should never let a face mask dry soon after applying it The woman said it's best to apply face masks in the shower or bath to allow it to stay wet and moist While face masks are a popular product that thousands incorporate into their skincare routines, using them incorrectly can be detrimental to the skin. The woman said it's best to apply face masks in the shower or bath to allow the product to remain wet and moist. Alternatively a mist spray can be used to keep the masks from drying. 'This is why in an old school facial they'll use a facial steamer over the clay mask so it doesn't dry completely - that way we're drawing impurities out of the skin, but not all the water,' the woman said in the video. Certified dermatologist and the founder of Curology Dr David Lortscher agreed and told Insider that dried face masks can lead to dryer skin and redness WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER LET A FACE MASK DRY OUT * If face masks are left to dry for too long this can dehydrate the skin. * An Australian beauty expert said it's best to apply face masks in the shower or bath to allow it to stay wet and moist. * Alternatively a mist spray can be used to keep the masks from drying. 'This is why in an old school facial they'll use a facial steamer over the clay mask so it doesn't dry completely - that way we're drawing impurities out of the skin, but not all the water,' the woman said in a TikTok video. Certified dermatologist Dr David Lortscher agreed and told Insider that dried face masks can lead to dryer skin, tightness, itchiness and redness. Advertisement Certified dermatologist and the founder of Curology Dr David Lortscher agreed and told Insider that dried face masks can lead to dryer skin and redness. 'While it is true that the 'harder' a mask dries, the more dead skin cells it may remove as the mask is peeled off, for some complexions this can be over-drying,' he said. 'When the mask reaches the flaking stage, this may result in feelings of dryness, tightness or even itchiness - and you may want to remove the mask before it reaches that stage.' While face masks are a popular product that thousands incorporate into their skincare routines, using them incorrectly can be detrimental to the skin Thousands of other TikTok users were shocked by the new information, with many praising the woman in the comments of the video Thousands of other TikTok users were shocked by the new information, with many praising the woman in the comments of the video. 'What!? My whole life has been a lie,' one person said. 'I've been doing beauty for 13 years and I never knew this, clearly I've got no idea at all,' another said. A third added: 'I literally just took my clay mask off after letting it dry and now TikTok wants to let me know I'm wrong. no wonder my face is feels like the Sahara.' Others agreed and said they always put on their clay masks in the shower. 'Yes! Always do mine in the shower - multi tasking masking,' one woman said. 'I love doing clay masks in the shower, I put it on after shampoo and conditioner,' another said. Sudanese forces arrested around 160 people on the border with Libya who were en-route to the war-torn neighbouring country to work as "mercenaries", a state-linked paramilitary group said Sunday. "The joint security forces stationed at the Sudanese-Libyan border arrested 160 people who were going to work as mercenaries to fight in Libya, including two foreigners," Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said in a statement. The RSF is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a leading member of Sudan's transitional ruling council. "Sending Sudanese to fight in Libya as mercenaries is unacceptable," said General Jaddo Hamdan, the RSF's commander in North Darfur state. "We have been monitoring and securing the border with Libya to combat illegal migration, human trafficking and all cross-border criminal enterprises," he added. Sudan is currently undergoing a fragile democratic transition after massive protests last year prompted the military to topple long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir. In January, a United Nations panel of experts said many Arabs from Sudan's conflict-wracked region of Darfur and neighbouring Chad were fighting as "individual mercenaries" in Libya. The panel said they belonged to the same tribes that made up a majority of RSF personnel, but said there was no "credible evidence" that the RSF itself had deployed in Libya. The UN experts' report also said several Darfuri armed groups operating in Libya "have participated in various clashes and military operations alongside Libyan warring parties". Sudan's Darfur region itself remains scarred by war after a rebellion in the early 2000s against al-Bashir was brutally suppressed. Libya has turned into a regional proxy-war in recent years, amid chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Since 2015, a power struggle has pitted Libya's UN-recognised, Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against forces loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, who is based in the east of the country. Last month, Khartoum arrested 122 people including eight children in western Darfur who were allegedly intending to serve as mercenaries in Libya's civil war. In an interview with AFP in June, Sudan's then foreign minister Asma Abdalla denied that Sudanese forces were involved in the conflict in Libya. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Britain's largest gym group is drawing up plans to close individual clubs in coronavirus 'hotspots' with as little as two hours' notice in a package of measures being deployed by chains to navigate a way through the crisis. Gyms have been given the green light to open on Saturday. It is understood that around 11million people had club membership six months ago but an estimated twomillion have since cancelled. PureGym chief executive Humphrey Cobbold said his plan to track outbreaks using publicly available Government data is being prepared for use as lockdown lifts. He said it will allow him to identify hotspots using infection data which is matched with postcodes. Cobbold has already offered to share the data with others in the industry. And he is prepared to share the fruits of the analysis with other business sectors and local councils as Britain prepares to combat local outbreaks or even a second spike this winter. Fighting fit: Gyms have been given the green light to re-open after the coronavirus lockdown was eased The analysis is being run by just three people including two at PureGym and one at OC&C, a business consultancy employed by the firm, It sits within PureGym's raft of measures to reduce the risk to staff and customers while making its outlets as accessible as possible. That includes reducing the number of people in gyms at peak times and maintaining two-metre distancing. Cobbold said that would mean peak capacity could be around 40 per cent lower in some gyms compared with pre-crisis levels. But he said demand could be 'smoothed' out if customers planned visits. 'They just can't come at 6 o'clock on a Tuesday evening with the same regularity and in the same numbers. But if we can move some of the demand to either side of peak: a little bit earlier, a little bit later, we can actually serve a pretty similar number of people as long as they can be flexible.' Members can gauge the busiest times on the company's app to avoid queuing outside while customer volumes subside and it is testing a booking service that could be introduced to its busiest gyms. Caroline Macklin, head of brand for Virgin Active, said it will reopen all of its gyms bar six on Saturday. Virgin is offering to freeze memberships for free until August 31 for those hesitant about returning. Those over 70 or with underlying health conditions can freeze their memberships indefinitely. Virgin has also launched a service on its app to allow members to gauge how busy their local club is green for low occupancy, through amber to red for high occupancy. Safety measures also include overnight deep cleaning and cleaning in high-use areas every three hours. David Lloyd Clubs is offering to freeze membership until the end of next month. It is reducing fees by 10 per cent through August 'as our clubs get used to the new way of operating'. Optimist: Humphrey Cobbold says a lot of people may leave more costly gyms to join his members at PureGym Cobbold said that before the crisis hit, 'things were on a tear'. He added: 'We're not alone in that. Things were going really well and then the s*** hit the fan.' He accepted that some gym goers have cancelled their contracts despite only paying 20 a month at his chain. But he said: 'Lots of people cancelled all their direct debits for everything because they were worried financially it wasn't specific to gyms.' Cobbold admitted the 'hassle' of visiting gyms with restrictions in place may be too much for some. But he said it could also drive competition for customers. 'I think lots of people will come out of mid-market gyms where they pay 50 or 60 a month and say, 'Actually, PureGym looks pretty good at 20 or 25 a month so I'll cut my cloth to fit.' 'But actually the cancellation rate was below what was expected and we'll reopen with about 80 per cent of the members compared with the forecasts we had for the end of July before the crisis hit. I view that as a positive on day one we have 80 per cent revenue. That puts us, financially, in a pretty good position. And clearly we haven't had any joiners for four months.' Cobbold suggested the current trend for exercising outdoors partly through necessity may wane further as the weather cools. He said: 'There's a reason why nearly 11million people were members of gyms in February or March when they could easily have run in the park, or ridden a bike or jumped around in front of a television. Instead they chose to pay. 'They chose that because they got something out of going to the gym. 'Nobody has an Olympic lift platform, a full set of dumbbells, a treadmill and a rowing machine all that mix of stuff is there. And it's pretty important for people's lives. Plus there are lots of people, when you talk to them, that realise now more than ever that health and wellbeing really matters mental health as well as physical health.' Citing coronavirus as one reason to return to gyms, Cobbold said: 'The deputy chief medical officer was saying recently exercise stimulates the immune system. 'It gives you a greater ability to fight this virus or any virus go out and get fit. 'You've got three months before this thing might come back. That's long enough to make a material difference to your wellbeing.' Their proposal, coming as the Republican-led Senate prepares, very belatedly, to engage on a new round of economic relief, points to how the next stimulus bill should be judged. Above all, does it do enough to lift up those facing the greatest hardship from the downturn, through the tax credits, an expansion of food stamps, renters assistance and other forms of relief? On Sunday, PM Narendra Modi's following crossed 60 million on Twitter. Narendra Modi is the most followed Indian on Twitter. On Sunday, PM Narendra Modis following crossed 60 million on Twitter. Narendra Modi is the most followed Indian on Twitter. He is known for reaching out to masses through social media. This is another proof of his massive popularity! Also read: BJP has lied on Covid-19, GDP and Chinese aggression: Rahul Gandhi Also read: Chinas loss is Japans gain?| UK explores Japan as Huawei replacement In 2014, Modi assumed the office of Prime Minister and since then his popularity grew overwhelmingly. He started using Twitter in 2009 when he was the CM of Gujarat. PM Modi regularly puts out information on everything, his speeches at various platforms, the places he went, the people he met. He is very active on Twitter. Modi stands tall among the world leaders on Twitter. US President Donald Trump has 83 million followers on Twitter, @narendramodi (handle of Prime Minister on the microblogging site) is a little behind him. On Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the third most followed political leader. Not a single Indian politician is close to the number of followers of Modi. Former US President Barack Obama is not only the most followed leader but also the most followed man on Twitter who has 120 million followers. Current US President Donald Trump stands at number two position. Modi is quite famous for his oratory skills. As of September 2019, Modis number of followers was around 5 crore. The official Twitter handle of the Prime Ministers office has also crossed 37.4 million followers. On Twitter, Amit Shah has two crores and 16 lakh followers. Twitter is a tough platform to gain traction on as it has 330 million monthly active users, as per estimates. Also read: Pyar Tune Kya Kiya director Rajat Mukharjee passes away: Manoj Bajpayee, Anubhav Sinha share condolences For all the latest National News, download NewsX App WASHINGTON - As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations climb, state and local officials nationwide are sounding the alarm, warning that they're missing key resources to confront the surge. They are weighing new restrictions and complaining of persistent backlogs in the mass-testing systems considered key to tracking and containing the virus as the Trump administration seeks to block billions of dollars for states to conduct testing and contact tracing and billions more that Republican lawmakers want to give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Labs in some places are taking a week or longer to provide test results, and health experts say such wait times render tests nearly useless in controlling the virus's rampant spread. "The national testing scene is a complete disgrace," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said on NBC News's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, adding that tests sent to out-of-state private labs were taking as many as nine days to return results. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins acknowledged Sunday that "the average test delay is too long," while former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News's "Face the Nation" that the country lacks "excess capacity that we can surge into these epidemic cities." Testing companies were falling behind not just in hotbeds such as California, Florida and Texas, he said, "but now they're pulling testing out of other regions and you're seeing delays there." "We've had plenty of time to get this right," he said. In Florida - where new coronavirus cases reported each day have topped 10,000 a dozen times this month - more than 100 hospitals have maxed out beds for adults in their intensive care units, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration, with just over 1,200 adult ICU beds listed as open statewide. More than 80,000 of the state's roughly 350,000 known cases have come during the past seven days. In South Carolina, which on Sunday announced record-high new daily infections, lawmakers have requested military installations to help speed testing and reporting of the results. "This is an all-hands-on-deck time for us," state Sen. Tom Davis, a Republican, tweeted this weekend. Florida and South Carolina are among the states where governors - left to make their own choices about restrictions and reopening - have been more reluctant to impose sweeping economic shutdowns aimed at curbing the virus's spread. As cases, deaths and hospitalizations trend upward in many states, leaders are facing renewed pressure to take painful measures. In California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has progressively rolled back reopening with statewide or near-statewide business closures, the mayor of Los Angeles warned Sunday that the city is "on the brink" of another stay-home order. Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the city reopened too quickly, and he called for patience as businesses close again. In the past week, Los Angeles County has reported its highest number of coronavirus hospitalizations since the pandemic began. Garcetti said "a lot of things went wrong" leading up to the dismal numbers but focused his blame on what he called a vacuum of national leadership. "They said this was under control," he said of federal leaders. "They said this would be over soon. And I think when leaders say that, people react, and they do the wrong things." Collins, director of the NIH, said he thinks the public did not take the virus seriously enough. "Why are we doing so poorly?" he said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Tough restrictions in the pandemic's early U.S. hot spots - the tri-state area of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York - helped reduce transmission of the virus significantly in those devastated regions, he noted. "But meanwhile, the rest of the country, perhaps imagining this was just a New York problem, kind of went about their business, didn't - really pay that much attention to CDC's recommendations about the phases necessary to open up safely and jumped over some of those hoops," Collins said. President Donald Trump continued to dismiss concerns about the spike in infections, telling Fox News Channel in an interview aired Sunday that he would be "right eventually" about his oft-repeated prediction that the virus would "disappear" and saying "many of those cases shouldn't even be cases." "Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day," the president told Fox News host Chris Wallace. "They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test." Although young people make up an increasing share of new cases, the virus has affected people in all age groups. Health officials are saying the country could soon surpass its peak in coronavirus hospitalizations, which occurred in April, though they also say that doctors have gotten better at treating the disease and that this has helped push down intensive care unit admissions as a share of total hospital admissions. With that milestone looming, some states say they're cut off from key information. Missouri authorities wrote online that because of an "abrupt change in data measures and the reporting platform issued by the White House," the state and its hospital association will be temporarily "unable to access critical hospitalization data." Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., whose district encompasses parts of Miami that have widespread infections, pushed back on the notion that the new cases were limited to young, healthy people and were not a cause for concern. "It's the working poor, it's seniors, it's now young people, and it's totally out of control," Shalala, a former health and human services secretary, said on ABC News's "This Week." "We need to close down again. . . . That's our worst nightmare, and we're going to have to do that." Leaders are increasingly requiring masks as a way to tackle soaring cases while trying to stave off more intrusive measures such as new stay-home orders. Face masks are now mandated in most states and recommended by the country's top health authorities in public settings where social distancing is not feasible. The CDC released new reports in the past week supporting face coverings' effectiveness and suggesting that most of the country was following its recommendations on masks within days in April. Mandating masks, however, remains a point of tension. Governors in some places with the most significant case surges have rejected statewide orders, calling them unnecessary and impractical. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, continued to spar openly about the issue: After Bottoms mandated masks in her city, Kemp responded last week with a lawsuit seeking to block the order, saying it was not enforceable. Part of the lawsuit requested a court order barring Bottoms from making public statements saying she has "the authority to impose more or less restrictive measures" than those ordered by the governor. "Far more have sacrificed too much more for me to be silent," Bottoms tweeted Sunday in response to the lawsuit. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, affirmed Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that he would not make face coverings mandatory, saying, "If I believed that was the best way to save lives in my state, I would have done it a long time ago." - - - The Washington Post's Cat Zakrzewski and Jacqueline Dupree contributed to this report. After months of working from home, stir-crazy Americans have finally reached the long, hot days of summer only to watch their vacation horizons dim, with travel options shrinking as the country's coronavirus cases soar. "All I've been doing this year is canceling trips," 61-year-old Keith Gibbons said with a sigh, a new reality that the government contractor called "very frustrating." Trips abroad are mostly out: The overwhelming majority of countries now bar American citizens amid a sharp US resurgence of COVID-19. The country's caseload has climb to over 3.7 million -- more than one-fourth the world's total -- and deaths have reached over 140,000. As for cross-country trips, it's not that simple: In the vast US, laws on mask-wearing and social distancing vary dramatically, and sometimes confusingly, from one jurisdiction to another. Some states are even imposing quarantines on visitors. Hawaii, for example, has ordered those arriving on the Pacific archipelago to self-quarantine for 14 days. Its governor, David Ige, announced Thursday that beginning September 1, visitors will also have to submit to a coronavirus test within 72 hours of departing for the state and present proof of a negative result upon arrival in Hawaii. Meanwhile, New York has extended its list of US states -- totaling 22 now -- whose citizens will be required to self-quarantine after arriving in the northeastern state. And in the city of Chicago visitors from 17 states must self-isolate for two weeks -- or face fines of up to $500 a day. Complicating many Americans' travel plans, the summer destinations of Florida and California are among the hardest-hit by COVID-19, even if the popular Disney World park in Orlando, Florida has partially reopened and a Disney-linked shopping district in California reopened earlier this month. As for ocean cruises, a highly popular travel option in normal years, they remain banned by a federal "No Sail Order" through September. - 'It doesn't seem wise' - At this point, Gibbons said, "It doesn't seem wise to go anywhere, either because of the local health situation or because the hotels and other establishments are taking steps to deal with COVID in a manner that makes the trip less interesting." So if "you want to go to a nice hotel for the weekend but the restaurants are closed, the pool is closed, services are limited, it doesn't sound like a lot of fun." Saher Rizvi, a 40-year-old neurologist in Washington, was supposed to leave in early July for a 10-day vacation to Monaco with her husband and two sons, aged five and seven. The trip had to be canceled. Today, she draws a sharp red line: Her family will not travel by plane or by train. "I don't think it is safe," said Rizvi, who as a physician has followed the evolution of the pandemic closely. While some people may have to travel by plane or train for important professional purposes or for family emergencies, "for pleasure, it just seems like the risk/benefit doesn't seem worthwhile," Rizvi said. Instead, her husband had been trying to persuade her to rent an RV for a road trip, but she has her doubts. "From a Monaco vacation to the RV, well," she burst out laughing, making clear that the lure of traveling in a compact camper was not compatible with the level of luxury she expected from a hotel overlooking the Mediterranean. Summer vacation has long been a staple for Americans. This year has not been kind to them. The recent surge in COVID-19 infections -- coupled with the devastating blow to the economy and jobs -- has sharply impacted travel plans, according to the US Travel Association (USTA): Bookings for future airplane and hotel reservations dropped a sharp 73 percent year-over-year in early July. A recent survey by the research institute Longwoods International found that 76 percent of Americans were prepared to change their travel plans for the next six months because of the pandemic. Indeed, 45 percent have already canceled their plans. "I can't complain," Gibbons said. "A lot of people have lost their lives, or are sick; others lost their jobs. So I'm fortunate that I've still got a job and have these choices to make." At this point, Gibbons has successively canceled planned trips to Florida, Delaware and Portugal. USTA, which represents the hotel, restaurant, leisure and air-travel sectors, said most Americans are now planning to travel by car and to stay relatively close to home, even if a few hardy souls are taking the chance of traveling to national parks. Result: With domestic travel spending expected to drop by 40 percent, this year will be no holiday for the travel and leisure sectors. Nash 19 19 Princes St, Cork, T12 W718 Tel. 021 427 0880 www.nash19.com Phew, that was a long time to wait for a table! Almost four months and another lifetime ago, Id arranged to meet an old comrade, a South Mall lifer, for lunch around the corner in Nash 19. Wed catch up and Id also get to knock out a long overdue review of a venerable Cork culinary institution. That was back before the world ceased turning and time stood still or at least did no more than re-run the same 24 hours over and over like Groundhog Day with a fada. Back then, a whole month might pass in a single hyper-frenetic day and what seemed a relatively reasonable proposition days before gradually began to seem foolhardy. Whats more, my colleague Leslie Williams and I had been discussing with our editor for some weeks whether this august organ should even be reviewing in such fraught times, when even a rave might be forever tainted with the miasma of dread and anxiety that hung over the hospitality sector and the country at large. We postponed lunch, three days later, Ireland went into lockdown. Fast forward nearly four months and it seemed half the country was banging on restaurant doors, gagging for the great June 29 re-opening, craving a return to normal, whatever normal means in the wake of such a cataclysmic global event. It certainly wasnt going to be business as usual for restaurants. The seismic fiscal shock of forced closure was then followed by further pre-opening costs incurred implementing HSE guidelines on social distancing and retraining of staff. Despite initial public enthusiasm and support in recent days, many, including older diners usually so supportive of the sector have yet to return. And what happens if we face a second wave of Covid 19? It was, and remains, akin to starting an entirely new business. The Irish Examiner took the decision to delay reviews, affording establishments a chance to find their feet and, for the moment, Leslie and I will be avoiding the scoring system and leaving (always well-intentioned and hopefully constructive) criticism for the future. For now, we intend act as guides to the changed face of Irish dining, always illuminating the many reasons to celebrate our world class hospitality sector. On Leeside, the Big Bang of re-opening was best encapsulated in a temporarily pedestrianised Princes Street lined with tables and chairs outside its restaurants and bars, al fresco seating as some compensation for interior space lost to social distancing guidelines. Naturally, it is a permanent hostage to the whims of Irish summer weather but even on this half-decent day it is humming before midday, a queue forming for Nash 19 tables. It is no trouble, especially when I acquire a serendipitous dining partner, Agatha Christie, an old comrade of long standing, perfectly happy to become my new plus one. Claire Nashs eponymous daytime restaurant/deli shop/gallery has long held a deserved reputation for wedding finest local seasonal produce to the elemental ethos of the late Myrtle Allen, cooking excellent ingredients simply yet well. While scone and cuppa or light lunch suffices for many, order dinner in the middle of the day with a nice bottle or two on the side, and you can wind up passing an afternoon to give any night on the tiles a run for its money in terms of good food and all round conviviality. Today, I am here for occasion as much as grub and am happy to brunch on crunchy grilled sourdough toast sandwiching crispy bacon and nicely fried eggs, house relish on the side. It is utterly perfect in its elemental simplicity, a comforting and surprisingly emotional return to dining out. Agatha opts for a big, bawdy sausage roll, succulent spicy pork in buttery pastry; her fluffy, light scone is equally more-ish. A nicely bitter espresso with hot milk and I head off to take the temperature of the city for a few hours, including a heartwarming return to the English Market. Later, I happen upon #51, on the Coal Quay, deeply unfortunate to open just five weeks before lockdown, but delightful and perfectly battered courgette flowers with curried housemade mayo, and excellent cold brewed coffee, also enjoyed al fresco, suggest a bright future for Annie Zagar and Dave Devereauxs new restaurant, and Ill be returning for a deeper dive. Its good to be back! Florida Senator Marco Rubio shared a tribute tweet where he wrote his thoughts on the death of civil rights icon Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who died Friday. However, the photo he shared did not show him with Lewis. "It was an honor to know & be blessed with the opportunity to serve in Congress with John Lewis," the Florida senator wrote Saturday afternoon. "May the Lord grant him eternal peace." The tribute tweet had a photo that Rubio also used as his profile image, but the photo wasn't him with John Lewis. It was a photo of him with late lawmaker Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in 2019. The tweet was later deleted, and Rubio's profile image was also changed, reported Business Insider. This time, the photo that replaced the wrong one is that of him and Lewis. Lewis died after fighting with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. He was a civil rights icon who served over 30 years in the Congress. Rubio admitted to the mistake Rubio acknowledged his mistake in a post later that afternoon. In a follow-up tweet, he said he "tweeted an incorrect photo" and said he was honored to have appeared with Lewis in Miami three years ago. The tweet had an attached photo of what seems to be a screenshot from a video of them together in the said Miami event. He, again, honored Lewis and said he was a "genuine American hero." "Wrong, black guy." Wesley Lowery, 60 Minutes correspondent, noticed the error and shared a screenshot of the tweet, saying, "Wrong, black guy." Even when Lewis was still alive, he was often confused with Cummings. In a statement last year, he said someone came up to him at church in Maryland and told him, "Hi, Mr. Cummings! I vote for you all the time". He simply said thanks to the person as he didn't know what to say. "What else could I say? That's when I decided; I should just grow a beard," he said. Lewis said it was most probably because both he and Cummings are African American lawmakers who were bald. He jokingly called the confusion "baldist." It's not just Rubio who made the mistake but also media outlets like CBS News and Fox News. During a segment on Lewis' cancer diagnosis, CBS showed a photo of Cummings instead of Lewis. Lewis tried to clarify this before, saying Cummings is a good friend, but they're not the same person. He shared that he even considered getting a tattoo on the back of his head "just to clear things up" and tried to convince Cummings to do the same, but it "didn't go over so well." Cummings also experienced getting lots of pictures from people thinking he was Lewis, USA Today reported. But, just like his look-alike, he spared people the embarrassment of correction. DeSantis declines to remember Lewis While Florida officials remember Lewis, Governor Ron DeSantis was asked about Lewis in a news conference, and he declined to answer the reporter's questions. He said it was off-topic for a news conference about the coronavirus, Tampa Bay Times reported. But, in the past, the governor has gone off-topic at news conferences about the coronavirus he holds several times a week. Want to read more? Check these out! A major transformation is underway at the Hudson County Correctional Center. In the wake of a series of deaths between 2017 and 2018, the Kearny facility has embarked on a $10 million slate of improvements to its cells, infirmaries and common areas. Corrections Director Ronald Edwards, who took the position in 2017 amid controversy over the deaths, said that before the renovations, the jail never could fully address the medical and mental health needs of those committed to our facility. If you treat individuals (like) you dont care about your building, thats what theyre going to take that you dont care about them, he said. On a recent tour of the facility, which serves as both a prison and jail housing both pre-trial detainees as well as inmates serving sentences Edwards highlighted the renovations. Hudson County put roughly $6.5 million towards expanding the capacities of the prisons medical facilities. In 2017, the male medical wing had 11 beds and the female section had only three. Around 8% of the prisons total population of roughly 430 are women, according to Edwards. Now, the male and female infirmaries can fit 54 and 12 patients, respectively. The new infirmary cells have been outfitted with measures to prevent suicide and self-harm; fixtures have rounded edges and there are no places where people can tie ropes to. On-site physical therapy and dialysis services are also in the works, and Edwards said the jail has expanded its talk therapy and family therapy programs. The county is also spending about $4 million in capital improvement funds to replace old windows and showers in common areas and cells. The old showers were disgusting Edwards said, and windows were so scuffed and dirty that they were no longer clear. Youre not going to wake up in the morning in a jail and say, You know what? This is a great day. Im glad to be alive, Edwards said. Youre not. Its compounded when you cant see out the windows. The jail is also benefiting from a $28 million county partnership with appliance company Honeywell, which outfitted the facility with LED lighting, solar panels, and a system that monitors and limits water usage. Edwards said the system is saving taxpayer money and resources, though detainees have reportedly claimed that they are only allowed to flush toilets twice an hour. County spokesman Jim Kennelly said the renovations, which are slated for completion late 2021, are the proper humane thing to do and said the medical facilities are now the best in the state. The expenditures underscore how seriously officials took concerns about conditions at the troubled correctional center, which has seen the deaths of at least 17 detainees and inmates since 2013. The facility has long been a subject of controversy in the county. Over the span of eight months between 2017 and 2018, six of the facilitys detainees died, three from suicide. That spate of deaths led to the termination of the countys $29 million contract with the jails then-healthcare provider, CFG Health Systems, and led to the renovations underway today. A number of lawsuits three of which were filed earlier this year have alleged medical mistreatment and neglect at the facility. Activists and immigrant advocates have also criticized the countys contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under which the federal agency pays the county $120 per day per detainee housed at the jail. Alexander Shalom, a senior supervising attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union New Jersey, said the countys renovations are a positive change, but said they need to go hand in hand with measures to reduce incarcerated populations. To the extent there are going to be people in jail, we want to have adequate and appropriate health services available to them, Shalom said. But if what were doing is saying, Oh great, now we have big facilities and can lock more people up without worrying about harm coming to them, then were ignoring the harm that is inherent in incarceration. In the spring, as COVID-19 swept through prisons across the country, prisons and jails became a cause for greater concern. Five Hudson County jail employees died of the virus, and at least 63 residents and staff tested positive. Defense attorneys described an unprecedented effort to get their clients released from detention. The facility released a total of 43 prisoners due to concerns over COVID-19, Edwards said. Inmates were also moved from dormitory-style housing to cells with an occupancy of two. Roughly three weeks ago, the jail resumed family and attorney visitations after shutting them down in March. But social distancing measures mean that the jail has instituted stricter limits: officials placed partitions in visiting rooms to separate inmates and attorneys, and the jail is allowing access to only half its family visitation booths. Detainees can speak with family members for 30 minutes a day and for attorneys only 45 minutes per day. Its the only way that we can do it with the amount of individuals that are here and to make it safe, Edwards said. But Shalom said that improvements to the facility can only do so much for inmates well-being. The best way we can improve the health of people in jails is to not have people in jails, he said. A European Union plan to breathe life into economies throttled by the coronavirus pandemic hung in the balance as leaders quarreled over the level of spending they would need. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) condemned in a joint statement Saturday the Trump Administration for what they called "egregious abuses of power" against protesters in Portland, Oregon. Why it matters: Their claims that the Trump administration has used "violent tactics" comes amid reports of Department of Homeland Security officers in unmarked vehicles detaining the protesters without explanation. "We live in a democracy, not a banana republic. We will not tolerate the use of Americans as props in President Trumps political games." Pelosi and Blumenauer's statement What they're saying: Pelosi and Blumenauer said that as the nation mourns civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, who died Friday, the Portland demonstrations were a good reminder of "the immense power of peaceful protest in the fight against racial injustice and police brutality." "Yet time and time again, the Trump Administration shows its lack of respect for the dignity and First Amendment rights of all Americans," the statement continued, pointing to peaceful protesters being forcibly cleared in Washington, D.C. last month. "Now, videos show them kidnapping [protesters] in unmarked cars in Portland all with the goal of inflaming tensions for their own gain," they added. "While Portland is the Presidents current target, any city could be next." After the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon called for an inspector general to investigate the Department of Homeland Security officers' actions, Pelosi tweeted Friday, "Trump & his stormtroopers must be stopped." "Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic. @DHSgovs actions in Portland undermine its mission." Pelosi's tweet The big picture: Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday night that her office opened a criminal investigation into the events that surrounded one protester's injuries. She filed another suit in Federal District Court in pursuit of a restraining order, accusing federal agents of unlawful tactics. The American Civil Liberties Union added the Department of Homeland Security and the Marshals Service as defendants in its ongoing lawsuit seeking to stop the Portland police from assaulting neutrals such as journalists and legal observers documenting law enforcement's violent response to protests. Of note: Federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes associated with the demonstrations. Others have been arrested and released, according to NPR. The other side: The Trump administration did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment, but Trump tweeted early on Sunday, "Oregon officials are running scared when it comes to Portland." Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf described Portland protesters in a statement Thursday as a "violent mob." "Instead of addressing violent criminals in their communities, local and state leaders are instead focusing on placing blame on law enforcement and requesting fewer officers in their community. This failed response has only emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day." Go deeper: In photos: Federal force prompts backlash from Portland protesters Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. The Cuban government announced Sunday that there were no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time in 130 days, Reuters reports. Why it matters: The elimination of community spread is a milestone for the communist-led island nation, which will now move into the final phase of its reopening plan, according to Reuters. Kansas City, Kansas Catholic Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, celebrated the news. We thank the Department of Health and Human Services for promulgating regulations restoring the long-standing position of the federal government that discrimination on the basis of sex means just that and does not refer to termination of pregnancy nor gender identity, Naumann said in a statement joined by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David A. Konderla of Tulsa. President Donald Trump Finalizes Rule Confirming Abortion is Not a Human Right The Trump administration finalized another pro-life regulation Monday, this one to clarify that the definition of sex discrimination in Obamacare does not include abortions. The new rule officially ends a 2016 regulation from the Obama administration that could have forced medical workers to help abort unborn babies. White House action this week proved important to local Catholics but was overlooked by KC MSM news . . .Read more: CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland strip club received its second citation in as many nights for violating state health orders put in place to deter the spread of the novel coronavirus. Club Paradis, a gentlemans club on Frankfort Avenue between West 6th and West 9th avenues, was cited on both Friday and Saturday nights, according to information provided by the Ohio Investigation Unit, a division of the state highway patrol. OIU agents, alongside officials from the Cleveland Department of Public Health and the Cleveland police and fire departments, went to Club Paradis Saturday and observed immediate violations. Notes from the OIU state that while the clubs overall occupancy was less than it was Friday night, patrons, dancers and staff were still congregating or coming in direct contact with one another. Cleveland police issued a misdemeanor summons to the clubs owners for violations to Ohio and Cleveland public health orders. Club Paradis was the only Cleveland establishment to receive a second OIU citation this weekend. On Friday, three night spots were cited Dantes Inferno and Backyard Bocce and FWD on the East Bank of the Flats and Club Paradis. The cases will go before the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for possible penalties, including fines or the suspension or revocation of liquor permits. More Cleveland coronavirus news: Cleveland reports 70 more people confirmed as positive for COVID-19 coronavirus Cleveland Clinic to work with Clorox to create Covid-19 cleaning protocols Owners of four Put-in-Bay bars, Clevelands Luchitas Mexican Restaurant among 12 Ohio liquor permit holders cited for coronavirus safety violations (Natural News) Elijah Schaffer, host of Slightly Offensive posted a tweet Monday afternoon that revealed the anti-right wing bias of PayPal. Screenshots from an internal PayPal meeting held on Zoom showed one screen that posted examples of accounts that the payment processing company have deemed as hateful or offensive activity. (Article by Haley Kennington republished from Loomered.com) Schaffers tweet reads, EXPOSED: anti-right wing bias at PayPal Leaked images from an internal Zoom meeting at the company Show how extreme right wing groups/individuals are banned while similar left wing groups are not This is a payment processing site that cares about your views on immigration Note: disagreeing with the militancy of far left LGBTQ political activist groups is also considered extreme Companies will not do business with you if you oppose this community, Schaffer added in a subsequent tweet. Note: disagreeing with the militancy of far left LGBTQ political activist groups is also considered extreme Companies will not do business with you if you oppose this community ELIJAH (@ElijahSchaffer) July 6, 2020 One specific screenshot showed a shot from the internal PayPal Zoom meeting that featured a table of group or individual accounts listed along with their alleged hate/offensive activity. The screenshot also shows what appears to be examples they have based their decisions on including a June 2nd article from Daily Mail about Matthew Rupert, and examples of tweets from both Katie Hopkins and Irish journalist Gemma ODoherty: Proud Boys: Western chauvinism, white nationalism, racist actions, violence towards those who disagree, organized and raised money Matthew Rupert: Agitator who advocated for extreme violence, posted videos supporting throwing bombs at the police, handed out explosives at public events Stefan Molyneux: Philosophy YouTube/social media channels, white nationalist, touts eugenics Katie Hopkins: TV/social media personality focused on anti-immigration, anti-Islam and far right ideals, crass expression of hate Gemma ODoherty: Irish journalist, anti-immigration, anti-LGBTQ The very bottom of the screenshots show the PayPal logo along with 2020 PayPal Inc. Confidential and proprietary. Its important to note that Katie Hopkins was banned permanently from Twitter on June 19th, followed by Stefan Molyneux losing hundreds of hours of content (14 years worth) just ten days later when YouTube deleted his entire channel on June 29th. Molyneux responded by posting the following video on Twitter: My statement on my YouTube ban. Please share. It is essential. pic.twitter.com/m3veHfgPsk Stefan Molyneux, MA (@StefanMolyneux) June 29, 2020 The second screenshot is of a different screen that appears to be from the notes that were being delivered during the meeting. The second screenshot reads: What the Program Prevents?, with the subheading, The foundation of our program is built on PayPals guiding values of inclusion and diversity. A new table is introduced titled, Our current scope includes: along with the following terms, Advocacy of Violence, Violent Group Affiliation, Dehumanizing Language, False Claims (Crime, Violence), Holocaust Denial, Hate Event Involvement, White Advocacy/Nationalism, Intolerant Religious Content, Prejudiced News/Commentary, Anti-Immigration On the PayPal website under User Agreement they state, PayPal, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to suspend or terminate this user agreement, access to or use of its websites, software, systems (including any networks and servers used to provide any of the PayPal services) operated by us or on our behalf or some or all of the PayPal services for any reason and at any time upon notice to you and, upon termination of this user agreement, the payment to you of any unrestricted funds held in your PayPal account. In other words, they can suspend your account for any reason, at any time, as well as hold all funds that remain in your account at the time of suspension or termination. The full PayPal Acceptable Use Policy can be found here. The story first broke on July 4th by National Justices Eric Striker who wrote, According to another slide, this work is deferred to the Jewish organization the Anti-Defamation League, a group funded by the Democracy Alliance called Color of Change, the FBIs Civil Rights Division, Scotland Yard and others. Government and non-governmental organizations are both presented as external partners helping make decisions on what political views and personalities are allowed. Striker continues, According to another training slide, 1800 accounts belonging to individuals, non-profits and businesses in the last year have been eliminated for political reasons using guidelines provided by their partners. 65% were for what they categorize as white nationalist activity, while the next most censored group is people and organizations who advocate for immigration restrictions. A person cannot support Donald Trumps winning issue from his 2016 campaign and still keep their Paypal, in other words. There is even a category for prejudiced academic work. In February of last year, Conservative journalist Laura Loomer, who is now running for Congress in Floridas 21st District was permanently banned from using PayPal. Loomer had already been banned from Venmo, Lyft, Uber, and GoFundMe at the time. In a post on Instagram Loomer wrote, I have nothing to lose anymore, so trust me when I say I will stop at nothing to make sure justice is served for the way Silicon Valley has disenfranchised me, falsely accusing me of being a white supremacist, a Nazi, anti-Muslim, a racist, a bigot, and every other smear in the book. Loomer has since been banned from Instagram, and had already been banned from Twitter in November, 2018. Prior to PayPals banning of Loomer, Gavin McInnes and Tommy Robinson had both been banned from the platform in November 2018. Conservative journalist and former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos had been banned even earlier from PayPal and PayPal-owned Venmo, in June 2018. Big Tech will stop at nothing to snuff out Conservative voices, and with the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, you can count on more being added to this growing list for even more vague reasons, with no notice and little to no explanation. Read more at: Loomered.com The Queensland government will examine a bid for new wildlife hospital for the RSPCA, when a business case comes forward, Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said on Saturday night. "The RSPCA has not yet provided a business case for this proposal, but were happy to consider any formal proposal on its merits," Ms Enoch said. The government on Saturday announced $1.9 million in funding for the network of existing wildlife hospitals and an injured wildlife hotline that received 31,000 calls in 2019-20. Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said the Queensland Government will examine a business case for a new wildlife hospital for the RSPCA. It has extended funding for 2020-21. Ms Enoch said she would like to see federal government assistance to a new RSPCA wildlife hospital. SARATOGA SPRINGS Steve Mastro cant pinpoint how old he was when he started watching the horses race at Saratoga. He simply says, Ive been coming since I was this big, holding his hand a little below his waist. Now, instead of heading to the track, on Saturday he said he was headed to Saratoga Casino Hotel to watch the races on TV. The Belle Harbour, Queens, man decided to come to here, even with the much-changed atmosphere. Want the latest from the Saratoga Race Course? Sign up for our newsletter. Mastro's story is familiar one during the first weekend in an upended 2020 racing season marred by the coronavirus pandemic. The city that bills itself as the place of Health, History and Horses must deal with a lack of cheering fans in the stands, while those few who get inside need to follow restrictions including the size of the group. City streets are less bustling with visitors from all over the country and beyond. Concerts were postponed or canceled. So when you can't see the thoroughbreds run like you used to, you gotta take things in, well, stride. Bruce Cable of Albany thinks there are some benefits at least from watching someplace other than the track. He said its much cheaper to watch it at the casino. When you go to the track Its $7 to get in, youre paying for parking, then your program, youre $24 down before you even walk into the track. Here its $10 and your in, Cable said. Youre also in the air conditioning. But some business owners have a different take. Charlie Hoertkorn, co-owner of The Horseshoe Inn Bar and Grill, said racing season makes up 90 percent of his business. Hoertkorn said his restaurant used to be the after party once the races ended. He has a large open patio at his restaurant, right across from the track. It used to just be a stage and space for mingling. Now the dance floor is filled with picnic tables so the restaurant can have more outdoor seating. Normally at about 5:30 or 6:00 we have about 2,000 people, Hoertkorn said. Now thats 100 people. Peak business hours are more like 1 p.m. He does see a steady amount of people come in during the day, and has noticed the demographic of people he serves has shifted a little. Its now an older crowd that enjoys sitting at a picnic table watching races under a tent while having food and drinks, Hoertkorn said. Hattie's, a restaurant about five minutes away from the track, is also feeling the pinch. Jasper Alexander, who is the chef and co-owns the business with his wife, Beth, said hes seeing numbers that are consistent with the spring. Although business is tough, Alexander said a fanless track is better than another shutdown. I appreciate the course were on, which is safety and health first, Alexander said. Whatever business were doing now is better than what we would face if we had to shut down again, so Id rather be careful and measured. Christine Bessette, who lives on Regent Street, has been renting out her house on Airbnb during racing season since 2013. Many people book with her a year in advance, but in March cancellations came rolling in. Ive had people whove come to me for years cancel, but I also have people who still want to come, Bessette said. They want to come to Saratoga and figure out where can we watch it? This type of customer is exactly the type of person The Adelphi Hotel is targeting -- someone looking for a watch party. There is a large outdoor event space behind the hotel equipped with a large white tent, plenty of tables and a stage. Typically its used for weddings, but since the wedding season has been indefinitely put on hold, the hotel transformed the space to where people can watch the races. A large projector is mounted up on the stage, and there are two flat screen TVs on the far sides of the tent. Patrick Toomey, director of restaurants, said a lot of people showed interest in a watch party since they first announced it. He estimates about 100 people came to watch on opening day. When we put out the email blast the phone wouldnt stop ringing, Toomey said. People want to watch the race. The hotel started talking about creating a watch party little over a month ago. Before then we were still holding out hope, Toomey said. Then we started to see states go in the other direction. Many people from Florida and Tennessee come up for racing season, he said, but now they are on the long list of states that must quarantine before coming to New York. Youre just not going to get people to come here and quarantine for two weeks before the races, Toomey said. It just doesnt add up. Toomey said he feels fortunate that Adelphi and its three restaurants have a great deal of outdoor seating. He said the business hasnt been too heavily affected by the unconventional racing season. Between seating in the front of the hotel and the patios out back, Toomey said he believes the restaurants at Adelphi Hotel are among the places with the most seating in the Capital Region. Weve been booming. Its an unusual combination of a pent up demand for tables and limited table space, Toomey said. We have less seats (than before the pandemic), but were filling them up more times a day. A street artist spray paints a protective face mask over an old mural featuring a Venezuelan Indigenous man, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 18, 2020, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) South Africa on Saturday became one of the top five worst-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic, as breathtaking new infection numbers around the world were a reminder that a return to normal life is still far from sight. The World Health Organization again reported a single-day record of new infections with 259,848. South Africa's 350,879 cases make up roughly half of all confirmed infections on the African continent and its struggles are a sign of trouble to come for nations with fewer health care resources. South Africa now trails the U.S., Brazil, India and Russiaall far more populous countriesin the number of infections, surpassing Peru, after health authorities announced 13,285 new cases. "The simple fact is that many South Africans are sitting ducks because they cannot comply with World Health Organization protocols on improved hygiene and social distancing," the foundation of former South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and his wife, Leah, warned in a statement. South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said, "This is an urgent and important plea to all South Africans. The fight against COVID-19 is in our hands. We must act now." He expressed concern that "fatigue seems to have set in" and people are letting down their guard, with little social distancing and face masks abandoned. Healthcare workers dressed in full protective gear organize their documents of data they have collected during a house-to-house new coronavirus testing drive, ringed by a produce market in the Villa Dolores neighborhood of El Alto, Bolivia, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Karita) Elsewhere, daily death tolls have been reaching new highs in several U.S. states and India's infections are over 1 million. Experts believe the true numbers around the world are higher because of testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations. The world on Saturday marked Mandela Day, remembering Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first Black presidentanother Nobel Peace Prize winnerand his legacy of fighting inequality. The country, however, remains the world's most unequal, and health officials have warned that the pandemic will lay that bare. South Africa's new coronavirus epicenter, Gauteng province, hosts the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and one-quarter of the country's population of 57 million, with many poor people living in crowded conditions in the middle of a frosty Southern Hemisphere winter. Health workers wait to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms at a temple in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Mandela's message is "more relevant than ever," WHO Africa chief Matshidiso Moeti said, calling for equitable access to care. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, said that "COVID-19 has been likened to an X-ray, revealing fractures in the fragile skeleton of the societies we have built," adding that developed countries have "failed to deliver the support needed to help the developing world through these dangerous times." Confirmed virus cases worldwide have topped 14.1 million and deaths rose above 600,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Infections are soaring in U.S. states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, fueled by the haphazard lifting of coronavirus lockdowns and the resistance of some Americans to wearing masks. In the U.S., teams of military medics have been deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by patients. The surge of infections means that millions of American children are unlikely to return to classrooms full time in the fall. A health worker takes a swab test of a women at a temple in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) A health worker screens an elderly woman for COVID19 symptoms at a temple in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) An elderly woman walks down a flight of stairs, helped by a policewoman, after she gave her swab sample, at a temple in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) Parents wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus take photos of students as they pose for a group photo at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Authorities in a city in far western China have reduced subways, buses and taxis and closed off some residential communities amid a new coronavirus outbreak, according to Chinese media reports. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city, including a suspension of subway service to the airport. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus sit on a railing at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Authorities in a city in far western China have reduced subways, buses and taxis and closed off some residential communities amid a new coronavirus outbreak, according to Chinese media reports. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city, including a suspension of subway service to the airport. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) People protest against coronavirus trials in Africa, outside Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospita in the township of Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, July 18, 2020, The first clinical trial in Africa for a COVID-19 vaccine started last week in South Africa. Experts note a worrying level of resistance and misinformation around testing on the continent. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) People walk along a skywalk to Chris Hani Bardgwanath Hospital in the township of Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) An Indian paramilitary soldier walks back after performing religious rituals during the cremation of his colleague who died of COVID-19, at a crematorium in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin) Indian paramilitary soldiers carry the body of a colleague who died of COVID-19 for cremation at a crematorium in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, July 18, 2020. India crossed 1 million coronavirus cases on Friday, third only to the United States and Brazil, prompting concerns about its readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the country's feeble health care system. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin) Palestinian medics wear protective suits as they take part in a simulation of possible coronavirus infections in Gaza City, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Palestinian Hamas police officers wear protective suits as they take part in a simulation of possible coronavirus infections in Gaza City, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Angami Naga boys wearing face masks sit vigil at a gate erected to check the entry of non-residents into Kohima village, one of Asia's largest villages, in the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland, Saturday, July 18, 2020. The indigenous Nagas have largely taken the fight against the coronavirus as the responsibility of the community, with local youth organizations and churches, among others, aiding government agencies. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur) In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting of the national headquarters of the fight against the COVID-19, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, July 18, 2020. He estimated as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected with the coronavirus since the outbreak's beginning, citing an Iranian Health Ministry study that has so far not been made public, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Writing in Farsi at top right reads, "The Presidency." (Iranian Presidency Office via AP) Numerous beach visitors are at summery temperatures on the North Sea beach of Schillig, Germany, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa via AP) Children wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus sketch the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Authorities in a city in far western China have reduced subways, buses and taxis and closed off some residential communities amid a new coronavirus outbreak, according to Chinese media reports. They also placed restrictions on people leaving the city, including a suspension of subway service to the airport. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Two women look at the beach in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Police in Barcelona are closing access to a large area of the city's beaches due to the excess of sunbathers who decided to ignore the urgings of authorities to stay at home amid a resurgence of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) In India, a surge of 34,884 new cases was reported as local governments continue to re-impose focused lockdowns in several parts of the country. In Iran, the president made the startling announcement that as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Hassan Rouhani cited a new Health Ministry study that has not been made public. Iran has the Middle East's worst outbreak with more than 270,000 confirmed cases. In Bangladesh, confirmed cases surpassed 200,000 but experts say the number is much higher as the country lacks adequate labs for testing. Most people in rural areas have stopped wearing masks and are thronging shopping centers ahead of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha this month. Scientists, meanwhile, poured cold water on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's hope that the country may return to normal by Christmas. A world where people can "go to work normally, travel on the buses and trains, go on holiday without restrictions, meet friends, shake hands, hug each other and so onthat's a long way off, unfortunately," without a vaccine, said epidemiologist John Edmunds, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. Explore further South Africa surpasses the UK in confirmed coronavirus cases 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's graft trial resumed on Sunday after a two-month break amid mounting protests over his alleged corruption and handling of the coronavirus crisis. Netanyahu, the first serving Israeli prime minister to go on trial, did not attend what a spokesman for the prosecution said would be a technical discussion. His presence was not required at the session in Jerusalem District Court, where he appeared in May at the opening of the trial to deny charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu, 70, was indicted in November in cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. After clinching a coalition deal three months ago with centrist Benny Gantz, his main rival in three inconclusive elections since April 2019, Netanyahu took centre stage in ordering restrictions that flattened Israel's first wave of coronavirus infections. But after a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, high unemployment and reimposed coronavirus curbs in recent weeks, Israelis have taken to the streets in almost daily demonstrations against him, with public anger compounded by the corruption allegations. On Saturday, police used water cannons to disperse demonstrators around Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence. In Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, thousands gathered to demand better state aid to businesses hurt in the health crisis. [nL5N2EP0E7] Bribery charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine. Fraud and breach of trust carry a prison sentence of up to three years. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 20:09:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A child poses for photos with a Peking Opera mask ornament during the Matariki-Chinese Multi-cultural Festival 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 19, 2020. The Matariki-Chinese Multi-cultural Festival 2020 was held here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Guo Lei) AUCKLAND, New Zealand, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The first major public cultural event in New Zealand's Auckland after COVID-19 lockdown showcasing both Maori and Chinese arts and performance was warmly welcomed by community members and audiences on Sunday. The Matariki (Maori New Year)-Chinese Multi-Cultural Festival, the first of its kind supported by local government and multiple community organizations, had attracted several hundred people in Auckland. Being the first major public cultural event in Auckland after COVID-19 lockdown, people spent an unrestricted afternoon enjoying cultural performances and art exhibitions that showcased Maori and Chinese cultures. Blessed by the Maori tribe leader Matua Ngaro Pita for the auspicious Matariki, the event started with a Maori Haka dance and a Chinese dragon dance. New Zealand Ethnic Communities Minister Jenny Salesa and Chinese Consul General in Auckland Ruan Ping jointly dotted the eye of the dragons for the event. They also joined the public in learning the performing techniques from traditional Chinese shadow play artists. Traditional dances by the Auckland-based Chinese community members, multi-cultural performances featuring various ethnic groups in New Zealand, painting and calligraphy art exhibitions, paper-cutting, shadow playing and traditional Maori and Chinese food have all contributed to a tasteful multi-cultural gathering that many Aucklanders have been longed for in the post COVID-19 recovery. Jackson Rao, Chairman of New Zealand Culture and Arts Foundation said he was proud to host the event, which played an important role in uniting the multi-cultural New Zealand society during the post COVID-19 recovery. Rao's foundation aims to be a bridge for bringing together ethnic groups in New Zealand and promoting culture understanding. "Matariki Maori New Year brings new life and hope. It also brings opportunity for people across New Zealand with various culture backgrounds to communicate with each other and to know more about each other's culture. This event is aimed to bring together the Maori and Chinese culture as well as to promote ethic harmony in New Zealand," said Rao. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Drug major Sun Pharma aims to gain market share in all the verticals it is present in amid challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, as per a top company official. "Our endeavour will be to gain market share in each of our business by doing better. Despite the near-term uncertainties related to COVID-19, we hope to be able to do better consistently," Sun Pharmaceutical Industries MD Dilip Shanghvi said in an analyst call. The drug major, which has presence in around 150 countries, caters to various various segments like psychiatry, anti-infectives, neurology, cardiology, oncology, among others. Shanghvi said that the company is also looking at supply chain protection, ensuring optimum utilisation of its factories and working closely with vendors to ensure continuity of supply while at the same time continuing focus on improving productivity throughout. In times of COVID-19, the Mumbai-based company also looks to focus on cash preservation and finding a way to reduce the overall debt for the company, Shanghvi said. "You will see that the total borrowings have come down by almost USD 400-plus million (about Rs 3,000 crore) in one year. And we will continue the same focus reducing the overall debt," he noted. Commenting on company's plans to expand its domestic business, Sun Pharma Head (India Business) Kirti Ganorkar said the the drug firm is in the process of expanding its field force in order to increase its reach. "We want to expand (field force) by 10 per cent. Out of that, 7 per cent to 8 per cent we have already achieved, so that we cover a large number of doctors and we cover some of the territories, which we have not covered," he noted. At the same time, the company also wants to build new brands and turn its existing brands into mega brands, Ganorkar said. "We want to introduce new products ahead of the competition. And we want to make products available in supply chain. So looking at all these factors, long-term will help us to increase our market share," he added. Things were going in the right direction, but COVID-19 pandemic has put a new challenge for the company, he said. Commenting on company's growth plans in the US generics business, Sun Pharma CEO (North America Business) Abhay Gandhi said the drug maker has a pipeline of 98 ANDAs (Abbreviated New Drug Application) and five NDAs. "So the pipeline is strong. On pricing, we still see pressure on pricing, and we don't see that abating in the near term or even in the mid-term, if I say so. So we keep hoping, but I haven't seen that happening," he noted. On a question related to Japanese business, Shanghvi said the company continues to look at opportunities to invest in the country. "The first priority and focus for us, of course, would be to launch Ilumya once it is approved in Japan and for which we would be creating a significant organisational capability," he said. Besides, the company will continue to look at attractive opportunities, where it can leverage effectively existing presence and look at opportunity to grow the business, Shanghvi added. Egypts Ministry of Finance has banned the states administrative bodies from making bilateral deals or signing agreements with banks and companies outside the electronic payment system that has been applied recently, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The ministry obliged all the states administrative bodies to collect all payments and dues electronically through the centre established by the ministry for this purpose, which is managed by E-finance, a financial technology company, to guarantee the utmost precision and data security levels, in addition to preparing financial settlement reports for revenues, according to the statement. The ministry said that this action is part of its efforts to enhance the governments financial system through integrating the governments financial management information system (GFMIS) with the banking system of the public treasurys consolidated account (TSA) and the gathering and payment system (GPS). These procedures are expected to contribute to boosting non-cash public revenue collections and government dues, in addition to entrenching the financial and administrative governance, through which the governments targets can be achieved, according to the statement. During the lockdown period imposed to contain the impact of COVID-19, Egypts government banked heavily on technology, especially for financial and banking payments, in an attempt to entrench using digital payment and lessen resorting to cash payments to keep individuals health safe. The government has pledged to expand in digital transformation, especially in financial and banking services, and urged citizens to use credit cards and mobile portfolios. Search Keywords: Short link: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust chairman Mahant Nritya Gopal Dass long wait for construction of the Ram temple to begin will end with the bhumi pujan ceremony likely to place on August 5. Das wrote an emotional letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, requesting him to visit Ayodhya for the ceremony. It was after this letter that the Prime Ministers Office sought tentative dates from the trust for PM Modis Ayodhya visit for the bhumi pujan. Now, with the PM likely to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for the ceremony, Das is close to seeing his dream being fulfilled. The Mahant wants a bhumi pujan on lines of the one performed for the Somnath temple in Gujarat. A day after the trust, formed to construct the Ram temple in Ayodhya, held a meeting, Das, who heads the trust, spoke in an interview with Hindustan Times. Excerpts from the interview You always wanted a grand bhumi pujan for the Ram temple. But will the Covid-19 pandemic keep the ceremony low-key? We had planned a grand bhumi pujan for Ram temple like the one organised for the Somnath temple. Then President of India Rajendra Prasad and home minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel attended the Somanth temple bhumi pujan. The ceremony continued for three days. It was a grand and elaborate event. We wanted something like this. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is not possible now. After much effort, we were able to get the PMs consent to attend the bhumi pujan. The tentative date for bhumi pujan is August 5. But if due to some unavoidable circumstances, the PM is not able to visit Ayodhya, what will the trust do? We are confident that the PM will definitely come to Ayodhya for the bhumi pujan. However, if due to some unavoidable circumstances and national issues, the PM is not able to come to Ayodhya on August 5 for bhumi pujan then, in the nations interest, we will delay the ceremony and will wait for the PMs visit. Finally, has the trust agreed to make changes in the existing model of the proposed Ram temple? The Ram temple model prepared by VHP (Vishva Hindu Parishad) in 1989 will not be changed. It will remain the same. Ram temple will be constructed on the existing model. But some additions have been made to the temples model and that is what saints had been demanding. Now, the temples height will be 161 metres instead of 128 metres. The number of domes has been increased from three to five. Ram temples chief architect Chandrakant Sompura has approved these changes. A grand Ram temple will be constructed. In the meeting (Trust meeting on Saturday), we also discussed these changes. Will stone slabs lying at Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas Karyashala be used in construction of the Ram temple? Yes. All stone slabs carved at the Karyashala will be used in construction of the Ram temple. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON We knew that this was a time bomb because the percentage of obesity, hypertension, diabetes is so high, said Dr. Adolfo Kaplan, a critical care physician who works with Dr. Brown at DHR Health in Edinburg, Texas. We knew that if the hospital was hit, it was going to be a disaster, and thats what we are living through. More than 57,000 people are now hospitalized around the country, according to the Covid Tracking Project, reflecting a sharp increase that is approaching the previous national peak in April, when the center of the U.S. outbreak was in New York. The three facilities this hospital is using to treat patients with Covid-19 have been filled to capacity since the first week of July. At times, a dozen or more ambulances have waited outside for beds to become available. The syracuse.com | The Post-Standard police blotter of arrests from police agencies around Central New York has been updated today. Most of the new arrests are from the last couple weeks. A self-employed hairdresser has won the right to claim for notice, holiday and redundancy pay in, what her lawyers say, is a 'landmark' case for thousands of beauty industry workers. Meghan Gorman, 26, has won an Employment Tribunal judgement in Manchester arguing that, although her contract was as a self-employed hairdresser, the level of control she had over her working practices effectively made her an employee. Ms Gorman, from Clitheroe in Lancashire, worked for six years at a Terence Paul salon in Manchester city centre, until it closed in 2019. Meghan Gorman, 26, has won the right to claim for notice, holiday and redundancy pay after an Employment Tribunal case in Manchester She claimed she had to work hours set by the salon, who she also said kept 67 per cent of her takings. The reasons for the Employment Tribunal ruling were released this week, after Judge Marion Batten ruled in the hairdresser's favour in March. Ms Gorman's lawyers claim that the judgement in her favour furthers recent legal decisions on 'worker' status, in the case of Pimlico Plumbers at the Supreme Court and Uber drivers, which is currently on appeal from the Court of Appeal. Judith Fiddler, of Direct Law & Personnel, said the preliminary judgment could affect thousands of hairdressers nationwide. Ms Fiddler also added that it could influence people in other professions, for example dentists, hygienists, delivery drivers and bookkeepers. She said: 'The whole hairdressing industry and many others will be affected by this decision. 'The significance is huge, as many people who think they are self-employed are actually not. 'The influence of the Pimlico Plumbers and Uber drivers' cases has changed the climate. 'Our case was that Meghan was treated as an employee and was not genuinely self-employed, and therefore should benefit from employment law rights. 'At all times she was treated as an employee and her bosses exercised tight control over all aspects of her work.' Around 330,000 people work in the beauty industry in the UK and more than 80% of them are women, according to industry figures. Ms Gorman, from Clitheroe in Lancashire, worked for six years at a Terence Paul salon in Manchester city centre, until it closed in 2019 Ms Gorman will also pursue other claims against Terence Paul, including unfair and wrongful dismissal sexual discrimination and a failure to provide a written contract of employment. She will also be claiming for holiday pay, her lawyers said. The hairdresser joined Terence Paul, which at the time ran six luxury salons, as a 19-year-old trainee in 2013. She later began work on a contract, headed 'Independent Contract for Services', as a self-employed hairdresser. Terence Paul have claimed the company's self-employed hairdressers had control over the hours and days they worked, their starting and finishing times, treatments they could give and their holidays. But Ms Gorman has disputed this, saying she had to work from 9am until 6pm from Monday until Saturday. She also claimed that she had no control over pricing or offering discounts, had to use the company's products, conform to Terence Paul's standards of dress, and had to tell the salon if she wanted time off. Ms Gorman said: 'They clearly had the power and control. I did not believe it could be considered I was in business on my own account. 'I had thought for some time that the contract they had in place was not right, saying I was self-employed when they had all those rules in place.' TUC senior employment rights officer Tim Sharp said: 'This is yet another case of the courts calling out false self-employment. 'The Government needs to use its planned Employment Bill to ensure that everyone gets full rights unless the boss can prove they are genuinely self-employed.' MailOnline have approached Terence Paul for comment. Seventeen-year-old Gaurangi Patil, a resident of Bhiwandi, is unable to attend online classes as her family cannot afford internet connectivity. However, she has been able to keep up with her peers thanks to her teachers going the distance to provide her with study material. Like Patil, many students from poor financial backgrounds would be unable to get an education during the lockdown if it wasnt for extra efforts taken by their teachers. Initially attended a few classes, however, I noticed that my family was struggling to make ends meet and I did not want to burden them further for internet access. My parents are daily-wage workers; we have not had any steady income since the lockdown has been implemented. The first week after classes began, I had to miss out on lectures one by one as my data pack got over too soon, said Patil. After she shared her trouble with her teacher, she was provided with recorded videos of the online sessions and her teachers also offered to be available on call to solve any of her doubts. Nitin Barve, professor, BK Birla College, Kalyan, said, It has been hardly a week since online classes commenced for college students, but we have noticed that many of them are facing connectivity issues. Moreover, there are a handful of students who are not able to attend lectures due to their financial situation; we have helped by paying for their internet charges. Meanwhile, a Shahapur-based couple who teaches in a zilla parishad school is taking extra efforts to ensure students from Varyachapada village within Thane district, are getting an education. The internet connectivity is weak in this village as it is in a tribal area and most families do not have smartphones. With the commencement of online classes, Pramod Patole and his wife Sharmila prepared notes based on the syllabus and started visiting the homes of their students to provide the study material. We gathered different explanation methods and easy-to-understand concepts for students of Class 1 to Class 5. We started taking printouts of these materials along with test papers as well. Twice a week, we visit the houses of the students to provide the materials and collect the previous test papers. These tests help us understand if the student can grasp the study material well, said Patole. The material has a lot of illustrations and pictures that make the information easier to understand. Moreover, teachers help solve doubts when they visit us. During every visit, the teacher brings a question paper based on the previous days teachings, said Rishabh Pawar, a Class 3 student from Varyachapada Zilla Parishad School. Thane Municipal Corporation conducts online admission for civic schools Thane Municipal Corporations (TMC) education department has shifted admissions online for the first time and is providing application forms on the civic bodys website. This has been introduced so that people need not step out of their homes for admissions. We had already started our admission process before the lockdown began; we have now given this additional facility to those who may have missed out. Keeping in mind the current situation, we have gone online, said Rajesh Kankal, education officer, TMC. On the 20th August 2019, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, assumed duty as Director-General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), at a relatively young age of 39. He is one of the few young Nigerians to have that privilege in recent history. I was opportune to pass through the same Secondary School with Kashifu, between 1995 and 1997, having joined the School a year earlier than I did. Science Secondary School Kafin Hausa was and is still ranked as one of the best Science Schools in Jigawa State. The Schools admission process was and still is second to none as one has to pass through a rigorous screening process, including examination before securing admission. It was the dream of every young Science student in the state to join the School. It may interest many to know that Kashifu joined Science Secondary School Kafin Hausa from an Arabic Secondary School where he successfully completed his Junior Secondary School education. Having passed through the rigorous admission process and passed with flying colours, he was given admission to complete his senior secondary education at Science Secondary School Kafin Hausa in 1994. Kashifu was very popular as he was the best Mathematics student. Those that studied around that time may recall that Mathematics was being taught alongside Further Mathematics. Interestingly, despite the difficulty associated with Mathematics as well as joining a Science School from an Arabic School, he happened to be the best in all categories. Furthermore, instead of keeping the talent that Allah bestowed upon him to himself, he spent most of his time helping his classmates as well as the junior ones to understand the concepts being taught. With the challenges of not having enough Teachers at the time, I can clearly recall the various instances of him coming to our class to support us with some of the topics in our Mathematics syllabus. Interestingly, he was the first that introduced me to Algebra Fundamentals of Algebraic Functions. This was what endeared him to everyone that resulted into him made the School Prefect, a position he held until he graduated in June, 1997. Kashifu later secured admission at the prestigious Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, popularly known as ATBU, to study Computer Science, graduating in 2003. He then joined Galaxy Backbone Limited, where he served for nine years, from 2004 2013 as well as held several positions such as Network Engineer, IP Network Field Engineer, Senior Network & Lead, IP Operations Team, and Senior Solution Architect & Lead, Technical Solution Design. Kashifus determination to succeed made him to become the first Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) in Nigerias Public Sector. He went further to earn several other professional certifications in Project Management, Networking, Telecommunications, Service Management and Solution Design. Kashifu joined the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2014, as a Technology Architect. While at CBN, he dedicated his time to developing a Technology Architecture Repository that gives 360 views of the Banks IT Infrastructure and facilitated ease of decision making on new IT investment. He was part of the team that executed software license rationalization that has increased cost savings for the Bank in annual license subscriptions. While at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Kashifu was one of the highly committed and dedicated students of Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. His invitation to join NITDA in 2017 as Technical Assistant to the then Director-General/CEO now Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy was not a surprise. Furthermore, his appointment as Honourable Ministers successor was Allahs way of exemplifying His mercies. It was well deserved and a reward for his kindness, commitment and dedication, hard work, resilience, honesty, and determination to succeed. With this development, it can be fair to say that Nigeria has finally answered the call for youth participation in Governance; President Buhari has set the pace by Kashifus appointment. Interestingly, upon assumption of duty, he immediately hit the ground running. He seems to focus on implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria as well as in contributing to Mr Presidents promise of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. His achievement so far on Youth Empowerment is unprecedented. He initiated and successfully executed several programmes that empowered close to 30,000 youths. Programmes such as the Start-Up Friday, Start-Up Clinic, FutureHack, Tech4COVID-19 Challenge, Capacity Building for Artisans, Girls, Women and People Living with Disabilities, are examples of such programmes. He is also introducing the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Scheme that aims to provide opportunities for building the capacity of both hub owners and start-ups to ensure massive creation of technology entrepreneurs and jobs within the industry. Another Achievement is the Launching of the NITDA Academy for Research and Training on the 29th April, 2020 as well as the unveiling of the Virtual Training Programme by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. I was made to understand that the programme that started in April has so far attracted over 23,000 participants an unprecedented achievement indeed. I also noticed a new and transformed NITDA when I visited the Agency recently. I was amazed with what has been achieved with a period of less than a year. If you were in NITDA around August last year and you visit the Agency today, you will agree with me that Kashifu is indeed a visionary and transformational leader who is focusing on making NITDA favourably compete with any other IT Regulatory Agency in the world. With what Kashifu has achieved so far, I can boldly say that his performance is excellent and he has indeed made us the Nigerian youthproud. He is our worthy ambassador in Mr Presidents administration who has shown that we are Not Too Young to Lead. When given the opportunity, we will by Allahs Mercy carry out the responsibility diligently, knowing that it is a trust. It is also a call to all of us, particularly the youth, to have hope in the future of our country. We urge all to give him and his team all the support they may need in coordinating our transition from the traditional economy to the digital economy in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria. Comrade Mustapha Yau Gumel wrote from Dutse, Jigawa State. He can be contacted via at e-mail mustaphayau7@gmail.com or phone at +234-803-879-5965 The lawyers sometimes referred to each other by their first names, a no-no under courtroom decorum. Stranger still, no one stood or bowed when the judge appeared. But, then, she was presiding over the trial from her office, not perched up on the dais. And she wasnt wearing her judicial robe and red sash, just conservative business attire. But with only minimum social distancing and no need for masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Ontarios first major criminal Zoom case is winning rave reviews from two veteran defence lawyers representing the men on trial for gun-trafficking charges. The process is much more efficient and, more importantly, egalitarian and fair, Reid Rusonik wrote in an email. The accused arent shoved away in a box, and the defence also has its office and resources nearby. During the global pandemic, videoconferencing apps such as Zoom have emerged as tools for people looking to carry on as before, with everything from business meetings to yoga classes shifting online. As people get used to the idea of also conducting trials on the internet, the technology could be a game-changer for efficiency, added John Struthers, who is president of the Criminal Lawyers Association. Four months after COVID-19 forced the near shutdown of courts across Ontario, courthouses across the province are slowly resuming in-person hearings, including major criminal cases. And although more logistically challenging jury trials remain on hold at least until September, experts say this weeks experiment in virtual justice could help reduce the backlog of cases that has ballooned since March while just maybe revolutionizing justice in the process for better or for worse. Its not business as usual in Canadian courts, Ottawa law professor Amy Salyzyn observed in a column in Slaw, Canadas online legal magazine. While emergency measures have been in place since the spring allowing bail hearings by teleconference, for instance there is reason to believe that this moment may well mark the start a shift toward increased use of virtual hearings in the longer term, she writes, noting that the move presents new risks to public access to court, protecting privacy and maintaining the integrity of court proceedings. Struthers and Rusonik say they agreed to videoconference because the trial otherwise would not have happened until next May three years after their clients Bill Allison and Kamar Cunningham were arrested as part of a 2018 Toronto police investigation called Project Patton. The nature of the case, which primarily involves the playing of wiretaps and surveillance footage, and the fact there were only police witnesses also suited the virtual format, the lawyers said. It was not a classic credibility case, such as a sex assault, in which the demeanour of a civilian witness is important during cross-examination, Struthers explained. With police officers, their manner in court is very rarely as important as the logical destruction of their stories, he added. Rusonik, who like Struthers is known for aggressively grilling witnesses in cross-examination, added he found the virtual format almost better than in a traditional court setting. Cross-examination is actually easier because youre seated and more comfortable with all of your preparation at your fingertips, he said. Still, a multi-screen virtual courtroom via Zoom does not replicate the real thing. And, of course, as anyone with a computer or smartphone knows, technology is far from infallible although the trial, which continues next week, has been relatively glitch-free. Court staff are currently being trained on how to host Zoom trials. Judges and lawyers are being trained as well but this is still in the early stages. Meanwhile, a best practices guide produced by a number of legal organizations has been released. The guide notes that eating and drinking is still not allowed, and advises participants to be mindful of facial expressions when not speaking, and to use appropriate names. Participants should test their connections, reduce background noise and ensure they appear in front of a suitably neutral backdrop, the guide says. Rusonik appeared from his office. Prosecutors Carolyn Otter and Sam Scratch were also in an office setting, seated in front of whiteboards. The two accused men, Allison and Cunningham, who are not in custody, appeared in front of blank walls from nondescript rooms. Struthers explained his client, Cunningham, had no difficulty hearing or seeing the proceeding, watching from a local, safe location with good internet. Meanwhile, the lawyer himself picked a courtroom as a digital background, a suitable option for virtual hearings, according to the guide. Throughout, Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly seemed relaxed and comfortable with the process, going out of her way to acknowledge a reporters presence and to offer assurances that access to exhibits would be granted, which they were. She also made clear that just like in a real courtroom, it was still illegal to take photos, screen captures, or recordings for broadcast. How that would be policed if Zoom trials become widespread is unclear. The next generation will do this easily, Kelly commented at one point, smiling. Still, Struthers, Rusonik and others say Zoom wont work for every case. And no one in Ontario is seriously talking about the much more complicated prospect of virtual jury trials, at least not yet. (Although one did recently take place in the United States in a civil case.) Daniel Brown, a Toronto defence lawyer and CLA vice-president who wasnt involved in the gun-trafficking case, said there is some evidence to suggest that people may seem less trustworthy over a videolink than in-person. With Zoom, there are also concerns that a witness might secretly refer to notes. Another major concern is whether accused people and witnesses, especially from marginalized communities, have access to the necessary technology a computer, stable Wi-Fi, video-conferencing software, a cellphone, headphones as well as a quiet space where they can sit for several hours. There are also unanswered questions about language barriers, disability accommodations and technological literacy. Some lawyers have observed that Zoom courts do not have the same gravitas and weight of a physical court. When a witness comes to court and puts their hand on the Bible ... in front of the judge and promising to tell the truth and is surrounded by all these eyes on them, it kind of drives home to them the importance of the situation and the solemnity of the situation, Brown said. It even changes a lot of what trial lawyers are used to in court theres no pacing, not even standing. Theres a bit of theatre and drama in a courtroom, Brown said. Thats simply lost over Zoom. Omar Ha-Redeye, executive director of Durham Community Legal Clinic, said his biggest concern about Zoom trials relates to witnesses. The entire purpose of a testimony is about credibility, and contrasting the testimony of various witnesses, he said. Its going to put enormous challenges on the trier of fact judges are going to have an incredibly difficult time executing this. The barriers that low-income accused persons and witnesses will face such as a slower connection freezing or even appearing via a low-quality camera means they potentially are going to be presenting less effectively within the legal system, he said. It also can take more time to prepare for a Zoom trial from testing software to sending emails in lieu of having a quick hallway conversation with opposing counsel. (Struthers and Rusonik unreservedly said this weeks proceeding was more, not less, efficient.) Ha-Redeye is also concerned that journalists and members of the public can no longer simply walk into a courtroom. Theres a risk the need to request permission and to be identified to be in a courtroom can have a chilling effect on the open court principle, he said. There are other issues, too: How many people can watch a Zoom trial? Are privacy issues invoked differently when a trial is occurring by Zoom than in person, where there is more of a barrier to entry? On the other hand, Jacquelyn Burkell, a professor at Western University who researches the impact of video technology on human interactions, says there could be positive implications for a witness who may feel more comfortable testifying from a familiar space at home rather than in an imposing courtroom. But she also wonders about Zoom fatigue, how it can be tiring and difficult to concentrate for long periods in part, she said, because it requires more for our brains to process than we realize. Meanwhile, the province has so far been enthusiastic about the technologys potential It opens up so many possibilities to move things along faster, more efficiently, cheaper, Attorney General Doug Downey said in a recent interview. Law professor Karen Eltis, an instructor at the University of Ottawas Centre for Law, Technology and Society, said the challenge is how to use technology to enhance access to justice. There must be careful consideration about relying on private technologies such as Zoom for public services because, in the end, whats at stake is the confidence in the justice system, she said. We absolutely have to move forward. But we have to move forward cautiously the justice system cant afford to, in Facebooks words in a different context, move fast and break things. Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, then-senior rabbi of Chabad of Poway synagogue in the San Diego area, addresses the United Nations General Assembly's meeting last year. (Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press) The Clarence S. Brooks Foundation is in a nondescript three-story building on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles that also has a Wells Fargo bank branch and an urgent care center among its tenants. From there, the small charitable foundation established in 2004 that had $5.8 million in assets at the end of 2018 makes grants primarily to Jewish educational organizations. The half-dozen or so annual awards run in the mid-to-low six figures each, records of the charity show. So it probably was not much of a surprise when in 2013 the foundation received an application for a grant from Chabad of Poway and its leader Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. The grant application said the money would be used to run one of the several programs at the Poway synagogue, helping to pay for rent, remodeling costs and payroll. The application was a winner. In early 2013 the foundation made a $600,000 grant to Goldstein, distributing the money in four $150,000 installments from February through November. It was one of the largest grants it made that year. But the money didnt go to the synagogue for remodeling, payroll or rent. Instead, it went to Goldstein. He put some of the money in personal bank accounts and converted much of it to cash after churning the grant funds through several bank accounts he controlled. After the final payment arrived from the foundation, Goldstein handed over the bulk of the money, about $400,000, to another person who had cooked up the scheme with him, and pocketed the balance. The Brooks Foundation scam is just one of numerous frauds described in detail in court documents related to Goldsteins shocking plea last week to tax fraud and wire fraud. The 58-year-old rabbi who gained international notoriety after an April 27, 2019, shooting attack on Chabad of Poway synagogue that killed congregant Lori Gilbert-Kaye and injured three others, including Goldstein admitted to years of illegal schemes involving taxes, government programs, real estate and public and private grant programs. Story continues The court records illustrate in detail a spectrum of frauds that are staggering in their amount, scope and duration. They also reveal that after federal agents served a search warrant on Goldsteins offices at Chabad of Poway and at his home in October 2018, the rabbi now knowing he was under federal scrutiny tipped off no fewer than five others who had allegedly participated in various schemes over the years. One of them was an individual identified in the documents only as M.S., who had allegedly participated in the Brooks Foundation fraud with Goldstein and got the lions share of the misappropriated funds. In December 2018, five years after divvying up the foundation money and two months after the search, Goldstein warned M.S. about the investigation, the records say. Goldstein pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to defraud the government and wire fraud charges. The charges cover a period from 2010-18, but prosecutors said he had been engaged in fraud as far back as the 1980s. The FBI put the total amount of money in play in the scheme at $18 million. U.S. Atty. Robert Brewer said Tuesday that his office has already decided not to seek a prison term for Goldstein, citing his cooperation with an ongoing investigation that has led to five others pleading guilty and as many as 20 more under investigation, and his conduct in the wake of the attack. After the shooting, he called for tolerance, love and forgiveness in numerous appearances and speeches. He was invited to the White House, met President Trump, and hosted Vice President Mike Pence at the Poway synagogue. At the time, however, he was under investigation by the federal government and had agreed to cooperate with a probe into years, perhaps decades, of serial frauds he allegedly had orchestrated. That information became public for the first time Tuesday. No one from the Brooks Foundation responded to several requests for an interview last week. Neither Goldstein nor his lawyers have responded to numerous requests for comment over the last year from the San Diego Union-Tribune, and they declined to comment after his guilty plea. Citing exhaustion, Goldstein retired from Chabad of Poway, which he founded in 1986, in November. But the court records show that he signed the plea agreement that same month. And the world headquarters of Chabad in New York said it learned of his crimes late last year and forced him out. The court records describe a long-running tax evasion scheme that Brewer called the 90-10 fraud at a news conference after the guilty plea Tuesday. It involved donors writing large checks to Chabad as donations to the tax-exempt organization, and in return getting a receipt on Chabad letterhead that they could use to claim a large tax deduction. They also got 90% of their money back secretly. Goldstein kept 10%, according to prosecutors and the plea documents he signed. In the court records, donors in on the scam are identified only by initials. In one case, Goldstein accepted dozens of contributions of $8,000 per month between 2010 and 2018 from S.W., who owned a grocery business. The records say Goldstein kept half and kicked back the balance by regularly hand-delivering cash at the grocers business. Other schemes were more complex. Along with Alex Avergoon, another defendant who pleaded guilty to wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering in connection with a separate real estate Ponzi scheme, Goldstein defrauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state Office of Emergency Services of nearly $250,000 in emergency grants. To do so Avergoon created a company out of thin air with the perhaps intentionally ironic name Imagination Construction Co. Avergoon created false invoices complete with a bogus contractors license number for carpet removal, HVAC repairs and other work. Goldstein backdated checks from Chabad accounts to meet reimbursement requirements from the state agency. The scheme netted about $185,000 in 2011 and $75,000 in 2012, according to the plea agreement. Goldstein engaged in another scheme involving a fictitious entity this time a religious congregation. Along with an individual identified as Z.B., Goldstein submitted bogus invoices totaling $76,750 to be reimbursed by FEMA and Cal OES from a program making grants specifically for upgrades to security. Goldstein claimed that the upgrades were to be made to something called Congregation Bnei Yisroel, according to the court records. That was not a real congregation, but instead Goldsteins own residence. Working with Avergoon and Z.B., the rabbi secured $75,000 in government grants in 2017 and 2018 and kept an unspecified portion for himself. It is unclear from the records if any of the money was spent on security upgrades. However, the lawyer who filed a lawsuit on behalf of a congregant injured in the attack said there was very little security such as gates or locked doors at Chabad of Poway. Federal agents began to investigate Goldstein in late 2016 in the course of the probe into Avergoon, who collaborated with Goldstein on some of the grant frauds and recruited donors for the tax fraud, prosecutors said. The investigation began to close in on the rabbi in May 2018, when an undercover FBI agent met with Goldstein at Lake Poway Park and, later, in his office at Chabad of Poway. The agent posed as someone who wanted to lower his tax liability and launder proceeds from what the agent said was an insurance scam. Goldstein agreed to both, according to the plea records, taking $50,000 and providing documents of a donation of that size to the synagogue, while wiring back half to a bank account provided by the undercover agent and keeping the other half. Then in June he accepted $50,000 in cash in five stacks of crisp $100 bills at his office, and returned 31 gold coins with a value of about $40,000 to the agent. Four months later, on Oct. 17, 2018, agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service descended on Chabad of Poway and Goldsteins nearby home. They told him he was under investigation and had been for nearly two years, and that the person he met with at Lake Poway and his office was an undercover agent. Prosecutors said Goldstein agreed to cooperate and is being rewarded for that in his plea deal. The documents show that soon after the raid he warned others who had engaged in the tax scheme that he was a target of federal investigators. In one case, he warned Yousef Shemirani, 58, of Poway, who pleaded guilty last week to filing a false tax return and admitted claiming fake donations of $137,650 to Goldstein and Chabad of Poway from 2011-16. Shemiranis plea said Goldstein knocked on his door the night of Oct. 20, 2018, and told him about the raid, then warned him the next time they met he might be wearing a wire. Days later Shemirani tried to sign up for an IRS voluntary disclosure program that allows people to avoid some penalties if they voluntarily admit erroneous tax reporting. Another defendant, Bijan Moosazadeh, 63, of San Diego, tried to enter the same program after learning of the investigation. Another individual identified as V.R. met Goldstein in December 2018 with $10,000 he wanted to disguise as a donation under the tax scheme. Goldstein instead warned him of the investigation and, according to the plea records, told V.R. he was out of business. At some point after the raid, Goldstein cooperated with investigators and was actively doing so when the attack on Chabad of Poway occurred and catapulted Goldstein into the public spotlight. Since then Chabad has been sued by Almog Peretz, a victim who was wounded in the attack. The suit contends the synagogue did nothing to improve security despite getting a $150,000 grant to upgrade security just before the shooting. Yoni Weinberg, the lawyer for Peretz, said those accusations now carry more weight because of Goldsteins admissions to diverting grant funds. Money that was supposed to be coming in to help the congregation obviously was not going to help the congregants, he said. Weinberg was also critical that Goldstein will not go to prison. One problem I have is they are taking it easy on him, he said. Hes not going to do jail time and will get probation. They say that is because of the leadership he displayed in the days following the attack. To me, its not leadership when you stand in front of congregants you have been stealing from and make them believe you are doing all this for them. In a statement, Brewer said every sentence had to take into consideration both the seriousness of the crime and the circumstances of the defendant. He again noted Goldsteins post-shooting cooperation and conduct. His work to bring people together in the aftermath of the shooting is part of who he is, Brewer said. A fair and just sentence has to account for that, as well as his lifetime of service and his significant cooperation. We made this decision solely based on the facts and circumstances of this case and this defendant. Goldsteins appearances with Trump and Pence did not weigh in the sentence, according to a Department of Justice official in San Diego. We have not conferred with the White House about any prosecution decision or outcome in this or any other case, the official said. The DOJ in Washington supported our handling of this case. Jason Forge, a former federal prosecutor who earned convictions in the Randy Duke Cunningham case and later in private practice was a key member in a team of lawyers that got a $25-million settlement in a lawsuit against Trump University, said it was unlikely Goldstein would go to prison given his age and the lighter treatment white-collar crimes get. Forge said that while defendants are often rewarded for cooperating with prosecutors, he was less convinced that Goldstein should be given so much credit for his actions after the shooting. Still, he said Brewer should be acknowledged for not dropping the case after the shooting and the notoriety. You have to give Bob Brewer credit, Forge said. "I guarantee you there are a significant number of U.S. attorneys who would not have the stomach for it. Goldstein is set to be sentenced in October. Sources have told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the pleas were supposed to take place in the spring, before the coronavirus outbreak ground much court business to a halt. Indeed, several of the plea agreements from co-defendants were signed in February. Moran writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. By Lidia Kelly MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday delayed the opening of parliament for several weeks as the new coronavirus continued spreading through the country's two most populous states. Morrison asked the speaker of the parliament to cancel a two-week session due to start on Aug. 4, out of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic. The request was seen as a formality as the speaker is a member of Morrison's Liberal Party and the opposition Labor Party accepted the call. Lawmakers are to meet at the next planned session on Aug. 24. "The government cannot ignore the risk to parliamentarians, their staff, the staff within the parliament and the broader community," Morrison said in a written statement, adding he acted based on the advice of medical authorities. Victoria state reported 217 new infections after a record 428 cases on Friday. Neighbouring New South Wales, the most populous state, which has also been struggling to contain a new wave of infections, saw 15 new cases. Victoria forced nearly five million people into a partial lockdown for six weeks on July 9, as expectations of harsher social-distancing restrictions were growing with the virus continuing to spread. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews left open the possibility of further curbs, urging people not to leave their houses except for work, exercise or essential shopping. "The likelihood of a longer lockdown, the likelihood of even more restrictions - that really does rest with individuals and families and members of the Victorian community embracing the spirit of the rules and erring on the side of caution," Andrews said at a televised briefing. Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government will issue further income support to tackle deteriorating confidence across the country, in addition to an existing A$70 billion ($49 billion) in wage subsidies. "There's a lot of uncertainty in the economic environment, and the Victorian situation is a significant setback," Frydenberg told The Age newspaper in an interview published on Saturday. Story continues "It's diminished confidence beyond the Victorian border, and the recovery is a confidence game. So, maintaining business and household confidence is going to be critical." The government is expected to announce details of the support measures on Thursday, before sending them for a vote to the parliament. In March, all parliamentary sittings were cancelled until August. But as Australia appeared to be succeeding in controlling its outbreak in the following months, some sittings took place, including a one-day special session to vote on the initial wage subsidy scheme. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by William Mallard) People come to begin a new life in the US for a wide variety of reasons. In 2017, over 44 million people in the US were born someplace else. The vast majority (77%) of immigrants living in the US are legal immigrants, and just under half (45%) are now naturalized US citizens. From about 1990 until 2007 a large wave of unauthorized or illegal immigrants came to live on US soil, tripling in number, but this level has now come down again. Where are people coming from? In 2017, the top countries immigrants came to the US from included India, Mexico, China, and Cuba, among others, totalling about 1 million new immigrants. Why are people leaving their homes and traveling so far to start anew? Here are some of the top reasons people immigrate to the US. For Work Some people native to the US may feel that finding solid work that pays well is hard to come by. Compared with the rest of the world, however, the US has good work opportunities. The US is home to the most active economy in the world, as the planets biggest superpower. Some people may fear that immigrants take jobs away from Americans already living in the US. Economists argue that this could be the case in the short-term but in the long run, the economy adjusts to new immigration. While regrettably not everybody is open to having new immigrants in the labor force, research shows that the majority of the general public in the US does support high-skilled immigration. To Escape Persecution And Violence Many people currently live in places that are more violent than the US. The highest number of immigrants coming to the US originate from Mexico, which is part of Latin America, one of the most violent regions on Earth. In 2019, almost 35,000 people were murdered there, breaking down to about 95 people each day. Part of this high number can be attributed to the violence associated with the illegal drug trade in this country. Many people coming from Mexico to the US not only come to chase a better financial future, but also to escape the violence. People come to the US from other places as well, to escape violence. The highest number of refugees seeking asylum in the US in 2019 came from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Millions of people were displaced in the DRC between 2016 and 2019 due to fighting and political turmoil. Authorities dealing with illegal immigrants. Image credit: Fishman64/Shutterstock.com Better Living Conditions The US may not be revered for its social systems like the Nordic countries are, but being poor in the US is a better situation for many than being poor abroad. Many developing countries do not have a social safety net such as welfare, government-backed medical services, or systems like food stamps to help the hungry. Of course, people who immigrate to the US do not do so exclusively for the food stamps. The fact that there are social welfare systems that exist however, makes the US a more attractive place to try to restart your life. It can be difficult to up and leave your home country, but if you know there are systems in place to help you get settled when you arrive, and that you will not starve while doing so, you may be more likely to take the risk of starting over there. The US also has better overall living conditions than many countries worldwide. While the country is not perfect, urban and populated areas have running water, access to electricity, shelter, roads and community services. This is a big plus for many migrants. Tapachula, Suchiate, or Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico: Central American Refugees are boarding a Truck on their way north to the US border. Image credit: Saeschie Wagner/Shutterstock.com Educational Opportunities People also immigrate to the US to obtain an education, or to increase the educational opportunities for their children. The country is home to some of the best-known institutions of higher education in the world. According to reports online, there were over 1 million international students studying in the US in 2020. The majority came from China, India, or South Korea. Of course, being an international student in the US is not easy. You must keep a full course load, you can only work part-time on campus, and you have to prove you have the money to support your tuition and living costs. Not an easy feat, but still, many do it. International students are often so-called temporary immigrants and will return to their home countries with their foreign degrees upon graduating. A US diploma can increase their chances of being hired for lucrative jobs abroad. Some stay and seek more permanent status in the US, however. To Be With Family MADISON, WI, USA - February 18, 2016 - Thousands of people protest new anti-immigration legislation in Wisconsin. Image credit: AAraujo/Shutterstock.com Immigrants also choose to move to the US to reunite with their family members. Sometimes people meet over the internet or abroad, and decide to get married. If one of the spouses is an American citizen, the other can immigrate in time. Other people leave their homeland and come to the US seeking a better future. They leave their children, extended family, and sometimes even their spouse, behind. They may come to the US seeking asylum, or they have been given the chance to have a green card, or permanent resident status. Once these immigrants become citizens, they may then sponsor other family members to join them. Americans love to debate the perceived benefits and drawbacks to allowing immigrants into their country. The truth is, the US as we know it was built by immigrants: everyone living in the US but the Native Americans can trace their roots back to someone who immigrated in the past few centuries. According to the Bush Center, immigrants help raise the pace of economic growth, and strengthen the country. When new immigrants enter the workforce, they also increase the GDP. This eventually raises the incomes of all working people. Immigrants add cultural richness and new points of view to society that help to make America what it is. In this way, immigration is to be celebrated. Narendra Modi, Prime minister of India | Though almost all of Indias Prime Ministers have come from the nearly 80% of the population that is Hindu, only Modi has governed as if no one else matters, writes Karl Vick, Time editor. (Image: Reuters) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known for reaching out to masses through social media, has gained 60 million followers on Twitter. The PM started using the platform in January 2009 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and his popularity grew overwhelmingly as he assumed the office of Prime Minister of India in 2014. Currently, his total followers on his Twitter handle @narendramodi stands at 60,032,132. Even the number of followers on the official Twitter handle of the Prime Ministers Office has crossed 37 million. The Prime Minister stands tall among the world leaders on Twitter. However, he is still behind US President Donald Trump who has 83.7 million followers. Former US President Barack Obama remains on the top spot with over 120 million accounts following him. In India, no politician is even close to Prime Minister Modi. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has 15.2 million followers. Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, who contested against the Prime Minister in 2014 general elections, has 19.9 million followers. PM Modi is quite active on Twitter and regularly communicates about issues concerning the country, foreign policy and his interactions with the people. Besides Twitter, the PM is highly popular on other social media platforms. He has 45 million followers on Facebook and 45.3 million on the photo-sharing app Instagram. As summer dawned and the Fourth of July holiday approached, I learned I wont be allowed to visit my son and daughter-in-law in New York or my sister and her family in Massachusetts unless I first self-isolate there for two weeks. Tack that onto the driving time and there goes the whole vacation. Youre out of luck, too, if youre considering a trip East (Connecticut and New Jersey too) and youre in one of those 16 states whose residents are also under orders to sequester because they havent gotten their COVID-19 numbers under control. And thats even if you did everything right: heeded the experts, wore masks, avoided crowds, stayed out of restaurants. If your states leadership refused to issue mandates and left those measures voluntary or lifted restrictions too soon youre going to be paying the price. Youre paying it for all those Americans who refuse to go masked into superstores and cant stay out of the bars or practice social distancing. For those heady beachgoers showcased in national news reports clucking about their constitutional rights to cluster. With the most cases of any country in the world, nearly 2.6 million as of this writing, the U.S. is now barred from the 27-member European Union nations that opened up to visitors July 1. NPR reported that new cases in the EU and the U.K. were 82% lower than at the peak April 9, while the U.S. recently reported more than 32,000 new cases on two days straight. Why has the worlds richest, most powerful nation been hit the hardest by the pandemic? All the traditional measures we would normally use to control or eradicate the virus have not worked in the United States in particular, for a variety of reasons, virologist Dr. Joseph Fair told NBC News Savannah Guthrie last week. To some extent, Americans have always pushed back on new safety regulations. One reader wrote to remind us about seat belt laws passed in the 1960s, child car seats being required in the 1980s and cigarette smoking banned in restaurants and workplaces in the 1990s and early 2000s. All met with initial resistance. But with strong leadership, people came around to see they saved lives. So Im not going to put the major blame on a lack of personal responsibility. Im blaming the lack of strong leadership at the top, the kind that makes such a compelling medical case for why curbs are necessary, and an ethical case for why we are all responsible for our brothers and sisters, so we dont mind making short-term sacrifices. Instead, weve had denial, deflection and deference to industry and ideology. As Novembers election approaches, our president has wanted to show his base he wont cave to the politically correct by disrupting anyones freedoms. Donald Trump has mostly been interested in minimizing the seriousness of the scourge. In January he said he had it totally under control: Its one person coming in from China. In February he said, A lot of people think that (COVID) goes away in April, with the heat. In March he said he wanted the country open and just raring to go by Easter. In April he announced he was suspending U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, because it had mismanaged the pandemic. In May he boasted of taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive. At a campaign rally in June, he said he wanted testing slowed because youre going to find more cases, something an adviser later called tongue-in-cheek. Which would be fine if the president had shown any real concern or commitment. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at least took it seriously enough to have daily COVID-19 news briefings for a few months. Now those have been cut back, along with restrictions on gatherings, leading infections to rise especially among young adults in college towns. Reynolds has shown disproportionate concern for businesses taking a financial hit during this pandemic over Iowans succumbing to the virus. And she has employed gimmicks to that end. Previously, Iowa businesses werent required by law to report coronavirus outbreaks at their facilities. Then the governor said the state only needed to release the names of businesses in which 10% of the workforce had confirmed COVID cases. But even then, she wouldnt necessarily disclose it unless a reporter asked. If people want to file suit against a business, church, or other organization at which the was virus contracted, theyll have to prove it was malicious or showed reckless disregard for the risk of COVID-19. That means most businesses, including nursing homes, cant be sued for COVID deaths. The governor also announced this month that she would start reporting as recovered anyone who had been diagnosed 28 days earlier, unless public health officials were specifically notified the person was still sick. Thats a broad assumption. But the most disturbing relaxation has been the states decision not to require students to wear masks or do social distancing when they return to school in person. Now its up to individual school districts to implement safeguards. Maybe this is a good time to re-examine the meaning of personal freedom when it bumps up against the greater public good. Rekha Basu is a columnist for the Des Moines Register 'A dumpster fire', 'a shambles', 'chaotic' - just some of the terms used around Leinster House and in the media to describe the Government's first three weeks in office. With the sacking of Barry Cowen coming on top of squabbling over who got (and who didn't get) what in the ministerial carve-up, there have been headlines about rifts in Fianna Fail and powerful enemies waiting in the long grass for a chance to scupper Micheal Martin. In the words of the Harry Enfield 'Scousers' characters, everybody - political correspondents included - needs to "calm down, calm down". Has it been a good start for the Government, particularly Fianna Fail? No. But there is an even more resounding 'no' answer to the question as to whether it will have an impact on this coalition ultimately being successful. None of the events of the past three weeks will remotely matter when it comes to the next general election. In fact, none of it will be remembered by the vast majority of the electorate in a month or two. The Barry Cowen controversy was embarrassing and a distraction for the Government. But the notion that voters are this weekend poring over the events that led up to Cowen's sacking; wondering if a supposedly 'damaged' Taoiseach acted too slowly - or why he seemed to change his position between Tuesday afternoon and that night - is risible. The Opposition and the media may be doing that. The public are more detached. If anything, Martin's decisive - and pretty ruthless - action in dealing with the issue by dispatching an arguably unlucky Cowen to the backbenches might play well with voters, given the Taoiseach's previous reputation as a bit of a ditherer. The reality is that ministers resign or get sacked in every Dail term. Leinster House works itself into a near hysterical frenzy for a few days and voters shrug their shoulders and get on with real life. The sensational resignation of Ray Burke just four months into Bertie Ahern's first Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat coalition had no impact on that government's electoral prospects. Nor did another high-profile resignation, that of Progressive Democrat minister of state Bobby Molloy. Though it came just a few weeks before the 2002 election, the Progressive Democrats still doubled their seat tally and Fianna Fail came within a few hundred votes of an overall majority. Huffing and puffing aside, Fianna Fail TDs know the score. They have sympathy for Barry Cowen on a personal level. But they know it wasn't tenable that he could continue as minister without making a statement to the House on the garda report of the incident. When Cowen refused to do so, there was only one possible outcome. In normal circumstances perhaps the talk of rifts and Martin creating hostages to fortune because of his ministerial appointments (and sacking) might be relevant. But these aren't normal circumstances. Martin is going to be Taoiseach until the end of 2022 and then he's gone, not just as Taoiseach but presumably as leader of Fianna Fail as well. There's little or nothing any malcontents can do, other than nurse their grievances for the next 30 months. For them, Martin is untouchable. He doesn't need to worry about currying favour or keeping whingey TDs onside and that gives Martin a freedom that no Taoiseach in modern times has enjoyed. The lack of Fianna Fail party discipline on display over the past three weeks is a more real concern. Some degree of turmoil was inevitable, given the historic departure involved in going into government with Fine Gael (not to mention the lack of ministerial jobs on offer). Presumably things will settle down in time. But if the sniping was to continue, it would be a problem for Fianna Fail and whoever takes over from Martin. Either the party TDs hang together or they will hang separately come election time. The same holds for the three coalition parties. No government can afford a reputation of being accident-prone, stumbling from mini-crisis to mini-crisis. While it would have wished for a better start, this Government is a long way off that territory. Ultimately though, it won't be judged by a volatile electorate on what happens in the political bubble. For most voters, what happens in Leinster House, stays in Leinster House - and the only Cowengate they're interested in is the baby food. The new coalition will succeed or fail on real issues: its record on Covid, the economy, housing and health. On Covid and the economy, so much depends on luck. The same probably goes for health - a second wave of the coronavirus and all the reforms in the world won't matter. That leaves housing. Voters in their 20s and 30s, hardest hit economically by the lockdown remember, will rightly expect big and quick progress in this area. Crack that conundrum and the typical bumps and bruises of government will be but a media sideshow. If they build it, voters may yet come. Shane Coleman presents 'Newstalk Breakfast', weekdays from 7am Iran seizes back oil tanker hit by US sanctions; vessel anchored off Iranian coast Iran Press TV Saturday, 18 July 2020 10:08 AM Iran has successfully retaken an oil tanker wanted by the United States for allegedly skirting sanctions on the Islamic Republic, and now the vessel is located off the coast of the country near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The Dominica-flagged MT Gulf Sky was seized back on July 5 off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Satellite pictures showed it is now moored in Iranian waters, according to TankerTrackers.com. David Hammond, the CEO of the United Kingdom-based group Human Rights at Sea, told the Associated Press that he took a witness statement from the captain of the MT Gulf Sky, confirming the ship had been recovered. Hammond added that 26 of the Indian sailors on board had made it back to India, while two remained in Tehran, without elaborating. "We are delighted to hear that the crew are safe and well which has been our fundamental concern from the outset," he said. In May, the US Justice Department filed criminal charges against two Iranians, accusing them of attempts to purchase the tanker, then named the MT Nautica. The vessel then took on Iranian oil from Kharg Island to sell abroad. The report comes amid tensions between Iran and the United States, after President Donald Trump on May 8, 2018 officially announced Washington's unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Following its withdrawal, the US unleashed the so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran and targeted the Iranian nation with the "toughest ever" economic sanctions. Back on July 19 last year, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) naval forces seized the 30,000-tonne UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero, when the vessel ignored distress calls as it collided with a fishing boat on its route. IRGC said the ship had also used a wrong path to enter the Strait of Hormuz. A day after the seizure of the Stena Impero, Iran released footage showing Iranian speedboats cruising near the tanker as a military helicopter hovered over the vessel. An Iranian marine could be heard communicating with the command center in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. On September 27, 2019, the British-flagged oil tanker finally set sail and left Iranian waters for Dubai in the UAE. Tensions between Iran and the UK began in early July last year, when British naval forces seized an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar under the pretext that it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions against the Arab country. Iran strongly denied the claim. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Actual case load of COVID in the country only 3,58,692 India PIB Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Recovered cases increase to 6,53,750 Special Central Team being rushed to Bihar Posted On: 18 JUL 2020 2:18PM by PIB Delhi Timely, proactive, and graded strategy initiatives for effective COVID-19 management in the country, led by the Center and implemented by the State/UT governments, have ensured that actual case load of COVID patients remains manageable. The actual case load of COVID in the country is only 3,58,692 today. The number of recovered cases has further increased to 6,53,750. The difference between recovered and active cases is progressively growing. It stands at 2,95,058 today. Medical attention is being provided to all the 3,58,692 active cases, either in home isolation or in hospitals for severe cases. Coordinated measures taken by the Union and State/UT governments have ensured effective overall management of the COVID pandemic. The Union Government continues to support and supplement the efforts of the State governments by sending Central teams of experts to areas witnessing increase in caseload. A central team has been deployed to Bihar to assist the State in assessment of COVID management in the state and to provide all necessary support. The team consists of Shri Lav Agarwal, Jt Secy (Public Health), MoHFW; Dr S K Singh, Director, NCDC; and Dr Neeraj Nischal, Associate Professor (Medicine), AIIMS, New Delhi. The team will reach Bihar tomorrow. The focus of containment strategy remains on house-to-house survey, perimeter control activities, timely contact tracing, surveillance of containment and buffer zones, aided by effective clinical management of severe cases through a Standard Of Care approach. Continuously expanding hospital infrastructure has aided in increased recoveries. The last 24 hours saw 17,994 COVID-19 patients recovering. The recovery rate is now 63%. The latest testing strategy of ICMR allows all registered medical practitioners to recommend testing. RT-PCR tests and Rapid Antigen Point of Care POC) Tests, boosted by TruNat and CBNAAT have contributed to a surge in the number of samples tested; 3,61,024 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours; The cumulative number of 1,34,33,742 samples tested has raised the testing per million for India to 9734.6. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued Guidelines for Gated Residential Complexes Desirous of Setting Up Small COVID Care Facility by Resident Welfare Associations / Residential Societies / Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The details can be accessed at: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/CovidCareFacilityinGatedcomplexes.pdf The Ministry also issued an Advisory for Gated Residential Complexes with regards to COVID-19. For details: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/AdvisoryforRWAsonCOVID19.pdf For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA. Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva . In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf . **** MV/SG (Release ID: 1639598) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In an operation that included fighter jets, warships and 8,000 servicemen, Taiwan conducted a five-day drill in which they repelled a simulated coastal assault. The recent military drill was a part of Taiwans largest annual live-fire exercise and comes at a time when China is beginning to exert more military pressure on the tiny island. Read: Taiwan Readies For Hong Kong Residents' Influx As 'freedom Haven' After China's Crackdown Taiwan thwarts 'invasion' from China Beijing has long regarded Taiwan to be a part of China's sovereign territory and has not hidden its ambitions to take back the island. The live-fire exercise began on July 13 and was observed by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen who, in a tweet later, said that the exercise demonstrated Taiwans robust military capabilities and its strong determination to resist China. According to reports, Taiwan has existed under the threat of Chinese invasion ever since the island split from the mainland after a civil war in 1949. With the exponential growth of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army, Taiwan finds itself outgunned. Over the years, China has repeatedly tried to isolate Taiwan from the rest of the world by using its enormous influence to convince other nation-states that Taiwan is a part of China. Read: Taiwan Conducts Live-fire Drills To Beat Hostile Forces Amid Rising Threats From China The animosity between Taiwan and China has increased even since the election of Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, as per international media reports. Tsai Ing-wen and her party has taken a tough stance against China and has repeatedly refused to acknowledge Chinas claims that Taiwan is part of one China. However, the military gap between China and Taiwan has only grown with rising Chines influence in the region. Moreover, western nations are unwilling to sell advanced military equipment to Taiwan as they fear incurring the wrath of China. One of the few countries that freely trades with Taiwan in regards to military hardware is the United States. As per reports, the Trump administration recently agreed to sell Taiwan F-16s as well as other major military hardware. The US also offered to upgrade Taiwans Patriot missile systems, drawing flak from China who decided to impose sanctions on defence company Lockheed Martin in response. Read: Taiwan Holds Military Drills Against Potential China Threat Read: China Imposes Sanctions On US Lockheed Martin Over Arms Sales To Taiwan An oppressive summer heat wave with "feels like" temperatures over 100 degrees is about to envelope much of the eastern half of the nation. About two dozen daily maximum heat records are in jeopardy, especially across the Northeast. The worst of the heat will be felt across the Ohio Valley and Northeast on Sunday and into Monday, where daytime heat records may fall in Cleveland, Buffalo, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, just to name a few. Records that could be broken by this weekend's heat wave. / Credit: CBS News Around 75 million people are covered by heat advisories or excessive heat watches and warnings including Philadelphia on Sunday and Monday, where the National Weather Service warned that "Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities." An Excessive Heat Watch has been issued for much of the area for Sunday afternoon through Tuesday. The combination of heat and humidity may result in heat indices of 100 to 110 degrees. Stay weather aware. #pawx #njwx #dewx #mdwx pic.twitter.com/BgBrYARpJz NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) July 16, 2020 For about a week, scorching heat has been trapped across Texas and the Deep Southwest, where many temperatures at the start of the heat wave last week topped 110 degrees. But the pattern is now changing, as the lid is being pulled off the heat bubble and sweltering air is surging north and east. Over the next week about 280 million people 87 % of the continental U.S. population will experience high temperatures at or above 90 degrees. Because of increasing humidity, heat index numbers will top 100 for most and for some, it will last for several days. All areas in blue & red will see highs at or above 90 degrees over the next week. That's 87% of the continental US. It does not mean "every" day... just that during that time period the max will breach 90 at some point. But some areas will see several days+ of a #heatwave pic.twitter.com/Eo5rXsYqiq Story continues Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) July 17, 2020 The worst of the heat on Saturday will be found from the Plain States, Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. The Plains will roast with highs soaring to near 105 in cities like Wichita, Kansas. With humidity factored in, Minneapolis, Omaha, Des Moines, Kansas City, St Louis and even Chicago will feel like 100 to 110 degrees. When agriculture, like corn, adds humidity to the air a concept called "corn sweat" it can drastically alter localized "feels like" temperatures. Areas of the Corn Belt and along the Missouri River where extra evaporation of moisture takes place, saturating the air may even experience heat index numbers near 115. On Sunday, the core of the heat will move to the east, into the Ohio Valley, Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. Once again, highs will top out well into the 90s in many areas, with "feels like" temperatures reaching 105 to 110 degrees. Cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia and even just outside Boston are forecast to near or exceed 95 degrees for actual highs. The hottest air may be found at Washington's Dulles Airport, where the mercury is expected to top out near 100 degrees on Sunday. The current record is 98 degrees, set back in 1977. Reagan National Airport just fell one day short of an all-time record streak of 21 days in a row with highs 90 degrees or higher. But on Friday, Washington D.C. re-started the 90-degree streak which is forecast to last, at the very least, another week or more. That's because a cold front that will help to cool down cities like Chicago and Buffalo will never reach most of the middle Atlantic. On Monday, record highs near 100 are forecast for Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. The humidity will make it feel even hotter, with heat index numbers topping out at 110. For those looking for a break from the summer heat, the National Weather Service is not offering much hope. The 8 to 14-day forecast calls for the likelihood of above-normal temperatures for more than two-thirds of the nation. Remembering the life of civil rights icon John Lewis Tributes pour in memory of Congressman John Lewis Sweltering summer heat wave hits the Eastern U.S. Lawyer Abraham Amaliba has accused Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu and the ruling government of masterminding an arrest warrant for Samuel Adam Mahama and three others mentioned in the Airbus bribery scandal. The red notice alert was issued by Interpol a few days. The NDC thinks it is much ado about nothing. Lawyer Amaliba speaking in an interview on Kumasi-based Hello FM said "things are moving in the wrong direction for the ruling government and the only way for them is to destroy the image" of former President John Mahama "What is the basis for a red notice alert when the person can be easily reached...we are approaching elections and the NPP knows things are not going well for them. They know the image of the former president keeps soaring and everybody knows the alternative is Mahama and so govt is behind this to create the impression that he is not the best choice". "if not why is Martin Amidu not taking note of all the other corruption allegations. It's a grand scheme to make it look like former President Mahama is not fit for President; otherwise, you won't issue a red alert which is fake and improper" he said. Listen to him in the video below 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 Your browser does not support the audio element. After the normalization of bilateral relations between Vietnam and the U.S. in 1995, post-war issues remain a sensitive topic. >> Part 1: Cooperation to tackle COVID-19 pandemic >> Part 2: A debonair 'lock breaker' >> Part 3: The ambassadors of education In response to the ardent support by Vietnam for the repatriation of American prisoners of war/missing in action (POW/MIA), the United States has shown good faith and dedication in resolving the legacy of the war, including issues relating to unexploded bombs and Agent Orange the heavy-duty poison that the U.S military sprayed in Vietnam which caused long-lasting health issues to those exposed, as well as their descendants. According to former Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Nguyen Quoc Cuong, resolving the war legacy has become one of the biggest aspects of the Vietnam-U.S. relations over the last decades and also an issue that highlights the ability of the former enemies to reintroduce themselves to a state of friendship and partnership. 'The best ever ambassador' It is remarkable how a tiny program we started 25 years ago to help a few people walk again, turned out to be the catalyst for tackling one of the most difficult legacies of the war and, in the process, built a whole new relationship between two former enemies, said U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, who contributed to the tackling of war legacies in Vietnam from the American side. Leahy first came to Vietnam in 1996 to meet with stakeholders and discuss a compromised resolution for unexploded ordnance in Vietnam. He continued to visit Vietnam several times after being elected president pro tempore of the United States Senate in order to promote efforts aimed at dealing with the war legacy. Leahys effort to support persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Vietnam started during the presidential term of George H.W. Bush. In 1989, the Leahy War Victims Fund became the first American aid program to support Vietnamese people post-war, helping thousands of war victims, including the amputated, gain mobility and independency through humanitarian packages of prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, and job training. During his tenure as Vietnams ambassador to the U.S. from 2011 to 2014, Cuong encountered Leahy and heard an emotional story on his humanitarian aid journey in Vietnam during a ceremony held to celebrate sending wheelchairs to victims of unexploded ordnance. One of the victims at the event asked to be lifted into the wheelchair and the U.S. senator agreed. The man then pulled Leahy close and thanked him. Patrick Leahy said what the Vietnamese man did was a moment he could never forget, Cuong said. This story was brought up again when Cuong visited Leady to bid farewell at the end of his term as ambassador. There, Cuong was called a distinguished ambassador of Vietnam by the U.S. senator. At that moment, I thanked him for the advice and encouragement, yet I referred to the amputated man who wrapped his hands and said thank you to him as the best ever ambassador of Vietnam to the U.S. He turned emotional, shook my hand, and confirmed that I was right, Cuong recounted. The Vietnamese woman who navigated American support Senator Leahy established a good rapport with Nguyen Thu Thao, former Vietnam country representative of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), thanks to their shared concern about dealing with war legacies in Vietnam. Such an issue was put forward in Leahys speech at the U.S. Senate on September 16, 2010, where VVAF was exalted as an indispensable leading figure in the American effort. Nguyen Thu Thao (second right) poses with U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (right) and his wife Marcelle Leahy (second left) on a flight to Vietnam in 2014 in a supplied photo. The work to mend these wounds of war came into Thaos life in a truly advertent way: right on her wedding day of November 17, 2000, she saw the televised speech of then-U.S. President Bill Clinton at Vietnam National University, Hanoi. He was the first U.S. president to visit Vietnam during the post-war era. We are eager to increase our cooperation with you across the board. We want to continue our work to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance, Clinton said as Thao listened. Circa the time of Clintons visit, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prizewinning organization VVAF launched a series of surveys on unexploded ordnance in cooperation with Vietnams Ministry of National Defense. Curious about the VVAF mission, she decided to apply to the foundation despite working well as an ethnic minority program officer of the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) at the time. Although having limited knowledge on ordnance remains in my homeland, [I hoped] joining this project would help me see the legacies of the war in Vietnam from a different perspective from the other side and the trauma it left on American society, Thao said as she recalled her motivation to apply to VVAF. In 2004, Thao went on to pursue her studies in America as a Fulbright scholar, keeping only one goal in her mind: any school is great as long as it is in Washington D.C., where the VVAF is headquartered. Thao worked at the VVAF headquarters during the day and attended school at night. She was also tasked with accompanying Bobby Muller, the VVAF president, in meetings with political figures and local scholars, as well as hearings on Vietnam-related issues at the U.S Senate and House of Representatives. After a year and a half in America, Thao concluded her work and returned to Vietnam. In 2006, she was contacted by Bobby Muller and commissioned to establish an Agent Orange impact-correcting program in Vietnam. Thanks to the support of Leahy and his assistant Tim Rieser a person with more or less affinity for Vietnam, the United States in May 2007 pledged US$3 million to correct the environmental and health damage in Agent Orange-struck territory across Vietnam. The United States has so far invested over $100 million in the detoxification of Da Nang airport in the namesake central city and committed another $300 million to clean up Bien Hoa airport in the southern province Dong Nai. On top of that, the U.S. has provided $125 million to support programs for PWDs in Vietnam since 1989, having impacted over one million individuals. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Eighty-five babies have tested positive to coronavirus during an outbreak in Texas. Nueces County public health director Annette Rodriguez told the media on Friday the babies have not even had their first birthdays yet. Please help us to stop the spread of this disease, Ms Rodriguez said. Stay social distanced from others; stay protected. Wear a mask when in public and for everyone else, please do your best to stay home. Its not clear what conditions the babies are currently in. Republican Governor Greg Abbott is also stressing the widespread use of face coverings could avoid another lockdown, which he hasnt ruled out. People received COVID-19 testing at temporary testing site in Houston, Texas. Source: Getty Images Texas health officials reported more than 10,000 new cases for a fifth consecutive day on Saturday and said 130 more people have died due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, bringing the number of reported cases to 317,730 and the number of deaths to 3,865. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly-contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal. Members of the medical staff rest on a stretcher in Houston's United Memorial Medical Center. Source: Getty Images The US surpassed 140,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday (local time). Since late June, the US has seen a resurgence in new cases and now, six weeks later, deaths have also begun rising, according to a weekly Reuters analysis of state and county data. America is losing about 5,000 people to the virus every week. By contrast, neighbouring Canada has reported total deaths of 8,800 since the pandemic started. In just one week, the US records about as many deaths as the 5,600 lives Sweden has lost since the pandemic began earlier this year. In the hardest-hit US counties, officials are running out of places to store bodies as their morgues fill up. Story continues Arizona's Maricopa County, home to the state's largest city of Phoenix, is bringing in 14 coolers to hold up to 280 bodies and more than double morgue capacity ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus fatalities, officials said on Thursday (local time). In Texas, the city of San Antonio and Bexar County have acquired five refrigerated trailers to store up to 180 bodies. The appearance of such mobile morgues has fed the sense in some Southern states that the pandemic appears to be spinning out of control. with Reuters and The Associated Press Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. The Indian Air Force could deploy its new Rafale fighter jets in the Ladakh sector as part of Indias overarching plan to strengthen its military posture in the region, where Indian and Chinese forces are locked in a tense border confrontation and disengagement has turned out to be a challenging process, people familiar with the developments said on Sunday, ahead of a key IAF commanders meet this week. Acting on a special request by the IAF, France is speeding up the deliveries of Rafale fighters to India and six jets are likely to land at their home base in Ambala on July 27 --- instead of four that were originally planned to be delivered in the first batch. Also read: Galwan braves get a pat on the back from Rajnath Singh in Ladakhs Lukung Air and ground crews have undergone full training on the aircraft including advanced weapons systems over the last one year in France, said one of the officials cited above, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The IAF is looking at means to operationalise the Rafale in the quickest possible time and the new fighters could be deployed wherever there is a requirement including Ladakh, he said. The possible role of Rafale fighters could be discussed at the IAF commanders conference in New Delhi from July 22 to 24 where the air force brass is expected to focus on the ongoing border row with China, the IAFs preparedness and new purchases that have to be made to stay prepared for any eventuality, said a second official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Also read: Has Modi government accepted Chinese occupation in Ladakh, asks Congress India-specific enhancements on the jets include cold engine start capability to operate from high-altitude bases. India ordered 36 Rafale jets from France in a deal worth Rs 59,000 crore in September 2016 as an emergency purchase to arrest the worrying slide in the air forces combat capabilities. The arrival of the Rafale will add punch to the IAFs capability, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies. For sure, there will be a period of integration with other systems, and it (Rafale) would be put to use as the operational planners deem fit, Bahadur said. According to the original delivery schedule, the first 18 jets (including the four in the first batch) were to be delivered to the IAF by February 2021, with the rest expected in April-May 2022. Future deliveries will also being accelerated. France handed over to India its first Rafale fighter during a ceremony attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart, Florence Parly, in Merignac on October 8 last year. In the Ladakh sector, the IAF is projecting its capability to carry out day-and-night, all-weather combat missions, with front-line fighter jets, attack helicopters and multi-mission choppers getting airborne regularly for demanding night-time missions from a forward base in the area. Also read: Navys forward posture against PLA aggression in Ladakh muscles out Chinese threat on high seas The air forces MiG-29 fighter jets, Sukhoi-30s, Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and CH-47F (I) Chinook multi-mission helicopters are among the platforms that are undertaking night missions in the mountainous terrain. The Indian Rafales will be equipped with Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles whose no-escape zone is touted to be three times greater than that of current medium range air-to-air missiles. A 16-year-old boy has died following a horror car crash on Sydney's Northern Beaches on Saturday night. Police and emergency services were called to Caladenia Close at Elanora Heights about 11.20pm after reports a car came off the road and hit a fence. The 16-year-old was suffering critical head injuries and received treatment from NSW Ambulance crews before he died at the scene. He was travelling in an overloaded Holden Commodore with one female and four male teenagers at the time of the accident. A 16-year-old passenger has died after an overloaded Holden Commodore crashed on Sydney's Northern Beaches on Saturday night. Pictured: people grieving at the scene The four surviving passengers and 17-year-old driver on his red p-plates were taken to Royal North Hospital for precautionary checks. The driver also underwent a blood and urine test for drugs and alcohol. The Crash Investigation Unit have spent the morning analysing the crash site, with Caladenia Close expected to be closed for a few hours. Police have urged anyone with information on the crash to come forward. Mass rallies challenging the Kremlin rocked Russias Far East city of Khabarovsk again on Saturday, as tens of thousands took to the streets to protest the arrest of the regions governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders. The massive unauthoritized crowds gathered despite local officials attempts to discourage people from taking to the streets, citing the coronavirus epidemic and an alleged averted terrorist threat. Local media estimated the rally in the city 3,800 miles east of Moscow drew 15,000 to 50,000 people, while city authorities put the number at 10,000. Hundreds of people have rallied in the city every day this week against the arrest of Sergei Furgal, reflecting widespread anger over the arrest of the popular governor and a simmering discontent with the Kremlins policies. Furgal, the Khabarovsk region governor, was arrested on July 9 and flown to Moscow where he was put in jail for two months. Russias Investigative Committee says he is suspected of involvement in several murders of businessmen in 2004 and 2005. Furgal has denied the charges, which relate to his time as a businessman importing consumer goods ranging from timber and metals. Khabarovsk residents dismissed the charges against him as unsubstantiated and denounced the Kremlin for targeting a governor they elected. Its not only about this (whether Furgal arrest is legal or not). People are fed up with the way we are treated, that they can simply take away our choice, protester Mikhail Yerashchenko told The Associated Press on Saturday. A member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, Furgal was elected governor in 2018, defeating the Kremlin-backed incumbent. His victory was unexpected: Furgal didnt actively campaign and toed the Kremlins line, publicly supporting his rival. People voted for him nonetheless, delivering a humiliating blow to the main Kremlin party, United Russia, that has been losing seats in regional governments over the past two years. During his two years in office, Furgal has earned a reputation of being the peoples governor. He cut his own salary, ordered the sale of an expensive yacht that the previous administration bought, met with protesters when rallies happened and significantly reduced flight fares for residents in remote areas. Furgal became a political symbol for the residents of the region, and all accusations no matter how grave are from another, non-political dimension, political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said in a Facebook post. Last Saturday, crowds of reportedly up to 35,000 people rallied in Khabarovsk. Protesters demanded that Furgals trial be moved to Khabarovsk, with one saying we have elected him and its up to us to judge him. Some questioned the timing of the arrest, pointing to Furgals decade-long stint as a lawmaker in the Russian parliament before running for governor, during which the murder charges never came up. The unauthorised protests are the largest ever in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation not standard this week. Moscow has not yet appointed an acting governor 11 days after Furgals arrest. Police didnt interfere with Saturdays rally. Protesters held banners demanding Furgals freedom and chanted I, you, he and she the entire country is for Furgal. Smaller rallies in support of Furgal also took place Saturday in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, another big city in the Khabarovsk region, and in the city of Vladivostok in the neighbouring Primorye region. Though Im almost 70, I worry sincerely about my region, about Russia and our nation, about Furgal and freedom. I want us to be free, Alla Sokolova, a protester in Khabarovsk, told the AP. (AP) MRJ SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Hindu nationalist government recently amended Indias laws in a way that critics say blatantly discriminates against Muslims, giving a fast track to citizenship for migrants who are Hindu or members of five religious minorities but not Muslim migrants. The law is one reason Muslims feel increasingly demonized and marginalized in India, though they are the second-largest religious group, making up one-seventh of the population. The status of Afghan religious minorities is more uncertain than ever, as the United States withdraws troops after more than 18 years and the Taliban, who ruled oppressively in the 1990s, prepare for talks with the government over power-sharing. The battlefield has grown more chaotic, joined by more extreme groups such as a branch of the Islamic State which specifically target vulnerable minorities. The Hindu and Sikh communities in Afghanistan once numbered in the tens, if not the hundreds, of thousands, with well-established businesses and high-ranking positions in the government. But nearly all have fled to India, Europe, or North America over decades of war and persecution. In the eastern province of Nangarhar, only 45 families remain from thousands before. In Paktia, another eastern province, only a single family remains Jagmohan Singh, an herbal doctor, and his wife and two of their children. Their other two children have already decamped for Kabul. A few decades back, there were around 3,000 families of Hindus and Sikhs in different areas and districts of Paktia, Dr. Singh said. Except my family, all of them fled. As their numbers have shrunk, Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan often live in the same large compounds and sometimes also share a place of worship. Outfielder Jon Jay will be part of the Diamondbacks 30-man roster on Opening Day, the team announced. A future transaction will need to take place to officially select Jays minor league deal to the active roster, but the 35-year-old will be on pace to play in his 11th Major League season. As per the terms of the contract Jay signed with Arizona in February, making the MLB roster will guarantee him the prorated portion of a $1.5MM salary. Prior to the league shutdown, Jay was already making a strong case for himself by posting a .947 OPS over 28 Spring Training plate appearances, though Jays ability to play all three outfield positions is probably more of a factor than a bat that has been increasingly shaky in regular-season action. Jay hit .267/.311/.315 over 182 PA with the White Sox last season, though he was slowed by hip problems that eventually required surgery last August. Overall, Jay generated a negative (-0.9) fWAR, thanks in large part to his struggles against right-handed pitching over his career, the left-handed hitting Jay has been a decent (.286/.348/.389) if unspectacular performer against righties. Jay and Tim Locastro will be Arizonas primary backup outfielders behind the starting trio of David Peralta, Starling Marte, and Kole Calhoun. Second-year player Josh Rojas still has a shot at making the team as a utility player, while Ketel Marte may get the occasional start in center field when he isnt in his primary second base spot. Trayce Thompson is also still an option for the outfield, though he was sent to the Diamondbacks minor league camp today. A fast-rising tide of new coronavirus cases is flooding emergency rooms in parts of the United States, with some patients moved into hallways and nurses working extra shifts to keep up with the surge. Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full, officials say, and the near-constant care they require is overtaxing workers who also are treating more typical ER cases like chest pains, infections and fractures. In Texas, Dr. Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine said the current situation is worse than after Hurricane Harvey, which swamped Houston with floodwaters in 2017. The state reported a new daily record for virus deaths Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for the fourth consecutive day. "I've never seen anything like this COVID surge," said Haddock, who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007. "We're doing our best, but we're not an ICU." Patients are waiting "hours and hours" to get admitted, she said, and the least sick people are lying in beds in halls to make room for most seriously ill. Around Seattle, which was the nation's first hot spot for the virus that causes COVID-19, a new wave of patients is showing up at emergency departments, nurse Mike Hastings said. "What's really frustrating from my side of it is when a patient comes into the emergency department, and is not really having symptoms of COVID, but they feel like they need that testing," said Hastings, who works at an area hospital and is president of the Emergency Nurses Association. "Sometimes we're not able to test them because we don't have enough test supplies, so we're only testing a certain set of patients." In Florida, another state that is seeing surging case numbers, hospitals say they are in desperate need of remdesivir a medication that has been shown to shorten average hospitalization times to treat the coronavirus patients who are filling up beds. In response, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced 30,000 vials of the drug were being shipped to the state enough to treat about 5,000 patients. On Saturday, Florida reported more than 10,200 new cases of the virus and 90 additional deaths, while Missouri recorded a pandemic-high 958 new cases in one day. Arizona, which conducts periodic reviews of death certificates, reclassified 106 deaths as having been from COVID-19, bringing the number of fatalities reported Saturday to 147. Confirmed coronavirus cases around the world have surpassed 14 million, and deaths neared 600,000, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. On Saturday, the World Health Organization, which also tracks the virus, reported a single-day record of new infections over 259,000 worldwide for the second day in a row. The true toll of the pandemic is thought to be even higher, in part because of shortages in testing and shortcomings in data collection. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The United States, Brazil and India top the list of cases. South Africa with more than 350,000 cases, roughly half of all confirmed infections in Africa was poised to join the top five countries most affected by the pandemic. In the United States, where infections are soaring in many Sunbelt states, Megan Jehn, associate professor of epidemiology at Arizona State Universtiy in Tempe, said it's important to monitor emergency room visits since increases there can signal the virus is spreading more rapidly. But it's difficult to get a complete picture of how emergency rooms are faring in many places. In Arizona, one of the few states that reports data on visits to the emergency room by people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms, numbers started to spike in early June and peaked earlier this month. More than 2,000 people went to an ER with symptoms on a single day, July 7. On Friday, COVID-19-related hospitalization figures for Arizona were near but below recent records set after the state became a national hot spot. Burnout could await these health workers, as it did some in New York City, when it was the epicenter of the nation's outbreak in the spring. ER doctors and nurses were caught off guard by the relentless stream of severely sick patients during shifts that often lasted 12 hours, said Dr. Bernard P. Chang of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. "It was a brutal, sustained battle." Many government employees are working from home these days, and since telephones work perfectly fine in peoples homes and one cannot catch the virus by answering calls - the fact that no one in government is answering telephone calls any longer leads me to believe some are using the epidemic as an excuse not to work. I realize there are many complications and difficulties and it is awkward and complex for government workers to suddenly be expected to perform their jobs from their kitchen table -- granted -- but government offices answering the telephone should not be a thing of the past -- not even now. That New York City keeps the telephone numbers of its agencies a secret from the public (whose taxes fund those agencies) is also ridiculous. Citizens left listening to 10 minutes of recorded messages at 311 only to be eventually told by an operator that there is no way to reach the agency you seek is absurd, and it strains credulity when elected officials claim they have no way to reach any agency except through some website. That simply cannot be true. If Borough Hall or the mayors office wants to speak to the Department of Finance, are we really expected to believe they go hunting around the internet for a website? Cmon. (David Carnivale is a Richmond resident.) Foreigners wait at the Immigration Bureau's temporary office at the Central Investigation Bureau Building in Muang Thong Thani last week, seeking visa extensions after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their travel plans. (Photo: Thai Immigration Bureau) Foreign tourists who are unable to leave Thailand would be given a grace period from August 1 to September 26 to apply to stay for a specified period, said Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang, the bureau commissioner. However, if they do not obtain extensions and are still in the country after September 26, they would face legal action and be blacklisted, Bangkok Post reported. He urged foreigners to contact the bureau as soon as possible to prepare for their next steps in order to avoid crowding as the September 26 deadline approaches. Foreign visitors must specify their reasons and submit necessary documents when seeking to renew short-term visas, which will be granted for 30 days, he said. If they are unable to return because there are no flights or due to lockdown measures in their countries, they must submit proof. The granting of a short-stay visa will be made on a case-by-case basis. He said the bureau had asked the Council of State about the proposed short stay and it had advised that the Interior Ministry could issue an announcement. He said the Interior Ministry's visa relief measures for foreign visitors would be submitted to the cabinet for approval next week. The bureau would later issue guidelines on how to apply for a visa extension. He estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 foreigners were stranded in the kingdom due to the lockdown./. The Ili family poses outside their Long Beach condo. From left are Taylor, 22; Aoga, 46; Lina, 46; and Pele, 26. Taylor, Aoga and Lina were all hospitalized with the coronavirus in a matter of days. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) It was still early in California's coronavirus outbreak when Lina Ili started feeling the symptoms that would soon turn her familys life upside down. Coughing and running a fever, she holed up inside the bedroom of her Long Beach home for weeks. But breathing grew increasingly difficult, Ili, 46, said. "You couldnt even lie down because it felt like a heaviness on your chest. On April 5, her husband, Aoga Ili Jr., decided it was time to take her to a hospital, where she tested positive for COVID-19. The next day, her 22-year-old son, Taylor, was hospitalized. A few days later, her husband was too. In a matter of days, three of the five members of their household were put in the intensive care unit. Lina had it worst and spent four days on a ventilator. I wouldnt wish it upon my worst enemy, she said. Just as simple a thing as to breathe, I dont take it for granted anymore. The Ilis, whose parents came from Samoa more than 40 years ago, are among nearly 1,400 Californians with ancestry in Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and other Pacific islands who have been infected with the coronavirus, which is sickening and killing members of the small but close-knit community in disproportionate numbers. In L.A. County, Pacific Islanders suffer the highest infection rate of any racial or ethnic group, more than 2,500 per 100,000 residents. That's six times higher than for white people, five times higher than for Black people and three times higher than for Latinos, according to county health demographic data that exclude Long Beach and Pasadena, which have their own health departments. Health experts say the reasons are similar to why Black people and Latinos are falling ill and dying at higher rates: reduced access to healthcare; higher levels of poverty; crowded housing; multigenerational households that make it more difficult to physically distance or quarantine; and higher rates of underlying health conditions that increase risk for severe illness from COVID-19, such as heart and lung disease, asthma and diabetes. Many Pacific Islanders also work in front-line jobs, such as food service, hospitality and healthcare, at which they are more likely to contract the virus and bring it home. Story continues But community leaders say there are other factors that are unique to the culture of Pacific Islanders, and they say that public health officials have failed to adequately address them. Among these factors are cultural traditions that center on large family gatherings, in-person church services, funerals and birthday celebrations that, in some cases, have continued despite orders to maintain social distance. Leaders in the Pacific Islander community say also that a cultural stigma associated with a positive diagnosis may be facilitating the spread of the virus. The shame factor of it is real, said Dr. Raynald Samoa, an endocrinologist at City of Hope in Duarte who battled COVID-19 himself. People are not getting their families tested. Theyre not speaking out, theyre not getting identified because theyre afraid that theyre going to have to stay home from work or that its going to negatively impact their family. Samoa has helped raise awareness by speaking about his experience in Facebook videos and other appearances and urging Pacific Islanders to take the virus seriously and heed health guidelines. Samoa faulted health officials for taking no proactive measures to reduce rates of transmission and infection in Pacific Islander communities. I wish there were things in place, but there was nothing, Samoa said. That left it to Pacific Islander groups to assemble their own COVID-19 response team, devise their own strategy and messaging based on past work with chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and push the county to use it. California is home to nearly 317,000 Pacific Islanders, and more than 55,000 of them reside in Los Angeles County, according to census data that include people who identify as multiracial, which is common in the community. Statewide, Pacific Islanders have experienced infections and deaths at higher rates than most other groups, but the disparities arent as pronounced as they are in L.A. County. Their statewide infection rate is three times higher than that of white Californians, and 20% higher than Latinos' infection rate, while their death rate is nearly 60% higher than that of white people but lower than that of Black residents. Although numbers remain small overall California has reported 35 deaths and 1,389 confirmed cases among Pacific Islanders as of July 15 they reveal an outsize toll on a community that already experiences higher rates of underlying health conditions. Sixteen Pacific Islander residents in L.A. County have died, for a rate of 83 per 100,000 people twice as high as white and Latino county residents. Health officials say they are not surprised by the high rates of illness. Sadly, these disparities are consistent with other health disparities we see and reflect deeply rooted and pervasive inequities in our society that are in part fueled by racism, xenophobia, and a lack of opportunities and resources to support optimal health, Natalie Jimenez, a spokeswoman for the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said in an email. The county health department has examined statistics on Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders "from the beginning of the COVID epidemic" but did not initially report them to protect confidentiality "due to the low numbers of reported cases and deaths," Jimenez said. Local health officials began releasing data on infections and deaths among Pacific Islanders at the urging of community groups that saw a lack of targeted response. Pacific Islander leaders began pushing officials, county by county, to release data on their community rather than lump them together with Asians. In L.A. County, health officials began publishing those numbers in late April, two days after Pacific Islander groups requested them in a Zoom meeting. Jimenez said that the reason we began publishing the disaggregated data was that, based on the communitys input and the unprecedented threat posed by the COVID epidemic, we felt that the benefits outweighed the risks of posting the statistics. Those statistics have been crucial for getting people in the community to take the threat seriously, said 'Alisi Tulua, a program manager with the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, which pushed for their release. Weve been using the data as our biggest, most convincing talking point. With the partial reopening and recent surge in cases, however, community groups and faith leaders fear they'll only see the trend compounded as waves of the virus spread through their families and churches. "Our community is back to work and more exposed. So its going to be twice as hard to quarantine and try to get tested," Tulua said. "While its flattening for other people, its still climbing in our community. If we bring it home, maybe were OK, but our parents will suffer. And if were not careful, were going to kill off a whole generation of our people." Pastor Kitione Tuitupou, left, livestreams services from inside First United Methodist Church of Bellflower, whose congregation of about 100 is majority Tongan. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) Jimenez said the L.A. County health department has been working with Pacific Islander groups for a few months to create "culturally relevant and sensitive materials" that resonate with the community. That includes tailored outreach with educational graphics that will be shared on social media in the Tongan, Samoan, Chamorro and Marshallese languages, public service announcement videos featuring Tongan, Samoan and Chamorro community leaders and photos of Pacific Islander families wearing masks. Those materials are being distributed to community leaders, she said. Because health officials had not yet released data on Pacific Islanders, the Ilis didnt know their community was seeing higher rates of coronavirus infection when they started getting sick. The oldest son, Pele Ili, 26, quickly became the only healthy adult in his household, and suddenly found himself the caretaker for his whole family, tending to his sick parents and brother while trying to protect his 12-year-old brother, Solo, from falling ill too. On Easter Sunday, Pele, a service manager at a payroll company who also blogs, posted about his familys experience on Instagram in an effort to get others to take the stay-at-home orders seriously. I was naive to think this couldnt touch my family. I was ignorant to think that me feeling healthy meant that I was okay to attend a few small gatherings but little did I know my house was compromised, Pele wrote on April 12. ... This could happen anywhere, anytime, and to anyone whenever youre not home. No one is above this. Being outspoken was important to combat the stigma, Pele later said. "Pacific Islanders have this sense of pride, where they can take care of themselves and they want to keep everything in house, you know, just to not draw as much attention on our family." He documented his family's ordeal, shooting extensive video and posting it on YouTube, and now looks back on it as one of the most overwhelming and emotional times of his life. "There were times where I didn't know if they were ever gonna come back out," he said. "They could barely talk. And I think the hardest part was just not knowing what was going to happen." Dr. Samoa and other leaders worry that, in addition to being exposed to the virus at the workplace, people are being exposed to COVID-19 at churches that are the heart of many Pacific Islander communities. Although some have taken health precautions, others have seemingly ignored them, including one church that held an in-person fundraiser last month that was also streamed online, Samoa said. I didnt see a mask in that place, and the social distancing was minimal. Churches are where people congregate; its the village center, Samoa said. So if the village leadership is not promoting safe behaviors, then the community suffers. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, First United Methodist Church of Bellflower Pastor Kitione Tuitupou now livestreams Sunday services. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) The Rev. Kitione Tuitupou, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Bellflower, a multiethnic congregation of about 100 people that is majority Tongan, has been playing it safe, livestreaming Sunday services since stay-at-home orders were issued in March. Although people are eager to return, they are also fearful, he said. "Peoples faith really holds them up at this time. So even though they really want to come back to church, we remind them to be patient." For the Ilis, the sudden suspension of in-person gatherings has been difficult and isolating. They had to halt their weekly attendance at St. Cornelius Church and the meals they shared with extended family afterward in favor of a livestreamed Mass. Yet theyve adopted new traditions to stay connected, like a 5:30 p.m. Zoom prayer hour with out-of-state family members. "Were learning to be creative," Pele said. Lina Ili, now recovered, to this day doesn't know where she contracted the virus but is still dealing with the stigma. People are still kind of afraid to be in the same area as us, she said. But, at this point, she said she only regretted trying to fight off the illness at home for too long. She, like her oldest son, now speaks at webinars urging other Pacific Islanders who may be feeling symptoms to get tested and seek medical help. The hardest part for our culture is admitting you need help, Lina said. You could be helping someone else, or saving a life. Once they made for a quintessential A-lister couple of Hollywood who would give goals to fans and peers alike. It was four years ago, when their marriage hit the roof and took an ugly turn. It made for a mud-slinging fest which left many jaws on the floor. the blast It hit another low when Amber accused Depp of physical and mental abuse, which he vehemently denied. Four years after their divorce, this duo locked horns at a public legal battle. New details have emerged in Johnny Depp-Amber Heards much publicized libel case. According to details revealed in the court during the actors defamation lawsuit against The Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, in its detailed feature, has chronicled details from the 132-page ruling from Justice Andew Nicol. According to the same, Depp had texted his sister Christi Dembrowski, a movie producer with some influence at Warner Bros, to get Amber Heard axed from Aquaman. I want her replaced on the WB film, the message read, which Depp admitted he sent while in court. In the 2 November ruling, Justice Nicol sided with Heard over claims that Depp had assaulted her on multiple occasions, and made her fear for her life, calling the article in question 'substantially true'. twitter The ruling might not have come out in his favour but Depp hasnt given up yet. He is heading to the U.K. Court Of Appeal in a bid to overturn a High Court verdict last month which was in favour of The Sun that described him as a wife-beater. As per an application with the Court Of Appeal, spotted by Press Association, Johnny Depp will continue a legal wrangle. While its too soon to pick a side, most people stand neutral in this regard and are following every update that has been coming out. Heres a timeline of their relationship: 2009 Depp and Heard first caught each others fancy on the sets of The Rum Diary, in which they played each others love interests. Soon after, this duo had a whirlwind love affair. 2012 Almost three years after their first movie collaboration, Johnny and Amber started dating officially soon after Depps split with Vanessa Paradis, who was his partner of 14 years and the mother of his children. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he had said spoken about his split with Paradis, The last couple years have been a bit bumpy At times, certainly unpleasant, but thats the nature of breakups, I guess, especially when there are kiddies involved. screen Greek Vanessa and Johnny together had Lily-Rose Depp, 21, and John Christopher Depp III, 18. After being tight-lipped about Amber, he made his relationship public with their first official appearance at the Heaven Gala in 2014. 2014 It didnt take them long to announce their engagement, once they made their relationship public. A source cited by People Magazine revealed, Of course, they couldnt be happier to be engaged and excited to share the rest of their lives together. Amber has really taken well to the kids and really enjoys spending time with them. And shes even taken Lily shopping on her own for some bonding time. 2015 Johnny Depp and Amber Heard entered holy matrimony on the private island of the actor in the Bahamas on February 5, 2015. It was an intimate and private ceremony attended by only close friends and relatives. pinterest The newly wedded bliss didnt last long as trouble started brewing soon after they got hitched. According to a report by Variety, Depp suffered a hand injury while filming Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in Australia. Depp reportedly received the injury during an argument with Heard. According to reports, Depp got into an argument with his then wife Amber and ended up smashing bottles, windows and other glass items around their house. This resulted in slicing off a portion of one of his fingers. Instead of immediately seeking medical attention for his finger, Depp allegedly stuck the stump in a can of paint and used it to write Billy Bob and Easy Amber on a mirror, referring to Depps accusations that Heard cheated on him with her London Fields co-star Billy Bob Thornton. 2016 15 months after they tied the knot, the couple headed for divorce. According to Vanity Fair, Heard cited irreconcilable differences while filing for divorce. Following this, Amber Heard also filed a temporary restraining order against Depp, forbidding the actor to go within 100 yards of her. showbiz cheat sheet The divorce was settled almost immediately after reaching a $7 million settlement, which Heard went on to donate to the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union. 2017 - 2018 Johnny and Amber went their separate ways and it seemed like things got over for the better. Turned out it was just a lull before the raging storm. Unbeknownst to many, Heard was romantically involved with Billionaire and founder of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk. Their affair was short lived and in August 2017, Amber shared on social media that the couple had broken up but would remain close. Amber then stirred a storm when she wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post titled I Spoke Up Against Sexual Violence And Faced Our Cultures Wrath. That Has To Change. us weekly In this piece, she wrote about receiving death threats and her career taking a big hit. However, she never mentioned Johnny Depp directly while detailing her harrowing experiences of abuse. It didnt take long for people to interpret her piece as being in reference to him because of the wide media coverage of their split. Two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our cultures wrath for women who speak out. Friends and advisers told me I would never again work as an actress that I would be blacklisted. A movie I was attached to recast my role. I had just shot a two-year campaign as the face of a global fashion brand, and the company dropped me. . . . I had the rare vantage point of seeing, in real time, how institutions protect men accused of abuse, she wrote. 2019 After her op-ed got enough limelight and virality, Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard for defamation, arguing that the claims she made were categorically false, and that the op-ed was written to generate positive publicity for Heard and advance her career. Depps lawyers stated in the complaint that the op-ed depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her, a premise they described as categorically false. agencies They argued that Heard was the one who had actually abused Depp, referring to an incident she previously referred to as self-defense. Depp also blamed Heard and her op-ed for Disney dropping him from the Pirates franchise four days after it was published. Depp's legal team also suggested that the op-ed was released to promote Heards film Aquaman which was released just three days after the piece was published. In her motion to dismiss, Heard stated a declaration citing that Depp began to hit her about a year into their relationship, when she began to witness him abusing drugs and alcohol or would notice that he was drunk or high. She detailed more than a dozen instances of alleged abuse, ranging from late 2012 to the May 2016 incident that directly preceded the divorce filing. She sometimes referred to Depp as the Monster. 2020 This year in February, Depp attended a preliminary hearing for the libel trial at the High Court in London. In this trial, the text messages that Depp sent to actor Paul Bettany in 2013 were read out. One of them said, Lets burn Amber. Another read: Lets drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead. farm week The 3-week hearing for Johnnys libel case against The Sun is underway in London. The 57-year-old actor is suing the tabloids publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) over an article which called him a wife beater which he strenuously denies. Here is everything that we know so far: 1. Amber Heards diary entry was read aloud in the court which described their alleged terrible fight on a train during their honeymoon. According to Press Association, Heard wrote: Our fight was terrible. Johnny at one point found himself with his shirt wrapped around my neck. Amazing to think about (the) precision, co-ordination that required considering the close circumstances I dont even know how I wound up with this huge, rather annoying knot on the back of my head. F*ck, I hate that. She added: We finally fell asleep with one another smashed together in desperate, childlike anger, fear and love. 2. Shedding light on the accident where he lost his finger tip, Johnny Depps bodyguard told the trial court that one of the first things Depp said to him as they stood outside a rental property before going to hospital was: Shes just cut my finger off. When asked if he had ever seen or heard Johnny raising his hand on Amber, he insisted that it never happened, he said, I would not tolerate any man striking a woman. No matter who he is. Not even if he is my boss. Not even if he is the pope. 3. According to Depp, the couple separated after an argument that followed Heards 30th birthday party in April 2016. He had attended a meeting before the party began because he had been told that his former business managers had stolen my money. Asked how much was stolen, Depp said this is a ludicrous amount to have to state, its quite embarrassing apparently I had made $650 million, much of it through his involvement with the Pirates of the Caribbean films. In addition to losing 650 million dollars, Depp was $100 million in the hole because I had not paid the government my taxes for 17 years. the jakarta post Once the party got over, he went to bed and Heard accused him of ruining her birthday dinner before throwing a haymaker at him. A haymaker is a type of a wild swing, a roundhouse punch effective if it reaches the target, Depp said. As per court documents, details of sex scenes Amber Heard was to play on screen were kept from her husband, Johnny Depp. The Pirates of the Caribbean star, who admitted to having jealous feelings, told the judge hearing his London libel case against the Sun that he was uncomfortable with the idea of her doing nudity. When Asked whether he interfered with his wifes film contracts, Depp replied: She was upset that she was being objectified and she wanted to do deeper material, more profound, something where she could show her abilities as an actress. 4. Johnny Depp's former estate manager told the High Court how he found a piece of the actor's finger following a now infamous argument with Amber Heard in Australia. 5. Depps former staffer Ben Kings written statement said that he never saw the actor "be violent or unkind towards Ms Heard, or indeed towards anyone else". 6. On the fiasco when Depp allegedly found poop in his bed in 2016, Kevin Murphy, the house manager, told court that Amber Heard told him that it was "a harmless prank". 7. Alejandro Romero, a concierge at the Los Angeles building where Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lived, testified that tech billionaire Elon Musk visited Heard regularly late at night from March 2015, while she was married to Depp. Heard and the Tesla founder had a relationship after she and Depp separated. insider From March 2015 onwards, Ms Heard was visited regularly late at night, at around 11pm to midnight, by Mr Elon Musk. For his initial visits, I would receive a call from Ms Heard who would tell me to give Mr Musk access to the garage for the building and then send him up to the penthouse, the statement read, as per Deadline. After he had made a few visits, Ms Heard provided Mr Musk with his own garage remote and a fob to Mr Depps penthouse. I believe he visited Ms Heard a few times a week and he would always visit when Mr Depp was not at home. 8. As per a report by BBC, Depps former girlfriend, Winona Ryder who was in a relationship with him for over four years said in a video testimony, the independent "I understand that it is very important that I speak from my own experience, as I obviously was not there during his marriage to Amber, but, from my experience, which was so wildly different, I was absolutely shocked, confused and upset when I heard the accusations against him. "The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. "I cannot wrap my head around these accusations. He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen." 9. In her witness statement, musician, actress and model Vanessa Paradis said she had known Mr Depp for more than 25 years - including 14 years when they were partners and raised their two children together. ABC "Through all these years I've known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father," she said according to a BBC Report. "I have seen that these outrageous statements have been really distressing, and also caused damage to his career because unfortunately people have gone on believing these false facts," she further added. The trial of Johnny Depp's libel case is underway and this week will see Amber Heard taking the stand and testifying her claims. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has stated that he was personally monitoring the work to clear water logging from capital roads that resulted in the death of at least one person, allegedly due to drowning at the Minto road overbridge Sunday morning. Kejriwal said that the civic agencies were busy fighting coronavirus this year and therefore it was not the time for blame game over the issue. Road under the Minto bridge has been cleared of water logging. I was in contact with agencies since morning and was monitoring the process of removing water. We are keeping an eye on more such places in Delhi. Wherever there is water logging, it is being pumped out immediately, Kejriwal tweeted. Earlier this morning, the body of a 60-year-old man was found floating under the Minto bridge around 10 am. Police said the man could have drowned while trying to take his tempo through the water logged underpass. Kundans body was discovered by a trackman working at New Delhi railway station yard, who fished it out. Delhi fire service officials quoted by the news agency claimed they had saved 10 lives this morning from water logging while responding to distress calls. Three people were saved in the ITO area, six people were saved near Zakhira Flyover and one person was saved at Lawrence Road, ANI quoted Delhi fire service as saying. Kundans death had earlier raised questions if civic bodies had done enough work to prevent occurrence of such events. North Delhi mayor Jai Prakash had attacked the Delhi government on the issue. Such incidents will continue to occur until the Delhi government gets rid of its irresponsible attitude, ANI quoted him as saying. He added that the government should ensure that such incidents dont happen again. Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh later said that the MCD had the largest responsibility for clearing the drains. MCD is controlled by the BJP. Three agencies-- MCD, PWD and Jal Boardare responsible for clearing drains. The biggest share of responsibility among these lies with the MCD. Nobody had any idea that it would rain so much suddenly. Mistakes should be rectified. This time is not a blame game, Sanjay Singh said. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, too, reacted little later and said that all agencies including the PWD (public works department), Delhi jal board (DJB), Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) and the flood department were working to deal with the problem. Some part of our management was busy with Coved 19 but we are doing the needful. CM Arvind Kejriwal is monitoring the situation personally, he was quoted as saying. Kejriwal, too, claimed that preoccupation with battling coronavirus could have left some gaps in preparation for the Monsoon rains. This year all the agencies, whether under Delhi government or MCD, were busy with Coronavirus containment. They have faced several difficulties due to the Corona crisis. This is not the time for a blame game. All have to come together and act responsibly. We will try to clear up all areas that report water logging, he tweeted. Three people had to be rescued by the fire service department after it received an SOS call about a DTC bus and two autorickshaws being submerged in the water-logged Minto road underpass this morning. Overnight rains led to water logging at several stretches including Azadpur underpass, South Avenue road, Pul Prahladpur underpass, Paharganj side of New Delhi railway station, Moolchand underpass and near Batra Hospital, among others. As the arrest of four people sheds light on the case of vandalisation of Buddha's statue, PM Imran Khan's Pakistan gets exposed on its attempts to demolish minority rights and unleashing a militaristic radicalisation of its society. The vandalisation of the ancient Buddha statue prompted by the Pakistan Army has brought much embarrassment for the Imran Khan-led government. Four persons have been arrested in countrys northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province for smashing the ancient Buddha statue found during construction work in the Takhtbhai area of Mardan. The military has actively promoted radicalisation of society in Pakistan to serve its purpose. This has left little space for people of other religion or for people with moderate views in Pakistan. According to a Dawn report, the viral video showed a man breaking the statue with a sledgehammer, parts of which were still embedded underground even as others can be seen looking on as the statue is being destroyed. Some were seen making videos of the incident. Also read: Kanye West to hold first presidential campaign rally on Sunday Also read: Exiled Tibetans hold anti-China protests in Dharamshala Dr Abdul Samad, KP director archaeology and museums, termed the destruction of the statue a crime and said disrespecting any religion is intolerable. Dawn quoted him as saying that the statue belonged to Gandhara civilisation and was approximately 1700 years old. Pakistan has shared trouble relationship with minorities, who are subjected to oppression in the country often with the tacit support of the authorities. Recently construction of a temple in Islamabad was stopped under pressure from Islamists. The new temple planned for Islamabad, the citys first, was supposed to be a symbol of tolerance. Instead, violence and controversy have turned it into an emblem of Pakistans troubled relationship with its religious minorities. Several Muslim clerics ruled that no Hindu temple should be built because Pakistan is a Muslim country. Also read: Nepal to initiate talks with India on flooding issue For all the latest World News, download NewsX App New York, July 19 : A team of researchers has for the first time discovered hybrid fungus involved in lung infections and are investigating the role of fungi in Covid-19. Several Covid-19 patients have died owing to concomitant infection by Aspergillus. Aspergillus latus, a species of fungus previously found only in soil or plants, has been found for the first time in a hospital environment by an international group of researchers. The group sequenced its genome and discovered that it is actually a hybrid and is up to three times more drug-resistant than the two species from which it derives. In collaboration with German researchers, Gustavo Henrique Goldman, a professor in University of Sao Paulo in Brazil with Antonis Rokas, a professor at Vanderbilt University in the US, are now assembling samples of fungi present in the lungs of Covid-19 patients. The aim is to investigate how these organisms can aggravate their condition as a basis for developing strategies to avoid and combat infections, said the study published in the journal Current Biology. Aspergillosis is a lung disease caused by fungi of this genus, especially A.fumigatus, which is widely found in plants and soil. "In about 90 per cent of cases, infection by Aspergillus is caused by A.fumigatus, but in some human genetic diseases, A.nidulans is a more frequent cause. "To our surprise, six out 10 samples contained a fungus that had never before been found to infect people," said Goldman. The fungus gains significant advantages from being a hybrid. "We currently have four strains that were isolated from patients who died of COVID-19 in Europe and will sequence their genomes to identify the species and see if they're favoured by the disease,a informed Goldman. Cases of concomitant COVID-19 and infection by fungi of the genus Aspergillus evidence the importance of knowing more about these microorganisms. For example, A. fumigatus is found worldwide and capable of surviving under extreme conditions, such as temperatures of up to 70 degree Cencius and a scarcity of nutrients. It can even extract food from water. "We've now brought to light another feature of the genus, which is the formation of hybrids," Goldman noted. Princess Beatrice wore a vintage dress borrowed from the Queen for her wedding to property tycoon Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Designed by British couturier Norman Hartnell, the ivory gown is made from Peau De Soie taffeta and features a square neckline and organza puff sleeves. Understated, feminine and laced with history, it is encrusted with diamante and has a geometric checkered bodice. Princess Beatrice chose a vintage gown on loan from the Queen for her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli. Credit:Royal Communications The evening gown was first worn by Queen Elizabeth II in the '60s. She wore it on at least two occasions, including in 1962 at the world premiere of the film Lawrence of Arabia and at the State Opening of Parliament in 1967. Angela Kelly, the Queen's senior dresser, and designer Stewart Parvin helped to remodel and fit the dress to Princess Beatrice's measurements, adding sleeves and choosing to forgo the voluminous skirt. 1 Market Buzz The current market environment has led to several fundamentally sound stocks being available at a valuation that is minuscule, as compared to pre-COVID levels. However, for those who closely monitor stock markets with a keen eye for opportunities, COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown presented a unique challenge. How does one keep track of ongoing market developments amidst uncertainty and volatility to spot that one opportunity to capitalise? Being able to leverage such prospects at a moments notice is valuable. And this is where technology has simplified investing, making it easy to invest through a few taps on your mobile phone or laptop. Read here. 2 Big Story Global coronavirus infections passed 14 million, according to a Reuters tally, marking the first time there has been a surge of 1 million cases in under 100 hours. The first case was reported in China in early January and it took three months to reach 1 million cases. It has taken just four days to climb to 14 million cases from 13 million recorded on July 13. The United States, with more than 3.6 million confirmed cases, is still seeing huge daily jumps in its first wave of COVID-19 infections. The US reported a daily global record of more than 77,000 new infections on July 16, while Sweden has reported 77,281 total cases since the pandemic began. Read here 3 Your money When Franklin Templeton announced its decision of winding up six of its debt funds, did it serve any stakeholders interest at all? The fund house has sought up to five years for fully liquidating the portfolios. Of course, shorter tenured schemes would get their dues sooner than that. But with some investors taking Franklin court, the Karnataka High Court will now decide what the fund house should do. Now, Franklin isnt the only fund house to decide whats best for the investor. One fund house decided to roll over its fixed maturity plans in 2019, when some of their underlying Essel Group securities could not repay lenders (including mutual funds) on time. Read here 4 Global Watch The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from the US to India has crossed the $40 billion mark so far this year, reflecting the growing confidence of American companies in the country, the head of an India-centric business advocacy group has said. The American companies, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has battered the world economy, have shown great confidence in India and its leadership, said Mukesh Aghi, president of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), which keeps a track of the major US FDIs in India. In recent weeks alone, the announcement of the FDI into India has been over $20 billion, he said, referring to the announcements made by some of the top companies like Google, Facebook and Walmart. Read here 5 Tech Tattle Smartphone shipments in India fell 48 percent in June quarter this year to 17.3 million units as the country faced an unprecedented shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a report, research firm Canalys said smartphone vendors faced a "diabolical situation", dealing with both low supply due to a complete halt in production and diminished demand, as online and offline retailers were prohibited from selling smartphones. As local production suffered through the early stages of the second quarter, vendors like Xiaomi and Oppo imported smartphones to meet pent-up demand. Read here 6 Startup Tales Online food aggregators Swiggy and Zomato have launched new advertising campaigns and offers aimed at attracting customers and reviving demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The hope is that, with people stuck indoors and dine-in restaurants currently out of commission, the online catering business can keep the sector afloat. Designed to show customers that food delivery from the online platforms is safe, Zomatos new video ad airing on TV, YouTube and online streaming sites, shows a mother allowing her son to order from the platform. Swiggy, on the other hand, has introduced multiple discounts and offers. Read here 7 Tailpiece Google has unveiled new augmented reality features that will let the users virtually travel to the Jurassic World where dinosaurs ruled the Earth. The search engine giant, in partnership with Universal Brand Development, Amblin Entertainment and Ludia, has brought 10 augmented reality dinosaurs that users can search for and view in their own space using their phone. To experience this feature, users need to search for a dinosaur on Google using a mobile device and tap View in 3D to rotate or zoom in and see it up close. Users can then bring the dinosaur into their space with AR and adjust its size to understand how big it is in relation to the things around you. Read here Los Angeles, July 19 : Hollywood star Cate Blanchett, who is married to playwright Andrew Upton, says she was mistaken for actress-model Kate Upton because of her marital surname. Blanchett, who is mother of Dashiel, 18, Roman, 16, Ignatius, 12, and five-year-old Edith was mistaken for Kate, when her sons went to secondary school because their fellow students thought she was the model, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "A fun thing happened when my boys started at their all boys' school. Their surname is Upton so I'm down on the register as Cate Upton. "Now, there's another Kate Upton who is a rather attractive young swimsuit model and the boys at my son's school asked, 'Wait... is your mum Kate Upton?' They said, 'Yeah'," Blanchett told OK! magazine. She added: "And so, when I showed up on the first day to pick them up, I could see the utter disappointment on those 12-year-old boys' faces. I thought, 'What have I done?' The disgust and disappointment was incredibly real! They were so looking forward to those play dates." The "Thor: Ragnarok" star says her meal times with her children are for "robust" discussions. She said: "I definitely think that, as one gets older, our opinions can calcify - that's why I am so grateful to my teenage children for keeping me current. Our family meals are a time for very robust and challenging discussions - and we welcome that. We push back and they push back at us. It's wonderful!" Blanchett says she finds it hard to "let go" of her children now as they are growing up. She said: "I think the hardest thing is having to let go. My mother always used to say it to me and I'd roll my eyes. She would say, 'You'll always be my child so you have to forgive me because I don't mean to treat you like a child - but that's just how I will always feel about you'.I now completely understand that and it drives my eldest son nuts. It's very hard to let go." The Pune rural police have booked 11 doctors and two resort managers for hosting a birthday party at a resort on Friday night in Shirur, Pune. The incident occurred at the Aroha Shrishti Agritourism resort located in Talegaon dhamdhere, Shirur. The manager of the resort denies any such action by the cops. However, the name of the resort was confirmed by the police. We received an anonymous tip that there was gathering of people inside a resort area on Friday night when they are supposed to be shut. A team was sent and they were found there. It was a birthday party of one of the doctors, said police inspector Sadashiv Shelar of Shikrapur police station. The doctors all have a private practice and were celebrating the birthday of a fellow doctor. The doctor whose birthday was being celebrated was hosting a dinner party. Whether alcohol was served or not is not confirmed. While no arrests were made in the case, the case will be sent to court along with a charge sheet, according to PI Shelar. A case under Sections 188, 269, 270 of Indian Penal Code; Section 11 of Maharashtra Covid19 Regulations; and Sections 2, 3, and 4 of Epidemic Diseases Act was registered against the 13 at Shikrapur police station. Police sub-inspector Rajesh Mali of Shikrapur police station is investigating the case. Have brown eyes? Thats beautiful. Got blue eyes? Thats beautiful, too. Being proud of whatever attributes one is born with was one of the messages of Saturdays peaceful Childrens Art Walk for Inclusivity. We always want what we dont have, but we need to start being appreciative of what we do have, said Sofia Talwalkar, 18, who is a member of the 2020 Darien High School graduating class. If you have green eyes, purple eyes whatever you have, be appreciative that you have these beautiful eyes to see the world, Sofia said. The goal of the walk, which began at the Darien Library and ended on the grass near Town Hall, was to encourage conversations about diversity, bias, race and inclusion in families with children. More than 100 people participated. All wore masks and kept a safe social distance. Darien mothers Armel Jacobs and Diane Urban were among the many local mothers who organized the event, which took several weeks to plan. Art, activities For the walk, children were asked to create an original piece responding to the prompt: celebrating our differences. Inspiring messages and drawings with that theme were displayed on posters and carried by children of all ages. Several planned activities for children included a wishing tree, where they were asked to think about a wish they have for the town or for the world. Children as well as event organizers read some of the wishes out loud. Their artwork and written wishes were also displayed on tree branches. They were also encouraged to send their work to childrensartwalk@gmail.com, where it will be displayed in a virtual art show. There was also a station to get the art work photographed. There was a special musical performance by two teens, as well as a reading of the Shel Silverstein poem Colors by an 11-year-old Darien resident. Empowering kids Its really about empowering the kids and having them feel like what they have to say is also important, Jacobs told The Darien Times while on the march. She said whenever there are intense issues the adults around them are talking about, the children feel it too. Darien resident Mackenzie Maier, 14, said its cool that were starting educating children younger and keeping the inclusivity throughout all ages, so that they can all learn about diversity. Alison Gurusaransingh of Weston, who was at the walk with her 3-year-old son Chase, said growing up in the 1980s in Darien, she doesnt remember noticing people of color. There was no differences in Darien at that point, she said. Its important for our children to learn to celebrate differences. Its as simple as that, she said. Especially in a town thats very homogeneous, its important to talk about race and to not ignore it. Some of these kids grew up maybe not even seeing someone of a different color. By celebrating it, were encouraging equality. Darien resident Joanna Walsh said she came to the walk to teach her children that, even though not everyone looks like us, theyre still the same as us. I always say that the world would be very boring if we were all the same. Keeping the conversation going Jacobs gave a shout out to the youth of Darien for holding so many inclusivity events over the past few weeks. I really feel that what theyve done around town, the spark they lit, we are so inspired by them, she told The Darien Times. We want to show the kids in our town that were also engaged in this conversation and that we hear the call as well. Jacobs continued, We said well do something that keeps the conversation going. For more, read here: PHOTOS: Hundreds turn out for Dariens Cross Walk Sunday Additionally, she said she is grateful to everyone who had a role in planning the event. We were happy to make time and its been an incredible team effort by so many amazing mothers who are giving up their evenings, their little bit of kid free time, to do Zoom calls, she said. They have been heroes, making this come alive. She added she hopes for a more inclusive world that will speak to all and engage in ways to build our community stronger together. Urban, a mother of three, said families can continue the conversation on inclusivity at home with their children. More information, ideas, and resources on teaching children about inclusivity can be found on the Instagram account: @childrensartwalk. Making kids aware Darien resident Kate Dempsey, who helped organize several of the recent Black Lives Matter marches in town, said the event is an amazing way to sustain the momentum in the movement. Kate said shes proud of the organizers, since theyll inspire the next generation to celebrate diversity and be more inclusive to one another. New Haven resident Laura Koehler said she and her family have been participating in a lot of inclusivity events close to home, and especially at Elm City Montessori School. We have been talking a lot about these issues, and our kids are very, very aware, Koehler said. The more we can be out there and allow them to really feel like theyre participating and making a difference, we like to do that as much as we can. Five-year-old Eden Brown of Darien said she came to the art walk because she wants to celebrate our differences. Edens mother Emily said all children should experience inclusivity events such as this one. Were in a town where theres not much diversity, so to expose them to this as much as we can, I think its so important, she said. Darien artist Darien artist Nobu Miki said shes very happy to come to the art walk. Im so lucky to witness the mothers who have young children and babies but could manage to organize this, for this new movement, Miki said. Im so proud of them. Miki is organizing a support group for minority women in town. For more, read here: Darien artist forming support group for minority woman in town Miki also brought her own piece of art to the event, a painting she named Imagine, which she said is inspired by John Lennon and in honor of George Floyd. Miki said the message of the painting, which shows people of all races in a row boat together, holding hands, is for Dariens future. I put 2020 there because this is a new era in this area and the D stands for Darien, she said. Rock star powers After the walk, Jacobs spoke about the importance of treating everyone equally. If you see someone not being nice to another person because of how they look, or the color of their skin, or how they dress, or who they like, use your superhero rock star powers to tell them thats not OK, Jacobs said. Youre all so powerful and so strong. Use your strength to love and to be kind to all people. We love the way your art has celebrated our differences and you make our world so special. Jacobs continued, Raise your art high and be proud and show it off to everyone. Show everyone that Darien is an inclusive place. Jacobs paid tribute to the life of former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an American politician and Civil Rights leader, who died Friday. We honored his legacy today, and theres something poetic in the symmetry of this moment, she said. One of the worlds greatest activists passed, but hopefully today, a few were born. sfox@darientimes.com 101 South Korean experts, managers and high-tech workers from Incheon City were quarantined Sunday upon arrival on Phu Quoc Island in southern Vietnam. They arrived in Phu Quoc to work for a major business group that owns a billion-dollar project on the island. The group was not identified by the authorities of Kien Giang Province, off which the island is located. The South Koreans arrived in normal health at the Phu Quoc International Airport and will remain in quarantine for 14 days as per the nations Covid-19 protocol. Airport director Nguyen Minh Dong said it was the first international flight to land on the island since March 25, when Vietnam closed its borders and suspended all international flights to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. It also stopped issuing visas for foreign nationals since March 18. Only Vietnamese citizens, foreigners with diplomatic passports, foreign experts or highly skilled workers are allowed the enter the country. Everyone has to be quarantined for 14 days on arrival. During a Friday meeting with the Advisory Council for Administrative Reform and South Korean businesses in Vietnam, Ambassador Park Noh-wan said South Korean companies want Vietnam to be flexible with quarantine requirements for experts and executives entering the country for work. Specifically, they wanted Vietnam to reduce the quarantine period and considers exemptions in some cases like people coming for short-term work and for important tasks like investment and signing contracts. So far 4,300 South Korean experts have been granted permission to enter Vietnam for work since the pandemic broke out. With 357 recoveries, Vietnam now has 26 active Covid-19 patients. By Sunday, the nation has gone 94 days without detecting a single case of Covid-19 infection caused by community transmission. No Covid-19 deaths have been recorded to date. The pandemic has killed more than 605,600 worldwide. A Niagara Falls woman has organized a demonstration this week against Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, claiming he has a problem with women. Angela Peebles, former owner of The Regal Diner on Main Street, said her anger stems from Diodatis dismissive treatment of Coun. Lori Lococo at Tuesdays council meeting and his ongoing treatment of Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni. I think hes a bully for sure, said Peebles, who ran for council in the 2018 municipal election and finished 18th out of 34 candidates. She is co-organizing the event with resident Debra Jackson. I dont think he likes powerful or outspoken women. He doesnt like a woman to stand up to him. The hourlong demonstration, dubbed Not My Mayor Peaceful Demonstration 4 Women in Politics, will be Thursday outside city hall on Queen Street. It starts at 3:30 p.m. At last weeks council meeting, Peebles said, Diodati and other male members of council she refers to them as the Old Boys Club undermined Ioannonis attempts to have council adapt a mandatory mask bylaw in Niagara Falls. When Lococo said the vast majority of emails to council were in favour of masks, Diodati said they were irrelevant because they were from a fringe group. Peebles also said Lococo was psychologically abused by Diodati when she asked about councillors being part of the citys Back to Business team. Weve already got a team, Diodati responded. It depends, if youre not happy with what were doing. Lococo did not respond to a request for comment. Since the meeting, Peebles has shared several angry posts on Facebook, prompting responses from other members of council and even Diodatis wife, Yvonne, who said women who falsely label men as misogynistic are prostituting gender issues for sensationalistic personal causes and personal agendas. Reached Friday, Diodati called the attacks untrue and its hurtful, saying disagreements at council are not tied to gender. This is not a male-female thing at all and its very unfortunate that theyre trying to turn that into this. Diodati was especially disappointed because he has worked with Peebles on the citys homelessness issue and recently helped start her mask-making business. He said he also brought her a gift on her last day at The Regal Diner a few years ago before she moved west (she eventually returned to reopen the restaurant). Diodati said he has worked with several female politicians with no issues and has two daughters who are taken aback by the online attacks. Its very disappointing, he said. I hope its not related to the fact she has aspirations to getting elected. I hope this isnt the basis of a negative campaign to try and get elected. Peebles said she will not run again. Diodati suspects Peebles friendship with Ioannoni is at the heart of the attack. Ioannoni and Diodati have been bitter rivals for several years, and he said the demonstration may be a smoke screen to distract from an upcoming report to council on the cost to taxpayers of Ioannonis repeated code of conduct violations. Shes angry and shes lashing out, so shes making me the target of her anger. Diodati gets especially angry at social media posts which bring up the children of city councillors. A recent post by Peebles called Coun. Chris Dabrowski a puppet to the mayor and said the saddest part is that he has a daughter, what a horrid example to set for her. Dabrowski responded it was offside and out of line. Thats an unwritten rule of politics, said Diodati. People need to understand what kind of person were dealing with here, who brought Coun. Dabrowskis young children into the discussion. Peebles said her anger over the mayor has been brewing for a while, and hopes the demonstration sheds more light on how council is representing the city. Hes not my mayor, she said. Hes not representing me at all right now. He hasnt really been during the pandemic. A medic works on samples taken for testing the new coronavirus infection in Hanoi, April, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh. A Myanmar sailor has raised Vietnam's Covid-19 tally to 383 and active cases to 26, the Health Ministry confirmed Sunday afternoon. The sailor, 40, works for the IPANEMA, a container ship registered in Liberia. The ship left Japan on June 6 and arrived at the Hon Gai Port in Ha Long Town, Quang Ninh Province on June 23. The man was quarantined on the vessel upon arrival. On July 7, he disembarked and was sent to quarantine at the Van Long Hotel in the northern province. His first test two days later showed negative but the second test Friday came positive. "Patient 383" has been transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi for treatment. With 357 recoveries, Vietnam now has 26 active Covid-19 patients. By Sunday, the nation has gone 94 days without detecting a single case of Covid-19 infection caused by community transmission. No Covid-19 deaths have been recorded to date. The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 605,600 worldwide. Kaziranga: The Assam floods that have affected around 26 districts across the state and have displaced more than 27.6 lakh people have also killed over 108 animals, including 9 rhinoceroses at the Kaziranga National Park. "Around 80 per cent of the area is still under inundation. The rhinos that went out of the national park are back again. As regards mortality, 108 animals have died so far, including nine rhinos," Shiv Kumar, Director, Kaziranga National Park, was quoted by ANI news agency. "The death toll may increase as water is receding and we are conducting a survey of all areas to find out mortality," Shiv said. He added that they have also rescued 136 animals. According to the park authorities, other than the nine rhinos, four wild buffaloes, seven wild boars, two swamp deer, and 82 hog deer have died due to floods. Recently, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal had also visited the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation at Kaziranga to take stock of the flood situation and conditions of animals in the park. With Ministers Shri @ATULBORA2, Shri @keshab_mahanta & MP Shri @KamakhyaTasa, visited Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (#CWRC) at Borjuri village near #KazirangaNationalPark and took stock of flood situation and conditions of animals in the park. pic.twitter.com/a4A3comxCt Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) July 16, 2020 Earlier in the day, CM Sonowal inspected flood affected Madanabari village in the Morigaon district. CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal on his way to flood affected Madanabari village under Mayong revenue circle, Morigaon district. The CM will assess on-ground flood situation and meet the affected people there. pic.twitter.com/PYPnoeHyQU Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) July 19, 2020 The CM also handed over ex-gratia amount of 4 lakh each to the next of kin of flood victims at Jhargaon in the Morigaon district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also talked to CM Sonwal on Sunday and assured all support to Assam in dealing with the flood havoc. Discussing the flood situation with CM Sonowal over the phone, PM Modi also enquired about the COVID-19 scenario and the ongoing efforts to douse the raging blaze at Oil India's Baghjan gas well. Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji took stock of the contemporary situation regarding #AssamFloods2020, #COVID19 and Baghjan Oil Well fire scenario over phone this morning. Expressing his concern & solidarity with the people, the PM assured all support to the state. Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) July 19, 2020 According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), there have been 79 flood-related casualties in the state, while as of July 18, a total of 1,16,404.01 hectare of crop area has been affected in Assam. A flood report issued by the ASDMA stated that the river Brahmaputra was flowing above danger level in several places in the state. The topography of Assam and meteorological factor (high rainfall) are the obvious reason behind Assam floods every year. Floods are also caused by human interventionlike encroachment of river banks and wetlands, lack of drainage, unplanned urban growth, hill cutting and deforestation. As per the Brahmaputra boards latest annual report, the main reasons behind the instability of the river are high sedimentation and steep slopes. Additionally, the entire area falls in an earthquake-prone zone and experiences high rainfall. The region is also extremely vulnerable to breaches of embankments. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will start human trials of coronavirus vaccine candidate COVAXIN developed by Bharat Biotech on Monday. Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor at Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS said that an ethics committee has approved the trials. "Today, we got approval from AIIMS Ethics Committee for starting the human clinical trial of the indigenously developed Covaxin. We are launching the enrollment process from Monday. We are going to select healthy participants with no comorbidities and without a history of Covid-19. The age group of the study population is 18 to 55 years. This would be a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial," Dr Rai said. Drug regulator Drug Controller General of India had recently given the nod to conduct human trials for Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The vaccine has been developed in collaboration with ICMR and National Institute of Virology (NIV). Dr Rai said that any healthy individual who wishes to be included in the trial can send in an email on Ctaiims.covid19@gmail.com or send an SMS or call on 7428847499. Only 100 participants out of the 375 volunteers would be picked for the first and second phases. The rest would participate in trials at other sites. ICMR had approved 12 sites for the trials of COVAXIN. AIIMS Patna has started trials. ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava had earlier said that there are two coronavirus candidates in the country. Scientists are trying their best to fasttrack these vaccines. "There are two Indian indigenous candidate vaccines and they have gone successful toxicity studies in rats, mice and rabbits. The data was submitted to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) following which both these candidate vaccines got clearance to start the early phase of human trials," he had said. The other COVID vaccine candidate to have been approved for human trials is Zydus Cadila's. Also read: COVAXIN's phase-1 trials start; COVID-19 vaccine likely by 2021 end Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: COVAXIN human trials start at PGI Rohtak EU leaders will meet again Saturday to try to save a huge post-coronavirus economic rescue plan after running into a brick wall of defiance from "frugal" countries led by the Netherlands and Austria. Europe is in the depths of its deepest recession since World War II and the 27 national leaders are seeking common ground on the terms of a 750-billion-euro ($857 billion) stimulus package that would help lift those hardest hit by the pandemic. But 12 hours of difficult haggling on Friday failed to yield a result as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte refused to give ground on his demand for strict controls on payments to his struggling southern partners. The 27 leaders are scheduled to reconvene at 11:00am (0900 GMT) on Saturday but diplomats are increasingly gloomy about the prospect of a deal being struck this weekend. The Dutch in particular -- but backed by Austria, Sweden and Denmark -- are reluctant to hand out cash to countries such as Spain or Italy they see as too lax with public spending. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are backing a package of loans and subsidies to member states to revive economies shattered by the virus and preventive lockdowns. As she arrived for the summit -- the first to be held in person since the pandemic began -- Merkel warned that the differences among the leaders were "very very large", while Macron described it as a "moment of truth". But, despite the long talks among all the leaders and small group meetings to try to break the deadlock, a diplomat said they had run into "a blockage on the question of governance for the recovery plan". According to diplomatic sources, European Council president and summit host Charles Michel had suggested granting the members a form of "emergency brake" on payments, to appease the Dutch. This would enable governments to call a summit if they have concerns about a national economic plan, but other members insisted it must not amount to giving the Dutch a veto over recovery measures. "We'll have to restart things differently," one senior diplomat said, of Saturday's talks. - 'Difficult to swallow' - Another diplomat from a non-frugal state warned: "What the Netherlands wants is legally impossible and politically difficult to swallow." Before the talks Rutte insisted he wanted to show solidarity with countries that don't have the budget to stoke a meaningful recovery. "But at the same time, you can also ask those countries to do everything possible to solve this yourselves the next time. And you do this through reforms, in the labour market, in pensions etc," he added. The draft plan put forward by Michel, foresees a recovery package, made up of 250 billion euros in loans and 500 billion in grants and subsidies that would not have to be repaid by the recipient member states. This package is in addition to the planned 1,074-billion-euro seven-year EU budget from 2021 to 2027 that the leaders must also agree in the coming weeks or months. - 'Broken systems' - Rutte's position has been backed to varying degrees by fellow members of the so-called "Frugal Four" -- Sweden, Denmark and Austria. Finland has also been calling for cuts to the Michel plan. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wants the recovery fund to be smaller, tweeting to say he "clearly rejects" the sum of 500 billion euros in grants. He also insisted he would not accept anything leading to a "permanent 'Transfer Union'," -- where Europe's richer countries would subsidise their under-performing neighbours. The frugals want any loans or grants to come with strict conditions attached to ensure that heavily-indebted countries carry out labour market reform. This is furiously opposed by the south. "If the money is not used to invest in the future, if it does not go hand in hand with necessary reforms in states that are simply broken in their systems... then all this will fizzle out," Kurz warned. The summit could even stretch into Sunday, but few in Brussels were confident of a breakthrough, despite the tight timetable, so another summit may well follow later this month. The leaders elbow greeted each other and social distancing was strictly enforced Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis addresses the press via videoconference during the EU summit in Brussels French President Emmanuel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel haven't masked their hopes for an EU deal Merkel and Michel were on the same page but socially distancing in Brussels The government should freeze the assets of Chinese officials over the persecution of the Uighur people, Labour has said. The shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, argued that new Magnitsky-style legislation should be introduced by the government and used against any officials involved in human rights abuses. Theres one thing that the government could do in relation to helping the Uighur people at the moment and that is to freeze the assets of any of the Chinese officials involved in those human rights abuses over in China, she told Sky News. Weve got new legislation now; weve been pushing the government to do that for two years. The UK should not be a haven for people who abuse human rights overseas. But her government counterpart, Dominic Raab, said sanctions could not just be applied willy-nilly and that an evidence base had to be built up to identify those responsible. On 6 July, the government announced its first wave of asset freezes under the new legislation, targeting 25 Russian nationals, 20 Saudi nationals, two Burmese military generals and two organisations with links to North Korean forced labour camps. However, Chinese officials were notable by their absence from the list, despite growing concerns about repression by authorities in Xinjiang. Downing Street also has concerns about Chinas involvement in UK infrastructure, such as its nascent 5G telecommunications network. Human rights groups say recent Chinese policy in the long-running conflict with the Muslim minority in Xinjiang has involved mass surveillance and the incarceration without trial of over one million people in re-education camps. There are reports that the camps are being used for forced labour. China says its policies are in response to political extremism and the threat of terrorism. Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, said: The images we have seen in recent days are harrowing and inhuman. The government has a duty to take a lead and do all we can to save the Uighur people. We must be clear what is happening here. The Chinese government is engineering a genocide. The foreign secretary must come before MPs before the recess and set out what urgent actions the government will take, both on an international level and unilaterally. Speaking on the same programme as Ms Nandy, Mr Raab said of the UKs relationship with China: I think we need to be very careful in our dealings. On the one hand we want a positive relationship with China there are all sorts of areas and scope for cooperation, not least on investment and trade and things like that, but also on climate change. Equally, with various efforts cyberattacks, the resilience of our vital interests like 5G and when it comes to standing up for our values as weve done very clearly on Hong Kong ... we will always make clear our position on those key interests and values to China. Thats the calibrated approach well take. Mr Raab said there wont be business as usual and the UK would be clear-eyed in its dealings. He told the BBC that it was clear there were gross, egregious human rights abuses being perpetrated against the Uighur people. We are working with our international partners on this. It is deeply, deeply troubling, he said. The reports of the human aspect of it from forced sterilisation to the education camps are reminiscent of something we have not seen for a long, long time. This is from a leading member of the international community that wants to be taken seriously and in fact who we want a positive relationship with. But we cannot see behaviour like that and not call it out. On the issue of sanctions, he said: Its not quite right as Lisa Nandy suggested that you can just willy-nilly decide to sanction X or Y. You have to, as we have done with Magnitsky, with the Rohingya, with North Korea, build up an evidence base and that takes a long time to do because you have to identify accurately and responsibly those involved. Mr Raab said he would be making a Commons statement on Monday in relation to what further measures the UK would take following Chinas imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong. Chinas ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, said any measures to sanction officials would be met with a response. We never believe in unilateral sanctions. We believe the UN is the authority, has the authority to impose sanctions. If the UK government goes that far to impose sanctions on any individuals in China, China will certainly make a resolute response to it, he told the BBC. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Youve seen what happened between China and the US they sanction Chinese officials, we sanction their senators. I do not want to see this tit-for-tat in UK relations. I think the UK should have its own independent foreign policy rather than the dance to the tune of Americans like what happened to Huawei. On the issue of Uighur persecution, the ambassador told the broadcaster: The so-called western intelligence agencies keep making up this false accusation against China, that 1 million Uighurs have been persecuted. You know how many population Xinjiang has? Forty years ago it was four or five million. Now its 11 million people and people say we impose ethnic cleansing, but the population had doubled in 40 years. Responding to questions about forced sterilisation, he said: I can easily refute this accusation. Theres some small group of anti-China elements working against the interests of China, but the majority of people in Xinjiang are happy with what is going on. In the past three years, theres been not a single terrorist attack in Xinjiang. People can enjoy a harmonious life. Uighur people enjoy peaceful, harmonious coexistence with other ethnic groups of people. The Uighur people is just one small portion of the Chinese population even among the Muslims but the majority of them are living happily and peacefully with other ethnic [groups]. The success of China is we have a very successful ethnic policy; we treat every ethnic group as an equal. Speaking on other issues, Ms Nandy said her party had got it wrong in its earlier response to concerns about the Russian government. By prevaricating about issues like [the poisoning in] Salisbury, we let the Tories off the hook. I strongly believe that that has to change and that we have to have a much more strategic approach to Russia, she said. Advertisement Armed anti-mask protesters gathered outside the Ohio statehouse on Saturday for a 'civil disobedience rally' guarded by armed militia and military veterans. Ohio does not yet have a statewide mandate on wearing masks but several groups converged Saturday afternoon to push back on the requirements already introduced in several counties. Hundreds of maskless people crowded together outside the courthouse in Columbus to voice their anger, claiming a requirement for face coverings is an overreach by local officials. Nearby, Black Lives Matter and civil rights activists held their own protest. Armed anti-mask protesters gathered in their hundreds outside the Ohio state courthouse in Columbus on Saturday where 'security' was provided by 'militia and military veterans'. They mounted a watch around the protest Militia members arrive during the Stand For Freedom Ohio anti-mass 'civil disobedience rally' on Saturday as hundreds gathered to stand against a mask mandate in several Ohio counties. There is, as yet, no statewide mask mandate A counter-protest began as demonstrators came out to support Black Lives Matter. One woman was pictured holding a BLM sign as she had a stand off with the anti-maskers before police came to form a line between the two groups Many signs at the anti-mask protest questioned to risk of coronavirus in Ohio There was reports of only one person being detained from the protests, following a physical altercation not between anti-mask protesters and Black Lives Matter protesters but between two members of different far-right groups. A member of the Boogaloo Movement wearing a Hawaiian shirt was pictured attempting to strike members of the Proud Boys Black Lives Matter protesters gather near anti-mask rally downtown Black Lives Matter protesters gather near anti-mask rally downtown *Content Warning* https://bit.ly/32uf7cY Posted by WTTE FOX 28 on Saturday, July 18, 2020 No violence was reported between the different groups of protesters but the atmosphere was described as tense. Pictures from the protest showed that police were forced to detain one person following a physical altercation between far-right protesters from two different groups. A member of the Boogaloo Movement wearing a Hawaiian shirt was pictured attempting to strike members of the Proud Boys before police officers took him away. The first protest to kick off was the Stand for Freedom Ohio rally which saw hundreds of attendees collect to stand against mask mandates. According to ABC 6, the anti-mask protest was advertised as an open-carry event where 'security' would be provided by 'militia, military veterans, bikers and patriot groups'. The group also spoke out against coronavirus shutdowns and in favor of the police. Armed men and women in camouflage surrounded the protest, many others wearing American flag clothing. Several of the protesters were seen waving Trump 2020 signs as they brandished firearms. 'I will not wear someone else's fear' signs read, as others called for schools to be reopened. 'Let out people go. We don't need masks. We don't need out businesses shut down,' one protester told ABC. 'We are free.' Some claimed that the doctors who are encouraging masks to be worn are wrong and alleged that coronavirus cases numbers and deaths are being manipulated, according to The Columbus Dispatch. A militia member holds a position on the State Capitol grounds in Columbus, Ohio, during an anti-mask rally on Saturday Many of the armed anti-mask protesters wore clothing supporting President Trump A protester hugs a self-ascribed Black Panther member during the Stand For Freedom Ohio anti-mass civil disobedience rally 'It's not connecting to the science. It's propaganda,' said Cherrelyn Pierson, who told the Dispatch she works in a health-related field. 'I trust myself. I am the science,' she added, claiming that the risks of respiratory and airborne transmission of coronavirus are being overstated. Others claims that masks could be harmful, despite doctors' advice. 'What about breathing in your own carbon all day?' Lia Ivko told the Dispatch. 'Why is it only the left that wears masks? There's a lot of things that don't make sense to me.' Others watching the protest were dismayed to see the large group refusing to cover their faces. 'My brother just died of the virus last week. He was in a nursing home,' said Nicholas Two Feathers Gonzalez. 'How can these people be against masks? The numbers don't lie.' 'I understand people's rights. But this seems so silly,' he added. Heated exchanged erupted between the groups of protesters as the protests grew Only a few of the anti-mask protesters were seen covering their faces Shouting matches erupted between protesters but no violence was reported between the two groups Columbus police were forced to form a line between the two groups of protesters The counter-protest mounted later in the afternoon following speeches from the anti-mask rally, as Columbus police were forced to form a line between the two groups. The Black Lives Matter protesters shouted 'No justice, no peace' as they shouted down the other demonstration. 'I came out today specifically to add my body to a crowd for Black Lives Matter because I knew they were coming but I've been down here numerous times,' a counter-protester said to ABC. Heated exchanges erupted with yelling and shouting but the groups remained peaceful. Police were later forced to close down surrounding streets as the protests grew and spilled over. All the protesters had peacefully left the area by Saturday evening. Black Lives Matter protesters arrive at Ohio Statehouse during the anti mask 'Stand for Freedom' rally in Columbus Saturday The anti-mask was described as open carry and many protesters brandished firearms Men and woman in the anti-mask crowd were seen holding firearms The events was held after the Ohio Department of Heath on Friday confirmed 1,679 new coronavirus cases, a state record. There were also 20 new deaths bringing the state's death toll to 3,132. While deaths in the state are currently on the decline, hospitalizations are on the rise. There is a growing fear of the recent surge in coronavirus cases among young people. ABC 6 reports that the average age for coronavirus cases in the state is lowering steadily. A milita member is seen with a bull whip during the Columbus protests Despite the criticism from the anti-mask protesters on Saturday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has not yet implemented a statewide mask order but counties such as Franklin and others in central Ohio have introduced restrictions as a result of their rising cases. The protest in Columbus came days after a similar anti-mask demonstration in Oklahoma clashed with a black pastor calling for reparations over the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre that left an estimated 300 African Americans dead. Footage shared to social media earlier this week shows Rev. Robert Turner speaking into a megaphone outside Tulsa City Hall with a small group of supporters. The activists then become surrounded by large crowd of demonstrators protesting against mandatory mask-wearing. The group of anti-maskers - who waved placards that read 'Fire Fauci' and 'Masks Harm Health' - attempted to down out Turner by changing 'USA! USA!' However, Turner was not deterred, telling the crowd about the city's historic race massacre. 'An angry racist mob of white descended upon Greenwood [in 1921] and killed black people. Not one of those racist, white angry fools had a trial for the cause,' he stated into the megaphone. A white anti-mask demonstrator then stated: 'Sweetie, let us have our voice and you can have yours!' She subsequently yelled at Turner: 'You're racist! You're racist!' Turner continued, saying into the microphone: 'It is a travesty that you care more about face masks then you do about justice.' He went on to call for reparations for the families of those killed in the massacre, saying that Tulsa has enough money to pay up. Delhi Police On the initiative of Delhi Police, a 'Plasma Donation Campaign' has been launched at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on Sunday. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan, was the Chief Guest while Commissioner of Police, S.N. Shrivastava, was the Guest of Honour, on the occasion. "The objective of the campaign is to encourage people to come forward to donate plasma to be used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients," said Additional PRO Delhi Police Anil Mittal. In all, 26 personnel including a woman constable of Delhi Police kicked off the campaign by donating their plasma. "More than 650 Delhi Police personnel are likely to donate their plasma during the week-long campaign," the officer said. Dr Randeep Guleria, Director AIIMS, appreciated the initiative of Delhi Police and termed the donor police personnel 'Super Corona Warriors', as being affected by the deadly virus they first fought against it and then voluntarily donated their plasma to save lives of others. He appealed to people to come forward and donate plasma as it would help treat critical patients. Speaking on the occasion, Shrivastava underlined, "dealing with coronavirus has been a unique experience as none of us knew what to do. Police had two major responsibilities -- to maintain law & order and to enforce the lockdown. At the same time, managing our own health and motivation of force were also a challenge. Being visible arms of the government, police must ensure implementation of government's directions." Being frontline warriors police personnel were most susceptible to exposure of the virus. As a result more than 2,500 personnel got infected and a dozen succumbed to the virus in the line of duty. However, the recovery rate is more than 84 per cent as more than 2,100 personnel have recovered and resumed duties. Lauding the efforts of Delhi Police for taking initiative to build plasma bank, Harsh Vardhan, called the event as pious, noble and inspiring in its spirit. " Delhi Police personnel have set an example by voluntarily donating plasma in order to save lives of others, while ignoring their own sufferings. It will inspire other corona warriors to donate their plasma," he said. The Chief Guest profoundly appreciated Ct Om Prakash of PS Amar Colony, who donated his plasma thrice. He called plasma donors as 'Plasma Warriors'. EDWARDSVILLE Fridays announcement that Madison County is filing a claim against Purdue Pharma L.P. for opioid crisis damages came after a long silence on the issue in county government. Madison County States Attorney Tom Gibbons announced his office is filing the claim against to recover some of the cost of the countys fight against opioid addiction and large numbers of overdose deaths over the past decade. On Saturday, he said some have mischaracterized his action with the lawsuit, noting there was not unified support in the county for joining the suits. The litigation has already essentially occurred and is over, he said. We did not participate in that. Instead, Gibbons said, the county will file a claim from part of the settlement with funds specifically set aside for local governments. The total settlement is between $10 billion and $12 billion, he said, divvied up in a few different piles. Were just participating in what is still available to us, Gibbons said. Its not the absolute best position to be in. In a Friday release, Gibbons said his office has been working with Illinois Attorney General Kwami Raoul and a group of Illinois states attorneys to secure compensation from a mass settlement with Purdue Pharma L.P. Specific amounts to be paid will be determined through a claims management process. Illinois, along with other states, sued Purdue for losses suffered as a result of opioid prescription pain killers, such as OxyContin. Purdue Pharma L.P. has filed bankruptcy, which requires part of the process to go through the federal bankruptcy court. The issue was extensively discussed in the Madison County Boards Judiciary Committee some time ago, but no participation decision was reached. It was a year and a half ago, and we had really never come to a consensus on it, said Madison County Board Member Mike Walters, R-Godfrey, who chairs the boards Judiciary Committee. We havent mentioned anything at all about it. Talk about joining the county joining the lawsuits began in Fall 2017. Part of the discussion in early 2018 was the allegation pharmaceutical companies had created a conspiracy for the proliferation of opioid prescriptions. Attorneys who talked to county officials said that, prior to 1995, opioids were generally prescribed for acute pain following surgery and terminal cancer cases. That changed when doctors started prescribing opioids more readily for pain management, which led to widespread abuse. Later, prescription opioids were supplanted by heroin. That was later overshadowed by Asian-produced fentanyl illegally entering the U.S. drug market. Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn started tracking overdose deaths specifically from opioids after noting a spike in 2009. However, no litigation decision was reached by the following spring and the county discussion died off. There were a couple of people interested in this, Gibbons said. I tried to keep the conversation going, but I think there was an overabundance of discussion about what the lawyers might make rather than what we were going to accomplish. Gibbons had maintained he could initiate action without county approval. But on Saturday he said that would have been difficult. This was a really big effort, he said. From my end it would have required financial support from the county board. Over the weekend Walters said there are some other things that have been going on but he declined to elaborate. Gibbons said he s working with officials from the coroners, sheriffs and health departments,among others, and plan to file a claim by July 31. He said reimbursing county agencies for costs as well as additional support, education and treatment options is expected to be part of the claim. Gibbons wants most of the eventual award to go to the families of those who died. Everything weve done from the beginning about the opioid epidemic was because we saw people suffering, he said. Its hard to watch families losing loved ones. He said the county should take care of those people. Every family Ive ever talked to spend extraordinary amounts of money trying to save their loved ones, he said. It will never measure up to what was lost, not even close. Ultimately, Gibbons said, the county board will decide exactly how the settlement money should be spent. But we wanted to start the discussion, Gibbons said. South Korea's new daily virus cases hovered below 40 for the second straight day on Sunday, but the number of local transmissions outpaced that of imported cases for the first time in over a week. - Seoul reports 34 new coronavirus cases with total caseload at 13,745 - 1 additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 295 - 37 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 12,556 South Korea's new daily virus cases hovered below 40 for the second straight day on Sunday, but the number of local transmissions outpaced that of imported cases for the first time in over a week. The country identified 34 new cases, raising the total caseload to 13,745. Of the newly reported cases, 21 were locally transmitted, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marks the first time in eight days that the country reported more locally transmitted cases than imported cases. Still, the tally marks a steady decline from 61 new infections reported Thursday and 60 on Friday, largely due to high numbers of imported cases. As of Sunday, South Korea has seen double-digit figures of imported cases for 24 consecutive days. The recent high numbers of imported cases have partly been attributed to a number of South Korean workers returning from Iraq and a series of cluster infections on Russian-flagged vessels docked in the country's southeastern port city of Busan. Seoul plans to send a chartered flight to the Middle Eastern country this week to bring home more citizens. Of the 21 local transmissions, 10 were identified in Seoul, with 10 cases reported in Gwangju, located some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. One case was confirmed in Daejeon, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul. The country's death toll came to 295, with one more virus-caused death reported, according to the KCDC. As of Sunday, 12,556 of the infected have been released after a full recovery, up 37 from a day before. The number of the infected still in quarantine or under treatment came to 894, down from 898 on Saturday. (Yonhap) Police in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam are hunting for three suspects who raped a 19-year-old nun before stealing her money in a local pagoda. Officers in Tam Nghia Commune, Bui Thanh District confirmed on Saturday they were collecting statements and extracting CCTV footage to identify the suspects. Preliminary reports showed that three masked men broke into a local pagoda at around 11:30 am on Friday. Q., a 19-year-old nun, found the suspects as they were looking for valuable objects. The nun screamed for help and ran toward her bedroom and locked the door. The suspects then forced open the door and took turns to rape the nun, before taking VND1.5 million (US$64) from the victims handbag and escaping the scene. Q. later kept the head of the pagoda informed of the incident, and the case was reported to police officers on the same day. Officers have examined the scene and brought the victim to a local medical center for a health check and evaluation of injury. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! This is an open letter to Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and the City Council: We, the Los Alamos Study Group, have now written to the Santa Fe City Council and the mayor of Santa Fe numerous times regarding two very important resolutions we have proposed, with no response of any significance from anyone. These resolutions are of great import to the safety, health and welfare of the city and citizens of Santa Fe, and we are very concerned the City Council and mayor are ignoring these issues. The City of Santa Fe has had a long-standing policy of resolutions supporting nuclear disarmament, supporting environmental impact statements and opposing production of nuclear weapons, specifically plutonium pit production. Santa Fe has also been and is still a member of Mayors for Peace, which states that nuclear weapons are inhumane and calls for their abolition. Recently, Mayor Webber attended a peaceful protest regarding racial issues. Is the destruction of humanity and the planet less important in keeping the peace? The safety, health and welfare are only a part of the impact created from nuclear weapons production at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It uses and diverts much-needed funding for education, health care, sustainable jobs, and real safety and security away from New Mexico. The proposed FY2021 federal budget solely for plutonium pit production at LANL is now $1.1 billion (an increase since our last letter). How many truly beneficial programs for New Mexico would this support? Nuclear weapons production creates vast amounts of toxic waste that has no safe method of disposal, with the potential to contaminate our environment from spills, leakage, fire hazard, seismic activity and human error. The waste currently being stored at LANL will not be transported for disposal any time in the near future. Where will the new waste be stored? The recent exposure to LANL workers from a breach in a plutonium glove box is foreshadowing of things to come with the proposed plutonium pit factory at the facility. LANL has a history of safety failures. The last plutonium pit factory, Rocky Flats (in Colorado), was forcibly closed for egregious environmental violations, worker injuries and deaths. Is New Mexico willing to create Rocky Flats II? Why would the city officials not support asking for a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (which is part of one of the above-referenced resolutions) that can help protect not only Santa Fe, but also the entire northern New Mexico region in this crucial matter? The other resolution would bar the city from entering into development agreements with LANL or other nuclear weapons agencies. (There has been talk of a LANL presence on the city-owned Midtown Campus). Your lack of concern and response is disturbing, and we ask once more for a prompt response to the request for support and implementation of these two resolutions, and an explanation to the public of the position of the city of Santa Fe in matters of peace, sustainability, environmental protection, and the health and welfare of our citizens, and the citizens of New Mexico. Do not allow our city to become a nuclear sacrifice zone. Lydia Clark is outreach director-Santa Fe for the Los Alamos Study Group. Congress MLA Rajendera Guda accused Sanjay Jain of asking him to meet former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhra Raje. Check out other information claimed by Guda here. Congress MLA Rajendra Guda on Sunday alleged that Sanjay Jain, who is among the accused in the ongoing investigation into horse-trading in Rajasthan, had asked him to meet former state Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. He informed that Sanjay Jain (arrested by SOG, Rajasthan Police) had come to him eight months back. Sanjay Jain had asked him to meet Vasundhara Raje, former chief minister of Rajasthan and others. According to the Congress MLA, there are other agents like Sanjay Jain but they didnt succeed in their attempts. Sanjay Jain had been active for a long time. At that time Jain was asking Guda to join the BJP. Media asked Guda about the number of MLAs in his party, Guda told that they are more than 100 in number (MLAs). They have the majority. Guda told that if they didnt have a majority, BJP would have demanded a floor test. BJP knows that Congress has the majority thats why they are not demanding a floor test. A Jaipur court on Saturday sent Sanjay Jain, an accused in the alleged horse-trading case in Rajasthan and linked to the purported audio-tapes, on four-day custody of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police. Also read: Assam floods: PM Modi takes stock, assures all support Also read: India China standoff: IAF top brass to discuss Rafale deployment, border situation during key meet According to the police, Jain was arrested by a team of SOG under Sections 124A (sedition) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Friday. On Friday, two FIRs were registered by the SOG based on the complaint filed by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi about audiotapes, which Congress alleged, had conversations about an alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led government. Also read: Delhi Rains: Houses collapse in Anna Nagar after heavy downpour, video goes viral For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 9:00AM Embed from Getty Images Do you have a Netflix account that you haven't used in a long time? The company will help make it easy for you to ditch the account by automatically pausing subscription payments if you haven't used it in two years. The move was revealed last Thursday in a letter to investors released along with its second-quarter earnings. Netflix acknowledges that it will take a "slight hit" to its revenue, but the long-term goal is customer satisfaction. And that it would be easy for you to jump back into your account, too. "While this change resulted in a slight hit to revenue, we believe that pro-consumer policies like this are the right thing to do and that the long term benefits will outweigh the short term costs," the letter explained. "In a world where consumers have many subscriptions, auto-pause on billing after an extended period of non-use should be how leading services operate." Source: Deadline The parliament speaker told MPs that Mondays plenary meeting is very important and that all should be keen to attend Egypt parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal revealed on Sunday that the House will hold a long and important plenary meeting on Monday where parliament will discuss a presidential decree aimed at extending the state of emergency for another three months, beginning on Monday 27 July. Tomorrow, Monday 20 July, will be a long and highly important meeting and I hope that all will be keen to attend, said Abdel-Aal. Abdel-Aal indicated that a number of important economic legislations that were discussed and approved in principle in the past weeks will be put to a final vote on Monday. We will also a take a final vote on laws that form a basic part of the constitution, some of which with retroactive effect, and so I hope that all will attend tomorrows important meeting, said Abdel-Aal. Mondays meeting is also of note because it will discuss granting President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi a mandate to intervene militarily in Libya. The mandate comes after President El-Sisi said during a meeting with leaders of Libyan tribes on 16 July that he should seek approval from the Egyptian parliament before he intervenes militarily in Libya to stand up to Turkish occupation. In its meeting on Sunday, parliament approved amendments introduced by the State Council to two laws on regulating the performance of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the Public Enterprise Companies Sector. Parliament rejected a proposal for the administrative prosecution to be authorised to question CBE staff and employees. Parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the proposal was rejected because it could undermine the CBEs independence and negatively impact the performance of the banking sector as a whole. When we discussed the CBE law in principle last May we agreed that the CBE will be completely independent and so the proposal submitted by the administrative prosecution is rejected, said Abdel-Aal. Speaker Abdel-Aal said a final vote on the 294-article CBE law will be postponed until a two-thirds majority is available. The same is true for the Public Enterprise Companies Law, which will be also put up for a final vote when we get a quorum of two-thirds majority, said Abdel-Aal. Search Keywords: Short link: 3/5/2019 Ruth Morrissey pictured speaking to the media on leaving the Four Courts after a High Court judgement .Pic: Collins Courts 12/3/2019 Ruth and Paul Morrissey, pictured at the Four Courts for a High Court action.Pic: Collins Courts Neither the HSE nor the State has ever apologised to Ruth Morrissey and now it is too late, her husband Paul said in a statement today following her death. The 39-year-old Limerick woman who died after a cervical cancer battle today fought fiercely to stay alive for the family she adored, he said. "It was 2014 when Ruth found out that she had cervical cancer and 2018 before she learned that there had been grievous mistakes in the screening programme that were to cost her life." A statement from Mr Morrissey referred to the courage and determination she showed throughout a 36 day High Court marathon case, and how she attended a Supreme Court hearing for one day last December despite being very sick and weak. Expand Close Ordeal: Ruth Morrissey and her husband Paul leave the Four Courts after a High Court judgment. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ordeal: Ruth Morrissey and her husband Paul leave the Four Courts after a High Court judgment. Photo: Collins Courts "Despite using Ruth as a test case through the final years and months of her life, neither the HSE nor the State has ever apologised to her, and now it is too late." In recent days, the Supreme Court has been told that Ms Morrissey and her husband Paul had been paid the full amount of 2.16m damages awarded to them by the High Court over misreading of her cervical smear tests. Ms Morrissey (39) passed away this morning with her husband Paul by her side. She died in the care of the staff at Milford Hospice where her family said she has received such loving care over the past year or so. In a statement, her husband Paul added: "Ruth had a sparkle to her smile, her wit and her intelligence. That sparkle made her wonderful company and her friendship was a gift she gave generously to anyone who knew her." The statement added: "The Morrissey and Moloney families, in their grief, wish to thank all those who have given help, support and medical care to Ruth over these past few difficult years. "Ruths life was a very happy one and none of the hardships of recent years robbed her of her good cheer and positive spirit. "She fought fiercely to stay alive for the family she adored. The example she set stands as an enduring inspiration of strength and determination that should help many others through difficult times in the future." Cervical cancer survivor Lorraine Walsh described Ms Morrissey as "a beautiful gentle lady." Writing on social media, she said: "Your life has been cut short far too soon, you shouldered a great burden for many of us." She extended her sympathies to the family. Vicky Phelan, said that she was on her own this morning at home when she received the news of Ms Morrisseys death, a fellow CervicalCheck campaigner and "good friend." "Ruth was one of the strongest women I know, and also one of the most positive. I never once saw her without a smile on her face and I saw her when she was very ill. "My thoughts today are with Ruths husband, Paul and their beautiful daughter Libby, who Ruth adored." Read More Stephen Teap, a CervicalCheck campaigner whose wife Irene died of cervical cancer in 2018, also paid his respects to Ms Morrissey. "Struggling to find the words to display my sadness at hearing this news this morning, #ruthmorrissey was a kind and gentle soul who I was honoured to know,always checking up on me and my boys even in the middle of her own battles, this world is at a loss without her, may she now RIP." The Dublin Well Woman clinic commended Ms Morrissey for her bravery. "We are deeply saddened to learn of death at 39 of #RuthMorrissey, and we extend our sympathies to her husband and daughter, and to all who loved her. "Her courage in speaking on behalf of women impacted by #cervicalcancer was extraordinary." Taoiseach Micheal Martin also paid tribute to Ms Morrissey. I was deeply saddened to learn of Ruth Morrisseys passing this afternoon. Ruth was a brave, courageous woman who worked tirelessly for others and for future generations of women in this country," he said. She was generous of spirit and had the interests of others at heart. I wish to extend my sympathies to her husband Paul, her daughter Libby, her family and friends. May she rest in peace." President Michael D Higgins said joined Martin in paying tribute. He said: "So many people across Ireland will have learned with great sadness of the passing of Ruth Morrissey. "Ruth Morrisseys tremendous courage in an arduous campaign for truth and justice leaves a legacy of courage for all Irish people, and for those campaigning for womens right to healthcare in particular. "Sabina and I send our sincere condolences to her husband Paul, their daughter, her family and friends, and to all those who have shared Mrs Morrisseys journey." Leader of the Labour Party, Alan Kelly praised Ms Morrissey for facing the Government following the CervicalCheck controversy. "Rest in peace Ruth Morrissey who took on the state and shouldered a huge burden for the women of Ireland. She fought the state not once but twice," the Tipperary TD said. "I spoke about her case many times in Dail Eireann. The state promised no woman would have to go through the courts again. They didnt honour that." Dragged by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national carrier Vietnam Airlines is seeking measures to ease pressure on its cash liquidity. An aircraft of Vietnam Airlines According to CEO Duong Tri Thanh, Vietnam Airlines may face a liquidity shortage starting in September and a drop of 50 trillion VND (2.16 billion USD) in revenue this year. After record profit made in 2019 and positive profit growth in the past 10 years, Vietnam Airlines may suffer a net loss of 13 trillion VND though the aviation firm has applied measures to cut costs. To ease the impact of COVID-19, the company had cut 1.7 trillion VND worth of salaries, 24 trillion VND worth of operation expense and 1.7 trillion VND worth of monthly fuel purchase, Thanh said. In addition, the company had negotiated with lenders to reschedule debts, worth 1.94 trillion VND, he said. Vietnam Airlines had also proposed its Japanese investor All Nippon Airways (ANA), which owns an 8.6 percent stake, provide cash package to ease pressure on its cash liquidity, the CEO said. ANA had to borrow 10 billion USD to fund its own activities, so the Japanese partner was unable to help Vietnam Airlines, Thanh said. According to experts and specialists, those measures are only short-term solutions and it would not help the aviation firm completely remove obstacles. In the long term, the Government needs to provide cash stimulus for the firm and beneficial policies to boost its performance, they said. The Government, through the State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), is the largest shareholder at Vietnam Airlines, holding more than 86 percent of the capital. Thus, Vietnam Airlines wants SCIC to inject cash into the company. But SCIC is uncertain about the deal, saying the investment may not expand in the future. According to SCIC, the two sides have sat with each other several times but there are some issues that need more time to be settled. As a financial investor, SCIC wants to study the case, evaluate and conduct due diligence reports. Those may take SCIC six to nine months to complete the evaluation process and that may not meet Vietnam Airlines expectations. As Vietnam Airlines reported a loss in the first quarter of the year, it will be unable to sell additional shares to raise capital, SCIC warns. If the company still wants to do so, the directors must acquire the approval of the National Assembly. SCIC also wants some special policies if it is permitted to inject cash into Vietnam Airlines and Vietnam Airlines needs to prepare an overall, transparent and clear plan on how to use the cash to save its business. The Government needed to keep executing its policies on tax cuts and exemptions and give priority to Vietnam Airlines, economic specialist Ngo Tri Long said. The Government may also allow aviation firms to borrow low-interest money from banks to fund their operation and the Government could provide additional aid using the central banks reserves, he said. As the global airlines industry faces difficulties caused by COVID-19, it was normal that the Government injects cash into local firms as other governments do to keep companies from bankruptcy, Truong Thanh Duc, chairman of the board of members at law firm Basico, said. The Government and ministries also had to remove barriers in policy making, he said, adding if the measures were implemented now, Vietnam Airlines may recover quickly./. VNA Help for Vietnam Airlines discussed Though Vietnam has largely been recovering quite rapidly from the COVID-19 pandemic, the countrys aviation industry remains significantly affected, with national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines suffering the most damage. Four million residents of Barcelona have been urged to stay at home as virus cases rise, while EU leaders wrangled for a second day in Brussels on Saturday, seeking to rescue Europe's economy from the ravages of the pandemic. Spain's COVID-19 death toll of 28,400 is one of Europe's worst and the country has identified more than 150 new virus clusters across the country. Barcelona, one of Europe's most visited cities, effectively went back into lockdown as EU leaders met in Brussels. The regional government of Catalonia urged nearly four million residents of metropolitan Barcelona to stay home unless absolutely necessary, banning gatherings of over 10 people and shutting cinemas, theatres and nightclubs, after the number of new cases tripled in a week. "It's a disaster," wails Maria Quintana, looking at her empty bar terrace by the Sagrada Familia in Spain's second city. "We'd just started to see things coming back to life with the arrival of a few foreign tourists, so this is a step backwards," said Quintana, 35. The virus has now killed more than 596,000 people and infected over 14,074,000 as it continues to surge across the globe despite months of unprecedented lockdowns to stop its spread. A growing number of countries and cities have been forced into reimposing restrictions, with Barcelona only the latest example. Watching clusters France, where masks will be compulsory in indoor public spaces from Monday, was watching coronavirus clusters in neighbouring Spain very closely, Prime Minister Jean Castex said, less than a month after the border between the two countries was reopened. French authorities were particularly concerned about at the clusters popping up in Catalonia, one of the border regions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are in Brussels to try and thrash out an EU coronavirus rescue package. By STEPHANIE LECOCQ (POOL/AFP) "We are monitoring this very closely, here in particular, because it is a real issue that we also need to discuss with the Spanish authorities," Castex said in response to a question about the possible closure of borders. India hit the million mark on Friday, the day after virus cases in Brazil topped two million -- although the World Health Organization said that Brazil's contagion has "plateaued" with the rate of infection stabilising after 77,000 deaths. Difficult negotiations European Union leaders returned to the negotiating table on Saturday with fierce resistance from the Netherlands and its "frugal" friends dominating a second day of intense debate. European Council president Charles Michel proposed a fresh plan after his initial blueprint for a 750-billion-euro ($850-billion) post-virus recovery package ran into stiff resistance from the richer northern member states. Barcelona is only the latest example of places reimposing restrictions. By Josep LAGO (AFP) G20 finance ministers and central bankers meanwhile held talks aimed at spurring global economic recovery from a coronavirus-triggered recession amid growing calls to widen debt relief for crisis-hit poor countries. The ongoing virtual talks, hosted by Saudi Arabia, come as the surging pandemic continues to batter the global economy and campaigners warn of a looming debt crisis across poverty-wracked developing nations. Addressing the impact of the virus on the world's poorest, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said it had revealed the "fragile skeleton" of societies and could push 100 million people into extreme poverty. ' Brought to our knees' Speaking on the 102nd birthday anniversary of the late Nelson Mandela -- South Africa's first black president -- Guterres said coronavirus was "shining a spotlight" on global injustice. "We have been brought to our knees -- by a microscopic virus. The pandemic has demonstrated the fragility of our world," he said. "Entire regions that were making progress on eradicating poverty and narrowing inequality have been set back years, in a matter of months," he warned at a virtual memorial lecture organised by the Johannesburg-based Nelson Mandela Foundation. The United States marked a record number of coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day Friday, notching more than 77,600 new infections in 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Lockdowns have been imposed on millions of people in India, where more than 600 are dying every day. India's hotspots had previously been the megacities of Mumbai and New Delhi, but smaller cities and rural areas -- where 70 percent of Indians live -- have recently begun to raise the alarm. burs/cdw/bfm/har/spm Overcame late entry The last challenger to enter was Rokita, 51 days before the voting began. I dont want to gloss over the fact that 51 days when youre trying to reach over 1,800 delegates, there are a lot of factors going into that, but the organization that was required to go from a dead stop, when the rest of the field was already down the road, was pretty phenomenal, Rokita told me. He reached out to an old friend, state Sen. Erin Houchin, to organize the strategy. He said that Houchin was one of just a few people he knew who had the organizational skills the task demanded. Eleven years ago, Houchin became 9th Congressional District Republican chair when she was nine months pregnant, winning the chair on Saturday and delivering her son, Graham, the following Monday. Shes as serious as a heart attack when she puts her mind to get something done," Rokita said. Sushant Khulke Jeene Ka , Viral | FilmiBeat After the foot-tapping title track and love ballad 'Taare Ginn,' the makers of Sushant Singh Rajput- Sanjana Sanghi's Dil Bechara have now released the third song titled 'Khulke Jeene Ka from the film. The beautiful number features the lead pair and Swastika Mukherjee, enjoying their time in Paris. Sanjana shared the song video on her Instagram account and wrote, Youre finally going to be witnessing Manny, turning Kizies cants into cans; and her dreams, into plans. Aa jao? #KhulkeJeenKa tareeka hum tumhe sikhate hain. This, is Kizie & Mannys magical bond in the City of Love, to the even more magical track by @arrahman x @arijitsingh x @sashasublime OUT NOW! (sic). Check out the song below: The beautifully shot number has been sung by Arijit Singh and Shashaa Tirupati and boasts of Amitabh Bhattacharyas lyrics. Speaking about the soundtrack of Dil Bechara, music composer AR Rahman earlier shared, "When I write songs, I let them breathe for some time and then present them to the director. It was a great experience collaborating with Mukesh (director Mukesh Chhabra) on this film; his enthusiasm is infectious. This album is carefully curated because the film has so much heart, and now, memories of Sushant." Dil Bechara marks casting director Mukesh Chhabra's first film as a director. The film is a Bollywood adaptation of John Green's best-selling novel 'The Fault In Our Stars'. As a tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput, who passed away on June 14, 2020, the film is slated for a digital release on Disney+ Hotstar on July 24, 2020, and will be available to both, subscribers and non-subscribers of the streaming platform. ALSO READ: Shreya Ghoshal: Sushant Singh Rajput Was A Very Emotional Actor ALSO READ: Dil Bechara Actress Swastika Mukherjee Exposes Cyber Bully: Man Arrested For Rape Threat The lynching began with a knock on the door. It was 3 a.m. on Sept. 12, 1936, a steamy late summer morning in Atlanta. Thomas Finch and his family were sound asleep. Then, the knocking. When Finch's father opened the front door, he found five white men standing there: two police officers and three other burly men the family had never seen before. "We want your son Tom," an officer said. Finch got dressed and went with the officers. An hour later, he was dumped outside Grady Hospital, where he worked as an orderly. His face was pummeled. He was shot multiple times. "Oh Lord," he said, as nurses placed him on an operating table. "Oh Lord." Those were his last words. He was 28. Authorities never investigated Finch's death or charged anyone for it, and it was clear why. The horrific killing was orchestrated by one of the men on Finch's doorstep - Samuel Roper, a police officer who went on to lead the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and then, upon retirement, Georgia's chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. The circumstances of Finch's lynching - one of more than 6,500 between 1865 and 1950 - were brought to light in 2017 by Carissa Aranda, a civil rights attorney in western Massachusetts who at the time was a Northeastern University law school student investigating cold cases for the school's Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project. As part of her investigation, Aranda examined an unpublished investigation into Finch's death conducted by the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, a race reform organization founded in segregated Atlanta in 1919. She also tracked down Finch's last known surviving relative: his niece, Joyce Finch-Morris. Now 71, she still lives in Atlanta, which became an epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests following the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks in June. The white officer who shot and killed Brooks has been fired and charged with felony murder. Finch also died in police custody. His niece knew little about his death until Aranda shared her findings. Now Finch-Morris finds herself wishing her parents and other relatives were around not just to learn what really happened that night in 1936, but to see the police brutality protests sweeping the country. "As painful as his death was, they died knowing that their son, their brother, their uncle died with no recourse, with no justice whatsoever," she said. "The difference now is that society is outraged. People are just tired of it. These things won't just be swept under the rug like what happened to my uncle. We need justice." - - - One of seven children, Finch was a descendant of sharecroppers. In his early 20s, while his father supported the family as a haberdasher, Finch got a job as an orderly at Grady Hospital, which had two buildings - one for black patients, the other for whites. Finch worked in the white building. In early September 1936, a white woman named Ozella Smith arrived at the hospital with a fracture. Finch placed her on a gurney and transported her to the emergency room, where doctors treated and released her. Thirty-six hours later, Smith went to the Atlanta police headquarters to file a rape complaint. She had been assaulted, she said, in a tiny office near where she was treated. Smith identified the rapist as Thomas Finch. According to Finch-Morris, Smith may have been secretly dating her uncle - a verboten relationship that could have led to the rape allegation. Back in the 1930s, police officers in Atlanta openly lived double lives. When they weren't in uniform, many wore the white robes of the Ku Klux Klan. The police department's own history acknowledges that the "Klan-dominated police union" wasn't officially abolished until 1947, though historians and criminologists say connections with white supremacy lasted even longer. "This was not unusual and limited to Georgia," said Taimi Castle, a professor of justice studies at James Madison University and the author of an academic paper titled "Cops and the Klan." "During the same period of time, in some jurisdictions all local officials were members, including the sheriff." When Finch was accused of rape, Roper caught the case. Roper joined the Klan in the early 1920s, according to "A Measure of Freedom," a 1950 Anti-Defamation League investigation of KKK involvement in anti-Semitism and white supremacy in America. While Roper served as a police officer and later the head of Georgia's prestigious Bureau of Investigation, his local Klan titles included Exalted Cyclops and Imperial Nighthawk. In 1949, 13 years after Finch's lynching, Roper became Imperial Wizard of Georgia's Klan organizations. The appointment was widely covered in Atlanta's newspapers, which referred to him as Wizard Roper. "Roper has a reputation," the Anti-Defamation League investigation said, "for planning his moves with calculated force." When Roper came to the Finch family's home that September night, Finch asked why he was being arrested. All the officers would say was that there was an investigation underway. Finch was placed in a car and driven away. His wife, nervous about the strange 3 a.m. arrival of officers and several other unidentified men, called police headquarters and the county jail trying to find him. Nobody knew where he had been taken. - - - When Finch-Morris was growing up, her mother had told her that her uncle had been accused of raping a white woman and that he was lynched. But Finch-Morris's father, even if he knew the whole story, didn't talk much about his brother's death. "My father was a forthright person, but when I asked about this it was very painful for him, and he didn't want to talk about it," she said. "I knew he was going out with a white woman, and he was lynched. That's it." Then a few years ago, Finch-Morris received a phone call from Aranda, the Northeastern University law school student. Aranda had grown up in the South with dreams of becoming a civil rights attorney. Northeastern, with its renowned Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, was an ideal place. The clinic has investigated hundreds of lynchings, bringing closure to scores of families whose loved ones were killed without any justice at all. Finch's case was assigned to Aranda in 2017. Scraping through archives and news clippings, she was led to an unpublished and undated investigation into his death held in the archives of the Commission on Interracial Cooperation, at the University of North Carolina's Wilson Special Collections Library, In the papers, Aranda found a document titled, in part, "Concerning the Death of Tom Finch." The author was Arthur F. Raper, a white sociologist who studied lynching and investigated them for the commission. (There are other investigative reports in the commission files, though it is not clear whether Raper is also the author.) One of the reports begins with an account of Finch being awakened by Roper and another officer. "Where they had taken him," the report says, "for what purpose, and by what authority, and why had they had found it necessary to beat him and shoot him to death are questions that invite investigation." Raper and the commission's investigation was a thorough inquiry, the sort of investigation Atlanta police would have conducted had the murder victim been white. The idea that Finch raped Smith was dismissed by his supervisors, including white nurses and doctors who comforted the family and a sent floral wreath to his funeral. The office where the alleged attack occurred was near a busy reception area. "Everybody interviewed at the hospital," one of the commission reports said, "were unanimous in their conviction that the alleged was not and could not have been committed. It is unbelievable that the woman would have submitted silently to such an attack when the slightest outcry would have brought a dozen people to her rescue." If Smith made up the attack, why did she do it? Raper's report doesn't pinpoint an exact motive, but Aranda, in her own report, wrote that Smith "and the Atlanta police detectives insisted on painting Finch as the stereotypical black rapist, a false image used by the press and law enforcement authorities to excuse of justify 'vigilante' lynchings." In the commission report, Raper noted that Smith "tends to desire publicity" and, on other visits to the hospital, was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as being "mentally subnormal and irresponsible" and unable to adequately state her name and address. The day Smith alleged the attack to police, cars began to circle Finch's home, honking their horns. Somewhere between his house and his arrival at Grady Hospital on the verge of death, Finch was beaten and shot. In a newspaper article later that week, police told reporters that Finch attacked Roper and attempted to escape, prompting police to defend themselves and kill him. Raper found that story nearly impossible to believe, because Roper had brought civilians to the house and especially because Finch was never taken to the police station, which was only a few blocks from Finch's home. All of that, plus the allegation of rape by a white woman, suggested the "probability" that police and friends of the girl murdered Finch. "It seems obvious," Raper concluded, "that Finch was lynched." - - - Finch-Morris was startled when Aranda explained what happened to her uncle. The killing was also investigated by the Center for Investigative Reporting and WABE, an Atlanta NPR affiliate. "It was all very, very shocking," she said. The lynching, of course. But also the role of the police. "As far as I could tell, the KKK and the police were one and the same," Finch-Morris said. "That's just the way it was. There was no way for anybody to get any recourse." Nowadays, there is at least some chance. Officers are wearing body cameras. And citizens are wielding an important technological weapon against police brutality - cellphones that have recorded black Americans being beaten and killed by police, from George Floyd in Minneapolis to Brooks in Atlanta. But something else important has changed, Finch-Morris added. "It's not just black people who are making their voices heard," she said. "Now everyone is speaking out. That definitely didn't happen back in 1936. That is progress." 19.07.2020 LISTEN The Founder/Leader of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Dr. Hassan Ayariga on Saturday joined farmers in Bawku in the Upper East Region to demonstrate his farming skills. he demonstrated to farmers how to weed in the farm using the hoe. Dr. Hassan Ayariga further demonstrated to farmers how to apply fertiliser on their maize farm at the early stage of the crop. He advised farmers to adopt improved seed methods to double yields as compared to the conventional ways. Dr. Hassan later distributed some bags of fertilisers to the farmers. He is monitoring the ongoing voter registration exercise at the various registration centres in the Bawku municipality. BEIRUT (Reuters) - Former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn is helping everyone who stood by him, he said in an interview broadcast on Saturday, though he declined to comment on cases of people accused of helping him flee to Lebanon from Japan. Ghosn, the ex-chairman of an automaking alliance of Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp was arrested in Japan in late 2018 on charges of underreporting his salary and using company funds for personal purpose - charges he denies. In late December, he made a dramatic escape from house arrest in Japan, where he was awaiting trial, and fled to Beirut, his childhood home. Japan has asked the United States to extradite U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor, who are accused of helping Ghosn flee and were arrested in May. Asked in an interview with Al Arabiya TV if he was trying to help the Taylors and others involved in his escape, Ghosn said: "You are talking about specific people, and I will not comment on those people who you are singling out. "What I'm saying is that I am helping everyone who helped me; I'm helping them with my means, with my thinking, and in any way I can," he said. "I am not talking about those people you mentioned specifically," he said, adding that he was talking about people who helped him "in general". Ghosn has refused to discuss details of his escape from Japan, saying it would put in danger those who helped him. A U.S. judge said on Friday that Michael and Peter Taylor posed too great of a flight risk to be released on bail given the "spectacular" allegations against them. Ghosn told Al Arabiya he made "the entire plan" for his escape but he had needed information and assistance from people whom he was not ready to endanger by talking about the matter. Earlier this month, an executive from a Turkish private jet operator, four pilots and two flight attendants appeared in court on charges of helping to smuggle Ghosn via Istanbul. Ghosn also said Japan had yet to send his case file to Lebanon as requested by the Lebanese government. "It has been six months and they haven't sent the file. Why haven't they sent the file?" (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Taiwan donates 100,000 face masks to Brazil to fight COVID-19 ROC Central News Agency 07/18/2020 01:30 PM Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan earlier this week donated 100,000 surgical face masks to Manaus, a city in Brazil which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. To help the city's residents fight the disease, Chang Tsung-che (), Taiwan's representative to Brazil, on Tuesday donated the face masks to the city on behalf of the Taiwanese government in a virtual meeting with Marcelo Magaldi, director of Manaus's health department. The donation was conducted under the "Taiwan Can Help" program to provide aid to counties in need of assistance as they combat the virus' rampant spread. Magaldi expressed gratitude on behalf of Mayor Arthur Virgilio Neto and the people in the city to Taiwan's government for extending a helping hand to Brazil in its time of need. Brazil has the second highest number of cases, behind the United States, reporting more than 77,500 deaths amid more than 2 million confirmed cases, as of Saturday, according to the Johns Hopkins University's Coronvirus Resource Center. Manaus' mayor has also been infected with COVID-19 and is currently hospitalized for treatment. Magaldi said the Manaus health department will distribute the face masks donated by Taiwan to public hospitals in the city so that they can provide the supply to medical personnel on the frontline of the fight against the virus. Magaldi said it was very important for these medical staffers to be well protected by wearing the face masks when they are treating COVID-19 patients. Chang told Magaldi that Taiwan, which has also recorded COVID-19 infections albeit only a small number, is willing to provide assistance to other countries to contain the virus' spread. Chang said the Taiwanese government was grateful to the Manaus city government for allowing Taiwan to provide this particular humanitarian aid under the Taiwan Can Help program. Taiwan has recorded 454 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak started in December. Of the 454 cases in Taiwan, 363 have been classified as imported, 55 as locally acquired, and 36 as a cluster infection on board a naval ship, an outbreak that was later confirmed to have originated in Taiwan. (By Tang Ya-ling and Frances Huang) Enditem/cs NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ST. LOUIS City police officers on bikes cleared a few dozen protesters from in front of City Hall on Sunday morning. A group has occupied the area in front of City Hall a few times this month, setting up camp on sidewalks and calling for the resignation of Mayor Lyda Krewson. The latest occupation started Friday night; the protest spread from the sidewalk into the southbound lanes of Tucker Boulevard, one of downtown's busiest thoroughfares. Police had asked the protesters on Friday not to block traffic on Tucker. Images shared on social media about 9 a.m. Sunday appeared to show dozens of police officers on bikes lined up outside City Hall after the protesters were cleared out. A small group of protesters who were still near the scene after police left said there had been no arrests, but that police towed two cars parked on Tucker. While there have been 150-200 protesters at times during the demonstrations, protesters said there were just a few dozen on Sunday morning. China will take anti-dumping measures against n-Propanol (NPA) imported from the United States, the Ministry of Commerce said Friday. The domestic industry has suffered substantial damage due to the dumping of such products by the United States, the ministry said in a preliminary ruling based on an anti-dumping investigation that started in July last year. From Saturday, importers of such products into China will be required to pay deposits at rates of between 254.4 percent and 267.4 percent at Chinese customs. NPA, which is formed naturally in small amounts during many fermentation processes, is used as a solvent in the pharmaceutical industry, mainly for resins and cellulose esters. Tech entrepreneur, Victor Asemota, is of the opinion that fornication has become an industry in Nigeria. In a Twitter thread, Asemota reflected on how men in Nigeria go the extra mile to satisfy themselves sexually. According to him, some Nigerian legislators left the county for South Africa in 2001 and had already made plans to court their side chics. Read his tweets below- ''We traveled with Nigerian legislators to a conference in South Africa 2001. Minutes after we arrive before we get to Sun City, we stop at Sandton and they have call-forwarded babes. I wish Nigerian men can be as efficient in governance as they are at organizing fornication. Nigerian men go to extreme lengths and commit great resources to cheat. I asked a guy once and he told me it was the thrill of it and not really the sex. A girl once confided in me that one big Oga just likes to be cuddled and seen with hot girls, he doesn't even do the sex part. I mean, people buy yachts and beach houses just for fornication. A whole ass yacht!!! Fornication in Nigeria is an industry on its own. Most hotels survive based on adultery and fornication yet we have religious institutions in every corner. Nigeria is full of vibes. As a bachelor, I had friends in Lagos who got together to equip a Lekki flat complete with housekeeper and a car just for extra-curricular affairs. They started this as bachelors and I can't say if they continued as married men. I didn't. Yes, I fornicated a lot as a bachelor. @EmekaOkoye saved me with a dare and it turned into a serious relationship. The last one I had in Nigeria. Why did that relationship end? You guessed it. Cheating. The thing is I was not the one who did. She did, with a married dude in my estate. Again, Nigeria is full of vibes. Nigerian men need more sports. Sex is not a sport even though they think it is. It causes more social problems when resources are diverted to it. Maybe the government should legalize some aspects and have a sex tax. A legislator was caught in a sex shop once. I digress Nigerian men are all vibes. I challenge them to commit a portion of their sex allowance to turning our governance around with just 10k Naira a month for two years. The site will be up soon. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A PERFORMING arts school in Henley has had to put its 20th anniversary celebrations on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdown restrictions forced StageWorks founder Emma-Jane Taylor to cancel all physical classes and plans for a surprise flash mob in the town centre this summer. A production of Jack and the Beanstalk has also been postponed until next May. Ms Taylor, 47, who lives in Henley, said: I was really sad when I was forced to close StageWorks due to covid-19. I will be honest, I had a little cry into my T-shirt. Stopping during such uncertain times always leaves a little apprehension and of course to think StageWorks would not be celebrating our 20 years as we had hoped was also a real blow. It certainly wasnt the celebratory year I had expected. Two days into the lockdown, Ms Taylor introduced online-only sessions for children and adults and about 300 of her 400 members have taken part. She said: We went into lockdown on the Wednesday and then two days later we were fully up and running virtually with all our activities. We had to do it its our 20th year and we couldnt just stop and it has been working well. I know how hard it has been for many people but the community spirit shown during lockdown has proved how loved StageWorks is. We have worked hard to ensure our community of young minds is well entertained and looked after. Online sessions feature reduced class sizes and last 45 minutes each for younger children and 90 minutes for older ones. The activities have ranged from poetry to dance. Ms Taylor said : I know how hard it is for youth which is why it has been great to interact with children during these unprecedented times. She works with more than 27 part-time associates as well as having a personal assistant and eight people in her production team. As they are all self-employed they have not been furloughed and she has not taken out a business grant from the Government. Ms Taylor explained: I have reduced our fees because it is important to maintain some sort of cash flow and because we want them to keep coming back later. Never one to wallow and always one to see the positives in life, I have been liaising with my team, the theatre and my admin crew to find new ways of doing business and, of course, planning our celebratory year or maybe years. Ms Taylor, who has an 11-year-old daughter, Betty-Mae, was born in Marlow. The youngest of three children. Her childhood hobbies included dancing and she had lessons in jazz, tap, modern, ballet and acrobatics from a young age. She danced professionally from the age of about 10 to 15, appearing in a West End production of Cinderella with Dennis Waterman and Rula Lenska as well as regional performances of Andrew Lloyd Webbers Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After leaving school at 16, she wanted to become a hairdresser so took an NVQ course at The Henley College until dermatitis forced her to abandon it as a career. She then had a series of temporary jobs from bar and secretarial work to being a PA and a sales representative and also spent three summers working in Spain. Ms Taylor was abused as a child, leading to mental health problems, but she says it was returning to her love of dance that gave her life focus once more. She became a professional dancer at 19 and joined a cabaret dance troupe called Cameo. The group, which was based in Henley, toured the UK performing variety dance shows. Ms Taylor said: Performing was an outlet for me as it helped me to get through my difficulties and I learned to express myself. Back then, you didnt talk about mental health but I understand the power of it now and how it can help people. As a young girl, I was shy and nervous but performing gave me a bit of liberation. Dancing was always my thing and in my early twenties I performed at Wembley Arena in leather as part of a fetish crew. She started teaching dance part-time when she was 24 and qualified as a personal trainer in order to supplement her income the following year. She gradually scaled back on her temping commitments as her classes grew until she was able to go full-time. She launched StageWorks in 2000, when she was 28. Ms Taylor explained: I was quite old to be a performer but I knew I wanted to work with children. When I launched StageWorks I started with 15 to 20 children and two other people helping me. I was so nervous that I had sick in my mouth but it was one of those things that I knew that I had to do so much. I wanted the kids to like me, which they need to if they are going to buy into what you are doing. I do remember having a lot of fun and one of the kids, Olivia-Grace Shanahan, became one of my teachers and she still talks about how fun it was. Teaching is a really different thing from performing as a performer. You always have to think about what you are saying, you have to respect the children and bring them with you while being entertaining. At the end of that first year we pushed out to four classes in Henley and split the ages. In the beginning we had everyone together but you couldnt have a four-year-old in the same class as someone who is 12. In the second year, she launched a talent competition. Ms Taylor recalled: It was for kids to perform and the winner received 100, which was a lot back then, and that really helped to establish us as a business. Now we were not just a dance club, we put on events as well. The competition showed what talent there is out there locally and we did that for four or five years in the summer. Then we started to put on productions and showcases at the Kenton Theatre and that allowed my team to grow. The arts school expanded over the next 20 years with branches in Benson, Caversham, Cookham, Somerset and, finally, Cholsey, which opened this year. Ms Taylor said: At the beginning I had a bit of impostor syndrome where you feel you are unable to do something even though you have the intelligence and ability to do it. But after it began to take off, I began feeling that yes, I had got a job and, yes, I was good at it. I am really proud and sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed and feel I should slap myself on the back. Ms Taylor says its due to her own difficulties with mental health that she wanted to help children through her teaching and believes her company is successful because parents buy into it. She said: Growing up with my own difficulties, I remember a headmistress told me she didnt want me back at the school and that I would not go anywhere with my failure attitude. Putting negativity on a child is never going to help them, so it doesnt matter if you are good or bad at this or that, everyone has a talent and the ability to be successful at something. Its the same when we put on productions, whether you are a rabbit, a tree or Cinderella, they are treated the same and the children know they are as important as each other. I think that parents like the approach we take their children. I am very focused on their mental health and their mental and physical wellbeing and making sure that they have that connective relationship because it is good for their development, whether its with me in the classes or in the wider world. Ms Taylor is also proud that she has been able to nurture young child actors, such as Ted Wilson, who starred in Matilda in the West End and then on Broadway, and Harry Stott, who was in Oliver! and Mary Poppins in the West End. She said: If you have talent there are opportunities because we are signed up with a talent agency and we recognise talent and star quality. Ms Taylor hopes to re-open fully in September within what government guidelines are then in place. All the students due to take LAMDA exams, which is the speech and drama equivalent of music grades, will do so as soon as possible. In November, each branch will produce an end of term showcase for families and friends to mark 20 years of StageWorks before a drinks reception in December. Ms Taylor said: I will be playing everything by ear, day-by-day but remaining positive. I was always taught from a young age to always find the positive in a difficult situation. I have learned that our community is brilliant and the support is out there. This challenge has given me the opportunity to refocus on the important things. She has planned an informal drinks party at the Kenton Theatre on January 31 to mark the schools 21st year and from May 23 to 29, the postponed pantomime will take place at the New Street venue. Next summer, the cancelled flash mob will take place and then from November 13 to 17 it will stage a musical extravaganza at the Kenton. In the meantime, Ms Taylor is keeping a positive mental attitude during lockdown. She said: I exercise every morning with my daughter, eat healthily and I take a walk, usually to Hambleden or Shiplake. Sometimes my daughter comes with me, sometimes its just me and the dog and Ive really enjoyed the recent beautiful weather. Before lockdown I was insanely busy but I have now been able to see what work was important and what wasnt and it has allowed me to readjust my work and home life balance a little bit, which has been a positive. It will be important to get the business up and running from a financial point of view and it will be good for my daughter to go back to school full-time but I have enjoyed sharing breakfast, lunch and dinner with my partner and daughter every day. Eva Longoria has been giving her 7.9 million Instagram followers a glimpse at some of her playtime while in quarantine in recent months with husband Jose Antonio Baston and their two-year-old son Santiago. But on Saturday the former Desperate Housewives star opted to shine the spotlight on her gorgeous figure when she posted a selfie snap of herself on Instagram. In the photo the Texas native struck a confident pose alongside a pool in a black bikini with a scenic waterfront in the background. Lovely: Eva Longoria, 45, was the picture of confidence in a bikini selfie she shared on Instagram 'Saturday Chillin ........... Thank you @jessicalemariepires and @kyminaswim for the gorgeous Eva bikini!' she gushed in the caption. It turns out her bathing suit was from Jessica Lemarie-Pires' swimwear brand Kymina was specifically named after the television and movie star. To go along with the revealing two-piece, the 45-year-old actress and activist also sported a stylish wide-brim black hat. Fun in the sun: Just three days earlier, Longoria shared a photo of what appeared to be herself navigating a boogie board on the water in a bikini Just three days earlier, Longoria shared a photo of what appeared to be herself soaking in the fun in the sun while navigating a boogie board on the water. 'This week is flying by..... ' she wrote in the caption. There's no official word on where her latest images were taken, but in recent weeks Longoria revealed that she and her family have been enjoying the outdoors at her Mexican estate. Going strong: The former Desperate Housewives star and husband Jose Antonio Baston celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on May 21; they are pictured with their two-year-old son Santiago Over these last four to five months, the proud mom has been sharing some of her secrets to keeping in shape while in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It turns out she has been working out in her makeshift gym inside her home garage and backyard. Many times she gets little Santiago involved in the physical activity and posts videos and pictures on her social media platforms. Longoria and Baston just celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on May 21. As protesters nationwide call for reforms to public safety following the death of George Floyd - including a growing effort to defund police departments and reallocate funds to social service agencies - many across Massachusetts are reassessing their police departments use of force policies and budgets. Multi-day protests have led to action in local governments. From cutting $100,000 from a city police departments budget in the Berkshires to 20% of the Boston Police Department budget for overtime. For the largest police department in Massachusetts, 20% of overtime funds for Boston police officers amounts to $12 million. Those funds will be reallocated to support public mental health services, provide housing support for homeless youth and support strategies the city is taking after Mayor Marty Walsh declared racism a public health crisis. This is not a question around taking away tools that will make our officers less safe, Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell said during a recent council hearing. We know that there are other tools or other ways of protecting our officers. After hours of impassioned discussion, the Boston City Council narrowly approved a $3.61 billion operating budget for the 2021 fiscal year. But there appeared to be a consensus among the city lawmakers: structural changes to address racial inequities are needed. How many times in our history have we told people of color to wait for another time or another moment? Campbell said. We need a budget that resonates in every single neighborhood in the city of Boston. The Massachusetts Senate passed far-reaching policing reforms this month that would ban chokeholds, limit the use of tear gas, license all law enforcement officers and train them in the history of racism. The bill, S.2800, if passed by the House and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker, would create a certification process for police officers, prohibit officers from shooting at fleeing vehicles, make school resources officers optional, temporarily ban government use of facial recognition, ban chokeholds and limit tear gas use. The Boston Police Patrolmens Association and other law enforcement groups say their members are frustrated by the Massachusetts Senates passage Tuesday of a sweeping reform bill that did not undergo a public hearing. The ongoing movement for police reform has led to shifting opinions long held by some local leaders and residents across the state. Under my watch, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in a recent interview with MassLive, Were not going to be defunding our police department. The comment came weeks before his office announced the formation of a new Street Outreach Workers Program to promote better communication between police officers and community members. The program was proposed to start with $250,000 in funding, $125,000 of which would be reallocated from the city police department. When the Springfield City Council approved a $727.6 million budget for the new fiscal year, the reallocation was increased to $200,000 and $800,000 from the Facilities Department budget, which was intended for a new police firing range. Results from a new Suffolk University statewide poll from WGBH News, MassLive, The Boston Globe and the State House News Service indicate Massachusetts residents feel racism is the most serious problem facing the state, greater than the economy/unemployment, even amidst the coronavirus pandemic and record unemployment. Nearly 30% of Massachusetts residents believe racism is the most serious issue facing the commonwealth, eclipsing fears over the economy and coronavirus, according to a new Suffolk University poll with compelling signs that the public is overwhelmingly convinced Black people still face persistent discrimination by police. The poll, released on June 24 by WGBH News, MassLive, The Boston Globe and the State House News Service, revealed clear acknowledgment of systemic racism amid protests and urgent calls to address excessive force by police in cities nationwide, including Springfield, Worcester, Boston and others across the Bay State. The findings show that most Massachusetts residents views are aligned with calls for police reform. Results of the two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the Springfield Police Departments use of force couldnt have come at a worse time for the department. The DoJ determined Springfield Police Departments Narcotics Bureau engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force. The department already had 30 officers wearing body cameras but Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood said that as a result of the report, almost every officer will be required to wear a body-worn camera, including narcotics and plainclothes officers. One of the numerous proposals packed into the Massachusetts Senates new police reform bill is a task force to develop regulations into the procurement, use and storage of body-worn cameras for officers, bringing debate over the technology back into the forefront. In Feb. 2019, the Massachusetts State Police announced the beginning of a body camera pilot program involving 100 troopers. The Boston Police Department rolled out body cams in May 2019 after completing its pilot program. Last year, the Worcester Police Department took part in a six-month pilot program in which 46 officers volunteered to wear body cameras. City Councilor Sean Rose has recently filed an order, calling for members of the police department to begin wearing body cameras permanently. The order comes following weeks of demands from dozens of residents to defund the Worcester police. Residents wanted to see a fiscal 2021 budget increase for the police department reallocated to social services. While Boston and Springfield - the first and third largest cities in Massachusetts - announced cuts to their cities police department budgets, the second largest did not. Worcester police gather in the Main South neighborhood to push back a group of people who continued to march after the peaceful protest ended. In Worcester, police response to protest questioned Hundreds of protesters gathered in Worcester last month demanding a portion of the proposed budget for the city police department be reallocated. Protests in Worcester continued into the night. A group of roughly 60 or 70 people marched down Main Street. They were there for about 90 minutes without incident. However, when police arrived in tactical gear the display turned violent. Nineteen people were arrested including four students from Clark University. As a result of that incident the school severed any ties it had with the police department and hired a law firm to independently conduct a review of the actions taken that evening. Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, Police Chief Steven Sargent and City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. all endorsed the composure and technique the department displayed during the events. Unfortunately, after that protest, there was a small group not looking to share outrage about George Floyd, but bent on destruction and chaos, Augustus said after the arrests. To the credit of the Worcester Police Department, they showed tremendous restraint. I look at that group much different than the protesters that held themselves very appropriately and admirably during the rally at City Hall. Those at the protest described police responding forcefully offering the latest example of why reform is needed. Any violence, looting, rioting that happened in Worcester that night was a direct effect from the police officers being violent, said protester Sheliah Morgan. They attacked and they gave no one way to really escape. They attacked for no reason. They were brought in for absolutely no reason. Videos from the protest show police in riot gear shouting in unison Move back! Move back! while protesters stand peacefully in front of them. Protesters said police surrounded them. Videos show protesters asking where they should go, only to have police respond Move back! or Disperse! Another video shows police forcefully shoving a young woman with their batons. One social media post shows multiple riot officers grabbing an individual and forcing them to the ground after the person appeared to yell something at the officers. There were regular cops telling the riot cops what to do, said protester Jaime Lee Simmons. Those cops at this point were giving orders to take whatever means necessary. They were like We will shoot you. We will do this. You will be getting arrested. They did warn us, but we kept saying For what cause? What are we doing thats illegal? You want to say were disrupting the peace? How about your 30-plus vehicles on the streets with sirens on for the past hour and a half. A video released by police shows a large group of individuals walking toward a police SUV and nearly surrounding it. City officials offered it as evidence of a rowdy unruly crowd, which sparked the riot polices response. Morgan remembered it differently. He got out of his car and acted like he was going to march with us, along with another police officer, Morgan said. Not even a minute later all of these police in riot gear just show up. Sargent said for any large event, the department uses intel before and during to judge when to activate a tactical response. Sargent said tactical responses are deployed when crowds become violent, wont disperse and are a threat to public safety and said that call would be made at the scene. Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. and Clinton Police Chief Mark Laverdure in front of the Clinton Police Department (Noah R. Bombard | nbombard@masslive.com) We prepare for the worst-case scenario and hope for the best-case scenario, Sargent said. A solvent was sprayed during the protest, Sargent said it is a pepper spray mixture. Some protesters also alleged they had witnessed rubber bullets. However, Sargent told MassLive that the department doesnt use them. Theyre not necessary, Sargent said. I dont believe theyre necessary. There are rubber pellets within the pepper spray solvent that helps spread the mixture, according to Sargent. In regard to restraints, according to Lt. Sean Murtha, the Worcester Police Department has not allowed the use of chokeholds or neck restraints for at least 14 years. Every time a member of the Worcester Police Department engages in any kind of force, it is reported. If an officer even removes their taser without using it, thats considered a use of force. If an officer engages in force three times in a six-month period, the individual is flagged for a review by Sargent, their commander, their deputy chief and through the bureau of professional standards. A virtual City Council meeting was arranged and many wanted to address some of the concerns raised at the demonstrations, June 9. Roughly 150 residents signed into the virtual meeting and waited to speak. After three and a half hours, 97 people spoke, each of which advocated to defund the Worcester Police Department. Due to time constraints, Worcester officials stopped the discussion to move onto other points of the meeting. The council members highlighted that the conversation was not over, just tabled for a later date. A virtual raucous exploded. Dozens attempted to speak over each other, creating an impossible task of continuing the meeting. As quickly as the chaos erupted, it fell to silence, in what seemed to be a coordinated effort, residents combined short, succinct sentences each picking up immediately after the other to create an overall statement, You need to let us all speak! The City Council of Worcester seems to feel that its a favor of them to listen to us rather than their job, said Eliana Stanislawski, member of Defund Worcester Police Department, who was present at the virtual council meeting. Those are where the conversations are originating. It will be interesting to see as this develops, who will be willing to sit down and have good faith conversations with us about this. Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts called Defund WPD have asked residents to share information about the citys proposed 2021 budget. The groundswell of support shown at the meeting for defunding the Worcester Police Department came as the city increased the departments budget for fiscal 2021 by $250,000. Protesters gather outside the Springfield Police Headquarters to show solidarity with George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody in Minnesota. (Douglas Hook / MassLive) In Springfield, a pattern of issues In Springfield, concerns regarding use of force by officers on- and off-duty have simmered for years and recently the U.S. Justice Departments investigation into multiple accusations of police misconduct in the Narcotics Bureau found that officers routinely punch suspects in the head or neck impulsively, as a form of control rather than to stop a threat. The routine reliance on punches during arrests and other encounters that we discovered during our investigation indicates a propensity to use force impulsively rather than tactically, the report reads. The investigation included an in-depth review of more than 114,000 pages of policies and procedures, training materials, video footage and investigative files. Agents also spoke to dozens of others including criminal defense lawyers, the Hampden District Attorneys office, FBI agents and community leaders including religious leaders. Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood addresses the need to call on the National Guard to support the city of Springfield's police during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Douglas Hook / MassLive) On April 8, 2015, another incident took place when a group of off-duty Springfield officers were engaged in an altercation with four patrons inside the bar that became physical later in a nearby parking lot. Witnesses told a statewide grand jury that the four civilians, Black men, said they were jumped by a bunch of white boys, some of whom were off-duty police officers. Various cruisers responded, first for the confrontation inside the bar, which resulted in the civilians getting bounced, and the second for the fight outside the East Forest Park pub. The evenings events led to charges being filed against 14 current or former members of the Springfield Police Department and two of the bars owners. Off-duty officers were charged with assault; on-duty officers and others were charged with covering up the fight. In the months since charges were first filed, some have been dropped, others remain pending. The Nathan Bills case has cost the city $885,000 in legal settlements. Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood announced in April she would restore five of the officers involved in the Nathan Bills incident to full-time duty as a result of understaffing in the department during the pandemic, a decision that was hotly contested by the city council and later reversed by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. This was hotly contested by the City Council and Hurst, who issued a statement on April 22 was critical of Clapproods decision, saying that placing the five officers back on duty is unconscionable, unjustifiable and indefensible. My apologies, said Sarno. I meant no disrespect or any ill intent to our Black Community on the reinstatement of five officers, who were involved in the Nathan Bills incident, because of the shortage in our police ranks due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, this was a mistake. None of the city council were notified before the announcement was made, according to Hurst. A Black Lives Matter rally in front of Nathan Bill's Bar & Restaurant on Island Pond Road in Springfield on June 6, 2020. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican) My biggest issue was that the mayor said he made a mistake and didnt realize how much he offended black people, said City Council President Justin Hurst. I was a little taken aback by that. The rehiring of those officers, was a smack in the face to anybody who believes in justice. It doesnt matter what color you are. There were a number of folks across the board who were calling for those officers to be re-suspended until their cases are adjudicated. I just dont know what profession theyre in, where something like that is allowed to happen. The department gained national attention in recent weeks when a newly promoted Latina detective in the Special Victims Unit was fired about a month after posting a pro-Black Lives Matter image to her personal Instagram account while off duty. The image showed Florissa Fuentes niece protesting in Atlanta. Flames leap up in the background and her niece holds a sign that reads: Shoot the F--- Back. A friends sign reads: Who do we call when the murderer wears the badge? Passionate about her work as an officer, Fuentes said she wanted to support her niece and the Black Lives Matter movement. Later she realized how the post inflamed some of her co-workers. After I posted it, I started getting calls and texts from co-workers, Fuentes said during an interview with The Republican. I was initially confused, but then I realized they thought I was being anti-cop. I wasnt. I was just supporting my nieces activism. I had no malicious intent, and I wouldnt put a target on my own back. Im out there on the streets every day like everyone else. She was given an option, resign or be fired. She chose to be fired. Springfields city councilors have long lobbied for a five-member police commission to oversee the police department. The commission would be responsible for hiring, firing and other disciplinary matters. The city council has already passed legislation related to police oversight. We passed the law that created a board that has disciplinary authority, an independent board that has disciplinary authority over the police department and its officers, said Ramos. That law is called the police commission ordinance. The police commission ordinance has been ignored by the mayor and the commissioner and the mayor has refused to enforce that law since we passed it. City Councilor Tracye Whitfield launched a signature petition drive on June 9, that called for a resurrection of a citizen police commission. Demand Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to implement the Citizens Police Commission Ordinance voted on by the Council, December 2018, stated Whitfields Facebook page. To date, the mayor has not appointed the Civilian Board of Police Commissioners and vetoed the commission. The City Council voted in recent weeks to accept the free services of two Northampton lawyers, Thomas Lesser and Michael Aleo, to aid the council in a prolonged dispute with Sarno. Hurst was authorized by the online meeting vote to sign an agreement with the lawyers before the legal discussions begin. If approved in the future by councilors, the lawyers could bring an action to litigate this dispute in the courts on the councils efforts to bring back the five-member commission, which was abolished in 2005. The argument from the [city] solicitor is that we dont have the power to create such a structure, said Hurst. Our argument is that we absolutely do have the power, as long as were not taking any appointment powers away from the mayor. Hundreds of protestors gathered in Boston's South End on Friday, May 29, 2020 to demand justice for George Floyd, a black man who died while in custody of Minneapolis Police after an officer used his knee to pin Floyd to the ground. (Kristin LaFratta / MassLive) In Boston, a call for structural changes Following weeks of protests across the city, activists headed to the home of the mayor on a Sunday. Outside his Dorchester home, they called for him to remove police officers from Boston Public Schools and put a cap on the police overtime budget. Such protests have prompted some change. Walsh declared racism a public health crisis, and submitted a new budget to the city council, reallocating 20% of the Boston Police Departments overtime budget towards community programs for youth, for homelessness, for people struggling with the effects of inequality. After hours of impassioned discussion, the Boston City Council narrowly approved a $3.61 billion operating budget for the coming fiscal year. But there appeared to be a consensus among the city lawmakers: structural changes to address racial inequities are needed. We share politics, we all feel the urgency of this moment, but the council cannot speedily negotiate a new better budget from the mayor without a counter-proposal, Councilor Kenzie Bok said. That is like saying you can lean out over a cliff without attaching the rope that is supposed to pull you back. The 8-5 vote to pass the budget was not without considerable reservations about existing inequities with respect to the proposed allocations for the police department and its overtime budget compared to programming that would benefit neighborhoods of color. How many times in our history have we told people of color to wait for another time or another moment? Campbell said. We need a budget that resonates in every single neighborhood in the city of Boston. The total police department budget for fiscal 2020 stands at $414,237,376, which represents about a $50 million increase over the past three years. Nearly half of the departments money is put toward the Bureau of Field Services, which oversees community policing, as well as general, tactical police services. People march in protest against police brutality in Boston, Wednesday, June 3, 2020, following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP The citys police department enjoys four times as much funding as its own Public Health Commission. Its overall public safety allocation, which includes fire services and emergency management, for 2020 came in at $686,738,600. The Boston Police Department in the wake of Floyds death released data detailing police stops and investigations -- a dataset produced by the Field Interrogation and Observations program. The data showed that while police stops have been declining in recent years, Black Bostonians make up a disproportionate number of encounters -- nearly 70%, compared to others. Asked about the disparity, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said in an earlier report, the data showed that a small number of individuals accounted for nearly 40% of the interactions. Unfortunately, the majority of the crime -- the shootings, the stabbings and everything -- are happening in neighborhoods of color, he said. And when we stop to talk to people, it doesnt mean they are targeted; sometimes were just talking to them. Gross comments came during a press conference detailing charges against dozens of members and associates of a Boston-based gang that were the result of a year-long investigation into gang violence in the region. Gross touted the partnership between federal investigators and his department as something thats needed in this time of civil unrest. He added, For Gods sake, I wish you all would interview some of the people in the neighborhoods because theyre tired of this, he said, referring to those whove suffered because of gang violence. They deserve better. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. Related Content: She revealed she was dating a new man in June, six months after splitting from model Elliott Reeder. And Montana Brown was looking radiant as she splashed around in the sea with actor Damson Idris on Saturday. The Love Islander has not named her new beau but she appeared close to the Black Mirror star, 28, during their French Riviera holiday. New beau? Montana Brown was looking radiant as she splashed around in the sea with actor Damson Idris The pair were relaxing on a beach in Cannes in the south of France and looked cosy with each other. Montana was a beach goddess in a navy bikini as she showed off her enviable figure with her potential new man. The reality star also donned a sunhat and sunglasses as they paddled in the water together. Beach trip: The Love Islander has not previously revealed her new relationship but she appeared close to the Black Mirror star, 28 Holiday: The pair were relaxing on a beach in Cannes in the south of France and looked cosy with each other Good match: Montana was a beach goddess in a navy bikini as she showed off her enviable figure with the actor Stylish: The reality star also donned a sunhat and sunglasses as they paddled in the water together Damson also showed off his toned physique in a pair of black swim shorts as the pair enjoyed their holiday. Damson is an acclaimed actor who is starring in Snowfall and has also appeared in The Twilight Zone. The Peckham-born star won the Emerging Talent Award at the National Film and TV awards in 2017. Damson has also appeared alongside Kate Beckinsale in the 2018 film Farming. Rising star: The Peckham-born star won the Emerging Talent Award at the National Film and TV awards in 2017 Talent: Damson is an acclaimed actor who is starring in Snowfall and has also appeared in The Twilight Zone Love is in the air: In June, Montana confirmed she was dating a new man during lockdown after her split from model Elliott Reeder Relaxing: Montana showed off her enviable figure and stunning curves as she paddled in the water In June, Montana confirmed she was dating a new man during lockdown after her split from model Elliott Reeder. The beauty said she was planning to meet up with her potential date for a walk as she chatted to pal Joanna Chimonides on FUBAR Radio. Montana, who split from Elliott in January after two years together, said: 'We have a light at the end of the tunnel okay. 'This guy, we're going to go on a walk, and he was like, "I'm gonna come pick you up". He lives like quite far from me and where we're going is not near me either. Sizzling: The reality star looked stunning in the two-piece which had gold detailing on the top and bottoms Beach bodies: Montana recently said she didn't want a high profile romance as she was 'craving normality' Happy holidays: The pair were enjoying a dip in the sea during their holiday to the French Riviera All smiles: Montana was close to the actor as they walked along the picturesque beach together Enjoying herself: Montana was sunning herself as she worked on her tan during the holiday At ease: The former Love Islander looked very happy as she paddled with the actor Star: Montana looked every inch a beach goddess as she showed off her stunning physique Peachy: Montana also shared an Instagram snap of her day out at the beach, saying 'catch me if you Cannes' Wow: The star showed off her incredibly toned legs and svelte physique in the sizzling snaps 'He's like, "no I'm gonna pick you up. I'm gonna swing by, pick you up. Do you have any allergies? Because I'm gonna grab some food on the way for our walk". 'I was like," would you like to marry me?!" And Montana said she didn't want a high profile romance as she was 'craving normality'. The television personality revealed at the time: 'He's not famous which is actually ideal for me because I'm craving normality. Tight-lipped: Montana has been keeping her cards close to her chest about her love life Beauty: The reality star caught the eye in her beach wear as she also donned a hat and sunglasses when taking to the water Splashing: Montana wore her hair in a ponytail as she enjoyed a day at the beach on her holiday Eye-catching: The beauty jetted off to France this week to relax as lockdown measures continue to ease Friends holiday: Montana was also joined by influencer Grace Beverley on the beach 'I just want someone who only wants me and not a million other girls I just want to find a doctor in Sheffield that no one knows, who lives with his grandma or something, got a farm maybe, and that's me sorted.' When asked about the attention she's received since being on the show three years ago, Montana explained: 'You do get boys talking to you but they're just so odd. 'This boy right, I was like, "oh you know, he's attractive, I'll match him on whatever". So I match with him "do you have snap?" 'No I don't have snap!' I don't want your What?! I was like, "are you taking the p**s"?!' Elliott and Montana dated for two years and went Instagram official back in February 2018, just eight weeks into their relationship. Success: Grace is an entrepreneur who has built a fitness brand after leaving Oxford University Gorgeous: Grace makes sustainable vegan gymwear and started her business from scratch Outing: Montana took to the water wearing a silver bracelet and a silver watch Playing hard: Grace, 23, has founded the fitness company Tala, an ethical athleticwear outlet Beach body ready: Montana showed off her curves in the navy bikini as she enjoyed her day out In fact, we emptied out our Homewood Adoption Center in the first four days of being open, she said. However, foster interest is waning significantly. It has now switched where there are more pets at the shelter than in foster care. Fitzpatrick said that while shelter director Jessica Petalas-Hernandez has worked hard to plan ahead and anticipated a possible influx of intakes due to COVID-19 patients being unable to care for their pets, they have not seen that happen so far. Wildlife woes Also part of Humane Indiana is Humane Indiana Wildlife, which was added in 2014 in Valparaiso as a facility to rehabilitate orphaned and injured wildlife. In addition to caring for the animals, Humane Indiana Wildlife also provides learning opportunities at its education center and by visiting schools, libraries and other venues. At least it used to. But that all stopped in March. And even though the education arm came to a halt, the need for wildlife rehabilitation continues. Last year it reached 17,000 through its programs and it barely got two months of programming and education in before the coronavirus cancellations. We were taught that if you wanted to get to the bottom of a great story, you had to follow the money. Thats what Deep Throat told Robert Redford in a seedy Washington car park at two oclock in the morning in All the President's Men. In actual fact, Mark Felt the Deputy Director of the FBI who provided the Washington Post reporters with the crucial leads didnt have such a flair for well-rounded sentences, but he guided Bob Woodward until the Post journalist realised that the key to the Watergate scandal was that the cash payments made to the team that broke into the HQ of the Democratic National Committee came from the Nixon campaign. Tracing the source of the cash led them to the mastermind of the GOPs clandestine op and uncovered the White House tapes that proved Nixons attempt to cover up the scandal and exposed Tricky Dicks narcissism. As ever, reality is far less glamorous than the movie, but the motto follow the money together with cherchez la femme, or the man, I guess still work when you are following a lead to unravel the knots of corrupt power in the US and in Spain. Today Spains monarchy is being threatened by business deals and feelings, following the scandal caused by King Juan Carlos conduct and the ambition of his mistress, Corinna Larsen, something which historian Paul Preston refers to as the Lady Macbeth effect. Juan Carlos private life is a combination of Shakespeare drama and comic opera, but it could potentially destroy his successor, King Felipe. Renouncing the legacy From what we know today, Juan Carlos has ruined the work of a lifetime: to secure the continuity of Spains monarchy beyond him. After being appointed head of state by General Franco, thus fulfilling his fathers dream, and having persuaded the less enthusiastic supporters of the monarchy to stand by him, both in government and in the streets, his reign came to an abrupt end and every day the future of King Felipe is looking increasingly precarious, despite the kings express PR visits to the Spanish provinces. It is not that Spain has become republican unlike 70 per cent of the Catalan people. Rather, the King Emeritus has dishonoured himself and has torpedoed the monarchys constitutional role one that is purely symbolic with every revelation from his mistress about Juan Carlos shady business dealings. Today ARA publishes a special report on the scandal of Juan Carlos money stashed away in a Swiss bank account and Corinna Larsens role in the transfer of the cash, which the King Emeritus tried to get back after having gifted it to his mistress, something that he had made clear. Larsens London lawyers have spoken to our reporter, Quim Aranda, about the ongoing harassment that their client has been subjected to. Her ties to former police superintendent Villarejo, currently in jail, promise new entertaining episodes that might have major political consequences. Larsen has no intention of giving up her gold pot or being convicted for providing her royal lover with a front. Our dossier provides insight into Juan Carlos own feelings of impunity afforded by the monarchs constitutional immunity and the acquiescence of Spains king-friendly media and a whole generation of political leaders. So much so that he has jeopardised the very institution he helped to restore thanks to General Franco, the Spanish dictator. The limits of diplomacy The man who used to represent Spanish diplomacy before the various royal families mistook the state coffers with his own. Juan Carlos himself is quoted admitting the risks involved in Jose Luis de Villalongas El Rey: Let me put it this way: I exert a modicum of influence, but I am very prudent about it, because in my case the boundaries are dangerously blurry. And then he added that Sometimes my prestige is at stake An Arab head of state might call me and ask me to convey a message to the King of Morocco. It happened a lot during the Gulf War. Reading our interview with Paul Preston today, you could conclude that, at one point, the King Emeritus decided to cash in the chips from the the services rendered to Spain and the crown. When involvement in the public sphere is understood as a sacrifice or it lasts (nearly) a lifetime, eventually it provides self-justification for corruption and abuse of power. Is thinking yourself untouchable an evil that is exclusive to monarchs? It isnt. It doesnt apply just to Juan Carlos, but to all politicians who confuse their public office with personal ownership over public assets, seeing themselves as irreplaceable figures and turning into leaders who resemble a messiah more than a public servant. This brings back an old Catalan oath of fealty to the king: We, who are as worthy as Thou, pledge our allegiance to Thee and accept Thee as our King, provided Thou uphold our laws and liberties. Today the pact between the Spanish and their crown is more obsolete than ever. By Lauren Manni It is summer in New Jersey, the best time of year. We yearn for the hot summer days, cool summer nights, crashing waves at the Jersey Shore, pizza and cheesesteaks on the boardwalk, ice cream cones melting in our hands and spending time with friends and family. But this summer is different. As much as Im dying to be with my friends at the Shore, I know its not the safest choice. So Im staying home, turning down invitations left and right because Im trying to protect my family: my husband, our 3-year-old daughter, 1-year-old son, and most importantly, my parents who are approaching 70. Im being overly cautious of absolutely everything. Friends laugh at me, family members tell me Im crazy, but Im OK with it because I know that the ones I care most about are safe. But heres the catch . Im a school counselor, and school will resume in September. The coronavirus is still very much here. There is no vaccine, no proven therapeutics, Gov. Phil Murphy repeatedly touts that, this virus is lethal indoors, yet here we are. School is scheduled to resume in September and, This virus is lethal indoors! As an elementary school counselor and a mom of toddlers, distance learning was nothing short of awful this past semester. Would I give anything to be back in my school building, going into classrooms, meeting with students, having parent conferences and feeling that human connection with my students? Absolutely. Did I do my job and go into Google Meets with my students and have parent conferences and assess for self-harm, suicidal ideation and child abuse/neglect? Yes. Was it hard? Yes. Would I change a lot? Yes. But as I think about returning to school in September, my mind spins in a million directions. None of the worries I have are about me. This is about my children and my parents. When I return to work in September, my daughter will enter pre-school, ideally wearing a mask. We experimented with mask-wearing today. It was 80 degrees and humid. She kept her mask on for maybe three minutes. Thats pretty good for a 3-year-old. But the scary part is that her school is half-day, so my parents will pick her up and watch her until Im finished with work. My mom is a cancer survivor, thankfully in remission but we know that chemotherapy lowered her immunity to infections. Theyll be watching my daughter who has just worn a mask for all of three minutes and been exposed to 15 other children and four adults for 240 minutes. Whatever she has contracted will now be transmitted to my parents. And then theres me. A typical day as an elementary school counselor is very different from a classroom teacher. Instead of having a classroom of 25, I am fortunate to work with 475 students in my school, through classroom lessons, one-on-one interactions or just passing in the hallways. I pride myself on knowing each and every one of the students in my building. I have formed relationships with parents through frequent parent conferences, I meet daily with teachers and other faculty members to discuss student concerns. Overall, Id categorize my exposure to others as high. Now lets picture September. Likely upper 80 degrees, which means classrooms are nearing 90 degrees. Needless to say, the building is hot. So hot that classroom lights are kept off to create the illusion that rooms are cooler by a few degrees. So hot that districts close schools early because of heat advisories. This is nothing new, we know this and we deal with this. But now there is a virus that breads in respiratory droplets. A virus that can be lethal in spaces with limited airflow. Spaces like school buildings. That first day of school, parents, students and teachers all feel the same butterflies from nervousness and excitement. But this year will be different. Four-hundred-and-seventy-five students and their parents will gather outside on a hot playground. Most kids are fine. They find their teacher, line up with their class and the day is started. But there are always a handful of kids, mostly kindergarteners, who are just not ready to start their school day. So Im called to help the screaming, crying, clinging-to-their-mommy 5-year-olds. This takes a lot of coaxing, hugging, back-rubbing, reassuring, hand-holding, water-sipping, snot-wiping, non-distancing human interaction. This is just Day 1. And Im already covered in multiple 5-year-olds bodily secretions. Elementary school is a different beast. These kids dont know social boundaries, they dont know social norms, they dont know social awareness. But were expecting them to social distance. Its just not a concept that these growing brains can grasp. Children wearing masks is also not realistic. Teachers, teaching, wearing masks is not realistic. We all know this. I know this is the time were living in, but the clear answer is to wait until there is a proven vaccine or successful therapeutics and then reopen schools. Office buildings are not reopening, restaurants are not reopening, indoor activities are not reopening. It sounds utterly insane to reopen schools. The thousands of lives that will be in jeopardy are heart-stopping, including my own, my childrens, my parents. Governor Murphy, I watch your press conferences religiously. The last thing I want to see is you memorializing one of my parents because I went back to in-person learning too soon. Lauren Manni has been a school counselor in Passaic County for 10 years. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. A local business owner established a movement against racial injustice in the Lake Houston area. Akilah Glaspie, owner of The Gingerbread School, organized the Humble TX Stand Up event on July 19 that in turn grew into more of an unofficial organization. Glaspie said Stand Up is a group of Black-owned Humble-area business owners who want to make it clear that they stand against racial division in their community. The quarterly event is a way to approach these topics collectively with all businesses and individuals in the Lake Houston area, she said. BUSINESS: Humble area Black-owned businesses get economic boost on Blackout Day 2020 The family-friendly awareness event will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Daddys Daiquiri and Howards Barber Shop at 11411 N. Sam Houston Pkwy E. There will be voter registration, opportunities for mingling, surveys for a spectrum of experiences with racial injustice and opportunities for people to meet their neighbors. The group will come together for a diversity and inclusion presentation that will teach business owners about the benefits of making a more supportive community. There will also be music, speakers and activities for children. The goal is to provide resources for the community to realize racial injustices and learn ways to be proactive and combative against it. Attendees will be provided with masks and gloves and the event will be welcoming for social distancing. We want to be proactive and be on the forefront of making sure that here in Humble, Texas, were setting the standard and the precedent that these types of things are not tolerable. These kinds of things are not condoned, and that we as a Humble, Texas community, residents and business owners are committed to making sure that we proactively put things in place to prevent these types of things from occurring here. The group has a long term goal of establishing a diversity and culture education core curriculum subject requirement in Humble ISD, starting at the elementary level, to provide children with the knowledge to recognize racial and cultural differences as well as to understand international courtesies and customs. CORONAVIRUS: Essential workers, missed messages: COVID is raging through Houstons Hispanic communities They are also hoping for a directory of the Humble Police Department so residents can learn more about the officers that patrol the community. On those web pages, Glaspie said they would want more opportunities to provide feedback. What were seeing on media, these are what you call extreme cases, extremities, but they dont necessarily represent the smaller things that are taking place on a daily basis that are kind of being overlooked, Glaspie said. So if we could start building a merit system where police officers are able to be provided feedback as to how their daily interactions are with people, and if they are inappropriate they can address some kind of merit or probationary or retraining system to help them meet their standards. Businesses supporting the event include Howards Barber Ship, Vanity Beauty Bar, Daddys Daiquiri, Prison Youth Ministries, Queens of Hair, Right Way Tax and Finacial Services LLC, The S.W.A.G.G. Boiz, A.G. Ministries, Below My Feet Performing Arts, Keeping Up with Chello, Yvonne Rose Foundation USA, Winkelmann Interpreting Services, Inc., Shots by Charmaine, as well as Glaspies business The Gingerbread School. We didnt choose this location just because it was great for business, we choose this location because we believe in the spirit of the community, Glaspie said. We believe that we are opening up a business in a place that would be accepted and patronized by all people. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com The detention of the suspended chairman of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, came to an end last week as he was released after spending about ten days in police custody. He was arrested on July 6 and was appearing before a presidential panel investigating allegations of corruption and insubordination levelled against him by Abubakar Malami, Nigerias justice minister. The duo have in recent times, disagreed on the anti-corruption war and many Nigerians believe Mr Magus ordeal is part of a power play with Mr Malami. A combined team of police officers and operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) had searched Mr Magus house in Karu, Abuja but nothing incriminating was found during the search, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. Prior to his release, prominent international groups involved in anti-corruption efforts globally wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari on what they said, is the unfortunate treatment of Mr Magu. They said Nigerias anti-corruption war might suffer a setback and that Mr Magu has proved himself to be up to the task. Shortly before he was released, Mr Magu wrote to the Ayo Salami investigative panel, debunking media reports linking him to corruption and published while he was being detained. He accused the panel of not giving him adequate time and facilities to defend himself and insisted that the panel is yet to serve him the petitions containing the allegations against him, as well as a copy of the report of the Presidential Committee on Audit of Recovered Assets (PCARA). Edo and Ondo polls Ahead of the September governorship election in Edo State, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will reclaim its mandate. The minister, who chaired the APC National Campaign Council for the coming poll, said the partys South/South stakeholders had agreed to reclaim the state in the upcoming poll and that Edo was taken from the party through the back door and would be recovered. In a similar development, a coalition of some registered political parties, under the aegis of Coalition of Political Parties (CPP), in Edo, endorsed the re-election bid of the governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, for another four years. Mr Obaseki is contesting under the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP). Also, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of candidates for the election. The list of the 14 political parties published by the commission shows that 12 of the 14 governorship candidates are male while two are female. It also showed that only two of the deputy governorship candidates are female. Meanwhile, in Ondo State, the APC has cleared all 12 aspirants jostling for its governorship ticket. READ ALSO: This was after the partys screening panel chaired by Tijjani Tumsa, screened the states incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, alongside 11 aspirants at an undisclosed venue in Abuja between July 8 and 9. The party also appointed the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, as the chairman of the Ondo State governorship primary election committee. This is even as the chairman of the caretaker committee of the APC, Mala Buni, cautioned the governorship aspirants of the party in Ondo State not to dictate on its mode of primary after the party chose the indirect primary. The APC primary in Ondo State holds on July 20. Other reports Aformer National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, said that as the NSA between 2012 and 2015, he never campaigned for the APC nor Mr Buhari, before, during or after the 2015 presidential election. This was in reaction to media reports that he discreetly campaigned for Mr Buhari and his party APC, while serving as Mr Jonathans NSA. He said he was only involved in the unsuccessful attempt at forging an alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), prior to 2011 elections. Also reacting to a media report was the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who denied having a 2023 presidential ambition. Consultations were ongoing among major stakeholders in the party to make Mr Lawans goal to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office a reality, Sahara Reporters had reported. In other news, the APC chapter in Mashi LG, Katsina State, asked the member representing Mashi/ Dutsi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mansur Mashi, to resign over his abusive comments on the president. A party official said his failure to do this may lead to his constituency recalling him. Advertisements The official quoted the lawmaker as saying, Buhari had to leave the scene the way the late (late ex-president) YarAdua did, so that his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, would take over, and that such is the only way Nigeria could make progress before 2023. And on Saturday, gunmen kidnapped the wife and son of the late former Speaker of Edo State, Zakawanu Garuba. The two victims were abducted while travelling from Abuja to Auchi with other relatives for the burial rites of Mr Garuba when they were attacked by gunmen. Mr Garuba had died earlier on Saturday in Abuja as a result of an undisclosed illness. John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights leader who died Friday, encouraged crowds large and small to continue pushing for racial equality during trips to Philadelphia in recent years. Here are excerpts from three speeches he gave in the region. Camden: Sept. 19, 2016 In September 2016, Lewis came to Philadelphia to accept the prestigious Liberty Medal. The visit occurred shortly before the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in Washington an effort that Lewis championed. Ahead of the award ceremony, Lewis spoke in Camden, where community advocates were pushing for historic recognition of a house where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent time. Haddon Heights activist Patrick Duff recalled on Saturday that he was stunned when Lewis joined his fight to preserve the home. Next Saturday, an African American museum is going to open on the Mall in Washington, Lewis said. I sponsored the legislation to get it passed. I went there a few days ago. I almost cried. You can feel the spirit of Dr. King there. You can feel the spirit of our ancestors in that museum. He encouraged the gathered crowd to keep the faith: So I think its important for this city, for this state, and for our nation to save this local place, where Martin Luther King Jr. stayed while he was trying to get an education at Crozer Theological Seminary. ... I would love to come back here and visit when the marker is placed and this building is restored. It will be a day of jubilee. National Constitution Center: Sept. 19, 2016 That evening, Lewis was honored with the Liberty Medal at the Constitution Center. He told the audience that he never set out to win any awards: My plan wasnt to seek fame or fortune. All I wanted to do is to help out. To do what I could to help make this country and the world community a little bit better, more just, a little more peaceful for all of its citizens. ... We were just ordinary people, but we had an extraordinary vision to live in a society that respected dignity and the worth of every human being. We wanted to build what we called what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others called the beloved community. We truly believed that by refusing to comply with what was wrong, we could get our nation to do what was right. During those remarks, Lewis also invoked the promise of the Declaration of Independence: We overcame great distance, but we the people still have a great distance to go to fulfill the promise of a true democracy. Let the Declaration of Independence, fashioned by the founders of our great nation, right here in this city, the city of Brotherly Love, be our guide. Its beautiful words affirm the equality of all humanity. Let us continue to put aside, and push and pull, to protest and to dissent, and be prepared to struggle to move the society forward. ... We must stay in this struggle until we build a society based on simple justice. St. Josephs University: April 16, 2018 In a nearly 30-minute speech at St. Josephs in 2018, Lewis encapsulated the sweep of his life, from raising chickens on his familys Alabama farm as a boy, to joining with King in the civil rights movement, to battling for immigration reform in his later years. He shared how he committed to nonviolent protest inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and King as the threat of arrest loomed: When I got involved in the sit-ins, wed sit in there in an orderly, peaceful, nonviolent fashion, waiting to be served. And someone would come up and spit on us, put a lighted cigarette out in our hair ... pour hot water, hot coffee, or hot chocolate on us. Beat us. We were told over and over again, if we continued to sit in, we would get arrested, we would be arrested. We would be taken to jail. And I thought about it, and I said, if we were going to be arrested, and go to jail, I wanted to look clean. I wanted to look fresh. ... I had very little money as a student. So I went to a used mens store in downtown Nashville, Tenn., and bought a suit. I paid $5 for the suit. A vest came with it. And when I was first arrested, the first time, on February the 27th, 1960, I did look clean. I did look fresh. I did look sharp. And I tell you, my first arrest, I felt free. I felt liberated. I felt like I crossed over. Lewis closed that speech by reflecting on the assassinations of King in April 1968, and Robert Kennedy, killed two months later: If these two men had lived, our nation and our world would be better. All of us, each one of us, have an obligation, a mission, and a mandate, to pick up where Dr. King and Robert Kennedy left off. We can do it, and we must do it. So hang in there. We have miles to travel. We have to save our country, save our democracy. I wish each and every one of you well. May God bless you and may God keep you. Correction: This story has been updated to correct the location of Lewiss familys farm. It was in Alabama. With just three days left for the completion of lockdown in Bengaluru, there seems to be respite from COVID cases for Karnataka. While the state recorded 4,537 cases, Bengaluru witnessed 2,125 cases. The total tally is nearing 60k and stands at 59,652 cases. Dakshina Kannada reported more than 500 fresh cases while other cases reported less than 200 cases. The state witnessed 93 deaths since Friday evening. And Bengaluru continued to add up with 49 out of 93 deaths. With repeated complaints of private hospitals refusing to admit Covid 19 positive patients and they inturn making rounds in the city and succumbing to death, Karnataka Chief Minister Mr Yediyurappa has directed private medical college hospitals to reserve 50 percent of beds from Sunday onwards. Mr Yediyurappa said that Bengaluru should continue to lead the country as a role model in COVID management and asked private medical colleges to provide around 4500 beds as agreed by them earlier. This would make total beds available in government and private medical colleges at 6500 beds. "During this emergency situation we should respond with humanity. COVID and Non COVID patients should not be denied treatment. All support including providing doctors and nurses, if need be will be provided" he said. Nodal officers have already been appointed to monitor the availability of beds in these medical colleges and it was decided to issue notice to Vaidehi Medical College for their absence. As Mr Anil Kumar who held the post of BBMP Commissioner expressed his views that the lockdown has to be extended for another one more week to break the chain of Coronavirus spread in Bengaluru, the BJP led state government which had a contrary view to this, quickly shunted and replaced him with former BBMP Commissioner Mr Manjunath Prasad. The Pentagon is researching better ways to detect and respond to electromagnetic pulse weapons, which can disable or destroy electronic devices in a devastating sneak attack. The Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency is working on sensors to detect and analyze EMP attacks under its Conventional Nuclear Integration/Battlefield Nuclear Warfare program. EMPs can range in size from narrowly targeted cannons that could disable an aircraft to massive atmospheric nuclear blasts that could wipe out the entire nation's electricity grid. Increasingly, war planners fear an EMP sneak attack that could cripple key capabilities, with China, North Korea, Russia and Iran known to be developing such weapons. A US soldier is seen during exercises in Poland on Saturday. The Pentagon is developing detection systems to respond to potential EMP attacks on American forces A map shows the impact zone (red) for a nuclear EMP blast at certain altitudes (black numbers) What is an EMP? An EMP is a short, powerful burst of electromagnetic energy that can disable or destroy electronics. EMPs can be naturally occurring, as with a lightning strike, or man made using microwave generators or nuclear blasts. Nuclear EMPs are the most powerful, and at sufficient altitude could fry the nation's power grid. Advertisement In 2017, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs reported: 'A successful nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack against the United States could cause the death of approximately 90 percent of the American population.' Because the weapons consist of invisible, silent radio waves that disable electronics without hurting humans, the Pentagon fears that soldiers in the field could be caught unawares, and that commanders would have no quick way to assess the scope of the attack. 'The modern battlefield is heavily dependent on electronic systems and near real-time data,' Tom Cartledge of the DTRA's Nuclear Detection Division, told Forbes contributor David Hambling. 'Warfighters would benefit by being able to rapidly assess why these essential systems are not functioning properly so that appropriate troubleshooting or alternate procedures can be initiated.' Cartledge said that if communications were knocked out, soldiers need a way to quickly determine whether they had been hit with an EMP, or if a routine malfunction was to blame. The effects of an EMP blast are tested on Army Humvees in an anechoic chamber at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in 2013 'Our initial assessment is that we'll likely need a family of sensors to fully inform the battlefield,' says Cartledge. What will happen to the U.S. after a nuclear EMP attack? According to a 2018 Pentagon report: Military will be cripped as weapons will be downed, military and commercial jets will be degraded, bases cut off and power and GPS will go dark Military may also be unable to identify who launched attack without electricity Nuclear reactors will melt down and 4.1million people living near them will be displaced 90 per cent of East Coast population will die after a year No electricity will interfere with transportation, food, and healthcare Cell phone service will go out Civil unrest would start within hours It'll take 18 months to restore order A foreign attack by an EMP weapon will shut down electricity in the U.S. Advertisement 'This would include sensors for dismounted warfighters, mobile command posts, and fixed facilities. Because of size, weight, power, and data constraints with these different platforms, it is likely these sensors will vary in capability,' he said. The smallest sensors could be no larger than a 'sticker' worn by individual troops that could quickly tell them if they'd been exposed to an EMP blast. Larger sensor nets could quickly inform command officers of the scope and intensity of the blast, indicating which equipment might be damaged, and how badly. 'These sensors would most likely be networked within larger systems to sharing early warning information and enable collaborative analysis,' says Cartledge. 'However, communications is one of the capabilities impacted by an EMP so the sensors must be able to work stand-alone.' DTRA confirmed in a statement that it has long been working on the issue of countering EMP weapons, dating back as early as 1962. Experts have warned that China's network of satellites, high-speed missiles, and EMP super-weapons could destroy the nation's power grid and wipe out American society as it exists today. In recent years, the EMP threat has grown in prominence, as North Korea developed nuclear weapons that could be used in an atmospheric blast to inflict widespread damage. Last week, Russian state news reported the successful test of an EMP cannon that could disable a ground vehicle or aircraft up to six miles away. And in April, Iran successfully launched a military satellite, demonstrating ballistic missile capabilities that many fear could be used in an EMP strike. The Russian Krasukha is a Russian mobile, ground-based, electronic warfare (EW) system. This system is produced by the KRET corporation on different wheeled platforms Last year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order for the Pentagon to assess the risks of a man-made or natural EMP hit. 'Some people might think that things similar to the 'Pearl Harbor incident' are unlikely to take place during the information age,' Peter Pry, executive director of the EMP Task Force on Homeland and National Security, has written. 'Yet it could be regarded as the 'Pearl Harbor incident' of the 21st century if a surprise attack is conducted against the enemy's crucial information systems...' he continued. 'Even a super military power like the United States, which possesses nuclear missiles and powerful armed forces, cannot guarantee its immunity.' 100 Years Ago 1920: Chief of Police James H. Deavenport is celebrating his birthday today. The chief has just passed his thirty-eighth milestone. He planned several things to observe the event, but decided to stick at his desk and is distributing cigars to all callers. Friends of the chief visited the station house today and wished him continued success and many happy birthdays. 75 Years Ago 1945: Hope for the revival of the once flourishing shad fishing industry on the Delaware River was revealed Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Interstate Commission on the Delaware River Basin, held in the Warwick Hotel under the chairmanship of Ellwood J. Turner, Chester attorney and member of the State Legislature. The anti-pollution campaign being waged by the Incodel commission has been bolstered by the efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the fisheries department of Pennsylvania, New York, Jew Jersey and Delaware, plus the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission. 50 Years Ago 1970: An off-duty rookie Chester policeman foiled a holdup attempt in the Acme Supermarket on MacDade Boulevard, near Bullens Lane, when he shot and seriously wounded a man in the store about 9:20 a.m. yesterday. Chester Patrolman Theodore Pokoy was doing some last-minute shopping before going to the shore for the weekend, returning fire at the gunman with his service revolver carried in a holster tucked into plaid bermuda shorts. 25 Years Ago 1995: Upper Darby residents attempting to stop an 18th century home from being razed to make way for a drug store want their protest heard in court. According to a civil suit filed yesterday by attorney William J. McDevitt on behalf of Darlene Cesarini, who lives across from the house, the Upper Darby Zoning Hearing Board failed to apply appropriate zoning standards when it granted a variance for developer Raymond Konyk Jr. to raze the historic white stucco home near Lansdowne Avenue and State Road, which was built before the Revolutionary War. 10 Years Ago 2010: Darby Township Commissioners ratified the curfew ordinance in the 1st and 2nd wards. Commissioner Arnold Covert moved to ratify the curfew ordinance so the evening curfew will remain 9 p.m. seven days a week. Those caught in violation of the curfew, in place since spring, will receive a warning on their first offense and a fine on their second offense. Weve seen a positive difference since we posted the new curfew, Covert said after the meeting. If kids get fined once for violating the curfew, we usually dont see them in violation again. COLIN AINSWORTH Mumbai: Actors Deepika Padukone and Prabhas are set to collaborate for the first time for a multilingual sci-fi film, to be directed by Nag Ashwin. Vyjayanthi Movies, which completes 50 years in the industry, announced the project on on Sunday to mark the golden jubilee of the banner. Deepika took to Twitter and wrote she was "beyond thrilled" to be a part of the project. "Cannot wait for what we believe is going to be an incredible journey ahead," the 34-year-old actor said. Sharing the announcement video on his Instagram page, Prabhas, 40, said the team is excited to have Deepika on board. The actor was last seen in the 2019 action thriller "Saaho" co-starring Shraddha Kapoor, while Deepika's latest release was Meghna Gulzar's"Chhapaak". Ashwin, who helmed the National Award winning "Mahanati", said the pairing of Deepika and the "Baahubali" star will be the highlight of the film. "I'm very excited to see Deepika play this character. It is something no mainstream lead has done before and will be quite a surprise for everyone. "The pairing of Deepika and Prabhas will be one of the main highlights of the film and the story between them, I believe will be something audiences will carry in their hearts for years to come," Ashwin said in a statement. C Aswini Dutt, producer and founder of Vyjayanthi Movies, said the film is a "golden opportunity" for the production house to cement its place in the "annals of Indian Cinema history." "It is also an incredible opportunity to enthrall the Indian audiences like never before, through the coming together of such extraordinary cinematic talents," Aswini said. Co-producers Swapna Dutt and Priyanka Dutt said getting the "Padmaavat" star on board for the film was thrilling. "What better way to mark our golden jubilee than welcoming the marvellous Deepika Padukone on board, to create some extraordinary magic on screen with Prabhas, in a Nag Ashwin film," Swapna and Priyanka added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus bribery trial resumed on Sunday. However, the PM was not in attendance at the Jerusalem District Court hearing. His attorney Yossi Segev asked the court to delay proceedings because of Covid-19. Its hard to tell if a masked witness is telling the truth, he said. The PM Judge Rivkah Friedman Feldman decided the evidence phase of the trial will begin next January, with testimony to be given three times a week. Netanyahu was indicted last November for allegedly taking gifts from billionaires in return for political favors, and for making deals with media owners for less critical coverage. He denies the charges. The process comes amid repeated protests against the Israeli leader as well as government handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Police used water cannon against demonstrators gathered outside Netanyahus home on Saturday and arrested two people. In Tel Aviv, arrests were also made when protesters clashed with police, who deployed tear gas to disperse the crowds. - Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Luis Singson is now urging the Sanggunian Panlalawigan to pass a resolution against three comedians who reportedly violated quarantine protocols and to declare them as "persona non grata" - The three comedians are Roberto Mejia or Long Mejia, Romy Pastrana or Dagul, and Gene Baldivia or Gene Padilla - As per the official statement of Singson, the comedians, along with their staff had unsanctioned visits and social activities without proper coordination with the LGU - Singson stated that they refused to undergo quarantine checkpoint protocols and also evaded checkpoint personnel PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Governor Ryan Luis Singson of Ilocos Sur is urging the Sanggunian Panlalawigan to pass a resolution to declare three comedians as persona non grata after they reportedly violated quarantine protocols of the province. According to Singson's official statement, Long Mejia, Dagul and Gene Padilla did social activities without proper coordination with the local authorities. Photo: @mejia_long/Instagram Source: Instagram He also said that the comedians and their staff refused to undergo quarantine checkpoint protocols and evaded checkpoint personnel. "These people are personalities fo the show business with broad patronage, which should all the more be the reason that they take it upon themselves to comply to existing rules in a place they visit." PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news! The government faced problems when they imposed the initial community quarantine, which was elevated into enhanced community quarantine. It also suspended transportation causing massive problems with commuters. Doctors have died after being infected by COVID-19. They are among the frontliners who attend to the patients rushing to hospitals amid pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak started out in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Scientists believed that the virus came from an animal at one of Wuhan's wet markets. The Philippines has slowly eased quarantine measures and Filipinos are starting to adapt to the new normal. 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 As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on across the commonwealth and the country, medical professionals in the Poconos are preparing for potential case spikes and second waves. Though each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have made their way through Governor Tom Wolf's reopening strategy to the green phase, concerns are mounting as COVID-19 cases begin to spike in previously heavily-hit areas like the southwest and southeast regions of the state. This has inevitably raised concerns about the northeast, which may not have seen infection rates like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but still experienced more than enough pandemic problems. On Wednesday, Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine singed off on new targeted mitigation efforts to address the increase in case counts, with the governor citing the potential for a new peak in infection rates as a concern. "During the past week, we have seen an unsettling climb in new COVID-19 cases," Wolf said. "When we hit our peak on April 9, we had nearly two thousand new cases that day with other days' cases hovering around 1,000. Medical experts looking at the trajectory we are on now are projecting that this new surge could soon eclipse the April peak. With our rapid case increases we need to act again now." Spikes and second waves have been a hot topic as the summer stretches on in Monroe County, with some residents worrying that the threat of COVID-19 may only increase as time goes on. Both Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono and St. Luke's Monroe Campus have been working diligently to make sure that the county's health care systems can handle whatever the near future may hold. Though both hospitals were fortunate to not reach capacity even during the height of the pandemic thus far, resting on their laurels is not an option many professionals fear that spikes could interfere with recovery and reopening efforts, and a second wave could prove to be more dangerous than the first. Elizabeth Wise, president of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, and senior vice president of Lehigh Valley Health Network, said that her staff has been debriefed on "things that we did well, (and) things that we could do better," and have since developed an action plan to address those gaps. Processes were established for the pandemic, such as the screening of patients before they enter facilities, along with consistent cleaning schedules for high-touch surface areas. "Additionally, across LVHN, we've been preparing for a second wave, which we hope does not happen, but in the event it does, we are making sure even during the initial crisis that we have adequate equipment," Wise said. "Obviously ventilators, adequate medication supplies, and adequate resources." Lehigh Valley Heath Network has developed a surge plan to ensure that a proper amount of space and equipment would be available for COVID-19 patients, and there was even an overflow facility established by PEMA and the Pennsylvania National Guard at East Stroudsburg University in case non-COVID-19 patients needed to be protected. Though it was never used, the infrastructure remains in place in case it may be needed in the near future. Don Seiple, president of St. Luke's University Health Network's Monroe campus, said that his staff developed similar plans during the onset of the first wave, and those protocols and procedures could go a long way toward helping patients during a potential spike or second wave. "During the first wave the St. Luke's Monroe Campus, with the assistance of the St. Luke's Network, was able to develop an effective surge plan," Seiple said. "We created additional critical care capacity, retrained/reassigned staff, and addressed PPE (personal protective equipment supply and usage). Also, very early into the pandemic, the St. Luke's clinical team developed treatment protocols that kept the majority of patients off ventilators and out of the intensive care unit." Seiple said that St. Luke's also developed surge care units during the first wave, doubling their intensive care capacity, and procuring enough ventilators for patients. With planning and preparation already complete, they will be able to quickly create capacity to address increased caseloads. Both hospitals are carefully monitoring COVID-19 data locally, statewide and even in bordering states to stay on top of any developments. "One of the important things during this pandemic has been the ability for hospitals or health care systems to take care of the volume of patients," Wise said. "So, I follow not only 'is there a spike?' but 'what is the number of people that need to be hospitalized as a result of the exposure?'" Wise said that in order to get a good idea of how prepared a county is, one needs to look at some of the points of interest highlighted by the Department of Health how many critical care beds are available, how many patients are being hospitalized, and can care be provided for patients "If the answer is yes, then even if there is a spike, we can still provide the care that's needed," Wise said. One of the biggest issues to hit health care providers during the pandemic was scarcity of personal protective equipment. Highly-coveted N95 face masks were near impossible to find, and not too long thereafter, surgical masks and even bandanas became rare. Wise said that community support helped get her staff through the pandemic, especially local groups that provided masks to hospital workers. "For those employees that do not care for patients, they wear cloth masks," Wise said. "We had many community members sew masks for us, and generously donated their time and materials, so we were grateful for that. For those that are taking care of patients, they wear a mask, goggles, a gown and gloves, depending upon what's required." Wise said that she wears a cloth mask at work like other employees who do not interact with patients in order to maintain an adequate supply of personal protective equipment. Seiple said that the staff at St. Luke's has been focused on maintaining a sufficient supply of personal protective gear for all as well. "In addition to our development of treatment protocols, we continue to focus on our management of PPE," Seiple said. "It remains a top priority that our employees have the appropriate PPE when they need it. We continue to source and manage PPE responsibly and aggressively." In order to stay ready for any spikes or second waves, medical professionals from both health networks have been adamant to stay on top of new developments, as we continue to learn more about COVID-19 the further the pandemic continues. "We continue to monitor the rates of new cases daily and hospitalizations," Seiple said. "Currently the 10 counties in the Northeast region have done and continue to do a good job of reducing and maintaining the rate of new positive cases." Some of that success could be thanks to a weekly broadcast presented by LVHN and St. Luke's, who joined the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and key local business leaders to present important pandemic information to the community over a number of weeks. While the hospitals have strived to prepare for the continuation or second wave of the pandemic, it is incredibly important for average citizens to take simple steps to protect their own health and that of others. It comes down to staying informed and vigilant, which will go a long way toward protecting community members from falling ill, and ensuring that hospitals will be capable of treating the most severe cases. And all it really takes is those same mitigation tactics you have been hearing about for months. The three most important things the residents of the Poconos can do are: Hand washing, social distancing and masking, Seiple said. Masking is more about protecting others, and I am encouraged when I see people in the Poconos masking. This will help keep our hospitalization rate low and ensure healthcare is available for those who will need it. Signs emerged that leaders of northern European Union countries were willing to compromise on a 1.8 trillion ($2.93 trillion) coronavirus stimulus plan on Monday as talks in Brussels extended to a fourth day. Divided and slow to respond at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, EU leaders believe they now have a chance to redeem themselves with an aid plan that would show Europeans the bloc can react to a crisis. European Council President Charles Michel. Credit:Reuters But old grievances between countries less affected by the pandemic and the indebted countries of Italy and Greece, whose economies are in freefall, have resurfaced, pitting Rome against The Hague and its allies in Stockholm, Copenhagen and Vienna. With leaders not expected to restart until the afternoon, much rested on European Council President Charles Michel's efforts to present a new basis for a deal, taking into account the competing demands of north and southern Europe. "An agreement is a necessity", French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told French BFM TV on Monday as weary diplomats slept or prepared for another day in what could be the longest-ever EU summit. In the small hours of Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron lost patience with the "sterile blockages" of the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Austria, later joined by Finland, banging his fist on the table, one diplomat said. A second diplomat confirmed the outburst, saying tensions rose until Belgium's Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes called for calm. Michel had earlier urged the 27 leaders to achieve "mission impossible", reminding them that more than 600,000 people had now died from COVID-19 around the world. The EU must stand together, he said. That appeared to edge towards a potential breakthrough. Within the 750 billion recovery fund, 390 billion could be considered as non-repayable grants, diplomats said, a compromise between the 350 billion level of the five "frugals" and the 400 billion demanded by France and Germany. There was no immediate clarity on whether a deal was in the making, but Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told ORF radio he was satisfied with the negotiations. He also praised the blocking minority tactics. "It was definitely the best decision that the group of the frugals...has been formed," Kurz said. "There were the four of us, now there are five of us. These are all small countries, which alone would have no weight at all." Reuters Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. High Throughput Screening Market Size 2019 HTS Industry Analysis, Growth Segments, Leading Manufacturers, Phenomenal Growth and Business Boosting Strategies till 2025 Market Research Future published a research report on High Throughput Screening Market Research Report Global Forecast till 2025 Market Overview, Segmentation, Progress, Regional analysis, key Trends, Major Players and Forecast to 2025. Global Wearable Sensors Market is likely to value of USD 13,460 million with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period Competitive Landscape: Better integration of diverse plans in the global high throughput screening (hts) market and introduction of several strategic moves that encompasses mergers, acquisitions, tie-ups, and others are expected to inspire growth. Companies impacting the growth in the market are Danaher (US), Aurora Biomed Inc. (Canada), Tecan (Switzerland), PerkinElmer (US), Axxam (Italy), Hamilton (US), Corning (US), Merck Group (Germany), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (US), BioTek (US), Luminex Corporation (US), Agilent Technologies Inc. (US), and Roche (Switzerland). Overview High-throughput screening (HTS) can be defined as a method that includes scientific experimentation needed for various drug discovery and deciding typical moves in the the fields of biology and chemistry. The procedure includes data processing/control software, liquid handling devices, robotics, and sensitive detectors. This allows the system to get into the procedure of conducting tests for millions of chemical, genetic, or pharmacological processes. The process has evolved as necessary to find active compounds, antibodies, or genes that can cover various biomolecular pathway. This process assists in the designing of various market process. The High Throughput Screening Market is getting traction from high technological advancements in HTS and hike in expenditure for research and development. The government funding for the procedure is also providing better scope for growth. Segmental Analysis The global market for high throughput screening, by product & service, can be segmented into instruments, reagents & assay kits, consumables & accessories, and software and services. The reagents & assay kits segment can find growth with increasing demand from the diagnostic segment. By technology, the global market report on high throughput screening can be segmented into cell-based assays, Bioinformatics, 3D cell culture, 2D cell culture, perfusion cell culture, 3D cell culture, Ultra-high-throughput Screening, lab-on-a-chip (LOC), and Label-free Technology. The 3D cell culture segment includes scaffold-based technologies and scaffold-free technologies. The scaffold-based segment comprises hydrogels, inert matrix, and micropatterned surfaces. The scaffold-free technologies segment consists ultra-low binding plates, hanging-drop plates, microplate, and other scaffold-free technologies. By application, the global market for high throughput screening includes primary and secondary screening, toxicology assessment, target identification & validation, and others. The application segment is showing signs of fastest CAGR owing to its inclusion in the research and development sector. By end user, the global market for high throughput screening can be segmented into contract research organizations, academic & government institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, and others. Global High Throughput Screening Market Research Report- https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/high-throughput-screening-market-1280 In October 2019, researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute revealed that they have developed a machine-learning algorithm that would assist in the high throughput screening of epigenetic drugs. About Market Research Future: MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. PORTLAND, Ore. Protesters broke into a building, set it on fire and started dumpster fires late Saturday night in Oregons largest city, police said, as demonstrations that have been taking place since the death of George Floyd intensified for another night in Portland. The fire at the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later, Portland police said on Twitter. The department declared the gathering a riot and began working to clear the downtown area. Tear gas was deployed, according to pictures and video from the scene. Fencing that had been placed around federal courthouse had also been removed by protesters and made into barricades, police tweeted. President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as "lawless anarchists" in a visit to the city on Thursday. Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials, the unrest had frustrated Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local authorities, who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city. But Wheeler said the federal presence in the city is now exacerbating a tense situation and he has told them to depart. "Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city," Wheeler said Friday. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum late Friday sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court. The complaint said unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland's streets "without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action." Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to "immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians." The administration has enlisted federal agents, including the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and an elite U.S. Customs and Border Protection team based on the U.S.-Mexico border, to protect federal property. But Oregon Public Broadcasting reported this week that some agents had been driving around in unmarked vans and snatching protesters from streets not near federal property, without identifying themselves. Tensions also escalated after an officer with the Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protester's head on July 11, critically injuring him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, issued a joint statement Saturday denouncing the Trump administration's actions. "We live in a democracy, not a banana republic. We will not tolerate the use of Oregonians, Washingtonians or any other Americans as props in President Trump's political games. The House is committed to moving swiftly to curb these egregious abuses of power immediately," they said. Hundreds of people had gathered Friday night for a vigil outside the downtown Justice Center, which is sandwiched between two federal buildings, including a courthouse, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Across the street, dozens of other protesters entered two recently closed city parks after dismantling chain-link fencing that blocked access. Federal agents emerged from an office building next door and used impact munitions, stun grenades and tear gas to clear the area, the news organization reported. It said its journalists did not observe any incident that might have prompted the use of the weapons. Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse. Early Saturday, Portland police declared the gathering unlawful, saying protesters had piled fencing in front of the exits to the federal courthouse and the Multnomah County Justice Center and then shot off fireworks at the Justice Center. Federal officers and local police then advanced simultaneously on the demonstrators to clear the streets, making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fence at police, the Portland Police Bureau said. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell told reporters Friday that his officers are in contact with the federal agents, but that neither controls the others' actions. The overnight action by Portland's police was condemned Jo Ann Hardesty, a prominent member of the City Council. Hardesty said Saturday that local police "joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest." Hardesty also slammed Wheeler, telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement. Hardesty, who oversees the city's fire department and other first-responder agencies, said in an open letter to Wheeler if "you can't control the police, give me the Portland Police Bureau." In a statement Saturday, Portland Police said as they responded to the overnight protests which included people throwing projectiles at them some federal agencies took action "under their own supervision and direction." Portland Police said city officers arrested seven people, and one officer sustained a minor injury. The statement said the citys police supports peaceful protests, and beginning Saturday night Department of Homeland Security police wouldnt work in the Portland Police incident command center. Andrew Selsky and Gillian Flaccus of The Associated Press wrote this story. President Donald Trump declined in an interview that aired Sunday to say he would accept the results of the 2020 election, adding that he will "have to see" and claiming without evidence that mail-in voting will "rig the election." Trump's comments came during a wide-ranging interview with "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace in which he criticized so-called cancel culture and repeatedly downplayed the coronavirus, which has infected more than 3.7 million people in the U.S. and killed at least 140,131, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. During the interview, which was conducted earlier in the week, Wallace debuted the results of Fox News' latest national poll, which showed Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden leading Trump by 8%. The poll showed Biden leading on specific issues as well, including a 1% lead over Trump on the economy. When presented with the results, Trump downplayed the findings as "fake polls." "First of all, I'm not losing because those are fake polls," he said. "They were fake in 2016 and now they're even more fake." Later in the interview, when Wallace asked whether Trump is a "gracious" loser, the president responded that "it depends" and repeated claims he has made in the past that mail-in voting could lead to widespread voter fraud. With the coronavirus spreading rapidly across large swaths of the U.S., some states have made efforts to more readily accommodate mail-in voting to reduce the risk of infection at in-person voting locations come November. Trump has previously attacked efforts made by officials in Michigan and Nevada to expand vote-by-mail access, repeatedly saying that they will lead to voter fraud, though he hasn't presented evidence to back up that claim. "I think mail-in voting is going to rig the election," he said in the interview. "I really do." Wallace pressed Trump on whether he will accept the results of the 2020 election, but Trump declined to answer the question directly. "I have to see. Look, youI have to see," he said. "No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no." Asked for comment on Trump's remarks, Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's reelection campaign, said in a statement to CNBC on Monday that mail-in voting is just one way Democrats are trying "to eliminate protections for election integrity." Earlier in the interview, Trump downplayed the coronavirus pandemic, attributing the recent surge in cases to increased testing and saying that many infected people "automatically" recover from the virus. Health officials have repeatedly pointed out that new cases have outpaced the increase in testing, which indicates that the virus is spreading rapidly in communities across the country. When Wallace pointed to the European Union, which he said is reporting about 6,000 new cases per day, Trump said it's because "they don't test" and declined to acknowledge differences in policy responses between Europe and the U.S. The U.S. has reported on average 66,498 new cases of the coronavirus per day over the past seven days, up more than 15% compared with a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of data from Hopkins. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have reported growth in cases by at least 5%, on average over the past week. And Covid-19 deaths, which lag the diagnosis of cases, have begun to tick up nationally, driven by a number of states with expanding outbreaks. "No country has ever done what we've done in terms of testing. We are the envy of the world," Trump said. "You look at other countries, they don't even do tests. They do tests if somebody walks into the hospital." When asked about his relationship with White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation's top infectious disease experts, Trump said he had spoken with Fauci the day before the interview, but added that "he's a little bit of an alarmist." Trump also said that he doesn't agree with Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield, who said earlier this week that if everyone wore a mask, the U.S. could bring the virus under control in one to two months. The president continued to tout the strength of the economy before the virus arrived in the U.S. in January, adding that Democratic officials are "purposefully" keeping the economy shutdown to hurt his reelection effort. Many states have implemented costly public health measures to curb the spread of the virus such as shutting down bars and other businesses, closing schools and banning large gatherings. Trump specifically bemoaned his campaign's inability to host campaign rallies in Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada. "The Democrats are purposely keeping their schools closed, keeping their states closed," he said. "We're not allowed to have rallies in these Democrat-run states." Correction: An earlier version incorrectly reported when Trump made his remarks in the interview. The interview aired Sunday but was recorded last week. Ross and other analysts say Netanyahu almost certainly obtained Trump administration consent, if not collaboration, for the Israeli offensive, if only because the United States is a likely target for Iranian retaliation. So far, the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is struggling with multiple crises, has played down the attacks, attributing some of them to gas leaks or other accidents. But if it chooses to respond, its targets could include U.S. bases in Iraq or shipping in the Persian Gulf, both of which it has already struck in the past year. Hackers accessed Twitter's internal systems to hijack some of the platform's top voices including Joe Biden, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama and Elon Musk, and used them to solicit digital currency. Twitter said on Saturday that hackers were able to download account information for up to eight accounts involved in the hack of its systems this week, but said none of them were verified accounts. The company said the unidentified attackers targeted 130 accounts, and were able to reset passwords to take control of 45 of them and tweet from those accounts. Hackers accessed Twitter's internal systems to hijack some of the platform's top voices including US presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former US President Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk and used them to solicit digital currency. Publicly available blockchain records show the apparent scammers received more than $100,000 worth of cryptocurrency. In the attack that occurred on Wednesday, Twitter said hackers were able to view personal information including email addresses and phone numbers of the 130 targeted accounts, but unable to view previous account passwords. "In cases where an account was taken over by the attacker, they may have been able to view additional information", Twitter said in the statement without specifying the type of information accessed. Hackers may have also attempted to sell the user names of some of the accounts, it said. The high-profile accounts that were hacked also included rapper Kanye West, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, investor Warren Buffett, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and the corporate accounts for Uber and Apple. In its latest statement, Twitter said attackers "manipulated a small number of employees" to gain access to the internal support tools used in the hack. The company said it was holding back some of the details of the attack as it continues its investigation and reiterated that it was working with impacted account owners. The FBI's San Francisco division is leading an inquiry into the hacking, with many Washington lawmakers also calling for an account of how it happened. One of the worlds forgotten conflicts is now making headlines again. In the last week, the military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has reignited, with the two nations having already been engaged in a military confrontation for decades. Nagorno Karabach, an Armenian enclave inside of Azerbaijan, is one of the main underlying factors for the conflict, but the growing rivalry between Russia and Turkey is also playing a part. More than 16 soldiers have been killed in the most recent round of fighting. Both sides are accusing each other of aggression and military action. The use of full scale armed forces and drones have been involved, killing several soldiers on both sides and reportedly an Azerbaijani general. The current outbreak of fighting has been the deadliest since the April War of 2016. While most clashes normally occur in and around the Armenian controlled Nagorno-Karabakh region, the current clashes are on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The international community is urging both sides to end the clashes. The United States, European Union, and the OSCE Minsk Group are trying to defuse the situation. While it remains unclear what reignited the conflict, it seems that Armenia played a large role in increasing tensions. Armenia recently constructed a new military outpost, which could have given Armenian armed forces a tactical advantage and tempted Azerbaijan to strike. At the same time, Azerbaijan is being buoyed by strong support from Ankara and may have wanted to test Russias support for Armenia. Remarkably, Armenia has called upon the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which Armenia is a member, to intervene. The CSTOs response, from Yerevans point of view, however, is lacking. As of July 14, the CSTO has only called for a normalization of the situation on the border, not implying that it would provide military support for Armenia. The lack of vocal support from Moscow for Armenia is improving Azerbaijans position in the conflict. There is, however, a risk that the conflict will escalate to involve both Russia and Turkey. Story continues While the military conflict may be drawing the majority of media attention, there is also an energy aspect to this conflict. The military conflict gets full attention but another issue is a major threat to energy markets. The Caucasus is a major oil and gas transfer chokepoint, on which involves Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Central Asian countries. Energy market observers should be concerned about the proximity of the current military clashes to the Baku-Turkey oil and gas pipeline systems. Threats to these important oil and gas pipelines, which not only connect the Central Asian producers to the global markets but also stabilize the region due to growth potential and revenues, are already significant. Gazprom Armenia, a subsidiary of Russias energy giant Gazprom, stated on July 14 that gas pipelines had been damaged near the border of Azerbaijan. Increased military action on both sides will only increase the danger to existing regional oil and gas infrastructure. Turkey will be hit hard if this conflict does escalate as it is largely dependent on oil and gas from the region. Related: Second Wave Of COVID-19 Wont Crush Oil Prices Regional analysts are already assessing the possibility that the current flare up may have been instigated by Russia. The Tovuz region where the fighting is taking place is particularly close to Azerbaijan's crucial South Caucasia pipeline (SCP). The SCP channels natural gas to Turkey's TANAP pipeline and is a key component of Ankara's efforts to decrease its dependence on Russian energy. For years, Turkey has been trying to diversify its energy imports, but Ankara is still heavily dependent on Moscow. Russian gas is twice as expensive for Turkey than it is for most European customers, which is why Ankara is so desperate to move away from Russia gas. By getting Azerbaijani gas via TANAP, Turkey has been able to significantly reduce its costs. The Azeri-Turkish partnership could deepen further as a new opportunity arises in 2021, when a major gas deal between Turkey and Russia is up for renewal. Those discussions stalled in April when the two counties failed to reach an agreement. All of this combined means that Russia could be looking at losing market share in a very important growth market. Related: Russia Looks To Woo Tech Companies As Oil Lags The main pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline, that supplies gas to Turkey from Azerbaijan, passes through the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan. This area borders the Armenian Tavush, where the clashes took place. Due to its geopolitically strategic location, a possible Turkish military intervention, especially considering its operations in Syria and Libya, is not unthinkable. Blowing up the current infrastructure in Azerbaijan would almost certainly ensure Turkish military involvement. "Turkey will never hesitate to stand against any attack on the rights and lands of Azerbaijan," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. Erdogan suggested a wider conspiracy lay behind the latest fighting. Turkish pro-government media have been quick to accuse Moscow of encouraging Armenia to attack Azerbaijan, albeit without substantiating evidence. Some analysts believe Turkeys actions in Libya and Syria are related to this new conflict. Ankara could be forcing a new front, and the hand of Moscow, to get some bargaining power in North Africa. Whatever the cause of this latest conflict, the situation is on a knifes edge. Azerbaijan, via its defense ministry, has warned Armenia that it could launch missile attacks on its Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. These threats could be easily be countered by Armenian actions on Azerbaijans weak point, its oil and gas transit pipelines. The fallout would be felt not only in European markets, but globally as well. By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Read this article on OilPrice.com On Saturday, a small group of protesters joined the Jericho March to protest discrimination, negligence and violence they said was linked to the local police department and the Bexar County Jail. The group gathered at Columbus Park before noon for a series of speakers before marching along Santa Rosa Street to the front of police headquarters. Later that afternoon, the group was scheduled to march to the Sheriffs Office. Activist Julianna Pope, Justice Martinez and Mario Marcel Salas hosted the event. In the past weeks, the park was the site of demonstrations aimed at the removal of a statue of explorer Christopher Columbus. On July 1, the Christopher Columbus Italian Society took down the statue to prevent it from being damaged. Pope, 20, said she named the march after the biblical story of the Joshua and the Israelites who brought down the walls of Jericho with their horns. I think its time to make some noise, she said. Its time for the walls that shield the racist institutions to fall. Community activist Ananda Tomas, with FIX S.A.P.D. said the organizations focus is to repeal chapters 143 and 174 of the Texas Local Government Code. She said code 143 makes it impossible to fire bad cops and keep them fired and code 174 favors the San Antonio Police Officers Association where its needs come before those of the people. This is one of the ways to take on the system and fix it so that it represents and protects us, Tomas said. She said the activist organization is focused on compassionate policing, responsible budgeting, civic accountability and reliance on best practices that can rebuild trust between officers and the community they serve. By noon, 37 participants had arrived at the COVID compliant protest where volunteers provided hand sanitizer, masks, food and water. Registrars stood at tables ready to sign people up to vote. Salas, a community activist, said there is a history of police-involved violence in the city. He cited the case of Bobby Joe Phillips who was arrested and beaten by local police in 1968 and died from his injuries. That didnt happen in Mississippi, that happened here in San Antonio, Texas, said Salas, chairman for the San Antonio Coalition for Police Accountability and Reform. He thanked the activists and groups from the past such as Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. All of these movements fought for so long and so hard and it is at this moment that we live in their legacy and stand on their shoulders, he said. And certainly we stand on the shoulders of Rep. John Lewis who passed away yesterday and the Rev. C.T. Vivian who died within hours later. Judy Lerma, 75, brought her granddaughter Layla Lerma, 13, to the event she said was a survival issue. The grandmother said she believed race is an artificial construct that was invented to divide the people of the nation. Were all the same; were all equal, Layla said. Its been happening for way too long in the United States of America. It really is just unfair. Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Vincent, become a subscriber. vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to procure 198 body scanners for 63 Indian airports that will replace the existing door frame metal detectors and hand-held scanners, besides pat-down searches of passengers to detect metallic objects, officials said. "The process for procurement of body scanners started earlier this year before the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become important to get these scanners as soon as possible as frisking of passengers by security personnel has already been minimised since March due to the pandemic," the AAI officials noted. Out of these 198 scanners, 19 will be for the Chennai airport, 17 for the Kolkata airport and 12 for the Pune airport, the officials told PTI. The AAI owns and manages more than 100 airports across the country. "Seven body scanners will be deployed at the Srinagar airport, six at the Visakhapatnam airport, and five each at airports in Tirupati, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Goa and Imphal," they added. Four body scanners each will be put at airports in Amritsar, Varanasi, Calicut, Coimbatore, Trichy, Gaya, Aurangabad and Bhopal, the officials mentioned. They said the tender to procure 198 body scanners for 63 airports has been issued and three companies have put in their bids. "These three companies have put in their technical bids. If they pass our technical criteria, we will ask them to submit financial bids. An award of contract will then be given to one of them," the officials stated. Passengers have to remove their jackets, thick clothing, shoes, belts as well as all metallic items before entering into the body scanner of an airport. A mannequin-like image is generated by the machine, and if there is a yellow spot on the screen, it means that area on the body may need further screening. Once the body scanners are installed at an airport, pat down searches will not be required for passengers, the officials said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on March 19 had stated, "CISF personnel deployed at 63 domestic and international airports have been sensitised to adopt 'minimum touch' concept and also wear masks, surgical gloves and not to touch any item or article of the passenger during pre-embarkation screening." Staffers at these airports have also been advised to interact with passengers from a distance without compromising security procedures, the CISF said. India resumed its domestic passengers flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. While scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country since March 23, India has established bilateral air bubbles with four countries -- the US, the UAE, France and Germany -- in which airlines of both the countries are permitted to operate international passenger flights with certain restrictions. With inputs from PTI This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Germany pledged 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) at a meeting of G20 finance ministers to help the world's poorest countries, the finance ministry said on Saturday. The funds will be made available as long-term loans for the International Monetary Fund's Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT). IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed Germany's "generous pledge" and urged other donors to follow suit. In April, IMF officials said they had received pledges of a combined $11.7 billion from Australia, Japan, Canada, France and Britain to replenish the PRGT. Spain has also contributed. The United States has been noticeably absent from the relief drive. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the IMF's steering committee in April that Washington was exploring contributions to both facilities, but gave no details on the amount or timing of such a contribution. "With the funds ... low-income countries can receive greatly discounted loans and bridge liquidity bottlenecks," the German finance ministry said. It added that Germany will provide a total of 8.7 billion euros for international aid measures in 2020 and 2021. ($1 = 0.8752 euros) S ir Keir Starmer has called on the Government to provide extra childcare support for parents to help them get back to the office. The Labour leader said families are being put in an impossible position over returning to their workplaces just as the summer holidays begin. He issued the warning after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an end to the Governments stay at home messaging. In an announcement on Friday, Mr Johnson scrapped official guidance to work from home if you can as he seeks to revive the crippled economy. The Labour leader said families are being put in an impossible position over returning to their workplaces due to a lack of childcare support / PA From August 1, employers will be able to discuss with staff proposals for them to return to offices and workplaces that have been made safe against Covid-19. But Sir Keir said on Sunday that parents would be penalised due to no extra help being provided for families over the holiday period. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images He said: We all want society to get moving again, but it requires a clear plan and national leadership from the Government. Despite ordering millions of parents back to the office, the Prime Minister has refused to provide any extra help for families, penalising parents by putting them in an impossible position. Parents got a back-to-work notice on Friday just as the summer holidays began. But they got no support for structured activities, no summer catch-up schemes, and no support for a childcare sector on its knees. If we are going to reopen our society and economy safely and successfully, we need the public to have confidence in the Governments advice, we need test, track and trace to be working properly, and we need proper support for children to learn and for parents to get back to work. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 20:34:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt supports the decision to make face mask wearing mandatory in Melbourne amid a spike in coronavirus cases. Hunt told reporters on Sunday that the coronavirus challenge in Melbourne "remains great," committing federal government's support to the state. As of 3:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, a total of 11,802 cases have been reported in Australia, and 8,272 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19, according to the latest figures from Department of Health. The number of new cases in the last 24 hours was 381. Authorities in Victoria state on Sunday confirmed 363 new cases and another three deaths, taking the national death toll to 122. In response to the outbreak, the state government announced on Sunday that people living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will be required to wear a face covering when leaving home and the new rule will not be enforced until after 11:59 p.m. local time on July 22 so as to give people time to purchase or make a face covering. "We know today's numbers will be distressing for so many Australians because these are not just numbers. These are Australians who have been infected by a virus which can be deadly or deeply debilitating," Hunt said. There were 18 new cases in New South Wales (NSW) state, only five of which were recently returned travellers in hotel quarantine, as community transmission in the state continues. Enditem At least 40 different aged care homes in Victoria now have at least one positive COVID-19 case, with a number of regional Victorian homes also dealing with infections. The number of facilities which have an active case of the virus has doubled in five days according to state government data, after only 20 aged care homes were affected on July 14. And the number of active virus cases connected to aged care facilities has risen from 86 to 216. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Sunday that the federal and state governments would provide funding to help aged care facilities ensure staff do not work across multiple centres or homes. A 56-year-old man died allegedly due to drowning after his mini-truck was submerged in water under the Minto Bridge in central Delhi, following a heavy downpour in the city on Sunday morning, police said. IMAGE: A DTC bus almost submerged at waterlogged Minto Bridge underpass after rains in New Delhi. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo The man, identified as Kundan Kumar, was a resident of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. He was driving a Tata Ace from the New Delhi Railway Station to Connaught Place when he got stuck in the waterlogged area, they said. While he was trying to manoeuvre his vehicle through the waterlogged underpass, Kumar got stuck and allegedly died due to drowning, said a senior police officer. He used to drive the vehicle, owned by his cousin Pritam, to transport goods, police said. Kumar used to live near a taxi stand in Shankar Market area and is survived by his wife and two daughters, they said. His body has been shifted to a mortuary at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital wherein it will be handed over to his family after a post-mortem. IMAGE: Waterlogged roads at Zakhira after rains. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Police said they suspected that he died due to drowning since no external injury marks were found on his body. Inquest proceedings have been initiated in this regard, they said. The national capital received its first spell of heavy rains, which led to waterlogging in low-lying areas and brought traffic to a standstill at key stretches in the city. WATCH: Driver and conductor rescued from bus stuck on waterlogged road The Minto Road underpass also witnessed heavy waterlogging, following overnight heavy rains. Meanwhile, a DTC bus and two auto-rickshaws were stuck at the Minto Bridge underpass due to waterlogging, following which three people were rescued, Delhi Fire Service officials said. A call regarding the stranded vehicles at the Minto Bridge underpass was received around 7.54 am. A team from the Delhi Fire Service was rushed to the spot for rescue work, Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service, said. IMAGE: A DTC bus stuck at waterlogged Zakhira underpass as children play. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo "A DTC bus and two autos were trapped due to waterlogging. The driver and conductor of the bus and an auto driver were safely rescued by our personnel. There was no passenger in the bus," he said. The fire service personnel used a ladder to bridge the gap from a footpath and the low floor bus, which was submerged in the heavily waterlogged underpass, to rescue the stranded. Waterlogging at the concave railway underpass (Minto Bridge) during the rainy season is a recurring issue. IMAGE: A man rides a two-wheeler on a waterlogged road in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo Incidents of vehicles getting stuck and people being rescued have been reported in the past as well. According to the Delhi traffic police, jams were reported from Azadpur to Mukarba Chowk, Yashwant Place to Ashoka Road, at Ring Road, Bhairon Road, and near Mundka metro station due to heavy waterlogging. The India Meteorological Department said the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 74.8 mm rainfall till 8:30 am. Ridge, Lodhi Road, Palam and Ayanagar weather stations recorded 86 mm, 81.2 mm, 16.9 mm and 12.2 mm rainfall, respectively, it said. IMAGE: Traffic jam at Azadpur after rains in New Delhi. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo Rainfall below 15 mm is considered light, between 15 mm and 64.5 mm moderate, and above 64.5 mm heavy, according to the IMD. Residents shared on social media videos and pictures of rainwater gushing into their houses and vehicles navigating waterlogged roads. The Youth Congress also shared a video of their inundated Raisina Road office. The rains also led to power outages in some areas. David Wilcox I edit The Citizen's features section, Lake Life, and weekly entertainment guide, Go. I've also been writing for The Citizen and auburnpub.com since 2006, covering arts and culture, business, food and drink, and more. Follow David Wilcox Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today In the middle of the 19th century, a war for the Mormon church was waged in the Midwest between two men who came through Cayuga County. Most know of the first man: Brigham Young. And most in Cayuga County know he had ties here, having spent some of his young adult years living in Port Byron and laboring on the Erie Canal. But few know of the second man: James Jesse Strang. And few in Cayuga County know that this rival to Young, this challenger to his leadership of the nascent religion, was born in the town of Scipio. Strang's birthplace, however, may be the least interesting part of his story. His power struggle with Young, manipulation of the press and all-around megalomania are the subject of a book released July 14, "The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch" by Miles Harvey. There's an obvious reason why Strang isn't well-known in Cayuga County, Harvey said in a phone interview with The Citizen: He only lived about a year in Scipio. Born in 1813, he was taken to Chautauqua County in August of the following year by his parents, Clement and Abigail, to live there with them, his older brother, David, and younger sister, Myraette. Scipio Historian Dodie Rowlands told The Citizen that records of the family are scarce, limited to a few birth, marriage and death certificates. If you read BOOK: "The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch" by Miles Harvey PUBLISHER: Little, Brown and Co. COST: $29, hardcover LENGTH: 416 pages INFO: Visit milesharvey.com But one piece of Scipio history may have been important in forming Strang's personality. In an outtake from his book, Harvey wrote about Rachel Baker, a "girl-somniloquist" who drew as many as 400 people a night to the small town in the early 19th century. They came to Scipio, Harvey wrote, to witness her talk in her sleep. Her unconscious recitation of hymns, sermons and Scripture was believed to be the word of God. And the author believes Strang not only heard stories about Baker growing up, but took heed of her ability to command attention and gain influence. "The King of Confidence" traces the rest of Strang's life in compulsively readable fashion, according to critics. Author Dave Eggers called the book a "ludicrously enjoyable, unputdownable read." The book follows Strang from western New York to the Mormon capital of Nauvoo, Illinois, where he was baptized by the founder of the religion, Joseph Smith, in 1843. After Smith was killed by a mob the next year, Strang said he received a letter from the late prophet appointing him the heir to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Meanwhile, most followers supported the claim of Young, who was organizing Mormon pioneers on an exodus west, toward Utah. So Strang and his followers headed north to Wisconsin and then Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. At first, Strang sought to solidify his claim to the church's leadership. He came out against polygamy while having four secret wives and delivered a prophecy to rival Smith's by using "seer stones" he said were loaned to him by an angel to translate three brass plates he directed his followers to exhume from the base of a tree. Both moves put him at odds with Young. But at Beaver Island, Strang sought to do much more. Anointing himself King of Earth and Heaven in 1850, Strang led his breakaway colony into counterfeiting money, starting their own newspaper and even piracy. And those moves put him at odds with the U.S. government. The island was raided by Navy forces dispatched by, as it happens, another Cayuga County native: Summerhill-born President Millard Fillmore. Strang was prosecuted on charges that included murder and treason, but acquitted. In 1856, he was shot and killed by a group of enemies and excommunicants. Harvey first learned of Strang about 20 years ago, he said. Though the man was "clearly a scoundrel," he nonetheless left an impression on the author. Then, about five years ago, he was pitched a book on Strang by publisher Little, Brown and Co. And Harvey immediately realized he wanted to approach the lesser-known figure differently than the few previous books about him. "People have always treated him as a Mormon story, or a Midwestern story," Harvey said. "I saw Strang from the start as a national story, a story about an essential time in American history." It was during Strang's lifetime that the term "confidence man" was coined, Harvey noted, and the Mormon leader was as good an example as any. Strang wasn't even terribly religious, declaring himself an atheist in his teens despite his parents being Baptist. But other people were rapt when he talked about religion, Harvey said. And the economic turmoil and technological changes of the mid-century made it easy for charismatic men like Strang, and contemporaries like P.T. Barnum, to prey on people's trust and become famous or, rather, infamous in the process. However, Strang was a product of his time in another way. It's no coincidence that both he and Young had ties to Cayuga County, Harvey said. During their time, much of western and central New York comprised what was known as the Burned-over District, a region that became home to several religious movements and revivals during the Second Great Awakening. The name evokes the fiery nature of spiritual fervor, Harvey said. And while Cayuga County lies just outside the district, lying inside is neighboring Wayne County, which contains Smith's early home of Palmyra. "These were two men out of this same intense, crazy world," Harvey said of Strang and Young. If Harvey wasn't sure that Strang's story was timelessly American when he began writing "Confidence King," he quickly became sure when Donald Trump ran for and was elected president. Though the parallels between Strang and Trump are many, Harvey said the one that may be most instructive in our current moment is their similar relationship to the media. Strang started his newspaper, The Northern Islander, knowing he could use it to plant stories in other papers because they freely, and unquestioningly, shared each other's work, Harvey said. "He understood how to pit people against each other," Harvey said. "That the more you confuse people, the more truths there are, and the more your truth has a chance to be the accepted one." Trump's election helped the author understand Strang, Harvey continued, and the reverse was true as well. He went so far as to say he wouldn't have written the book the same way if he didn't write it during Trump's campaign and administration. That's perhaps why he couldn't help obliquely referencing the president in the beginning and end of the book. Harvey considered making the parallels between Trump and Strang even more explicit, but decided against that so he wouldn't date the book. The author also trusts readers to see the parable for themselves. "That's what history and the humanities are supposed to do: give us new ways of thinking about the present and the future through the past," he said. "I think this book helps accomplish that." Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @drwilcox. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week rescinded a directive that would have kept international students from attending colleges in the United States this fall if their college offered a full load of courses online, it doesnt do United World College-USA any good. Really a two-year international high school, about three-quarters of the 220 teenage students at UWC-USA are from foreign lands. But most of them now find themselves shut out from entering the country because of travel bans and their inability to obtain F-1 visas due to the closure of U.S. consulates worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. F-1 visas are issued to students wishing to study in the United States. In order to get one, students must fill out paperwork and participate in a visa interview with a consular officer in their native country. U.S. consulates and embassies across the globe were closed and workers sent home in March after the pandemic hit. The travel bans are impacting more than 100 of its students in 31 countries, according to UWC-USA. Sure, the school in Montezuma near Las Vegas, New Mexico, does offer foreign students the opportunity to attend classes through online courses. But the students in many countries dont always have easy access to the internet where they are. And, besides, distance learning is not the United World College way. We decided months ago when the pandemic first hit that, given our mission, it was important for students to meet face to face, UWC-USA President Victoria Mora said. Not only would it interfere with how we function operationally, it would have precluded us from fulfilling our mission as an institution. Founded in 1962 at the height of the Cold War, UWC maintains that education is a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Among its core values are international and cultural understanding, celebration of difference, compassion and service, and a sense of idealism. Ideally, Mora says, those things are best accomplished through first-hand, non-virtual experiences and interactions between students from 90 countries. I understand, of course, that theres concern in this country (about spread of the virus), and we are being careful with regard to health and safety, she said, but, educationally, the importance of diversity among international students we feel is very real. The ICE directive from earlier this month was a surprise to many, and it received considerable pushback from colleges and universities, and students themselves. The Institute of International Education estimates there are more than 1 million foreign students studying in America, or about 5% of the students attending college in the U.S. But just a week later, ICE rescinded the decree, the Department of Homeland Security saying that the rule complicated immigration enforcement. Safeguarding students United World College is a global school system that teaches an International Baccalaureate curriculum at 18 schools on five continents, but only three in the western hemisphere. The picturesque campus surrounding the iconic Montezuma Castle nestled in the hills north of Las Vegas along the Gallinas River and a short walk from pool natural hot springs is the only UWC site in the United States. Mora said the other 17 UWC schools around the globe are in better shape when it comes to opening school. If not all, nearly all of them are expected to continue operating as usual, and that is an odd position for us to be in, she said. While some public school districts in New Mexico are favoring a fully remote approach to opening schools for the fall semester, UWC-USA says it is a unique case. The school is already located in a relatively isolated, largely self-contained area in a county that has experienced fewer than 30 coronavirus cases in all. Mora said school officials are hard at work preparing the school for a safe and secure environment for students on campus. She said the college is also in position to verify that students are quarantined from the moment they are met at the airport, and all the other things that we need do to ensure a safe, healthy community. A handful of students are on campus now. Students from China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nepal and Timor-Leste remained here over the summer. Theyve been working five days a week on a farm, the harvest of which is distributed in the community. The rest of the schools second-year students are due to report August 1. First-year students are scheduled to show up August 15. Carl-Martin Nelson, director of communications at UWC-USA, said many of the incoming students are ready to go, but they cant go anywhere without a visa. And they wont be able to get one until consulates reopen. Last month, UWC-USA launched a campaign urging people to appeal to President Trump and members of Congress to lift the travel bans and reopen consulates. The UWC community is typically focused on action to solve problems rather than just talk about them, Nelson said in a statement. We can all write letters and call our representatives in Washington to support these students and the international study community as a whole. Were better off as a country when we have opportunities to learn with and from people from other places and with different backgrounds. Up for the challenge Nelson said the school will open next month well short of capacity with the foreign students able to travel or who remained in the U.S. over the summer and 50-55 American students. More will show up as travel bans are lifted, he said. In the meantime, Mora said the college will blend in-person and distance learning, though that presents another unique challenge. When its 1 p.m. in New Mexico, for instance, its midnight in Nepal. International students will have to dramatically adjust their lifestyle to participate in class and interact virtually with classmates. The school will adapt the best it can. We will be providing synchronous and asynchronous learning offered at different times, she said, adding that sessions will be recorded and archived for later viewing. Mora acknowledged UWC-USA could also take a hard financial hit without students. It will absolutely be a financial challenge if we dont bring in our students, she said. Not only will the UWC-USA, which functions with about 110 contract employees, lose income from tuition, but also the school wouldnt be able to access endowment funds that help pay scholarships. We rely on philanthropy. How we deal with that challenge of not being able to distribute scholarship money is another concern. There are layers and layers of challenges here, she said. But Mora says UWC-USA is ready to meet the challenges in the only way it knows how uniting people for a sustainable future. Whats really important, given the rhetoric thats out there blaming countries for the virus or blaming others in geographical areas where there are spikes in cases in the U.S., its important to note that weve been working with local officials, partner organizations and experts to make sure we can bring our students back safely. We want to be an example of the American tradition of working with the best science and without fear of one another. Were setting an example for ourselves and the country for what it is to work corroboratively for the common good. Two men were charged Friday in an alleged assault against a Black man who was seen in a viral video being held against his will in the woods near an Indiana lake on the Fourth of July. Sean Purdy and Jerry Cox are charged with various crimes, including confinement and battery against a 36-year-old Bloomington, Ind., man, Vauhxx Booker, according to the Indianapolis Star. Monroe County Prosecutor Erika Oliphant has filed two active warrants for the two men and says Booker will face no charges. Purdy is charged with criminal confinement, battery resulting in injury and intimidation, all felonies. Cox is charged with aiding or causing criminal confinement, felony battery resulting in injury, intimidation and two misdemeanor counts of battery. Booker, a member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, posted his account of the July 4 incident along with video to his Facebook account, writing, I dont want to recount this, but I was almost the victim of an attempted lynching. He went on: On July 4th evening others and me were victims of what I would describe as a hate crime. I was attacked by five white men [with Confederate flags] who literally threatened to lynch me in front of numerous witnesses. Booker said he and his friends were visiting a public beach on Lake Monroe outside Bloomington to join a gathering when a group of white men said they were on private property and began following them. Some of the men became belligerent, he said. When he approached sober seeming group members to see if we could smooth things over a bit, the confrontation escalated. Video posted to social media shows a group of white men holding Booker to a tree as his friends plead with them to release him. In the video, one man shouts at the camera, You happy about this, you nappy-headed bitch? You and your five white friends? As Bookers friends leave, one of the men follows, shouting, Those Black boys want to start it all. Facebook Attorneys for one of the men in the video claimed Monday that Booker was the instigator. Story continues Mr. Booker needs to tell the truth about punching people and apologize to the people he has harmed and to all real victims of racism because he has diminished them, said four attorneys representing Purdy in a statement. Also, those who were there with Mr. Booker and know the truth should also come out and tell the truth. Mr. Booker was the instigator and agitator. There was no problem until Mr. Booker returned for no legitimate reason. He was the aggressor and became threatening. Mr. Booker was the first to throw punches. Mr. Booker was then restrained. Not beaten. Restrained. For his own safety and the safety of others. He then started race-baiting. Then stuck around after his alleged near lynching to video his attackers. In his Facebook post, Booker claimed there were shouts of get a noose and white power, although those are not heard on the video. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which responded, did not make any arrests at the scene. Booker told the Indianapolis Star that a DNR law enforcement supervisor kept talking about the property owners rights. This officer was clearly elevating property rights above my life, Booker said. Thats something were seeing on a macro level throughout society where Black lives arent as important as property. Booker believes hes alive because strangers stopped to help and film the altercation. The reason why Im here today is simply because these folks, they didnt just stop and watch and film my execution, Booker said in an interview with NPRs Mary Louise Kelly. They became involved. They became active participants. They put themselves in danger when they stepped forward for me. He added, I saw the face of George Floyd in my mind. I didnt want to be a hashtag. Last week, the FBI confirmed it was investigating the incident as a potential hate crime, and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb called it beyond disturbing. The brief video clip that I viewed with my own two eyes was beyond disturbing, Holcomb said during his weekly coronavirus update. And thats why its very important that the DNR ... complete their investigation sooner rather than later. Katharine Liell, a Bloomington attorney representing Booker, had criticized the justice systems response, saying that the officers present hadnt interviewed witnesses or collected copies of their videos. I believe those DNR officers were in the prosecutors office by 8:45 this morning, and Im sure there were some tough questions that they had to ask those officers, Liell told Yahoo News last week. What were trying to do is coordinate with them to make sure they have the information necessary to make a good charging decision. Bloomington Mayor Greg Hamilton (left) and Vauhxx Booker. (Yahoo News/Facebook) Bloomington Mayor Greg Hamilton, who said he has known Booker personally for at least five years, said his city had work to do. I dont know what would have happened in the woods around Lake Monroe if there hadnt been other individuals there and if there hadnt been a video taken, Hamilton told Yahoo News. Its incredibly important that we as a country, and then me and my community, that we make clear that has no place in our community, and we want to root it out. We believe in inclusion, but in our community we know we have hate incidents every year, added Hamilton. We know theres racism in our community and around our community, and we cant pretend thats not the case. Following a peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration in support of Booker last Monday at the Monroe County Courthouse in Bloomington, two people were injured after being struck with a car. Christi Bennett of Greenfield, Ind., was booked into the Monroe County Jail two days later on preliminary charges of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of an accident, a jail official said. She was later released after posting $500 bond. On his personal Facebook page, Booker posted about Bennetts arrest with the comment Justice can only be delayed, but never denied. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Why should we take Hardik Patel seriously? The young Patidar leader who has just been appointed working president of the Gujarat unit of the Congress is, after all, up against heavy odds. Although he campaigned for the Congress in the 2017 Assembly polls, Patel formally had joined the party only 15 months ago, ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections. Such a rapid elevation in a party like the Congress is nothing short of meteoric. Immediately on being appointed, Patel told local newspapers: I am taking off in a car to cover 6,000 villages, to make a note of and discuss all their ... Mob goes on rampage in Bengal after alleged gang-rape, murder of student India pti-PTI Raiganj, July 19: The suspected rape and subsequent murder of a teenaged girl in North Dinajpur district on Sunday triggered protests in the area with a mob blockading National Highway 31 and setting ablaze government buses and police vehicles, demanding arrest of the culprits, police officers said here. The girl was allegedly abducted after she went out of her house at Sonapur village near Siliguri on Sunday morning to answer nature''s call. She was found dead after a few hours, and the villagers alleged that she was raped before being murdered. West Bengal: Notice after BJP's video enacting rape goes viral Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News As police personnel were trying to lift the blockade, the mob set three North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) buses on fire and also set ablaze three police vans, the officers said. Police reinforcements, including Rapid Action Force, were brought in to lift the blockade and remove the protesters, the officers said. A former British military translator and his sick wife have pleaded to come to the UK after being trapped in the worst refugee camp on Earth on a Greek island. Nesar, who served alongside UK troops for almost two years in Helmand in Afghanistan, fled for Britain with his wife after facing Taliban threats. But he is now stuck in hell with 19,000 migrants in the squalid Moria camp on Lesbos and is facing deportation back to Afghanistan. Nesar, who served alongside UK troops for almost two years in Helmand in Afghanistan, fled for Britain with his wife after facing Taliban threats Nesar, 29, and his wife Nazarine, 28, have been there for six months. Speaking from the camp, he said: I had no choice but to leave [Afghanistan] if I wanted to stay alive and to keep my wife alive. But now we are stranded in a camp which resembles hell and told we face being returned to Afghanistan where the Taliban will hunt me down and kill me. Nesar worked with the British in Helmand from September 2009 until 2011. He then spent three years with US special forces. The couple reached Europes largest migrant camp on Lesbos after crossing the Aegean in a dingy of 49 migrants, meant to carry ten. Nesar said: We hoped to come to Britain where so many soldiers have told me I would be welcome after my work with them. They knew of the risks I took and the death threats I received. Nesar worked with the British in Helmand from September 2009 until 2011. A US Marine is seen above in Helmand in 2008 in a close call with Taliban fighters The overcrowded Moria migrant camp has previously been branded the worst refugee camp on Earth and is notorious for robberies, stabbings and food shortages. Nesar said: Every night we wonder if we will be the next victims of an attack. There is no electricity and little sanitation there are 210 people per toilet and 630 per shower in the camp. Nesars asylum application to Greece was rejected and he now faces deportation to Afghanistan a move he believes would be his death sentence. He is appealing against the decision. Ex-Lieutenant Peter Gordon-Finlayson, who survived an explosion in Helmand in 2011, said: There is a howling hole in our duty of care to the interpreters whose lives, and those of their families, are threatened by what they did for us. The Daily Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted the cases of translators who say they have been abandoned to the Taliban by the British. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was identifying which Afghan interpreters were eligible for relocation. Americans across the country cheered when Prince Harry decided to marry U.S.-born actress Meghan Markle, making her the first American princess (okay, duchess) of this generation. While most Americans celebrated their union, however, many staunch supporters of the monarchy apparently werent so pleased with Prince Harrys choice. The U.K. media were brutal to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and tabloids were filled with thinly veiled racist remarks against her. This led to her and her prince famously stepping down from their royal duties and dropping their royal titles. Now, its been revealed that not only was Meghan understandably hurt by the tabloids remarks against her, but she was frustrated by the royal familys response (or lack there-of) as well. Who is Meghan Markle? Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Mark Large Pool/Getty Images RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Alarming Vice Shocked and Disappointed Royals Like William, Kate and Queen Elizabeth We know Meghan ended up marrying into the royal family, but she wasnt just an ordinary citizen before that, either. Meghan has been acting since she was a child, but her big break came when she landed the role of Rachel Zane in USAs hit series Suits. She was fantastic as the paralegal-turned-attorney Rachel, and the series only lasted one season after she left. Meghan has also been known to be outspoken against racism, being a mixed-race woman of color herself. Her stance on this matter was made even more crystal clear when she recently spoke out against the murder of George Floyd. Although she had been laying low since leaving the royal family and moving to LA with her husband and son, she spoke at the virtual commencement of her alma mater high school and addressed the murders and the issue of systemic racism. The media vilified Meghan, leading to her royal exit The moment Meghan became engaged to the Duke of Sussex, the tabloids have treated her as a villain. This media treatment was in stark contrast to the adoration that Prince Williams wife, Kate, received when she wed into the royal family understandably making people wonder, were the attacks race-based? There were rumors that Meghan was a diva or that she didnt respect royal protocol, but these rumors were never backed up with fact. Most of the media attacks, describing Meghan using words like exotic and narcissistic, were barely suppressed racist tropes that have always been used to attack women of color. Because of this treatment, Meghan and her husband both decided to drop their royal duties and move to LAs to raise their son, Archie. Meghan filed a lawsuit against two British tabloids for the attacks that they launched against her, which she claims harmed her health and emotional well-being during her pregnancy with Archie. Markle says that the Palace silenced her voice A source recently revealed to People that Meghan was not only devastated by the medias attacks, but also by the Palaces frustrating instructions on how to deal with untrue tabloid stories in a word, dont. The source shared, People actively prevented her from responding to stuff that we knew to be untrue, referring to the Palaces No Comment approach to any gossip that was shared about any of the royal family members. Understandably, this left Meghan feeling like she wasnt allowed to protect herself from these vicious attacks. The go-to position [at the palace] was no comment or to ignore stories, and people actively prevented her from responding to stuff that we knew to be untrue. That is what she is taking issue with, the source claimed. Furthermore, the legal documents that were filed for the lawsuit against the media outlets state that Markle felt unprotected by the institution and prohibited from defending herself from the false reports, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health. Thailands capital saw thousands of anti-government protestors take to the streets on July 18 to demand a new constitution, new elections and an end to repressive laws. According to reports, the demonstrators mainly consisted of young people and converged on Bangkoks iconic Democracy Monument while chanting slogans and waving placards. Demonstrators take to the streets As per reports, Thailand declared a state of emergency in March due to the growing coronavirus pandemic and this recent protest which was organized by the Liberation Youth group was the biggest anti-government movement since the emergency was declared. Even before the declaration of emergency, Thailand saw huge protests against former Army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha but the protest lost its momentum once the number of coronavirus cases started rising and the country declared an emergency. Read: Thailand: Researchers Plan To Begin Human Trials Of Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Read: Toyota Corolla Cross Launched In Thailand, Check Specs And Price Here The protest in Thailand before the emergency was declared, revolved around a court ruling in February which effectively dissolved the pro-democracy opposition party. The Future Forward partys supporters believe that the party was unjustly targeted because it was gaining in popularity (mostly young voters) and was also critical of the current regime and the military. According to reports, the demonstrations on July 18 saw speeches being made about demands for sweeping changes, a radical rap group was also present at the rally and sang a popular political song. The organisers of the event have claimed that the rally attracted around 2,000 participants with more arriving in the evening. The authorities responded by deploying the police and trying to prevent the demonstrators from occupying the streets and areas. Read: Thailand Rejects Claims Of Animal Abuse In Coconut Industry Read: Lack Of Tourists Allows Turtle Hatching In Thailand The emergency declared by the government allowed it to swiftly tackle the coronavirus but the ruling political party had not relinquished its emergency powers and is using them as a political weapon against the demonstrations. The police reported set up large speakers near the rally and blasted messages that claimed that emergency was still in effect and this gathering by demonstrators was illegal. At least seven members of Prime Minister Imran Khan' Cabinet are either dual nationals or hold another country's permanent residency, according to the details issued by the government amid growing demands by the Opposition to disclose assets and nationalities of non-elected members. The details of their assets and nationalities have been put up on the website of the Cabinet Division. Information Minister Shibli Faraz tweeted that the information had been made public on the instruction of Prime Minister Khan. The move comes in response to growing criticism of the government and calls for declaring assets of the people close to the prime minister. When Khan was in the Opposition, he had criticised foreign nationals holding public offices. All dual nationals were non-elected and working as special assistants to the prime minister, also called as SAPM, a notification issued by the Cabinet Division showed. The details of assets and dual nationalities of 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister were made public. Those holding dual nationalities include SAPM on Political Affairs Shahbaz Gill (US), SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar (US), SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari (UK) and SAPM on National Security Moeed Yousuf (US). The list also includes SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim (US), SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada) and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania S Aidrus (Canada and Singapore). The Cabinet Division also published details of all non-elected advisors which showed that Babar had worth Rs 310 million properties in Pakistan and worth over Rs 310 million in the US. His business capitals amount to over Rs 2.15 billion. Bukhari owns properties both in Pakistan and the UK. He also owns a Toyota Land Cruiser in Pakistan and four vehicles in the UK -- Bentley (2017), Range Rover and two Mercedes. Aidrus owns properties in the US, Britain and Singapore. SAPM on Information and Broadcast retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa owns eight properties, including a house, plots, commercial plots and agricultural land (65 acres), worth over Rs 1.4 billion. Adviser on Finance Hafeez Shaikh has properties and assets worth around Rs 300 million. Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood owns assets worth over Rs 2 billion. In Pakistan, a foreign national cannot contest an election. All the people contesting an election declare their assets before the polls. But there is no such provision for non-elected members. Businesses are calling for The Rocks to be reimagined to draw locals back to its sandstone streets and fill the vacuum of international tourism amid fears the area is suffering an identity crisis. With the historic suburb's famed markets having resumed this month, the Sydney Business Chamber has named the precinct as being among commercial hubs that need "supercharging" to lift them out of the COVID-19 slump. Cafe owner Ron Danieli wants to see Sydneysiders drawn back to The Rocks. Credit:Steven Siewert The chamber's executive director, Katherine O'Regan, last week sent a letter to Place Management NSW CEO Sam Romaniuk, whose agency oversees the area, asking the government to work with the business sector to develop a tourism strategy aimed at bringing Sydneysiders back to The Rocks. "I talk about it as an exercise in recovery and revitalisation. Lifting all that history and heritage to make it real and fit into the context of today," Ms O'Regan said. India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist Scientists identify 6 distinct types of COVID-19 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 19: Scientists have claimed that there are six distinct 'types' of Covid-19, each distinguished by a particular cluster of symptoms in patients, findings, if validated, can help physicians better diagnose and monitor those infected with the novel coronavirus. The yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the medRxiv preprint platform, used a machine learning algorithm to analyse data from a subset of around 1,600 users of the Covid Symptom Study app in the UK and US with confirmed Covid-19, who had regularly logged their symptoms between March and April. COVID-19 testing of plane, ship wastewater can be valuable contact tracing tool, study says It analysed if particular symptoms appeared together, and how this was related to the progression of the disease. According to the scientists, led by those from King's College London in the UK, the findings have major implications for the clinical management of Covid-19 patients. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News "These findings have important implications for care and monitoring of people who are most vulnerable to severe Covid-19," said Claire Steves, a co-author of the study from King's College London. They said the research can also help doctors predict who is most at risk and likely to need hospital care in a second wave of coronavirus infections. The study noted that patient symptoms can fall under one of the six following categories: 'flu-like' with no fever, 'flu-like' with fever, gastrointestinal, severe level one with fatigue, severe level two with confusion, and severe level three accompanied by abdominal and respiratory pain. In the first category of patients who reported 'flu-like symptoms with no fever, the scientists said the manifestations included loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, but no fever. According to their analysis, those in the second category had headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, and loss of appetite, and those in the gastrointestinal symptoms cluster had a combination of headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhea, sore throat, chest pain, but no cough. Under the 'severe level one with fatigue' category, the scientists said patients reported loss of smell, cough, headache, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, and fatigue, and those with the level two of severity expressed these same symptoms with the addition of loss of appetite, sore throat, confusion, and muscle pain. COVID-19: ICMR to conduct study on effectiveness of BCG vaccine among elders In the most severe category, the study noted that patients experienced headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. According to the research, all people reporting symptoms experienced headache and loss of smell, with varying combinations of additional symptoms at various times. It said some of the manifestations, such as confusion, abdominal pain and shortness of breath, are not widely known as Covid-19 symptoms, yet are hallmarks of the most severe forms of the disease. The scientists also analysed if people experiencing particular symptom clusters were more likely to require breathing support in the form of ventilation or additional oxygen. They discovered that only 1.5 per cent of people with cluster one, 4.4 per cent of those with cluster two and 3.3 per cent in cluster 3 required breathing support. For clusters four, five, and six, the researchers said these figures were 8.6, 9.9, and 19.8 per cent respectively. Nearly half of the patients in cluster six, according to the study, ended up in hospital, compared with just 16 per cent of those in cluster one. People with cluster four, five or six symptoms tended to be older and frailer, and were more likely to be overweight, the scientists said, adding that these patients had pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or lung disease than those in the other types. "If you can predict who these people are at day five, you have time to give them support and early interventions such as monitoring blood oxygen and sugar levels, and ensuring they are properly hydrated -- simple care that could be given at home, preventing hospitalisations and saving lives," Steves said. Carole Sudre from King's College London, one of the lead scientists part of the study, said the research illustrates the importance of monitoring symptoms over time to make predictions about individual risk and outcomes more sophisticated and accurate. "This approach is helping us to understand the unfolding story of this disease in each patient so they can get the best care," Sudre said. "Being able to gather big datasets through the app and apply machine learning to them is having a profound impact on our understanding of the extent and impact of Covid-19, and human health more widely," added Sebastien Ourselin, a senior author of the study from King's College London. A team of the Special operation Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan police has again reached Manesar in Haryana late Sunday evening to quiz Sardarshahar MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma whose name had surfaced in one of the audio tapes which Rajasthan government says is proof of attempted horse trading. Acting on a tip-off, a team has been sent to Manesar to question Sharma. A notice has been sent to the residences of Sharma in Churu and Jaipur, said Ashok Rathore, additional director general of police, SOG. He added that in the first case of toppling the government registered on July 10, notice has been sent to a person identified as Karni Singh. Many important details have been obtained from Jain. We are verifying that, Rathore said. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot claims the rebel MLAs were acting in tandem with the BJP to bring down his government. But Pilot has refuted the allegations and denied that he was joining the BJP. This is the second time in three days that the SOG has showed up to quiz Sachin Pilot loyalists. On Friday evening, there was heavy drama at the hotel in Manesar where the dissident Congress MLAs are staying after an SOG team was not allowed to enter the premises by the Haryana Police. They were eventually allowed to enter the hotel. The SOG had registered two first information reports (FIRs) after two audio tapes surfaced in which a Congress lawmaker was purportedly talking to a middleman and a person named Gajendra Singh about toppling the Gehlot government. The federal government's JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments could be extended as part of the first economic forecast in more than six months. Calls to extend the government payments beyond their September deadline will be outlined in the 'mini-budget' on Thursday on the back of the horror second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic currently sweeping across south-eastern Australia. The traditional handing down of the May budget was postponed until October 6 because of the coronavirus pandemic. While vague on detail, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has given a broad outline of what to expect from that response, indicating there would be ongoing support in terms of the JobKeeper program. The federal government are set to respond to a Treasury review of JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments on Thursday. Pictured: a queue at a Melbourne Centrelink office in April 'Once we get to the end of September it will be a matter of making sure that any ongoing support is appropriately targeted to those businesses who genuinely need it,' Senator Cormann told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program. The JobKeeper payment of $1500 a fortnight was made available to eligible businesses to enable them to pay their staff even if they were not open during the pandemic. Opposition finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher said there was room to 'target, test and taper' the payment. 'Obviously there is going to be a need for continued support,' she told reporters in Canberra. The introduction of JobKeeper did include unions agreeing to be more flexible in their work arrangements during the crisis, a position Senator Cormann hopes will continue. ACTU president Michele O'Neill wants to see the program extend for at least six months for those who need it. 'As far as the provisions in the Fair Work Act, we will look at what the government announces,' she told ABC's Insiders program. 'If people get JobKeeper, we can see that there's aspects of that that we'll consider. But in relation to people who are not going to get JobKeeper, we see no basis or justification for that change at all.' The JobSeeker dole payment, formerly known as Newstart, was effectively doubled to $1100 per fortnight through a $550 supplement. Senator Cormann did not rule out raising the payment once the supplement ends in September. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann (pictured) indicated there would be ongoing support for JobKeeper 'We're making judgments on the most appropriate arrangements into the future,' he said. There has been widespread calls for some time for the dole payment to be increased from its pre-pandemic level of $40 a day, including from the Business Council of Australia, ACOSS, Deloitte Access Economics, the Reserve Bank, as well as from Labor and the Greens. 'Certainly $40 a day is not acceptable. We have got 1.6 million relying on the JobSeeker payment,' Senator Gallagher said. Deloitte Access Economics partner Chris Richardson said confidence among business and families was getting better economic outcomes. 'The government will need to spend more and they'll probably also need to spend differently in a range of ways,' Mr Richardson told ABC television. 'JobKeeper will need to change. JobSeeker will need to stay strong.' In terms of other initiatives, Senator Cormann indicated people may have to wait until the full budget on October 6. He said targeted tax initiatives to give businesses confidence to invest and hire more Australians is going to be 'part of the tool kit'. There has also been talk that legislated income tax cuts due in 2022 will be brought forward. The appointment is being seen as an attempt to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats. New Delhi: OP Dhankar, who was a cabinet minister in the BJP government in Haryana, was on Sunday appointed the president of the party's state unit. By appointing Dhankar, the BJP has continued with a Jat face, the most dominant caste in the state. The BJP, in a statement, said party chief JP Nadda appointed Dhankar the Haryana unit head. The appointment is also seen as an attempt to balance the caste equations in the state, where politics revolves around Jats and non-Jats. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also a non-Jat. Dhankar will replace incumbent Subhash Barala, who was also a Jat. Both Dhankar and Barala had lost the Harayana Assembly elections held in October last year. Dhankar was a cabinet minister in the BJP government in Haryana. The appointment has been delayed by more than eight months as it was expected that a new president would be appointed after the announcement of the state Assembly results. Dhankar has also been the national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Kisan Morcha twice. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 23:34:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Lower House Palestine Committee on Sunday called for expelling the Israeli ambassador from Amman due to Israeli annexation plan. The committee issued the warning on the backdrop of Israeli plans to annex parts of the Palestinian territories, and in light of unilateral Israeli measures that seek to undermine the Palestinian issue, the state-run Petra news agency reported. "Israel's provocative measures under the cover of the United States will fuel more tension in the region, and Israel's plans to annex Palestinian territories in the West Bank is a stark violation of the international law," said Yahia Saud, head of the committee. "Jordan will continue to support the steadfastness of the Palestinians and reject any Israeli annexation plans," Saud added. Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, started an international diplomatic effort to lobby support for the two-state solution and to stress on the rejection of any Israeli plans to annex Palestinian territories. Enditem OAKLAND, Calif. A Twitter hacking scheme that targeted political, corporate and cultural elites this week began with a teasing message between two hackers late Tuesday on the online messaging platform Discord. yoo bro, wrote a user named Kirk, according to a screenshot of the conversation shared with The New York Times. i work at twitter dont show this to anyone seriously He then demonstrated that he could take control of valuable Twitter addresses the sort of thing that would require insider access to the companys computer network. INVESTIGATION: Twitter struggles to unpack a hack within its walls The hacker who received the message, using the screen name lol, decided over the next 24 hours that Kirk did not actually work for Twitter because he was too willing to damage the company. But Kirk did have access to Twitters most sensitive tools, which allowed him to take control of almost any Twitter address, including those of former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Elon Musk and many other celebrities. Despite global attention on the intrusion, which has shaken confidence in Twitter and the security provided by other technology companies, the basic details of who were the people responsible, and how they did it, have been a mystery. Officials are still in the early stages of their investigation. But four people at the center of the scheme spoke with The Times and shared numerous logs and screenshots of the conversations they had on Tuesday and Wednesday, demonstrating their involvement both before and after the hack became public. The interviews indicate that the attack was not the work of a nation-state or a sophisticated group of hackers. Instead, it was done by a group of young people one of whom says he lives at home with his mother who got to know one another because of their obsession with owning early or unusual screen names, particularly one letter or number, like @y or @6. THE HACK: Biden, Gates, other Twitter accounts hacked in Bitcoin scam The Times verified that the four people were connected to the hack by matching their social media and cryptocurrency accounts to accounts that were involved with the events Wednesday. They also presented corroborating evidence of their involvement, like the logs from their conversations on Discord and Twitter. Playing a central role in the attack was Kirk, who was taking money in and out of the same Bitcoin address as the day went on, according to an analysis of the Bitcoin transactions by The Times, with assistance from the research firm Chainalysis. But the identity of Kirk, his motivation and whether he shared his access to Twitter with anyone else remain a mystery even to the people who worked with him. It is still unclear how much Kirk used his access to the accounts of people like Biden and Musk to gain more privileged information, like their private conversations on Twitter. The hacker lol and another one he worked with, who went by the screen name ever so anxious, told The Times that they wanted to talk about their work with Kirk in order to prove that they had only facilitated the purchases and takeovers of lesser-known Twitter accounts early in the day. They said they had not continued to work with Kirk once he began more high-profile attacks around 3:30 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday. RELEASE NOTES: Get Dwight Silverman's weekly tech newsletter each Monday I just wanted to tell you my story because i think you might be able to clear some thing up about me and ever so anxious, lol said in a chat on Discord, where he shared all the logs of his conversation with Kirk and proved his ownership of the cryptocurrency accounts he used to transact with Kirk. lol did not confirm his real-world identity but said he lived on the West Coast and was in his 20s. ever so anxious said he was 21 and lived in the south of England with his mother. Investigators looking into the attacks said several of the details given by the hackers lined up with what they had learned, including Kirks involvement both in the big hacks later in the day and the lower-profile attacks early Wednesday. The Times was initially put in touch with the hackers by a security researcher in California, Haseeb Awan, who was communicating with them because, he said, a number of them had previously targeted him and a Bitcoin-related company he once owned. They also unsuccessfully targeted his current company, Efani, a secure phone provider. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) Quezon City's most wanted criminal was arrested by authorities on Saturday morning. Quezon City Police District Director, PBGen Ronnie Montejo announced the arrest of Joselito Conlu in a statement Sunday, saying he was nabbed in Novaliches via a warrant of arrest issued by Roberto Buenaventura, presiding judge of Regional Trial Court 86. Conlu, who is 54 years old, is wanted for rape. No bail was recommended. Meanwhile, two other people were arrested in separate operations in Quezon City on Saturday as well. Alfred Pineda, who is wanted for qualified theft was arrested at Barangay Quirina 2-A. His bail was set at 30,000. Anthony Villanueva was arrested at Barangay Bagong Pag-asa. According to the QCPD, he has a warrant for estafa issued by the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 52 of Caloocan City. No information was given on whether any bail was recommended on his case. How far would you go for butter chicken? A man in Australia travelled 32 kilometres for the perfect butter chicken. According to reports, he travelled all the way from Werribee, which is 30km south west of Melbourne's CBD, for the specific kind of butter chicken he likes. He also violated lockdown restrictions to satiate his butter chicken cravings. The man was allegedly caught while on his way and was fined $1652. According to the local police, dozens of people were fined over the weekend for gathering at public or private places even during the ongoing lockdown. Around 74 people were fined, while at least ten people were stopped at vehicle checkpoints. Australia has recorded about 11,800 cases of Covid-19, a fraction of what has been seen in other countries or even some US states, but an outbreak of community transmission in Victoria has been growing, prompting authorities to restrict social distancing. Five million people in Australia's Melbourne began a new lockdown Thursday, returning to tough restrictions just weeks after they ended as Melbourne grapples with a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. READ: Australian City Melbourne to Lock Down Dozens of Suburbs For a Month According to new guidelines, residents will face fines if they leave home for reasons other than to give or receive care, to exercise, to buy essentials or to go to work or school. People who live outside those suburbs will only be allowed to enter them for the same reasons. (With inputs from agencies) N. secretary-general made a sweeping call Saturday to end global inequalities that sparked this year's massive anti-racism protests and have been further exposed by the coronavirus pandemic, warning the world was at "breaking point". "Covid-19 has been likened to an X-ray, revealing fractures in the fragile skeleton of the societies we have built," Antonio Guterres said as he delivered the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. "It is exposing fallacies and falsehoods everywhere: The lie that free markets can deliver health care for all, the fiction that ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor Next CDS of India: Rajnath Singh to receive list of probables soon India tells France, have the political will, ability to counter misadventure by China Want to manufacture BrahMos so that no country has audacity to cast evil eye on us: Rajnath Singh IAF chopper crash: Rajnath Singh likely to be apprised of probe team's findings in next couple of days Rajnath Singh meets jawans of 16 Bihar Regiment that gave Chinese a bloody nose India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 19: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday met Indian Army jawans of 16 Bihar, who fought aggression of Xinjiang military district troops at Galwan Y nullah on June 15, during his visit to a forward post near the Line of Control in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. The defence minister's office tweeted the video where Singh is seen interacting with the jawans in Lukung base camp near Pangong Tso in Ladakh. He also shook hands of the battalion officers and men while praising them for their bravery against all odds. Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met the soldiers from Bihar Regiment at Lukung during his visit to forward areas in Ladakh. He had a brief interaction with them. pic.twitter.com/81YS0T960a / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) July 19, 2020 It should be noted that it was this 16th battalion of Bihar regiment, or 16 Bihar, whose soldiers fought off numerically superior Chinese troops at the cost of their own lives in the remote Galwan Valley on June 15. No power in the world can touch even an inch of India's land :Rajnath Singh in Ladakh An attack on the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar Colonel Santosh Babu was reported to be the trigger for the bloody scuffle. With both sides now involved in dis-engagement at Galwan sector, 16 Bihar and the PLA unit from Sichuan it faced on June 15 have been taken out of the frontline as it could spark of conflagration again. Singh, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane, also interacted with the soldiers deployed there. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News Later, Singh, along with Rawat and Naravane, also offered prayers at the Amarnath Temple, just two days ahead of the commencement of the Yatra. On Friday, Defence Minister reviewed the overall security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir with the top military brass, officials said. He asked the armed forces to give a fitting reply to any "misadventure" by Pakistan. At a high-level meeting, the defence minister had also asked the armed forces to maintain a strict vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, July 19, 2020, 15:57 [IST] KALAMAZOO, MI Three out of four suspects were arrested overnight in Kalamazoo after allegedly firing multiple rounds into an occupied home in the 1800 block of South Burdick Street. Officers responded to a call at the home at about 2:40 a.m. July 19. Upon arrival, they located numerous spent shell casings on the ground and numerous bullet holes into the house, according to a news release. At the time of the call, a witnesses provided officers with a vehicle description, the release states. A few minutes later an officer located the suspect vehicle in the 3600 block of Stadium Drive, about three miles from where the incident occurred. The vehicle was seen pulling into a hotel parking lot and four occupants exited, the release states. Three of the occupants were located at the hotel and arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and shooting into an occupied dwelling. The fourth occupant was not located, the release states. Three handguns were found inside the suspect vehicle along with spent shell casings. No one was injured during this incident, the release states. About 12 hours earlier, officers were dispatched to the same block on South Burdick after receiving report of a suspicious vehicle in which the occupants were likely armed and looking for a target, a separate release states. Within a few minutes of the first call, which came in at 2:16 p.m. July 18, dispatch received another call regarding the same vehicle in the 200 block of East Maple Street, approximately two blocks away from the first call. This caller reported he had been threatened by a male armed with a handgun, the release states. Officers began checking the area and located a vehicle nearby in the 2000 block of Portage Street that matched the description. When Officers made contact with the vehicle occupants, they located two handguns, as well as other evidence indicating that shots had been fired from inside the vehicle recently, the release states. The three occupants, men aged 17, 21, and 23, were arrested for multiple charges, including felonious assault, carrying concealed weapons, and outstanding warrants, according to the release. Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 269-337-8139 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100 or www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com. Also on MLive: Two teens shot in Kalamazoos West Douglas neighborhood Body recovered from water near South Haven pier Muskegon woman stabbed to death after early morning confrontation, police say Man charged with homicide in killing of 1-year-old child in Kalamazoo County Australian chocolate enthusiasts now have another reason to purchase more blocks of Cadbury's cult favourite Caramilk. Not only has the popular chocolate returned to Coles supermarket shelves, but for a limited time customers who purchase three or more Cadbury chocolate blocks will be able to claim a smart watch. Keen shoppers will have until July 22 to purchase the chocolate and enter the promotion online, but there are only 25,000 smartwatches in total so you'll need to be quick. For a limited time customers who purchase three or more Cadbury chocolate blocks will go in the draw to win a smartwatch One customer who spotted the promotion in stores took a photo and shared it to the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group, where more than 600 people commented to share their excitement. 'So buy three blocks of chocolate then go walk it off,' one person said. 'Three blocks of Caramilk and a free watch? Doesn't get better than that,' another added. A third joked: 'What a coincidence I need chocolate this week.' Each smartwatch is valued at $28 and for more information, customers can view the promotion details on the Cadbury website The restock of the popular chocolate has fans hoping the confectionary is here to stay permanently. 'So sick of it coming out for a couple of weeks then it goes into hiding again,' one angry shopper said on Facebook. Customers were also left disappointed after the news surfaced that Cadbury's limited-edition Caramilk Hokey Pokey will be unavailable to purchase in Australia. Customers were also left disappointed after the news surfaced that Cadbury's limited-edition Caramilk Hokey Pokey will be unavailable to purchase in Australia As a result, chocolate enthusiasts have resorted to making their own similar versions at home. The Hokey Pokey product combines Caramilk's caramelised white chocolate with crunchy pieces of sweet honeycomb. One woman posted on Facebook and shared her four-step replica recipe using Caramilk and Violet Crumble. One woman posted on Facebook and shared her four-step replica recipe using Caramilk and Violet Crumble Dee shared images and said it was very simple to make by combining the two popular chocolates together. 'So easy - just melt Caramilk, cut chocolate off Violet Crumble, then mix together and let set in fridge,' she said. Other chocolate lovers online were impressed with the recipe and were eager to make it themselves. 'Shut up and take my money!' one person said. 'Amazing, easy as!' another said, a third added: 'I'm making it tomorrow!' Epidemic in Xinjiang's Urumqi 'overall controllable,' residents adapt to 'new normal' Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/18 11:02:46 Despite public concerns over Xinjiang's newly reported COVID-19 cases which led to the cancellation of nearly 90 percent of flights from Urumqi on Friday, local residents say they have adapted to the "new normal." Local officials are advising people not to panic as the epidemic situation in the city is "overall controllable," local news site ts.cn reported on Saturday. All the confirmed COVID-19 cases and asymptomatic patients are under centralized medical observation, and the situation in Urumqi is "overall controllable," Rui Baoling, director of the disease control and prevention center in Urumqi said on Friday, adding that the center will guide the public to take preventive measures and timely disclose the epidemic situation. The Global Times has learned that several residential communities were put under "sealed-off management" at midnight Thursday after newly reported cases of COVID-19 were discovered in the city. A resident of one of the communities who asked not be named told the Global Times on Saturday that residents are free to move about within their residential community and must wear a mask, she said. "Management of the residential communities have sent detailed information to each resident notifying to make preparations such as purchasing daily necessities," the resident said, noting that the wholesale market near her home had sufficient supplies. She said residents can purchase goods within the community, and community workers will also make sure that elderly residents receive daily necessities at their homes. Local authorities in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have launched an emergency response plan, and have fully carried out an epidemiological investigation to trace transmission paths to make sure no one is missed, reads a post on Xinjiang Fabu, the region's official government Sina Weibo account on Saturday. "I don't feel panicked," she said, noting that her neighbors have experienced the epidemic months ago, and have adapted to the "new normal." The resident and her family are waiting to hear when they can take COVID-19 nucleic acid tests. From 12 pm to 12 am on Friday, Xinjiang reported 11 new confirmed COVID-19 cases from Urumqi, who are under centralized medical observation, according to another post on Xinjiang Fabu on Saturday. As of Friday, 17 confirmed cases and 11 asymptomatic patients were confirmed in Urumqi, while 269 close contacts are under medical observation, according to the post. A student surnamed Wang at Suzhou University didn't expect his graduation trip to Xinjiang would end with a rush to get back home due to the sudden spike in local COVID-19 cases. Wang told the Global Times on Saturday that he and his friends are waiting at the local train station after testing negative for the coronavirus. Wang also expressed his gratitude to the local police for their help. Since Friday, Xinjiang has conducted intense screening to identify infected and asymptomatic people and their close contacts. Nearly 90 percent of Urumqi flights were cancelled on Friday after new COVID-19 cases were reported. Food supplies are abundant and the price of products remains normal in Urumqi, according to media reports. Local authorities said they will strictly crack down those who raise commodity prices illegally. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The services at the UNM Behavioral Health Clinic in Rio Rancho are expanding, even amid the pandemic. The clinic, at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center campus in City Center, is serving about 200 patients and has openings for more, said clinical director and psychologist Christopher Morris. The staff is growing as well. Weve been able to add our prescribing providers, Morris said, explaining that the clinic can now offer psychiatric medication management. The three providers who can write prescriptions are each available one day a week. They all have different backgrounds, different specialties, which is good, he said. Morris plans to recruit more providers, including prescribers, to the clinic, but said its difficult due to the shortage of behavioral health care workers in New Mexico. Now, the clinic has two psychologists, a full-time therapist, three prescribing providers, two wraparound care specialists and one certified family peer support worker. The wraparound care specialists and family peer support worker are part of the New Mexico Systems of Care program, a partnership with the state Children, Youth and Families Department. The program supports youth with the most complex behavioral health needs and their families. Those youth have been involved with multiple systems, such as child protective services, juvenile justice and special education. It can be challenging when a family has to deal with all those systems, he said. Morris said the programs goal is to help the youth and their families identify and move toward goals, with support that includes friends and extended family. Its operating with a four-year grant the clinic received last October. Morris said getting the program going took several months. He expects to make it sustainable so it can keep going after the grant period. The program has capacity for 20 families and is accepting referrals. It will continue to grow to meet the needs, Morris said. Hes looking for a wraparound-care team leader. People with a behavioral-health or social-work background can apply at unmjobs.unm.edu. The aim of the whole clinic is to grow to meet the needs in Sandoval County, he continued. We have seen increasing demand in the current pandemic, Morris said. Mental-health providers commonly see patients fail to keep appointments 20-25 percent of the time, he said. And that no-show rate has dropped to near zero in COVID-19, which is significant, he continued. People are anxious and stressed. At the beginning of the pandemic in New Mexico, Morris said, clinic providers switched to telephone services and found they could still do most of what they normally would. When they were able to offer video visits, that service was even better, he said, because the provider and patient could see each other. The clinic returned to holding face-to-face sessions in June, but patients can still choose video or telephone visits. We just want to be sure people can access the care they need, Morris said. Another big project at the clinic is the Mental Health First Aid program. Its a national evidence-based curriculum designed to teach people about mental-health challenges and learn how to help someone in a mental-health crisis or an ongoing behavioral-health struggle. Its a course that is available virtually, by video, as everything else is, Morris said. The clinic offers it quarterly and a decision on the next class date is pending. Also, Morris said the clinic is partnering with Rio Rancho Public Schools to offer a new Youth Mental Health First Aid program in all four district high schools. The curriculum, which has virtual and in-class portions, teaches teenagers how to support and get adult help for peers with mental-health problems. Its a brand-new curriculum, and theres a lot of competition nationally for schools to be involved, Morris said. RRPS is one of the few selected. For questions about the clinic or to participate in any of its programs, call 994-5050. Some of Australia's wealthiest private schools are reaping millions of dollars from the JobKeeper coronavirus subsidy. Australia's most expensive school, Geelong Grammar School, which costs $269,820 for senior school due to compulsory boarding fees, is one of those receiving the taxpayer subsidy to pay some staff. Geelong Grammar is an elite school which has a campus in Melbourne's exclusive suburb of Toorak and earnt $38million in 2018 including $7million from Federal Government funds. Australia's most expensive school, Geelong Grammar, is paying staff members with JobKeeper Geelong Grammar (pictured) charges $269,820 for a high-school education and almost 80 percent of its students are boarders including international students At least one quarter of Victoria's 219 independent schools are receiving the $1500 per fortnight subsidy, which comes on top of millions of dollars in federal handouts, alumni donations and fees of up to $40,000 per year. The Australian Taxation Office has said 26,185 education and training organisations across Australia are enrolled in the JobKeeper scheme. To be eligible for JobKeeper, a business or a school must have a 30 per cent fall in turnover for an aggregated turnover of $1 billion or less, the Federal Government says on its website. The JobKeeper subsidy is for businesses that lose 30 percent of their revenue in order to keep people employed during the pandemic. Pictured: hundreds queue at Centrelink in March Many private schools have struggled since schools were closed in March for coronavirus. Some granted hardship fee deferrals, or introduced payment plans, or even gave discounts to parents of up to a quarter off their fees. Nearly 80 per cent of Geelong Grammar's students are boarders. Last semester it was forced to turn away international students and could not charge boarding fees due to the coronavirus. Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody told the Herald Sun that Australia's most expensive school would be adversely affected until it can resume normal services, fees and billing. Other schools paying staff through JobKeeper include Wesley College, which charges $216,520 in compulsory fees to put a child through high school and which earnt $115 million in 2018 including $11 million in federal funds. Wesley has received up to $13.5 million from the JobKeeper scheme. Wesley College principal Nicholas Evans said his school had given financial hardship fee deferrals to more than 400 families and had suspended residential programs. 'The harsh reality was that up to 200 staff members would have lost their employment in 2020 if not for the JobKeeper program,' Mr Evans said. Wesley College has received up to $13.5 million from JobKeeper. It charges $216,520 to put a child through high school The Knox School, Melbourne, which charges up to $25,000 per year in fees, is also paying staff through JobKeeper. The Knox School, which charges up to $25,000 per year in fees or $142,258 for a high school education, earnt $16 million in 2018 including $3.6 million in federal subsidies, and is also paying staff through JobKeeper. Knox School principal Allan Shaw said many families had been hurt financially and his school had lost 30 percent of its revenue in the pandemic. 'International students make up 10 percent of our income and this has also impacted our revenue,' he told the Herald Sun. In April, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) warned that a business approach to the coronavirus JobKeeper subsidy wouldn't work for schools. NCEC Executive Director Jacinta Collins said high fee private schools would be able to access federal wage subsidies to retain crucial staff, but low fee non-government schools could miss out. 'High fee Independent schools will be assessed as losing more income because they are starting from a much higher base,' she said in a statement on the NCEC website. Some in the industry believe that JobKeeper is benefiting some schools over others, giving them an advantage. Catholic Education Melbourne which represents 153,352 students, issued a memo stating schools must apply their measurement of loss in good faith so as not to call into question the school's integrity. The Australian Tax Office has also warned schools not to change invoice times or defer fee payments in order to meet Jobkeeper eligibility requirements. Hong Kong: New tech yields bumper crop Growing nutritious vegetables faster through the use of technology instead of soil may sound like science fiction, but for the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department it is fast becoming science fact. It has been proactively exploring different modernised production methods to enhance the development of Hong Kongs agricultural industry and recently introduced two new technologies for hydroponic farming - changeable spectrum grow light technology and nanobubble technology, which can effectively speed up the growth of crops. The two technologies were developed by the Nano & Advanced Materials Institute and have undergone trials at the Controlled Environment Hydroponic Research & Development Centre in Cheung Sha Wan. Optimised growth The changeable spectrum grow light technology works by enhancing the growth of vegetables through adjusting the spectrum to fit different growth stages of plants. The departments Agricultural Officer Chan Siu-lun explained that trial results showed with the support of the spectrum, the growth of red oak leaf lettuce sped up 20%, red coral lettuce 30%, while that of green oak leaf and green butterhead lettuce sped up by at least 50%. The nanobubble technology increases the amount of dissolved oxygen in water to improve the seed germination rate and growth rate. The seed germination rate of different vegetables increased by 3% to 36%, while the growth of vegetables also sped up significantly, Mr Chan added. Good harvest Hydroponic farms chief executive officer Ray Lok set up one of his farms in a Tsuen Wan industrial building. The 900 sq ft facility uses the two technologies to grow vegetables. Mr Lok noticed that by using the nanobubble technology to grow lettuce, the vegetables weight usually increased by 20% to 30%. It was also more cost-effective than importing the technology from Japan. They are relatively affordable, they are cheap and they are locally developed so we have a lot of support from the Government. It has been quite useful so far. Farming future The department hopes the two technologies can be widely used in agricultural production in the future. The two technologies can effectively speed up the growth rate of hydroponic vegetables. As a result, farmers enjoy a good harvest and higher quality vegetables can be supplied to the market for consumption, said Mr Chan. He noted that choosing a site for a hydroponic farm is more flexible as planting racks can be stacked vertically in layers for increased production while still maximising the amount of space needed to grow the produce. By also using controlled environment technology, cultivation can be conducted indoors and ensure a steady supply throughout the year. The department will continue to promote the research and development of applied technology for hydroponic farming to diversify the production method for local vegetables. This can help boost the industrys competitiveness and be conducive to its modernisation and sustainable development, Mr Chan added. This story has been published on: 2020-07-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NEW YORK, July 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (Deutsche Bank or the Bank) (NYSE: DB) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and indexed under 20-cv-08978, is on behalf of all investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Deutsche Bank securities between November 7, 2017, and July 6, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Bank and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Deutsche Bank securities during the Class Period, you have until September 14, 2020, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. [Click here for information about joining the class action] Deutsche Bank was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The Bank provides investment, financial, and related products and services to private individuals, corporate entities, and institutional clients worldwide. Deutsche Bank has been the subject of scandal, investigation and regulatory enforcement for years because of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance failures and deficiencies in its disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, causing it to have one of the lowest gradings offered by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Federal Reserve). The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Deutsche Bank had failed to remediate deficiencies related to AML, its disclosure controls, procedures, and internal control over financial reporting, and its U.S. operations troubled condition; (ii) as a result, the Bank failed to properly monitor customers that the Bank itself deemed to be high risk, including, among others, the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (Epstein) and two correspondent banks, Danske Estonia and FBME Bank, which were both the subjects of prior scandals involving financial misconduct; (iii) the foregoing, once revealed, was foreseeably likely to have a material negative impact on the Banks financial results and reputation; and (iv) as a result, the Banks public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On May 13, 2020, media outlets reported that the Federal Reserve had sharply criticized Deutsche Banks U.S. operations in an internal audit. The audit reportedly found that Deutsche Bank had failed to address multiple concerns identified years earlier, including concerns related to the Banks AML and other control procedures. On this news, the value of Deutsche Banks ordinary shares fell $0.31 per share, or 4.49%, to close at $6.60 per share on May 13, 2020. Then, on July 7, 2020, the Federal Reserves criticism of Deutsche Banks failure to address its AML and other issues was reaffirmed when the New York State Department of Financial Services fined the Bank $150 million for neglecting to flag numerous questionable transactions from accounts associated with Epstein and with two correspondent banks, Danske Estonia and FBME Bank, both of which were the subjects of prior scandals involving financial misconduct. On this news, the value of Deutsche Banks ordinary shares fell $0.13 per share, or 1.31%, to close at $9.82 per share on July 7, 2020. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com Tehran, July 19 : The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the blackbox of a Ukrainian plane that crashed in January after taking off from Tehran, has been sent to France for decoding. The black box of the Ukrainian airplane was taken to Paris on Friday by the officials from Iran Civil Aviation and an Iranian judge, Xinhua news agency quoted Mohsen Baharvand, deputy foreign minister for international and legal affairs, as saying on Saturday. The process of analyzing its data will begin on Monday, said Baharvand. On January 8, the Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 aircraft en route to Kiev crashed near Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 passengers and crew members on board. Later, Iran's armed forces confirmed that an "unintentional" launch of a military missile shot down the Ukrainian airliner. A group of seven Hong-Kong-based VPN (virtual private network) apps were reportedly found exposing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of potentially over 20 million VPN users on their servers without any password protection or authentication. What is surprising is that each of these VPNs claims to follow a no-log policy, which means they do not record any user activity on their respective apps. According to the vpnMentor research team who uncovered the unsecured live server, a massive 1.207 TB of data with 1,083,997,361 records were found exposed to public access. The compromised user data include activity logs, PII (names, emails, home address), cleartext passwords, Bitcoin payment information, support messages, personal device information, tech specs, account info, and direct Paypal API links. The affected VPN apps are UFO VPN, FAST VPN, Free VPN, Super VPN, Flash VPN, Secure VPN, and Rabbit VPN. They all appear to be connected by a common app developer and white-labelled or rebranded for use under multiple names. Based on the following findings, vpnMentor believes that the VPNs exposed in this leak share the same developer: The VPNs share a common Elasticsearch server They are hosted on the same assets They have a single recipient for payments, Dreamfii HK Limited At least three of the VPNs on the server share almost identical branding on their websites To confirm if user data was actually being collected, the researchers carried out their own tests using UFO VPN. To confirm our initial findings, we ran a series of tests using UFO VPN. After downloading it to a phone, we used the UFO VPN app to connect to servers around the world. Upon doing so, new activity logs were created in the database, with our personal details, including an email address, location, IP address, device, and the servers we connected to, the researchers said. Furthermore, we could clearly see the username and password we used to register our account, stored in the logs as cleartext. This confirmed that the database was real and the data was live. Amusingly, the data collection by UFO VPN is contradictory to what it states in its privacy policy: We do not track user activities outside of our site, nor do we track the website browsing or connection activities of users who are using our Services. This creates a high risk for affected VPN users, as malicious hackers and cybercriminals could create very effective phishing campaigns using the exposed PII data through the ElasticSearch server. Similarly, spamming, financial fraud, utilizing the leaked payment data of either the Paypal or Bitcoin, extortion, blackmailing, doxing are other consequences. In some cases, it could also lead to arrest or persecution if the users accessed websites that are banned in their home countries. All the affected VPN firms were contacted by the researchers on the 5th of July, 2020, the day on which the unsecured live server was discovered. However, the live server was closed only on 15th July. If you are using one of the VPNs affected in this data leak, we recommend you to opt for a more secure provider that follows strict privacy protocols. You can check out our list of some of the best free and paid VPN services. Follow our latest coverage of the Biden vs. Trump 2020 election here. ADAMS, Wis. Nate Zimdars, a Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, arrived at the V.F.W. lodge here after marching in the local Independence Day parade, ready to meet voters at an annual outdoor chicken cookout called the Chic Nic. Although the event was hosted by the local Republican Party, Mr. Zimdars was far from nervous being behind enemy lines. He was eager. The county flipped from blue to red in 2016, Mr. Zimdars noted, which meant it could flip again. Plus, national Democrats had done him a favor they chose former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for the top of their ticket. Biden comes across as someone whos moderate and has experience on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Zimdars said. My close family and friends, who are a little more on the Republican side of the fence, said if Biden became the nominee they would vote for him. Such persuasion is at the core of Mr. Bidens campaign strategy, designed to bring together moderates, seniors, working-class voters across races and former supporters of President Trump. The approach has helped him jump out to an early lead in polling, both in national surveys and in swing states like Wisconsin, where Mr. Trump won by less than 23,000 votes in 2016. It has also helped him fend off attacks from Mr. Trump, who has sought to cast Mr. Biden as a radical progressive despite his lengthy career as a moderate lawmaker. Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary, Champat Rai, has assured on Saturday that the construction of a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya will be completed within 3-3.5 years; PM invited for 'bhumi poojan' in August. The construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed within 3-3.5 years from the date its construction starts, said Champat Rai, General Secretary, Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust said on Saturday. Rail said they have written a letter inviting the Prime Minister to conduct the bhumi pujan at the foundation laying ceremony. Nritya Gopal Das, Trusts president, has written a letter to Prime Ministers Office (PMO) inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct bhumi pujan on its foundation laying ceremony. It is up to PMO to finalise the date of Prime Ministers visit, Rail told ANI. He said they have informed about the dates to PMO. He said all 15 members of the trust participated in the meeting, four of them through video conferencing. Also read: Rajasthan political crisis: Eight-member team constituted to investigate the matter Also read: Assam floods: 76 dead, 54 lakh affected in 30 districts Rai said Larsen and Toubro (L&T) is collecting samples for soil testing. Drawing of temples foundation will be made on basis of the strength of soil 60 m below. Work to lay down the foundation will begin on the basis of the drawing, he said. Rai said it has been decided that bricks will be provided by Sompura Marble bricks and Larsen & Toubro will carry out the work assigned to them and together they will work for building a grand temple. He said it was discussed that 10 crore families across 4 lakh localities of the country will be contacted for financial support to build the temple after the monsoon and when the coronavirus situation eases. After the situation becomes normal, funds have been collected and all drawings for the construction of the temple are complete, we think the construction will be completed within 3-3.5 years from the start of its construction work, he added. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict to supervise and facilitate the construction of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya conducted its second meeting at Circuit House. Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Home Department Awanish K Awasthi was also present in the meeting. In March this year, the Ram Lalla idol was shifted to a temporary structure near Manas Bhawan in Ram Janmabhoomi premises till the completion of the construction of Ram temple. The Supreme Court had on November 9 last year directed the Central Government to hand over the site at Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple and set up a trust in its verdict on the Ayodhya issue. The Prime Minister had on February 5 announced the formation of a trust for construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The 15-member Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has been mandated by the central government to oversee the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Also read: Rajnath Singh visits Amarnath shrine For all the latest National News, download NewsX App Imperial Valley News Center President Trumps Regulatory Relief Helps All Americans Washington, DC - President Trumps actions to roll back regulations are lifting up American families and businesses. Between FY 2017 and FY 2019, the Trump Administration has cut nearly eight regulations for every new, significant regulationmore than fulfilling the promise of Executive Order 13771 to cut two regulations for every new regulation imposed. The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that this pro-growth approach to Federal regulation will raise real incomes by upwards of $3,100 per household per year. In fact, 20 of these actions alone are expected to save American consumers and businesses over $220 billion per year. Moreover, the CEA estimates that, by 2026, Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles will reduce the quality-adjusted price of a new vehicle by $2,200. This deregulatory action will increase the real incomes of Americans by $53 billion per year over the period of 2021-2029. These deregulatory efforts add up to real savings for American families and businesses. Recent work by Casey Mulligan, former Chief Economist at the CEA, proves as much. According to his analysis, overturning the Presidents deregulatory rules, reviving the regulatory state, and imposing a ban on fracking would severely damage the financial health of Americans at the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution. For example, the revolution in the shale industry reduced the global price of oil by 10 percent, saving the poorest quintile of Americans almost 7 percent of household income alone. Furthermore, significant cost savings from the deregulation of prescription drugs and internet access helped the poorest fifth of households eight times more than the richest fifth. Mulligan finds the net effect of these deregulatory actions, once fully realized, will represent nearly 15 percent savings for the bottom quintile of households, as illustrated in Figure 1. Cutting red tape has overwhelmingly benefited Americans previously left behind. As the economic comeback continues, President Trumps commitment to reducing needless anti-growth measures will assure Americans, particularly the most vulnerable, that the economy is working for them. Prior to the global pandemic, regulatory reforms contributed to a historically strong labor market and economy, lifting more than 2 million Americans out of poverty and liberating 7 million Americans from food stamps. This is the direct result of President Trumps actions, and his plan for further deregulatory overhaul will ensure that Americas workers and families prosper. CHESTER Gov. Tom Wolf has appointed a receiver for the city, a move that has been approved by Commonwealth Court Judge J. Andrew Crompton. The appointment of Michael T. Doweary comes after years of the state forewarning the city of Chester it would be placed under this control should its finances not be balanced. The concept of the receiver flowed into the controversies surrounding the Chester Water Authority, the state Department of Community & Economic Development, Econsult and Aqua America Inc. According to the DCED, Chester is the only municipality in Pennsylvania currently in a receivership. After Wolf appointed Doweary, Dennis M. Davin, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, petitioned the Commonwealth Court. On June 22, Commonwealth Court Judge J. Andrew Crompton signed the order establishing Doweary as Chesters receiver. There is no one clear answer on a way out, Doweary wrote in an open letter to the community. I do not have any preconceived ideas about actions to take, and everything is on the table. My decisions will be made based on the answer to this question: Is it in the best interest of Chester residents? Doweary served as business administrator for the city of York from 2013 to 2018. From 2018 through this year, he served as Director of Administrator for Capital Region Water, Harrisburgs municipal water system. Last fall, Capital Region Water interviewed four private companies to take over its system. One of those was Aqua Pennsylvania. By November, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse said the system had ceased privatization efforts. Here, in Delaware County, Aqua made a $320 million offer to buy the Chester Water Authority in May 2017. The CWA board had been under the citys control until Act 73 of 2012 became effective, changing the board to include representatives from Chester and Delaware counties as well. A year earlier, in 2016, DCED hired Econsult Solutions to draft Chesters Act 47 Recovery Plan. Chester has been in Act 47 since 1995 and previously adopted recovery plans in 2006, 2013 and 2016. One of the measures Econsult recommended to the city to emerge from the financially distressed status was to sell the CWA. That issue remains tied in the courts, where ownership and rate payer beneficiary issues are set to be resolved. Under Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, Chester has crafted a string of balanced budgets while making motions such as lowering the business privilege tax to create a more business-friendly environment. Despite this progress and others such as a plethora of new business tenants and the investment in a waterfront development master plan, the mayor has said the city remains in dire straits particularly in funding police and fire department pensions. At a June 15 hearing before Commonwealth Court, Chester Chief Financial Officer Nafis J. Nichols said the city has not met its monthly municipal obligation to the police pension fund since 2013. He also told the court that the police pension balance was approximately $2 million, which was likely not sufficient to make beneficiary payments over the next four months. Nichols told the court that the pension funds constitute a $540,000 expense per month, that the city has insufficient assets to fund that expense, incurring a $505,000 deficit each month. In many of the past several years, he said, the city contributed only what it received in state pension aid and that the current unfunded liability of the police pension alone is more than $25 million. In addition, city officials have stated that the city makes an annual contribution agreement of approximately $440,000 to Delaware County. This contribution was negotiated as a part of the deal that brought the soccer stadium to Chester. At the Commonwealth Court hearing, Nichols said that as a result of the virus-related closure of the casino, the city lost a significant revenue stream with Harrahs alone compromising 20 percent of Chesters annual budget. He also testified about historically high real estate taxes and earned income taxes in the city. He said the collection rate of real estate taxes is at 81 percent. And, Nichols said that even with furloughs and layoffs of 127 employees, of which 39 were part time, the city will be insolvent, or unable to pay its debts, in October. In his testimony, he spoke of the long-term systemic economic problems recently exacerbated by the reduced collections of the earned income tax and other revenue. Nichols said the city had insufficient funds to continue making payroll and was consistently underfunding its police, fire and and employee pensions. Of the receiver appointment, the mayor said, Myself and council are pleased to welcome Michael Doweary to the city of Chester. His appointment to the position of receiver expands the longstanding partnership that the city has with DCED and the state. As we all work collaboratively to ensure perpetual financial stability for this community, I am confident that his efforts will move us onto that trajectory. Michael Doweary is an asset, whose skills and expertise will help this administration accomplish goals that benefit residents and stakeholders alike. In crafting and implementing a recovery plan, Doweary will receive support from a multi-disciplinary team. That includes Campbell Durant as counsel; PFM Group Consulting as financial advisor; The Kapoor Company as Chief of Staff and Workforce Advisor; Fox Chase Advisors for operational audit assistance; The Quarks Group with communications and community engagement; and Shilvosky M. Buffaloe Consulting & Resources LLC with economic development. In announcing the receiver, the Receivers Office noted that great resources are being assigned to the city through this team but its extremely important that city officials and stakeholders be committee to working together to make the tough decisions to get the City of Chester back on its feet. Doweary himself said, My team and I will work hard to help Chester make the necessary and vital changes that are essential to bring this great city back to fiscal stability. Once created, a recovery plan is submitted to Commonwealth Court, Secretary Davin, Chester City Council and Kirkland. Commonwealth Court will hold a hearing on the plan within 30 days of its receipt, after which the court has up to 60 days to confirm the plan. Among the things Doweary said he would evaluate is the police pension, which he said is close to depleted, with only a couple of more months until it runs out of money to make payments to retired officers. He said that COVID-19 has only worsened the financial situation of the city. But I am not just concerned about the financial state, Doweary said. Chesters murder rate is among the highest in the state. Several children were shot and killed this year and we are only halfway through 2020. Our youth poverty rate is among the highest in the state. Almost half of Chesters kids live below the poverty line. All of this must change. The children and the families of Chester deserve the same opportunities that any other Pennsylvania child and family have. He continued, In the coming weeks and months, we will be developing a plan to get Chester out of receivership and put it back on its feet. As I mentioned previously, everything is on the table. We will start by listening, and we will be meeting many people, including spending time with residents and various stakeholder community groups. We will need your help and we will need the help of others. We realize the challenge that is in front of us, and I look forward to working with you to address it. Under Act 47, the receiver must have an advisory board to review any actions he wants to take and Delaware County Council unanimously appointed Kelly Diaz as the county appointee to that board Wednesday night. County Councilwoman Christine Reuther explained council did not have enough time to publicly post this position. Diaz is a resident of Ridley Township and is a senior accountant in the Delaware County Controllers Office. We met with him, he seems very competent, she said of Doweary. He seems to really be committed to looking for long term solutions in the city of Chester. Ronnie Bell, one of many unlicensed marijuana growers in Anza, Calif., cultivates young cannabis plants in a guest room. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Ronnie Bells prized possessions arent the collectible toys or bongs that clutter his ranch-style house. What the 65-year-old values most is his extensive indoor marijuana grow. Bells bachelor pad features a guest-bedroom-turned-nursery with a reflective grow-tent. There are racks of marijuana plants in the next room. This farmer, who served 21 years in the U.S. Marines and 21 years in the U.S. Postal Service, is one of many unlicensed marijuana cultivators in the unincorporated township of Anza. Over the 24 years Bell has grown marijuana, he has been raided eight times and arrested seven. When he was arrested in May, Bell said, he suffered a torn rotator cuff. His old friend, marijuana, made the pain bearable. Ronnie Bell smokes cannabis oil in his living room. The drug helps with back pain and a shoulder injury he suffered when deputies twisted his arm, Bell said. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) In the Inland Empire, Anza, population about 3,000, is a small place with a big reputation when it comes to weed. If you smoked it and it didnt come from a legal source, many locals said, it might well have come from Anza. Drive into town and it seems impossible to run into someone who cant point you to a neighbor who grows cannabis; said pointer may grow it too. The town has the optimal microclimate for marijuana cultivation; access to water, hot, dry summers. And the sale of cannabis supplements the income of people who might otherwise live below the poverty line. Riverside County supervisors have so far shown little inclination to support the small, thriving marijuana growers of Anza. Meanwhile, the county Sheriffs Department has conducted frequent raids in recent years. Illegal marijuana cultivation is harmful to the environment and community, said sheriffs Sgt. Albert Martinez. The Riverside County Sheriffs Department has responded to crimes of homicide, theft, robbery, kidnapping, the theft of utilities, illegal chemical waste dumping (which ends up in the water table) all associated with illegal grows. Since Proposition 64 took effect in 2017, California residents have been allowed to grow up to six plants. The year before, Riverside County passed an ordinance allowing qualified medical cannabis patients in unincorporated townships like Anza to grow 12 plants. For households with two qualified patients, the number doubles to 24. But Anzas zoning prevents most from growing and selling cannabis. Story continues So theres nothing legal about Bells operation. His small cannabis grow helps supplement his income and supplies him with medicinal marijuana to treat a back injury, Bell said, and the onset of a pandemic-caused recession has made his operation all the more essential. Im just a peaceful farmer. I want to give this farm to my son one day, Bell said. Ive put everything Ive got into this. Were not trying to make a million bucks, Im just passionate about this plant and the people involved with it. For dozens of small growers in Anza, where the median household income sits at $41,200, the cannabis farms are crucial, said Edison Gomez-Krauss, a founding member of the High Country Growers Assn., which advocates for laxer cannabis cultivation laws. The sprawling fields in Anza are home to more greenhouses than local merchants. Small markets, gas stations and the prized Dairy Queen are among the few signs of mainstream commerce. Farming is the towns life force, and the smell of marijuana is omnipresent. Mondays are nervous times for Bell. The Sheriffs Department dubs them Marijuana Mondays because of the frequency of raids. And so on Mondays, Bells attention is focused on the security cameras monitoring the front gate. One recent Monday saw him slowly stripping away at the skeleton of his two remaining greenhouses, which he said the Sheriffs Department deemed a code violation. On May 13, Bell was one of 10 people busted by the Sheriffs Department. He was startled by the sound of deputies over a loudspeaker as they charged through his gate. As he headed to the front porch, he shrank away from the guns pointed in his direction, he said. Officers zip-tied his wrists, pulling his arms back farther than they could bend, he said. He watched investigators enter his house. Bell heard crashing. Deputies slashed through greenhouses that cost about $6,000 each, kicked down lights and confiscated 10 pounds of weed, a generator and 1,898 plants, according to the Sheriffs Department property report. He was slapped with a code enforcement violation for his greenhouses. Ronnie Bell inside a greenhouse he said was damaged by Sheriff's deputies during a raid. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) In total that day, authorities eradicated nearly 10,000 plants and collected 298 pounds of processed marijuana, according to Martinez. Bell said he keeps half of the product he grows for personal medicinal use, and his son sells the other half to trusted black marketeers. Dubbed OG Kush 371, the plants are an homage to the road to Anza, Highway 371. Shaken by the most recent raid, Bell grows on a smaller scale and dedicates his time to the 10-month cultivation process. In March, he starts by planting seeds or cloning plants. After two months, his son or hired hands take the plants and move them into a greenhouse. By September or October, Bell harvests the plants and hangs them to dry for 10 days before starting the two-month trimming process. When finished, he places the product into a nylon bag and uses a hydraulic press to create cannabis oil. Despite raids and arrests by deputies, Bell continues to grow cannabis to supplement his income and supply himself for medicinal use. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Most mornings he inspects each plant for blemishes or seeds a sign that the plant would be unsalable and sets the large carbon dioxide tank to 1,015 parts per million. The gas is directed through a series of tubes to a fan that blows it onto the plants for 12 hours a day. He makes sure the grow lights are set to stay on for 12 hours. He has perfected this setup to speed the growing process. Years back, he also tended a larger indoor nursery that allowed him to harvest year-round. But now he spends more time raising baby chicks and fish. Bell ran away from home at age 15, hitchhiking from Kansas City, Mo., to Anaheim. We was selling drugs and pills just to make enough to eat and stuff, he said. I didnt have the best childhood. But eventually someone told us about a hippie commune up in Idyllwild, so we went. Kendall Steinmetz of Anza, Calif., at his living room table, where he trims his cannabis buds. Steinmetz, too, has had several run-ins with law enforcement, but continues to grow. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Just across town, fellow HGCA founding member Kendall Steinmetz, 67, contemplates putting up plywood to surround his legal outdoor grow with a note that reads: Civil forfeiture is unconstitutional. He starts the day at 9 a.m. trimming last years harvest a laborious process that has taken him months while watching the morning news. He smokes the first of 10 joints and checks on his outdoor plants and fruit trees. Kendall Steinmetz checks on his cannabis. "We're like any other farmer," he said, "We're just passionate about our plants." (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Were like any other farmer, were just passionate about our plants, Steinmetz said. Anza residents are divided on the issue of cannabis cultivation. While it has existed here for decades, legislation that has made enforcement less tough has led to tensions as the area became more attractive to prospective growers. In 2016, Take Back Anza was formed. The group is concerned about the impacts of farming, including dips in water supply in the Santa Margarita Watershed, an increase in illegal operations and properties ruined by renters who leave after harvesting. Take Back Anza founder Gary Worobec said men brandishing guns have occasionally blocked roads. Worobec said the group is focused on removing large, illegal grows. But small growers felt they have been targeted in the past. In the last year, Martinez said, the Hemet sheriffs station conducted or assisted in 31 raids, eradicating 163,704 plants and more than 41 tons of marijuana. Martinez estimated $170 million in plants and processed marijuana were eradicated this year alone. The station will likely double 2019s number of raids. In their downtime, Bell and Steinmetz work with HCGA to propose alternative zoning policies to legalize small growing operations. According to a report by the Anza Valley Municipal Advisory Council, 97% of Anza residents live on rural residential or agricultural land, which prevents them from growing and selling cannabis but allows other commercial farming. A close-up of one of Kendall Steinmetz's cannabis plants. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) No permits have been granted to cannabis cultivators in Riverside County, said County Supervisor Chuck Washington, who oversees Anza Valley. Admittedly our process is overly burdensome for the small growers, Washington said. The licensing process by its nature ... [is] bureaucratic. It becomes very expensive and out of reach. We havent figured out a way to manage that. For Bell and Steinmetz, attempting to fit in the legal framework is a trip in itself. This is the Napa Valley of marijuana cultivation, Bell said. So much revenue comes in from this plant, and we just want to positively contribute to the revenue stream in Anza. This town is asleep, and its begging for life. The Queen and Prince Philip are to move to Balmoral early for a socially-distanced summer holiday with her family who will stay in separate buildings so she can stay safe from coronavirus. Her Majesty, 94, had been self-isolating in Windsor Castle for the past four months but has now decided on a change of scene. She and the Duke of Edinburgh will head to the Highlands next month for the break but will impose and follow some strict rules. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had been self-isolating in Windsor Castle in lockdown The Royal couple will soon set off for Balmoral where they will stay the rest of the summer Although other members of her family will join them for the traditional summer get-together this time they will not be able to get close to the monarch. When they get to the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire she will not host them in the castle, instead staying in other properties on the grounds. They will be able to meet her for outside activities instead including walks, horse riding and picnics. A source said a Balmoral bubble of staff numbering some will join the Queen and Philip. The Royals at Balmoral back in 2003, with their pet dogs walking in the grounds They holidayed in Balmoral back in 1960, with the Queen, Prince Philip and their children, Prince Charles, right, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, seen here The Queen had been isolating in Windsor Castle and had to hold her audience with the Prime Minister by telephone as the Coronavirus spread around the UK They include Vice-Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, master of the household; Sir Edward Young, the Queens private secretary, and Paul Whybrew and William Henderson, her pages. Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, her equerry; Terry Pendry, her head groom; Angela Kelly, the Queens personal assistant and her senior dresser; Jackie Newbold, Kellys PA; and three assistant dressers will also join, according to The Sunday Times. The Queen has spent a 12-week break at Balmoral for each of the past 68 years of her reign. Since the coronavirus crisis started, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have been in joint isolation at Windsor Castle since the start of lockdown in March. The Queen rides Balmoral Fern, named after the famous Scottish residence for the Royals Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall recently moved from Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, to their London home of Clarence House as they lead the royal family in returning to public engagements after lockdown. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge remain at Anmer Hall, Norfolk, with their three children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two. Buckingham Palace said: Balmoral is a private time and we would not comment on any plans or arrangements. PORTLAND Top leaders in the U.S. House said Sunday they were alarmed by the Trump administrations tactics against protesters in Portland and other cities, including Washington, D.C., and called on federal inspectors general investigate. This is a matter of utmost urgency, wrote House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Mississippi, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, in a letter to the inspectors general of Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. The Democratic lawmakers are seeking an investigation into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland, and other communities across the United States. President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as lawless anarchists in a visit to the city on Thursday. We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it, Trump tweeted Sunday. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal! -- The Associated Press Joan Murray had been home with COVID-19 for about a week when she ran into trouble. She had a fever of 103 degrees and chills that sent shivers up and down her spine. Her oxygen levels were dropping, and the tightness in her chest felt as if somebody had bound up my lungs with string. But the 77-year-old, a retired registered nurse who lives alone in Westbury, New York, was adamant that she wanted to fight the illness at home. As a nurse, maybe I knew too much, she said. The last place I wanted to be was the hospital. So the hospital came to her. Northwell Health, which has cared for thousands of coronavirus patients in its network of facilities in New York state, sent a nurse manager to Murrays home in May. Covered head to toe in protective gear gown, gloves, mask, shield and disposable bootees she spent nearly eight hours doing an assessment. Murray was dehydrated and in need of supplemental oxygen. Within hours, she was hooked up to an intravenous line, set up in her bedroom to replenish her fluids. A phlebotomist in an N95 mask came to draw blood, an oxygen machine was delivered to her home, and Murray was prescribed a powerful blood thinner to prevent clots. Over the course of the next week, nurses dropped by every day, and a Northwell critical care physician and lung specialist, Dr. Gita Lisker, called daily to talk with Murray. I was always waiting for her call I would tell her all my troubles, and she would reassure me, Murray said. I was like a child at that point, and she was my security blanket. So-called wraparound home care services were created, on the fly, by Northwell Health to deal with the surge in coronavirus cases that New York experienced this spring. Now this model may help relieve health systems in the Sun Belt and other parts of the United States, where rising numbers of cases are putting extraordinary pressure on hospitals, filling intensive care units and sending providers scrambling to hire extra nurses and secure medical supplies. Northwell doctors are already discussing the program with physicians in Miami, where several hospitals have reached capacity. Florida has more than 300,000 COVID-19 cases, and more than 10,000 new cases were identified on Thursday. The concept of hospital-at-home programs is not new, but they had been used primarily to treat patients with flare-ups of chronic conditions like heart failure. In response to the coronavirus epidemic, Medicare relaxed the requirements for such care. Now patients are considered homebound if a medical practitioner advises them not to leave the home because of a diagnosis of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or a condition that makes them more susceptible to contracting the virus. In those situations, if a doctor says skilled services are needed, a home health agency can provide them under the Medicare Home Health benefit, officials said. Since the start of the pandemic, some hospitals have switched to at-home services to open up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients or to provide follow-up care after COVID-19 patients are discharged from the hospital. Northwells outreach is different because it focuses on acutely ill COVID-19 patients in the community. A team of Northwell specialists uses telehealth to advise doctors and patients in the community with mild or moderate illness. When necessary, a comprehensive health service sends nurses and equipment into the homes of patients with severe symptoms or underlying medical conditions who might need hospitalisation without such close monitoring. Pulmonologists use telemedicine to follow these patients. During New Yorks crisis, 80 to 90% of the patients who had the virus never went to the hospital, said Dr. Thomas McGinn, Northwells senior vice president and deputy physician-in-chief, who helped create the program. Many COVID-19 patients did not need to be hospitalised, while others including some who would have been admitted simply refused to go, he said: Hospitals were becoming this place that scared everybody. With a shortage of diagnostic tests, many sick patients were afraid that if they didnt already have the virus, theyd catch it at the hospital. And they were put off by the knowledge that theyd be cut off from friends and family, because visitors had been barred from health facilities to prevent further spreading of the virus. At first, physicians were nervous about managing patients at home, McGinn and Lisker said. Since then, experts have learned a lot and have developed evidence-based protocols that rely on educating patients on how to monitor their temperature fluctuations, track their blood oxygen levels using pulse oximeters and report changes to their health care providers. Pulmonologists, experienced in caring for very sick patients with lung disease, consulted with patients over the phone, Lisker said. I can have a phone conversation with a patient, and after the first two sentences, I can tell if theyre going to have respiratory problems, she said. Were trained to listen. Any patient in respiratory distress would be hospitalised, she added. But most patients were able to ride out their illnesses at home. Between April 27 and June 1, Northwell enrolled 182 patients in its home care program. They ranged in age from 24 to 100, and many had underlying chronic conditions like diabetes or obesity, which have been linked to worse outcomes in COVID-19 cases. Several, like Murray, were older and lived alone. But they had been carefully screened by their regular doctors; only two eventually needed hospitalisation, Lisker said. Roni Caryn Rabin c.2020 The New York Times Company Close (Photo : 5 Hacks to Save on Your Prescription Meds) Prescription medicine can be very expensive! In the U.S, it is estimated that an average person spends about $1200 every year on medication. According to various researches, a significant portion of adults doesn't take medicine as prescribed to reduce cost. Others skip doses, split drugs, go for over-the-counter drugs, or avoid their prescriptions at all. If you are in such a situation, you must learn some of the hacks to save on your prescription medications. Let us give you a few tips to help you save more. 1. Ask why the drug is expensive. Sometimes it is essential to understand why your prescription medication is sold expensively. This will give an insight into the genesis of the higher cost and consequently help you in making a decision. Most of the drug providers may not have sufficient knowledge regarding drug pricing. However, pharmacists may help you get a clear picture of this and ways to save. Tip: There are also options that can help you save more as you buy prescription drugs. One of the best ways is to use a Prescription Savings Card when purchasing drugs. You can save up to 80% on drugs using cards, coupons, and manufacturer discounts, among others. 2. Try Various Stores The cost of prescription medicines varies across different outlets. One of the best ways to save is to research the prices of various outlets. Other stores will offer unique purchase options like coupons and prescription discounts. Try to dig deep to understand whether you qualify for these offers and that the businesses behind the coupons are concerned with customer's privacy. Also, check the requirements to access other programs like the Manufacturer savings program and free trial programs. By navigating to the brand's website, you can access invaluable information about these options. 3. Choose your Insurance Wisely Before choosing your insurance provider, you must get all the relevant details regarding your provider. It doesn't matter whether it is state-funded or a federal insurance program. Try to understand the monthly premium, deductible amount, and specific plan details. Other insurance providers cover specific medication brands, pharmacists, or order services. Also, check out the pricing structure under circumstances of different drugs treating the same disease. Generally speaking, select the insurance cover that allows you to cover your medications at an affordable price. 4. Consider Generics If the original drug is hurting you financially, you can try out the generic versions of the same drug. Generic drugs are less costly because the manufacturers don't incur money for research and development of the medicine. They use the existing formula to produce an equivalent drug legally. However, these drugs may not be so identical, and the brand-name medication is always much favored. Before switching to generics, please consult with your doctor to avert any possible risks like the side effects. 5. Speak with your Doctor It has been found that few people talk to their doctors about buying drugs. Well, it is important to ask your doctor about some aspects of medication such as brands, cheaper substitution, terminating drugs, and non-drug options to your problem. You can also inquire about the cost of not sticking to prescriptions so that you get an understanding of the consequences. Final remarks There are lots of hacks to save on your prescription medication. We have covered some of the great options in lowering your prescription cost. Try them out, but always beware of fake drugs and deals in the market. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare The man whose body was found floating on the heavily waterlogged underpass at Minto Road Bridge on Sunday morning was last seen perched on top of his submerged min-truck and desperately waiting for help, his relative said. Kundan Kumar, 56, came to Delhi before the nationwide lockdown was imposed and had planned to return home in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand for his elder daughter's marriage but his family had asked him to wait for the COVID-19 pandemic to stabilize. The sole bread earner in the family, which included his elderly parents, wife and two daughters, aged 22 years and 12 years, he used to earn Rs 15,000-20,000 per month by ferrying goods across the city and would send the money home to his family. His cousin Pritam Singh said Kumar lived near a taxi stand in Shankar Market where he parked his vehicle. He used to leave for work around 5am and return by 7pm. Singh, who owns the vehicle Kumar drove, said his cousin was last seen by a boy who knew him. The boy told him around 8:30 am that Kumar was sitting on the roof of his submerged Tata Ace stuck under the railway bridge at Minto Road. "When he returned with help my brother was not there. May be he got scared and could not escape or may be he slipped. Later, his body was retrieved from the water," Singh said. Delhi police said the pick-up truck driver was trying to manoeuvre his vehicle through the waterlogged underpass but he got stuck and possibly drowned as no external injury mark was found on his body. Waterlogging at the underpass during the rainy season is a recurring problem and incidents of vehicles getting stuck and people being rescued have often been reported. "I last talked to him Saturday evening. Around 8.30am today, I got a call after that I sent some men to Minto Bridge where they found Kumar's body was fished out of the water," Singh said. "He (Kumar) wanted to go back home as his elder daughter's marriage was fixed in November but was advised by his family to wait till the situation gets normal," he said. He used to work in Delhi for 3-4 months at a stretch and then go back home for a few months. He was doing this for many years, he added. The body has been shifted to a mortuary at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and it will be handed over to police after post-mortem. Following a heavy downpour this morning, some other vehicles were also stuck at Minto Bridge. Delhi Fire Service Personnel rescued the driver and the conductor of a DTC bus and an auto driver from the waterlogged underpass. Ever since its announcement at the end of last month, the Realme C11 has been soaking-up a lot of attention within the budget Android realm. A few days ago, the handset managed to arrive in India, as well and its market conquest might not be over yet. According to industry sources, the Realme C11 should be landing in Europe really soon. realme C11, realme' entry level offering will soon arrive in Europe. Will be be available in Mint Green & Pepper Grey color options, and should cost between 100 - 120#realmeC11 pic.twitter.com/ycJ7NG8ePp Sudhanshu (@Sudhanshu1414) July 18, 2020 The expected price point as a bit steeper than the RM429 and INR 7,499, it is currently retailing for in Malaysia and India and puts the phone at around EUR 100 to 120. Even so, that remains perfectly competitive with global pricing for the Redmi 9A and 9C its direct rivals, currently selling for EUR 99 and EUR 119, for base configurations. Realme C11 in Mint Green and Pepper Grey colors The Realme C11 is built around a MediaTek Helio P35 chipset, alongside 2GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage and a 6.5-inch, HD+, LCD display. It has two cameras on the back, in a new square layout, including a 13MP main snapper and a 2MP depth module. Backed-up by Ai Camera tech, these promise good portrait mode, 1080p video capture and slow-motion. Theres an impressively-big 5,000 mAh battery keeping the light on, capable of 10W charging via a microUSB port. Realme says one charge should be good for up to 12.1 hours of gaming, 21.6 hours of video and 31.9 hours of calls, as well as a massive 40 days of standby time. Available colors include Mint Green and Pepper Grey on a body that is marketed as splash-resistant. A fingerprint reads is a notable omission from the features list, but other than that, the Realme C11 manages to deliver quite the value proposition. You can read our hands-on review for a more in-depth look. Source A father has been charged with the attempted murder of his three-year-old daughter. Shaun Mate, 43, and his daughter Eloise were rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in a bedroom a home in Eden Hills in Adelaide's south-east just after midnight on Thursday. Police were called to home following a frantic Triple-0 call from the man's distraught wife. She told the operator she found him and their three-year-old daughter unconscious in a 'gas filled bedroom'. His wife and the couple's six-month-old daughter were in another room at time and were unharmed. Shaun Mate and his daughter Eloise (pictured together) remain in a critical condition after the pair were found unconscious in a 'gas filled bedroom' Mr Mate and his daughter were treated at the scene before they were transferred to Flinders Medical Centre in a critical condition. Eloise was later transferred to the Women's and Children's Hospital and placed in a induced coma, with her mother remaining at her bedside. The little girl's condition has since improved and she is no longer in an induced coma. Mr Mate's condition has also improved, allowing police to formally arrest him at the Flinders Medical Centre on Sunday. He has been refused bail and is due to appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Monday. Mr Mate's wife is a doctor with an interest in mental health. The couple are also believed to be keen scuba divers and recently celebrated their five year wedding anniversary. Mr Mate's wife (pictured with her husband) made the frantic Triple-0 call just after midnight Shaun Mate (pictured with paramedics on the stretcher) was rushed to Flinders Medical Centre, where he remained in a critical condition on Thursday night under police guard Crime scene investigators remained at the single storey home on Thursday, where they were seen leaving with several bags of evidence - including a computer hard drive, oxygen tanks and several gas cylinders. Police also door-knocked nearby homes as they tried to piece together what happened. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the investigation was in its 'very early stages' but said it was believed to be a 'domestic violence related'. 'Obviously very tragic circumstances but at this stage the indications are that it may be domestic-violence related but it's too early for us to be specific about the causes,' he said. Shaun Mate remains under police guard at Flinders Medical Centre in a critical condition Police are trying to piece together how Shaun Mate and his daughter Eloise ended up unconscious in a 'gas filled bedroom' He added the incident had taken a toll on the emergency workers who responded to the Triple-0 call. 'I can speak from personal experience and I think most police officers can as well, when you're involved in a set of circumstances that involves injury or harm to a small child it does make the job that much more difficult and there's a personal toll that comes with dealing with those sorts of situations,' Commissioner Stevens said. 'You can't take away from the fact that you're dealing with a tragic set of circumstances.' 'Once the treatment is provided and we have a clearer picture of exactly what's happened,' Commissioner Stevens said. News of the harrowing incident shocked neighbours in Kinedana Street. Shaun Mate and his wife, a doctor, recently celebrated their five year wedding anniversary 'We saw someone was being sent into the ambulance and someone was crying,' Ben Xiong told the Adelaide Advertiser. Professor Vincent Megaw has lived in the quiet neighbourhood for three decades. 'It's just total disbelief,' he said. 'This is the most unquiet thing that has happened since we've been here.' Betty Malavazos said her granddaughters played chasey with the little girl at a nearby park only a few days ago. 'She is a beautiful little girl a sweet little girl and I pray to god for her,' she told reporters. Fellow neighbour Peter Kavouras' only thoughts were for the little girl. 'My heart goes out to her and I hope she pulls though as quickly as possible,' he said. For confidential support call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636. Bamako (AFP) - West African mediators proposed a route out of Mali's political crisis on Sunday, but admitted the opposition's main demand was a significant stumbling block. ECOWAS team chief and former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said the West Africa bloc could not call for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's resignation, as demanded by the opposition. "We met with the M5 four times and we couldnt resolve our differences," he said, referring to the opposition June 5 Movement. "ECOWAS cannot come to Bamako and see to the setting up of an interim government," he added, explaining that this would trigger a "major crisis". "We have to take one step at a time." President Keita and the June 5 Movement -- which is set on his resignation -- are locked in a political standoff that last week spiralled into violent clashes, leaving 11 dead. On Sunday, the mediators from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) capped days of talks between the parties and proposed a raft of measures to soothe soaring tensions. These included forming a new power-sharing government under which 50 percent of members would be from the ruling coalition, 30 percent from the opposition and 20 percent from civil society groups. But the prospect of the proposals ending the impasse looked highly uncertain. The June 5 Movement had already spurned proposals put to them by the mediators on Friday, after days of talks, insisting that Keita must resign. The opposition alliance has been tapping into deep-seated frustrations in Mali over the 75-year-old president's perceived failures in tackling the dire economy, corruption and the country's eight-year-long jihadist conflict. Many Malians are also incensed at the outcome of long-delayed parliamentary elections in March and April that handed victory to Keita's party. AFP was unable to immediately reach either Mali's government or the June 5 Movement for comment. Story continues -- Opposition resistance -- Mali's current crisis has concerned its allies and neighbours, who are anxious to avoid the poor, war-torn state sliding into chaos. Swathes of the country lie outside of government control because of a jihadist insurgency that began in the north in 2012, and has since claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. Fighting has also spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Keita, who first came to power in 2013 on hopes of change, has been under increasing pressure to resolve the conflict. But much of the current tension in Mali was sparked in April, when the constitutional court tossed out 31 results from the parliamentary elections, which led to protests. The June 5 Movement then emerged -- channelling anger over a range of issues -- and staged two mass rallies demanding Keita's resignation last month, before organising the July 10 rally which turned violent. The movement is an alliance of political, social and civil-society leaders gathered around powerful imam Mahmoud Dicko, who is seen as its de facto leader despite not being a formal member. On Sunday, ECOWAS mediators suggested appointing new judges to the country's constitutional court so that they could revisit the decision on the disputed seats. Their proposals were substantially similar to conciliatory gestures unsuccessfully floated by Keita himself in a bid to soothe anger, but rejected by the opposition. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, a member of the ECOWAS mediation team, suggested there was room for progress despite opposition hostility, however. "Dialogue is not over," he said. "I can tell you that imam Mahmoud Dicko accepts the broad outlines of our recommendations." AFP was unable to immediately reach Dicko for comment. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Jonathan suggested that Malians unhappy with Keita should focus on the next presidential election. "In most countries, when the president is on his second term, nobody thinks about that president again," he said. Photojournalist Beth Nakamura was on assignment on the Warm Springs Reservation last week when the woman she was talking to shared a connection. The woman, now 32, had attended The Oregonians High School Journalism Institute as a teenager. She was a student at Madras High School and remembers it as life-changing. It was the first time I had been in a group of young people and mostly people of color who were passionate about journalism, said Carina Miller, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs. One of the pieces she wrote that week was published in The Sunday Oregonian. It was the first time a group of adults made it clear that my voice mattered, that my views mattered, she said. The experience inspired her to go on to the University of Oregon, where she studied journalism and received a degree in ethnic studies. And Miller, now a candidate for the state Legislature, believes it was integral to starting her on her path to civic engagement and politics. Typically in July, theres one Oregon newsroom guaranteed to be bursting with fresh energy and ideas. Thats the home base housing more than a dozen young journalists attending our weeklong high school journalism camp. Held for the past several years at Oregon State University, the camp teaches the craft of newspapering to high school students who otherwise might not have the benefit of a journalism class. The students stay for a week in the dorms and report for duty to the media center on campus. Each is assigned a full-time professional mentor from The Oregonian/OregonLive or other participating newsrooms around the state. They are trained in the fundamentals of our craft, then go out and report, photograph and write news stories, some of which appear in The Oregonian and on OregonLive. All are collected into a print product, the Pride, which showcases the students and their work. The High School Journalism Institute is a launching pad for aspiring young journalists whose diverse perspectives are too often missing from newsrooms today, said Molly Young, an editor at The Oregonian/OregonLive and director of the institute. Most media organizations in Oregon do not fully reflect the racial, ethnic, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds of the communities they serve. Thats not OK. This summer, however, the High School Journalism Institute was derailed like so many other gatherings by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, we will offer students a virtual training experience later this year. Because it remains uncertain how school will take shape this fall, we are working to provide virtual training sessions students can access throughout the state, Young said. Over the course of the school year, we will work with schools to address accessibility barriers to make sure the programming reaches all interested students. It will be challenging to replicate the buzz of the newsroom and the transformative experience of the on-campus week, however. For some students, like Miller, it can be life-changing, sparking a love of writing, inquisitiveness, media awareness and critical thinking. Ryan Nguyen, who will be a senior at the University of Oregon this fall, is one of our summer interns and a graduate of the camp. He said, even though he was editor of his Aloha High School paper, he had not considered a career in journalism until his camp mentor encouraged him to apply to the Emerald, the student newspaper in Eugene. That experience changed everything, and this fall he will be editor of the Emerald. Working in journalism gave me the skills to write about the world in a critical and informed lens. Everything that drew me to reporting a drive to make change in ones own local community, a desire to tell others about the important current events that they need to know about and the unique community that journalists in the newsroom have was planted in me from my summer at the HSJI, Nguyen said. That mentor who encouraged him? He is now a colleague in our virtual newsroom this summer, Eder Campuzano. Campuzano is The Oregonian/OregonLives education reporter and also a graduate of the camp. The camp is supported financially with a generous donation from the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, named for S.I. Newhouse, who founded Advance in 1922. Advance is The Oregonian/OregonLives parent company. Oregon State also contributes in-kind to the camp, and newsroom fundraisers with a company match help make sure there is no cost to the students who attend. Weve also created a GoFundMe page so readers can help students attend camp. Funds for this year will go to supplies, any paid trainers and technology to ensure students can participate in a virtual camp. Many of the students come from disadvantaged communities, which is why it has been important to us to keep the camp free of charge. With your support, our virtual training may be able to reach hundreds of students. The camp is one way we are helping to build newsrooms of the future, filled with energized, passionate, diverse, smart journalists who reflect the communities they cover. Therese Bottomly is editor and vice president of content for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach her at tbottomly@oregonian.com or 503-221-8434. A day after Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot met governor Kalraj Mishra, Congress sources on Sunday said a brief session of the state assembly may be called this week. IMAGE: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot calls on governor Kalraj Mishra at Raj Bhavan in Jaipur. Photograph: ANI Photo "The government has all options open, including a brief assembly session," they said amid a political crisis caused by party leader Sachin Pilot's rebellion against chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Meanwhile, Congress leader Ajay Maken in a press conference said, "The decision on when and how the floor test will happen, it has to be taken by the chief minister and the government. It is the CM's discretion to move forward when required and if it is required." Gehlot had met Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday and the meeting lasted for 45 minutes. However, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said the CM briefed the governor about the efforts being made to protect the state from the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, party sources said the chances of calling a brief assembly session are there but nothing has been finalised yet. The party claims the Ashok Gehlot government has the numbers to prove majority in case there is a floor test. In the 200-member state assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs, including former deputy chief minister Sachin pilots and 18 MLA loyal to him, who have rebelled against Gehlot. Rajasthan speaker C P Joshi had earlier sent disqualification notices to the rebel MLAs after which they moved the state high court. The next hearing in the matter will be held on Monday. The RLD, which has one MLA, is a Congress ally while the ruling party has the support of 10 of 13 Independent MLAs. The Bhartiya Tribal Party, which has two MLAs, has officially announced its support to the Ashok Gehlot government on Saturday. The state government considers both CPI-M MLAs on its side. However, the CPI-M says their stand is clear that they have to defeat the BJP but any decision regarding support to the state government will be taken by the party leadership in case a floor test is conducted. About 40 current and former employees of the outdoor equipment store REI in Grand Rapids, Mich., regularly communicate using the messaging app GroupMe. On July 6, they received a jarring note from a colleague. Hey guys just so everybody knows I tested positive for Covid-19, the employee wrote. I was told not to tell anybody and that the store would let everybody know what was going on. I assumed everybody knew but apparently that was not the case. Im glad the store is now taking it seriously and we are closed for a while. I have no symptoms and am feeling good. The sender, according to screenshots reviewed by The New York Times, was immediately bombarded with well wishes and questions. When? The results came in at 10:30 p.m. on July 2, just before a holiday weekend that included travel with family for some employees. Why didnt store managers alert employees? I was told that management would let people know what was going on and to not post or say anything on social media, the employee wrote. The Grand Rapids store was closed on July 3 to investigate potential Covid-19 exposure, but according to voice mail messages that managers left for the staff, they said no one had been exposed to the virus and the store reopened the next day. "There's tremendous love for the Blue Jays in Buffalo," the mayor said, referring to the teams' affiliation that dates to 2013. "... We have flattened the curve in New York State and it's a very safe place to play. We are still a top-100 American city, so there are a lot of things to do in Buffalo and players' families could come to our city and have a great time in the city, which is in Phase 4 of reopening." Wherever they play, time is of the essence and the Blue Jays are now in scramble mode to have a site for their regular season games. The home opener is July 29 against Washington. The Pittsburgh option makes sense for the Jays. New Pirates GM Ben Cherington left his post as vice president of baseball operations in Toronto to head to Pittsburgh last fall and the city would still give the Jays an Eastern base to mitigate travel for visiting teams. There are seven current conflicts between the Jays' home schedule and that of the Pirates that MLB would have to work through, either by shifting some games or perhaps playing a doubleheader or two. "We're professionals. We're going to try to win games wherever we play," manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters Sunday. The Blue Jays have been training in Toronto for the last two-plus weeks and head on the road to play exhibition games Tuesday and Wednesday night in Boston. They open their season Friday night at Tampa Bay. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Chinese mainland reports 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 14:31, July 18, 2020 BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese health authority said Saturday that it received reports of 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Friday, of which 16 were domestically transmitted. All domestically-transmitted cases were reported in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the National Health Commission said in its daily report. No deaths related to the disease were reported Friday, according to the commission. On Friday, 21 people were discharged from hospitals after recovery, and one new suspected case was reported in Xinjiang. As of Friday, the overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 83,644, including 252 patients who were still being treated, with three in severe condition. Altogether 78,758 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease, the commission said. Six new imported cases -- three in Guangdong Province, two in Shandong Province and one in Fujian Province -- were reported Friday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 2,004. Of the cases, 1,920 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 84 remained hospitalized with three in severe condition. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported. The commission said four people were still suspected of being infected with the virus. According to the commission, 4,072 close contacts were still under medical observation after 129 people were discharged from medical observation Friday. Also on Friday, 14 new asymptomatic cases, including five from overseas, were reported on the mainland and no asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones. The commission said 109 asymptomatic cases, including 77 from overseas, were still under medical observation. By Friday, 1,713 confirmed cases including 11 deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR, and 454 in Taiwan including seven deaths. A total of 1,264 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 440 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The leader of the Taliban has reshuffled his team of negotiators ahead of peace talks with the Afghan government, adding four close aides to the group, sources in the movement said Saturday. Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada made the appointments to strengthen his control over the team, a Taliban commander, based at an unknown location in Pakistan, told AFP. The aides are all members of the militant group's leadership council, which should help the team to make quicker decisions, two other sources in the Taliban movement who confirmed the move told AFP. The talks with Kabul were originally supposed to have started in March, but there have been repeated delays, with the Taliban accused of increasing violence. The four new negotiators, who were appointed last month, are Taliban chief justice Sheikh Abdul Hakeem, Maulvi Saqib, former chief justice during the Taliban's rule in the 1990s, Mullah Shireen, a close aide and bodyguard of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, and Maulvi Abdul Kabir, former governor of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province. The reshuffle also saw three to four earlier members of the team removed, including Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, a senior militant leader, the sources said. It comes after Akhundzada appointed Mullah Yaqoob, the son of Mullah Omar, as head of the group's military wing. "Yaqoob is young, energetic and experienced," the military commander said and added that Yaqoob was respected in the Taliban because of his family background and experience. Yakoob is already a member of the Taliban's central Shura council and a deputy to Akhundzada. The Taliban have a political office in the Qatari capital Doha, which has emerged as a likely venue to host the initial round of peace talks after the militants and Kabul complete an ongoing prisoner exchange. The peace negotiations hinge on a prisoner swap, in which Kabul pledged to free about 5,000 Taliban prisoners in return for around 1,000 Afghan security force captives held by the insurgents. So far, Afghan authorities have released about 4,400 Taliban inmates, Afghan officials said. Afghan officials, meanwhile, accused the Taliban of continuing to carry out deadly attacks across the country. "Taliban had a choice to cease the fire and halt taking innocent lives, instead, they chose to kill more and showed no will for peace," National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal said on Twitter on Saturday. Scientists and engineers are preparing for possible travel into interstellar space, the area in between stars, in the distant future. A new report examines the possible problem of changes in language on long space trips. Only two spacecraft from Earth have reached the mysterious area known as interstellar space. Scientists identify interstellar space as the area outside the area of particles and magnetic fields created by the sun. Experts believe it will likely take many years before the technology and equipment are developed to send humans to this unexplored area of space. But if it does happen, massive spaceships could carry humans on long trips to distant stars. Two American researchers have explored one possible problem with such travel. They considered the possibility that changes in human language could develop over time and lead to major communication problems with people on Earth. The language experts are professors Andrew McKenzie from the University of Kansas, and Jeffrey Punske, of Southern Illinois University. The two recently published a paper on the subject that appears in the European Space Agencys online publication Acta Futura. The paper considers very long trips necessary to reach interstellar space, estimated to be about 18 billion kilometers from Earth. It also examines the possibility of future colonization of distant stars. Languages naturally change as communities grow more isolated from each other, the researchers note in the paper. The long isolation of a community could lead to enough differences in language to make it impossible for community members back home to understand. If you're on this (spaceship) for 10 generations, new concepts will emerge, new social issues will come up, and people will create ways of talking about them, McKenzie said in a statement. Such vocabulary would become specific to only that spaceship. People on Earth might never know about these words, unless there's a reason to tell them. And the further away you get, the less you're going to talk to people back home, McKenzie said. The researchers noted that in addition to new words being used, the language of people traveling on spaceships and living in colonies would experience many other changes. For example, the sounds of different letters would likely change over time, affecting not only individual words, but the whole grammatical system, the paper states. Major changes in word and sentence structure could also create systematic language barriers over time, the researchers said. Given more time, new grammatical forms can completely replace current ones, McKenzie said. The paper provides examples of how languages developed on our own planet because communities became isolated over time. Examples include the Polynesian settlement of far-flung Pacific islands, and dialect development in relatively isolated European colonies. McKenzie identified an example of a major language change on Earth during modern times. He described a way of speaking called uptalk, when speakers end statements with a rising tone. He said this way of speaking is often mistaken for a question tone by those who are not aware of it. Uptalk has only been observed occurring within the last 40 years, but has spread from small groups of young Americans and Australians to most of the English-speaking world, McKenzie said. The researchers say one possible solution to limit communication problems would be to include language experts on spaceship crews. Another suggestion is to use sign language as a form of communication. McKenzie added that space travelers might question whether it is even worth trying to learn how to communicate with people on Earth. But he believes there will always be a need, even if it is very limited. You have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back, or to read the instruction manuals and information that came with the ship, he said. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the University of Kansas and Acta Futura. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. Quiz - How Future Space Travel Could Create Language Communication Issues Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story isolate v. separate someone or something from other people or things concept n. an idea or principle emerge v. appear from somewhere vocabulary n. all the words in a particular language dialect n. a form of language people speak in a particular part of a country tone n. the quality of a sound occur v. to happen manual n. a book that contains directions for doing something Space News space history and artifacts articles Messages space history discussion forums Sightings worldwide astronaut appearances Resources selected space history documents advertisements First UAE interplanetary mission launches 'Hope' to Mars July 19, 2020 The launch of a new interplanetary probe carries with it the "Hope" of a young nation that is poised to make history while studying the global atmosphere of Mars. The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) "Hope" ("Al-Amal" in Arabic) spacecraft lifted off on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Saturday (July 19). If all proceeds to plan, the robotic probe will enter Mars orbit in early February 2021, coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebration of the UAE becoming an independent country. The 5:58 p.m. EDT launch (2158 GMT or 6:58 a.m. local time on July 20) marked the beginning of the $200 million Emirates Mars Mission, the UAE's first space project to reach beyond Earth orbit and first Arab-led mission to another planet. If Hope succeeds, the UAE will become the fifth, or possibly sixth, government to place a vehicle into Mars orbit, depending on when China's soon-to-be-launched Tianwen-1 mission also arrives at the Red Planet. To date, only the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency and India have operated robotic probes in orbit about Mars. "This mission places UAE as one of the world leaders in space exploration, which will be a wonderful inspiration to the young men and women of the UAE when considering their roles in the future. It should provide a major incentive for young Arab scientists to embark on a career in space engineering," said UAE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh during an online discussion hosted by the Office of Public & Cultural Diplomacy in Abu Dhabi. The path to Mars The Hope spacecraft entered Earth orbit 11 minutes and 21 seconds after launch. Still attached to the H-IIA's second stage, the probe coasted for 45 minutes before the stage reignited for 4 minute and 54 seconds to accelerate Hope away from the planet. Separating from the rocket stage 57 minutes after leaving the ground, Hope began its 200-day cruise that will span the 306.6 million miles (493.5 million kilometers) between Earth and Mars. The small spacecraft measuring just 25 feet wide (8 meters) when its two solar arrays are deployed and 10 feet tall (3 m) made contact with mission managers in Dubai (as relayed through NASA's Deep Space Network tracking station in Madrid, Spain) about 15 minutes later. After system checks, the next major milestone for Hope will be the first in a series of thruster firings to refine its trajectory. "Soon after commissioning, there's a series of course corrections that need to be made in order to hit the target that's required to get into Mars orbit. It's a very small target. It's equivalent to an archer hitting a 2 millimeter [0.08 inch] target 1 km (0.6 miles) away, so this is not for the faint of heart," said Pete Withnell, program manager at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where Hope was built. "It takes a series of course correction maneuvers to hit that target." "The next six months will be largely ensuring that we know exactly where the spacecraft is, how it is moving through space and how we are in terms of targeting that specific bullseye in making all the corrections needed along the way," Withnell said in a pre-launch press conference. Into the atmosphere Arriving at Mars, the Hope probe will expend nearly half its fuel firing its thrusters to slow its approach to be captured by the planet's gravity. About six weeks after entering an initial orbit, during which its systems and instruments will be checked out, the spacecraft will transition to its science orbit, circling Mars once every 55 hours while following an elliptical path between 12,430 and 26,700 miles (20,000 and 43,000 km) above the surface. Hope is equipped with infrared and ultraviolet spectrometers, as well as a multi-wavelength camera to collect data about the global Martian atmosphere over the course of one Martian year. "We focus on three primary objectives ... to characterize the weather system of Mars throughout an entire year, and, more importantly, fill in the gap of the day-to-night transitions within the weather of Mars," said Sarah Amiri, deputy project manager for the mission. "We also look at how far out hydrogen and oxygen extend into space. That provides a better understanding on atmospheric escape." "So if there is a dust storm on Mars [or] changes in temperature, how does that impact rates of atmospheric escape and, particularly, the escape of hydrogen and oxygen in the outer atmosphere," she said. The bottom to top approach is novel to Hope's mission, according to Amiri. "Prior missions, their orbits were mostly locked at a local time, so they captured an understanding of the lower atmosphere of Mars at a particular time of the mission, [while] other missions, perhaps, looked also at atmosphere escape. This mission provides us a full understanding of the atmosphere throughout a day, so it covers all regions at all local times and that's a comprehensive understanding that fills in the gap of changes through time through different seasons of Mars throughout an entire year," Amiri said. A new 'Hope' In addition to advancing science, the UAE is also leveraging the Mars mission to establish its position in the Arab world as a "beacon of progress." First announced in July 2014, the Emirates Mars Mission has the goal of inspiring Arab youth to become involved in science and technology fields. "The message here is that if the UAE is able to reach Mars in less than 60 years [as a country], then you can do much more, given your history, given how this region used to be a generator of knowledge [and] how scientists in this region came up with new knowledge," Omran Sharaf, project director for the Emirates Mars Mission, said. "The objective was to use this mission to cause a disruptive change in the mindset of the youth to create a research and development culture to support the creation of an innovative, creative and competitive knowledge-based economy." "Since the mission was announced, we saw students shifting majors, going from international relations and finance into the sciences. We saw universities that didn't have any science programs actually start science problems. The mindset of the youth has changed, the mindset of different sectors has changed and we've seen that impact," he said. A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H-IIA rocket lifts off with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Hope probe from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Saturday, July 19, 2020. The spacecraft will enter Mars orbit to study the atmosphere in February 2021. (MHI) United Arab Emirates' "Hope" probe with its solar arrays extended during final checks prior to its launch to Mars. (MBRSC) United Arab Emirates' "Hope" probe during final checks prior to its launch to Mars. (Emirates Mars Mission) Emirates Mars Mission journey infographic. (UAE Space Agency) Emirates Mars Mission "Hope" mission patch floating in the Cupola aboard the International Space Station. The patch was flown by Hazzaa AlMansoori, the first UAE astronaut, during his September 2019 mission to the orbiting laboratory. (MBRSC) Artist's rendering of the United Arab Emirates' "Hope" spacecraft in orbit around Mars to study the atmosphere. (Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center) 2022 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved. BERLIN - German police officers were pelted with bottles to applause from a large crowd after they tried to end a brawl in central Frankfurt early Sunday, leading to clashes that ended with 39 arrests, the citys police force said. Frankfurt police chief Gerhard Bereswill said a small group of police tried to intervene after the brawl involving up to 30 people broke out at around 3 a.m. in the citys central Opernplatz square. Participants in the fight turned on the officers and threw bottles at them, along with others standing nearby, he said. The other 500 to 800 people in the square began to jeer and clap when bottles hit our colleagues, Bereswill added. Police called in reinforcements, who he said were also pelted with bottles, and then cleared the square. Bereswill said police arrested 39 suspected bottle-throwers, eight of whom were still in custody Sunday. Most were young men aged 17-21 from the Frankfurt area, many of them with immigrant roots, he said. At least five police officers sustained slight injuries such as bruises and several police cars were damaged, Bereswill said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-20 02:50:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Interior Ministry announced on Sunday the kingdom's readiness for the upcoming Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Zayed Al Tuwailan, commander of Hajj Security Forces, told a press conference that the forces are ready to ensure the safety of pilgrims, SPA said. He revealed that pilgrims of 160 nationalities, 70 of whom are foreign residents in the kingdom, would take part in this year's Hajj season. "It is an extraordinary season with extraordinary measures to tackle the coronavirus for the safety of pilgrims," Al Tuwailan said. The commander warned of jail terms and fines against violators, noting non-Saudis would also face deportation. On Sunday, the Saudi health ministry reported 2,504 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number in the country to 250,920. The recoveries from the disease rose to 197,735 after 3,517 patients recovered, while 39 more fatalities were recorded in the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 2,486. Enditem ALBANY - Before the coronavirus pandemic hit New York, state lawmakers were making strides to address systemic racism in housing practices. Riding on the heels of an earlier passage of tenant protections, legislators convened a hearing late last year to examine discriminatory practices in Long Islands real estate market whereby realtors steered people of color to certain homes and neighborhoods findings that were originally disclosed in a three-year investigation by Newsday. Legislative leaders had subpoenaed multiple real estate agencies to probe the alleged discriminatory practices, and had planned a hearing in April, but that was derailed by COVID-19. The pandemic has only further highlighted the longstanding disparities in housing practices and pushed policymakers to reckon with the systemic issues ingrained in the process. "I think we can all see the coronavirus has, sadly, magnified the inequities in every part of our lives, and housing is no different," said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the first Black female leader in the state Senate. "Because of the practices of segregation and inferior housing for Black communities and brown communities, the ability to deal with COVID, having the social distancing and all of the kinds of things that would be required to have a safer outcome during a situation like this for far too many families of color don't exist because the options were never there." Housing policies nationwide have deep roots in racism and injustice, from the displacement of Native Americans to the discriminatory practices of the 1930s New Deal Era of the Home Owners Loan Corporation, which redlined areas that the American government deemed unsafe for investment. Those areas were typically racially diverse urban neighborhoods, and the consequences are still felt today with those communities suffering from divestment and concentrations of poverty. There have been well-documented racial disparities within housing for a long time. Some of them are about the quality and cost, and others are about where affordable housing is available, said Solomon Greene, a housing policy expert at Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Were paying a lot of attention now on the surge of evictions were already seeing in some states and expected when moratoriums are lifted in others. Since COVID-19 made its way to New York, lawmakers have warned of a looming housing crisis if significant resources arent dedicated to ensuring people dont lose their homes because of their inability to pay rent or mortgage payments amid a public health crisis. How its handled will have racial justice implications, Greene said, as those who struggle most with housing security are people of color. They are more likely to hold lower paying jobs and rent their homes. People of color also have reported being more uncertain of their ability to pay rent during the pandemic compared to their white counterparts, Greene said. State lawmakers said as the pandemic inundated New York, the focus became ensuring residents had the basic needs. Figuring out how to keep people in their homes is going to be the focus, said state Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse. It would be great if we could take the imminent reshuffling of people in their homes to promote a more racially diverse approach to housing people. I think its going to be such a crisis that were going to have to focus on making sure people get enough resources to have a roof over their head. While $100 million in federal funds has been allocated for rental assistance to the most needy New Yorkers, legislators said much more will be necessary in order to avoid a housing crisis. Manhattan Democratic Sen. Brian Kavanagh, who chairs the Senate housing committee, said efforts to create thoughtful legislation and policy that both addresses current issues and aims to dismantle the systemic problems are being pursued. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. I think a crisis like this has a real danger of exacerbating inequalities in our society and the way to prevent that is to ensure we are proactively addressing the underlying economic crisis as well as the public health crisis, he said. That includes pushing for an extension of the eviction moratorium and additional funding for rental and mortgage assistance, but also continuing the efforts that were re-energized with a shift in power from the 2018 elections, Kavanagh said. Things that have languished for a very long time moved very rapidly and in (a) dramatic way because of the change in the Legislature, he said of Democrats taking control of the Senate. We took big steps forward. This was an issue that I think we were ready to move on this year. That includes ensuring financial resources to do fair housing tests dispatching a diverse group of people to seek out housing in a region and analyzing how they are treated; passing good-cause eviction protections; pursuing policies and programs that ensure affordable, quality housing; as well as a statewide affirmative fair housing policy, legislators said. Kavanagh said he has proposed a fair housing policy since the federal government rolled back its policy earlier this year. The policy required cities and towns receiving federal funding to examine their local housing patterns for racial bias and to design a plan to address any bias. Kavanagh and Stewart-Cousins also pointed to legislation proposed by Sen. James Gaughran that would revoke or suspend the license of a real estate broker or salesman found using discriminatory tactics, a measure proposed in response to the issues uncovered in Long Island. This bill could be enacted on this year as legislators return for session on Monday. "We're working on a number of things, but I think that any opportunity we have to educate and stop discriminatory practices and push for a fairer and more just society in every area, including housing, is where you will find our conference," Stewart-Cousins said. Inside polling stations, all workers were wearing masks and gloves, and voters had to use their own pens in the sanitized booths. Once their ballots were cast, they had to leave immediately, as no gatherings were allowed inside. People also had to keep a safe distance while waiting for their turn. Research by the University of Southampton shows European countries need to work together when lifting lockdown measures, to prevent COVID-19 cases rising again on the continent. A study by WorldPop, experts in population mapping, has found any resurgence of the virus would be brought forward by up to five weeks if well-connected countries prematurely end their non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as social distancing and self-isolation, without coordinating efforts. This would give less time to expand testing programs and develop new treatments or vaccines. Detailed findings are published in the journal Science. Our study shows the timing of any second epidemic across Europe depends on the actions of countries that are populous, well-connected and currently have strong interventions in place. The uncoordinated easing of NPIs can lead to much earlier secondary epidemics, while coordination can mean much higher likelihoods of eliminating all local cases." Dr Nick Ruktanonchai, Lead Author of the Study Director of WorldPop, Professor Andy Tatem, says: "Intergovernmental organisations, such as the World Health Organization, have stressed the importance of international solidarity to share resources and expertise to combat COVID-19. Our results underline this and suggest that coordination between countries removing lockdown measures is vital. One country ending NPIs before others could lead to an accelerated resurgence of the disease." The researchers used anonymised Vodafone mobile phone data and a Google mobility dataset to provide information on trends of population movement. They combined this with publicly available COVID-19 infection data. Using a sophisticated model, the team ran multiple exit strategy scenarios - each estimating the effect of relaxing different lockdown measures in different country combinations among 35 European countries, to examine how this affected virus spread in Europe over a six month period (April 2020 onwards). The researchers concluded that if countries work together, it could greatly improve the likelihood of ending community transmission of COVID-19 throughout the continent. In particular, they showed that synchronizing intermittent lockdowns across countries would lead to half as many lockdown periods being necessary to achieve an end to transmission of the virus among people in Europe. Across 1200 simulations, the researchers found that if countries synchronised implementation and relaxation of NPIs, an end to community transmission (over the six months period) was always the most likely outcome. If this was achieved, it would shift the emphasis to testing, tracing and quarantining cases coming to the region from elsewhere. The study also showed that certain countries have a higher potential to cause a resurgence of COVID-19 than others. France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK were all identified as being a greater risk to triggering any new wave of infection. Furthermore, the way in which each country would contribute to any resurgence varies. For example, Germany was shown as most likely to spark epidemics in neighbouring countries, whereas virus spread from France tends towards adversely affecting main population centres continent-wide. This suggests the most effective interventions may depend on the country considered. For instance, airport closures might be more useful for France, while limits on local travel may be more effective for Germany. The researchers believe their approach could be used to study virus resurgence beyond Europe and plan to undertake future work to examine the effect of coordinated relaxation of NPIs at a global level. Chopra in North Dinajpur district in north Bengal turned into a battleground on Sunday afternoon, hours after a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered. But police said the post mortem revealed that she died of poisoning. The girl had appeared for the class 10 state board examination this year. Local people torched three government buses and two police vehicles and vandalised a number of other vehicles. Shouting we want justice, the mob also attacked policemen while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders took up the issue alleging that the girl belonged to a family of BJP supporters and thus became a target of goons backed by the ruling Trinamool Congress party. At least 30 people, including some police personnel, were injured in the pitched battles. Tension was palpable in the area till late evening. Watch: Police fire teargas to control violent protests in West Bengal The area where the alleged rape and murder took place comes under the Chaturagaj-Sonapur gram panchayat area of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency. She was found by the roadside early in the morning, around 700 metres away from her home, and taken to Chopra hospital and subsequently to Islampur sub-divisional hospital where doctors pronounced her dead. The family of the victim claimed that a mobile phone and a cycle of the suspected murderer were recovered from the spot but a police officer who requested anonymity said A bottle of poison was also found. Local people and BJP supporters blocked the Chopra state highway for hours. In the afternoon, they blockaded NH-31. When police tried to remove the roadblocks, the protesters hurled stones. Several clashes ensued and police had to use baton-charge tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. Kartik Chandra Mondal, additional superintendent of police, Islampur said, The body has been sent for post mortem examination. The elder brother of the girl alleged that his sister was raped and murdered because his family supports the BJP. He claimed that he is a local BJP leader and blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the incident. Surajit Sen, vice president of the BJP Uttar Dinajpur district committee said TMC-backed miscreants committed the heinous crime. Gautam Deb, state tourism minister condemned the murder and blamed the BJP for resorting to dirty politics over her death. Deb said Two state ministers and a member of Parliament will visit the girls house. We are with the family. Darjeelings BJP MP Raju Bista said, Local people informed me that she was raped and poisoned. In the past few years, Chopra has seen exponential rise in illegal infiltration and crime. This was once a peaceful region. The West Bengal Police on Sunday night said in a series of tweets that preliminary report of the post mortem examination pointed at death caused by poisoning and did not show any sign of rape. The tweets also said that the girls family did not lodge any complaint and police acted on its own. Today morning Islampur PD received a reliable information about the death of a young girl of Chopra PS area. Family members or any other associated persons didnt inform Police. Police contacted the family and sent the body for Post Mortem, said one of the tweets. Inquest by a magistrate and videography of the Post Mortem was done. As per the PM report cause of death is effect of poison. No injury marks anywhere in the body has been found. There is no sign of sexual or physical assault. Though law and order problem has been created over the issue, yet no complaint has been lodged with police, the police said in another tweet. The incident in Chopra happened six days after Debendranath Roy, a BJP legislator from Hemtabad in North Dinajpour was found hanging around two km away from his home. The BJP has demanded a CBI inquiry, calling it a political murder. Chandima Roy, the legislators wife has moved the Calcutta high court demanding CBI enquiry. The state CID has arrested one man in the case By Kim Hyun-bin The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is reviewing Tesla's "misleading" ads after a court in Germany recently banned them. Tesla has been promoting its autopilot technology as having full autonomous vehicle capabilities. The country's top antitrust regulator was looking into whether Tesla's description may have violated Korea's advertising laws. Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) Families of 88 overseas Filipino workers who died in Saudi Arabia watched quietly as the remains of their loved ones finally arrived Sunday. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac said 45 of them died due to COVID-19. The agency assured the families that they will shoulder the cremation and burial expenses for the deceased OFWs. Their relatives will also receive livelihood and scholarship assistance. There have been earlier repatriations of the bodies of migrant workers from the Middle East. The repatriation included the remains of Jomar Tanyag, who before his passing made a video calling on the Philippine government to help him come home. Hirap na hirap na po ako, 'di ko na po alam gagawin ko hirap na hirap na po ako. Sa totoo lang, malapit na ko sumuko kasi hirap na hirap na ko huminga, said Tanyag as he tried to catch his breath. [Translation: I've been having such a difficult time, I don't know what to do anymore. In truth, I am on the brink of giving up because it's so difficult to breathe.] According to his relatives, that was the last time that Jomar was seen alive. They say Jomar was not even sent to the hospital to confirm if he was positive for COVID-19. The black shirt he was wearing in the video was said to be the same shirt that was on him when his body arrived. Sa punenarya po nabuksan and naconfirm naman namin na siya. And naconfirm din namin na di siya dinala sa ospital kasi kung anong suot niya nung namatay siya habang nagvivideo, yun din po suot niya nung nakuha namin siya," said Marjorie Tanyag-Hadloc, sister of Jomar. "For 23 days hindi siya nilinis, na ospital kasi sana man lang nakaputi o kung ano man yung sinusuot pag namamatayyung lab gown ba o ganon." [Translation: We were able to confirm his identity in the funeral home. We were also able to confirm that he wasn't brought to the hospital, because he was wearing the same thing he wore when he filmed himself before he died. For 23 days, he wasn't cleaned or brought to the hospital, because otherwise he would be wearing what those who die in the hospital wear lab gown or something like that.] Some of his relatives say they feel guilty for not being able to send help to Jomar. Its hard to watch the video because its a human being and somebody close to me asking for help and no one came to help him. I feel guilty also cause I saw the video when he was already gone, said Nanding Josef Tanyag, Jomars uncle. It is too late for Jomar, and his family only hopes his employers can finally release his benefits which will be used to support his children. Saudi Arabia, which has the biggest Filipino community in the Middle East, has asked the Philippine government to send home the bodies of migrant workers since cremation is not allowed in the country. Leave the doors open and all the lights on. Thats one of the many new guidelines for people opening their homes perhaps for the first time in months so real estate agents can host open houses. Some provinces are now allowing open houses, with new rules in place, after regulators clamped down on showings amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said earlier this month that open houses will resume, with warnings to potential house hunters. Visitors to open houses there can expect to see signs displaying health precautions, use hand-washing stations and sign a visitor log for contact tracing. Ontarios Stage 3 reopening plan, which hit much of the province on Friday, also includes open houses under its new gathering limits of 50 people, or 30 per cent capacity, with physical distancing enforced. Regina-based real estate agent Tim Otitoju says minimizing the need to touch doors and light switches is one of several ways the open house process has changed. At showings, he is the one to open any front door with gloves, sanitized hands and a mask and he limits the number of people in the home at one time. Before entering, potential home buyers and sellers answer questionnaires and sign waivers about any symptoms or exposure to COVID-19. Sellers who agree to the open house must sanitize the home. The situation is all the trickier when landlords look to show properties occupied by tenants. The Real Estate Council of Ontario has been discouraging unnecessary in-person private showings as well as open houses. But RECO doesnt have the power to require agents to get a tenants consent. The imbalance of power that exists between landlord and tenant means renters are not always in a position to speak up and they should not be made to feel unsafe in their home, said Mazdak Gharibnavaz, in a statement from the Vancouver Tenants Union, opposing the return of open houses. While open houses are once again an option in many areas, that doesnt mean every seller is on board, says Otitoju. Many still prefer to stick with virtual showings, and Otitoju himself opts for Zoom instead of in-person meetings for reviewing offers. Ive got little shoe covers in the back of my car. My realtor tools have certainly changed, says Otitoju, an agent with Platinum Realty Specialists. Im finding that this is working. Now, a lot of people coming out to open houses are in the market to buy that type of house. The time to go around to open houses as a hobby its not the time to do that right now. Buyers know that. Sellers know that. Realtors know that. Its all part of the changing sales process in real estate. It might seem obvious that for a purchase as big as a house, no one wants to buy sight unseen. But Anthony Hitt says even buyers of expensive properties are seeing the upsides of virtual tools that were popularized during the pandemic. A tour where a seller or agent carries a camera around the house, for example, can allow buyers to look closely at finishes, views through windows and inside cabinets, says Hitt, president and CEO of Engel & Volkers Americas. For sellers, it reassures them that those who end up at in-person showings are interested in buying, he says. Cameron McNeill, who does marketing of pre-build properties in the Vancouver area with MLA Canada, says that although showrooms have been open for a month, people continue to do more research online before coming to in-person appointments. McNeill predicts that shopping for homes will become more like car shopping, where much of the research and emotional buying journey is done before hitting the lot. The most valuable thing you have is your time, says Hitt, saying that online tours cut down on travelling. I dont think we are going to eliminate open houses. We may see less of them and they may come at a different time in the process ... I dont think a lot of consumers, even with masks and all the precautions , are ready to run out and be in a crowded property. It used to be common to share a meal with a client, but thats not on Otitojus mind these days, he says. I dont remember the last time I shook someones hand, Otitoju says. Its not the only way to build relationships. You build relationships with your actions, and people see that. Read more about: Even as the heat threatens the health of many, the coronavirus spread in the region remains a concern. Those who go to a cooling center will be required to wear a mask or face covering while inside the facility, and those who dont have one will be provided one. Seating will be spaced apart, D.C. officials said in a news release. Those who need transportation to a cooling center can call the hyperthermia hotline at (202) 399-7093 or dial 311. You know who Gaggan Anand is, of course. You have read about the decade of triumph after triumph for the Kolkata-born, Bangkok-based chef, who is counted amongst the worlds most influential culinary personalities. His underdog chaat-to-ceviche success story is also well documented in a much-watched miniseries on Netflix (his episode was nominated for an Emmy Award) and is widely written about by the global media. What you probably dont know is that Anand has had his life turned upside down in the last year. Yes, even before the pandemic. Almost like a farcical Bollywood movie script, in which the hero is struck incessantly by seemingly bizarre circumstances, Anands gilt-lined career began careening out of control. His critics had written him off, his friends and family were concerned, and a Bangkok-style happy ending seemed far-fetched. The terrible three Three major events took place in close proximity that changed his life: First, he lost his much-celebrated restaurant. After a bitter fall-out with his erstwhile partners last year, Anand walked out of the eponymous restaurant, he had spent his life creating in Bangkok. The legal terms forbade him from using the name Gaggan in future projects, as he didnt own the trademarks. He would also lose all his coveted awards, such as the two-Michelin star rating the restaurant had been awarded. If I wasnt a chef, I would have been a drummer like Dave Grohl Second, he lost all his savings. When the restaurant, Gaggan, in its previous avatar and location shuttered, Anand felt a strong moral responsibility to his staff of young, hopeful chefs that he had mentored. My dream team, 65 lives, handed in their resignation to the company. They have put their future in my hands, he shared on social media last year. He took it upon himself to support his loyal team members financially. The result was that Anand had to scrap his plans to move to Fukuoka in Japan. Instead, he invested his life savings into a new restaurant in Bangkok, taking on a substantial financial burden and even a fresh mortgage. After a bitter fall-out with his erstwhile partners last year, Anand walked out of the eponymous restaurant, he had spent his life creating in Bangkok (Rohit Chawla) Third, his marriage broke up. Already dealing with a business separation and an existential crisis, the timing of the divorce could not have been worse. I havent spoken about it before, and not many know. But today, there are no ill-feelings, there is no bitterness anymore, we are on good terms and we will continue to be there for our daughter, he shared during our conversation last week. For many chefs, the compounded impact of events like these would destroy their spirits and perhaps even lead them to hang up their chefs whites. But Anand wasnt ready to give up. Instead, he decided to reinvent himself. Never Surrender I first met Anand sometime in 2011, when I ate his 25-course tasting menu at Gaggan, in a dimly-lit, dingy lane off Bangkoks Soi Langsuan district. This was before he had become a global sensation or had his eatery rated as Asias Best Restaurant. Though I enjoyed my dinner and thought the food was good, it was Anand himself who was the real revelation. He was unlike any chef I had met before; a larger-than-life personality; gregarious, garrulous and mercifully unfazed by the pretensions of his industry. That night, I watched him hop from table to table pouring generous servings of expensive Sauternes into unsuspecting customers glasses, all on the house. Everything negative in my life has been cut off like a cancer and I am in a happy place We struck up a rapport, and the following day, at 1pm, he arrived at my hotel, dressed in floral green shorts and a black tee, to take me to a secret spot for his favourite Thai food. We drove in his bright red BMW M3, and he told me about his love for rock music and his dream to go for a Foo Fighters concert one day and watch his idol Dave Grohl perform live. I dont know if I will ever get to do these things but if I wasnt a chef I would have been a drummer, like Dave, he said. (Above) Gaggan Anands daughter Tara, 4; (Top and right) Gaggan with his mother in Puri, Orissa, and as a toddler (Instagram @gaggan_anand) I distinctly recall moments from that drive: Anand blasting loud music and singing along to the chorus of the bands hit track, Pretender: What if I say Im not like the others? What if I say Im not just another one of your plays? Youre the pretender What if I say that Ill never surrender? Perhaps these lyrics best define Anands resilience. Whatever life throws at him, he fights back and never gives up. Full speed ahead In the last couple of weeks, a more mature Anand has emerged since Bangkok re-opened for business. Everything negative in my life has been cut off like a cancer and I am in a happy place, he tells me. His new restaurant is called Gaggan Anand and hes had to undertake a re-branding exercise; which includes a new logo and the addition of his surname to the restaurant title, to get around the trademark complications. We are full night after night. And I am proud to say, I have protected every job, we havent fired a single employee during the Covid pandemic, he asserts. Anand credits his buoyant temperament to an unusual combination of meditation and rock music that he feels healed his bruises and ignited a new-found conviction. Though it is unclear whether the two are meant to be experienced in unison. The period he spent in lockdown has been constructive, he says, and allowed him to delve into new projects. We will open [a culinary academy] in Thailand at the end of next year and I will create the full syllabus... Well only teach things that we practice Two weeks ago, he opened a new casual restaurant (distinct from the more formal Gaggan Anand), called Ms. Maria and Mr. Singh, which serves a hybrid menu of popular Mexican-Indian dishes. If not for Covid, we would have opened branches in Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles by now. But it will happen by next year, he says. The Mexican-Indian restaurant has plans to debut in Mumbai soon, and it will be Anands first venture in India if things go as planned. Also on the radar is a newer avatar of Wet, his suggestively-named natural wine bar that shut down last year as a consequence of the fall out with his previous partners. He is scouting for a new location in Bangkok. We are dry now, but Vlad and me are ready to get wet next year! he jokes, referring to Vladimir Kojic, his long-serving Serbian sommelier and now principal partner in the bar venture. Anand credits Vladimir for his appreciation of natural wines (wine fermented naturally without additives). Vlad taught me about organic and biodynamic wines. It is still a novel concept in Asia, but we will make it popular, he says. But before the wine bar, Anand will foray into coffee. Teaming up with his protegees, the Suhring brothers the celebrated German identical twin chefs to open a coffee shop in Bangkok this year. The project is called C Degree and is backed by a popular Thai fashion brand. Anand hopes to open multiple branches across Thailand. I will make the coffee and the Suhrings will do the bakery, it will open from 9am to 9pm every day, he says. Theres more: Anand has been toying with the idea of opening his own culinary academy for some years and says plans are progressing rapidly. We will open in Thailand at the end of next year and I will create the full syllabus. It will be unlike any other existing school because we will only teach things that we practice in reality, says Anand, who had a stint at an institution run by the legendary El Bulli in Catalonia, Spain. Gaggan says the period he spent in lockdown has been constructive for him (Rohit Chawla) The academy will be open to international students and provide formal training as well as certificates for aspiring chefs. Admission fees will be very high but we will offer scholarships to at least five deserving students from the bottom rung of society every year, he says. The academy appears to be the project he is most enthused about; perhaps this is because it will allow him to leave behind a legacy much bigger than any restaurant could. The Fighter! With multiple projects in the pipeline, it is fair to say that Anand is back and hungrier than ever. His zeal has been channelised towards his work and his reinvention is almost complete. And if his detractors are still sceptical, heres something to chew over: since the time we met nine years ago in Bangkok, he has befriended David Grohl and attended 10 live Foo Fighters concerts around the world. Which is fair enough, because Gaggan has turned into something of a food fighter himself! Raaj Sanghvi is the CEO of Culinary Culture and contributes to various international and Indian media publications. He can be found on social media @raajsanghvi Note: The photo shoot with chef Gaggan Anand was conducted before lockdown From HT Brunch, July 19, 2020 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Three best friends killed after being beaten and shot while out fishing in Florida may have been the victims of a targeted attack, police say. Damion Tillman, 23; Keven Springfield, 30; and Brandon Rollins, 27, all died in the Friday night massacre. They were found by the father of one of the men who managed to call for help just before he died. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said: 'You dont just stumble upon somebody out here.' He described the crime scene as 'the worst I have ever seen'. The three men were fishing at a popular lake in Frostproof, 70 miles south of Orlando in central Florida. Brandon Rollins, 27, left, Damion Tillman, 23, center, Keven Springfield, 30, right, and all died in the Friday night massacre. They were found by the father of one of the men who managed to call for help just before he died Three men were murdered by Lake Streety in Frostproof, Florida, on Friday night Tillman traveled to Lake Streety first and arrived by himself, according to sheriff Judd. When Rollins and Springfield arrived soon after, Tillman was being beaten by unknown attackers, and the two friends intervened to help Tillman and were shot. Rollins called his father at about 10pm Friday and managed to only say 'help.' The father jumped into his car and went to where his son had said he was going fishing. 'When he arrived he found his son Brandon barely alive, and his two friends deceased,' the sheriff's office said in a press release. 'Brandon was able to say a few things to his dad, which we are not releasing at this time.' Rollins' father had left his home without his cellphone, so he returned to a nearby gas station and called 911, the sheriff's office said. 'I was just so upset last night, I just didn't know what to do,' said Cyril Rollins, the father of Brandon. 'We heard some background and they fussing all that,' he told WFLA 8. 'But I left, I went on out here. When I got there I was looking for my son. It was a mess. 'I found my son. I was holding him he was telling me what happened but I was too shocked to know what was going on.' When authorities arrived at the scene, all three men were dead. Tillman, left, traveled to Lake Streety first and arrived by himself, according to sheriff Judd.. Rollins, right, called his father at about 10pm Friday and managed to only say 'help.' Keven Springfield. The sheriff said they believe there was more than one killer, and that the victims knew their murderers 'This is a horrific scene,' said Judd. 'I've been to a lot of murder scenes in my life and this ranks among the worst I've been to.' The sheriff said they believe there was more than one killer, and that the victims knew their murderers. 'We are seeking leads; we need help so we can solve this crime sooner rather than later because there are one or more, we suspected more, murderers that killed three people in a quiet community,' he said. Judd added that the suspect or suspects may have known the men. 'You don't just stumble upon somebody out here,' he said. 'It's not like there's a lot of people around here. As you can see, it's cow pastures and lakes.' Grady Judd, sheriff of Polk Country, said the 'horrific' scene was among the worst he'd seen Police have issued a $5,000 reward for information over the attack. Rollins's girlfriend Jessica Steenson told WFLA 8 that the sheriff promised to find the killers. 'That he will not stop until justice is served for them three boys, my boyfriend, and his two best friends,' she said. 'I moved here from Jacksonville, Florida, for him two years ago and this is not how it was supposed to be and I want justice for him. And I will not stop until he gets it.' Dottie Payton, Rollins's mother, said she too wants justice to be done. 'I want it to be served the right way and I'm sure they're out there watching and seeing what's going on and they need to come forward,' she said. There are three streams of raised beadwork. One being the in-community personal attire and religious items worn and used by the Haudenosaunee. Another is the whimsey stream that was created to appeal to Victorian tourists to Niagara Falls and down the East Coast in the mid-1800s. The third is the type Hoffman creates. It is deeply connected to the cultural roots but uses modern materials to advance cultural history. In the 1990s, Samuel Thomas and Lorna Hill, renowned Cayuga artists from Ontario, came to Wisconsin to teach traditional Haudenosaunee beadwork and it lit a fire under Hoffman as an artist. She had dabbled in beaded earrings and bracelets in the 1970s and 80s, but the class made her realize that the beadwork was more than just pretty, it was important culturally. Hoffman works on a much larger scale than what is typical of raised beadwork. All her forms are original patternmaking designs and all her beadwork embellishments are original to her. With Quantum of the Seas being redeployed to Alaska, China will have a two-ship line up from Royal Caribbean International in 2021. The highlight is Spectrum of the Seas, which will be based in Shanghai from January to November. The 2019-built vessel will offer cruises ranging from four to eight nights, visiting 12 different ports in Japan. From December 2021 to January 2022, Spectrum will be based in Hong Kong, operating four to nine-night cruises to Vietnam, Japan and other destinations. According to Royal Caribbean, the Quantum-class ship has been well received in the Chinese market, accumulating a 95% satisfaction rate since it first arrived in Shanghai in June 2019. Returning for its ninth season in Asia, the Voyager of the Seas will be based in Tianjin from May to October. The 1999-built vessel will offer four to sevent-night cruises to 10 different destinations in Japan. In a statement, Royal Caribbean called the ship an "old friend" of the market, highlighting its recent $100 million refit. Together, the Spectrum and Voyager will offer a total of 111 cruises from Chinese ports in 2021. With cruises ranging from four to nine nights, the ships will offer 35 different itineraries, visiting 26 Asian destinations. A huge problem is coming soon. Authoritarian blue-state governors and mayors thought they could conduct lockdowns without dire consequences. But all that these fools have done is deferred disaster. That disaster is the reduction in city and state taxes due to the business shutdowns that they ordered. State and local government officials are starting to hear about this lack of income from their finance teams, and they are mighty concerned. As a result, all across the country, panicked conference calls have been conducted and are probably still going on this weekend. Specifically, the problem is balancing state and local budgets. Sales taxes from closed businesses are way down, and expenses due to precautions for the coronavirus are way up. There is no way to make these numbers balance. As a result, governments are burning through their reserves, safety funds, slush funds, and rainy day set-asides that they had managed to squirrel away in better times. But within weeks, if not months, the situation will become dire. What will happen? The first casualty appears to be our schools. School closures may be blamed on the coronavirus, but the actual reason has more to do with saving money. Next to go will be the consultants, contractors, and temps. After that will come the layoffs and furloughs of nonessential personnel such as secretaries, clerks, and construction and maintenance workers. Social services, housing, public transportation, sanctuary policies, prisons, and medical services may be the next to be affected. Outlandish management salaries and retiree benefits might get be looked at. Finally, what will be left intact will be police, medical, and fire personnel plus essentials such as sewer and water but bring your own garbage to the dump. Most of these belt-tightening measures will not be popular with the general public, thus the impending disaster for state and local officials. The reason all this is happening is 99.9% politics and 0.1% science. Our blue city and state officials, in their haste to virtue-signal to the media and to make President Trump look bad with lockdowns and business closures, have merely traded their short-term popularity for long-term disaster. They may kick this can down the road for a brief period of time, but most won't make it through the next elections. It's ironic. At a time when Democrats and radicals in our society are screaming to "defund the police" and attempting to expand government by putting more people on the dole by destroying our economy, most of America is moving in a conservative direction with greater focus on first responders and less government. A new social media trend could arise: #DefundtheGovernment! Image: Pat Arnow via Flickr. After making waves on the fifth season of 90 Day Fiance, Elizabeth Potthast and Andrei Castravet have decided to continue their journey on its spinoff Happily Ever After? The latest season follows the couple as they continue to work through their issues and try to find their footing in the United States, but as viewers know, its no cakewalk. As their story plays out on television, Elizabeth recently took to social media to respond to fan questions. When a viewer asked if theres anything she hates hearing, Elizabeth was quick to let them know how fed up she is with one inquiry. Elizabeth Potthast and Andrei Castravet | Elizabeth Potthasts Instagram/TLC The question Elizabeth hates being asked According to SoapDirt, Elizabeth was in a Q&A session earlier in July when a fan asked her to share her most-hated question. Acting like a viewer of the show, she stated several variations of the question she hates hearing from fans. Does Andrei have a job and does he [Andrei] have a job yet? Elizabeth mused. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Are Divided About Whether Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravets Storyline Is Staged Its no surprise Elizabeth hates that question so much Viewers know that Andreis employment status has been a major talking point on the show and also a point of contention in their relationship. The pair met a couple of years ago when Elizabeth was visiting Ireland, where Andrei had been working as a bouncer. A native of Moldova, Andrei has conservative views and often expresses his support for traditional gender roles. But ever since he moved to Florida with Elizabeth, he has failed to maintain employment. Instead, he has been a stay-at-home dad to their daughter, Eleanor Castravet, while Elizabeth foots their bills. Making matters worse, Andrei tends to demand help from Elizabeths parents. He even wants them to pay for their second wedding in Moldova something he wants so his friends and family can attend. His request led to a fight between them that has yet to be resolved. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Commend Elizabeth for Finally Taking a Stand Against Andrei Elizabeth and Andrei clashed over his lack of employment in the latest episode Elizabeth and Andrei were visiting Moldova in the July 12 episode when they got into an argument at breakfast. Elizabeth had been asking Andreis mom about her cooking routine and how often she does it when Andrei started to compare their cultures and bragging about how Moldovans are more energized. Is that why you have a job? Is that right? Youre a man, right? Youre the head of the household? she shot back. Andrei warned her not to insult him in front of his family, but the back-and-forth continued. I dont know what is going on with Andrei since we arrived acting like a chauvinistic Alpha male that talks about Moldovan housewife traditional roles when he lives in America and hes a stay-at-home dad and Im the breadwinner, she vented in a later confessional. The couple managed to get over that particular incident, but they had another fight in the episode set to air on July 19. Tune in to TLC at 8 p.m. ET to see what happens. Read more: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Call Asuelu Pulaa Verbally Abusive After He Gets Into a Heated Argument With Kalani Faagata A request to create a new health department position, specializing in environmental health, will go before the Midland County Board of Commissioners at their Tuesday meeting. In a letter sent to the board on July 6, Midland County Health Director Fred Yanoski asked commissioners to consider the creation of the full-time position in the Midland County Department of Public Health. "I strongly feel that this position is essential in order to meet the present and future challenges that Midland will face, and will promote growth in science, technology and service delivery," Yanoski said. Midland County is among a small minority of Michigan counties to not have a designated environmental health director, Yanoski said, and his need to be involved in all department operations and public health initiatives, in addition to environmental health operations, poses a "great challenge" that could be alleviated by the introduction of an additional director. In addition to the timely threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and May 19 flooding event, Yanoski said Midland County faces many environmental risks including large chemical manufacturing, flooding and many environmental contamination concerns from past decades. Other items up for approval at Tuesday's meeting include: A grant award in the amount of $125,000 from the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation to the Pinecrest Farms long-term care facility located at 413 North Homer Road, to fund the building of an 1,800 square-foot addition to the existing facility, while providing upgrades to its health and wellness services. An agreement with the Troy-based Signal Restoration Services for the provision of property restoration services at Sanford Lake Park. UPDATE: This article was updated on June 21, 2020 to clarify that the health director position is a mid-level position, not equal to a second health director. Twenty years after her husband was abducted by criminals and then killed, a woman will get a job to support the family and also Rs 2 lakh in damages. Sharing its empathy, the Supreme Court has ordered Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) to give compassionate appointment and also pay in compensation Rs 2 lakh to the woman, whose husband was abducted when he resisted a burglary at the PSUs factory in West Bengal. She has been running from pillar to post for 20 years now. You should not oppose it anymore and give her and the family what they are entitled ofhave some empathy for her, a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud told Additional Solicitor General Vikramjeet Banerjee. The law officer was appearing for the subsidiary of the Coal India Ltd, and was arguing in appeal against the judgments of the Calcutta High Court in 2013 and 2019. While the ASG raised certain technical points to resist the claim of the family of the BCCL worker, Justice Chandrachud was emphatic that this was a case that demonstrated extremely unfortunate events. Look at the family here. The man was abducted in 1999 and nobody has seen him ever since. You have a report of the Superintendent of Purulia to state that he was killed. What more do you want? We think you should not oppose this, the judge told Banaerjee. Banerjee sought to point out that there is no declaration by a civil court that the worker, Gopal Paswan, is to be presumed as dead. He also contended that Paswans wife should have gone to the Jharkhand High Court and not Calcutta High Court since BCCL had its office in the former state. But the bench was categorical that when a family has been put to such extreme agony, raising such hyper-technical points was uncalled for. Here is a family that has been waiting for relief since 1999 but you want us to examine these hyper-technical points. This may not be fair. We feel sympathy for the family, replied Justice Chandrachud. The bench said that the BCCL must give compassionate appointment to either the wife or the major son of Paswan. We see no reason to entertain the Special Leave Petition which is accordingly dismissed, said the bench, directing the BCCL to comply with the order within a month. It also decided to give compensation to Paswans family for its protracted suffering. Since the family of the deceased has been made to run from pillar to post for twenty years after his death, we are of the view that an order for payment of costs to the respondent would be warranted, held the bench It said that the BCCL shall also pay costs quantified at Rs 2 lakhs to the widow of the deceased, and also sought for a report of compliance within a period of six weeks. China has been throwing its weight around from Hong Kong to India. Why the new aggression? Here's everything you need to know: What is China doing? In the past few months, Beijing has exploited the U.S.'s and the world's preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic to assert China's hegemony throughout Asia. It has threatened or sunk boats from Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia, and flown fighter jets into Taiwanese airspace eight times. It instigated a skirmish with India in the Himalayas that killed dozens, the worst such fighting along the disputed border in decades. "It's a quite deliberate Chinese strategy to try to maximize what they perceive as being a moment of distraction," said Peter Jennings of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Beijing has also been emboldened by Trump's "America First" isolationism, Jennings said. In passing a draconian security law for Hong Kong, Beijing shredded all pretense that it would keep its pledge to respect the former British colony's "one country, two systems" arrangement, or Hong Kongers' right to free speech. Its domestic oppression of its mostly Muslim Uighur minority became more gruesome with the recent revelation of a campaign to prevent Uighur births through forced birth control and abortion. How is China's military involved? Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been muscling into other countries' territorial waters all over the South China Sea, a body of water China claims as its sole domain even though nine other countries also border it. In April, the Chinese rammed and sank a Vietnamese fishing boat, harassed Malaysian and Philippine ships, and declared that lands long claimed by the Philippines including the Spratly Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and Fiery Cross Reef were now Chinese districts. In June, it menaced Taiwan with bombers and fighter jets in Taiwanese airspace, a rare occurrence before this year. But the military isn't China's only tool: It is also exerting its economic might and its soft power. Story continues How is Beijing doing that? When Australia asked for an international investigation into how the coronavirus spread from Wuhan to the world, China's wrath was swift. It hit Australia with a shocking 80 percent tariff on barley and a ban on beef imports, and launched a huge cyberattack on all levels of Australian government. Meanwhile, conservative lawmakers in Australia and the U.S. have raised concerns about the growing penetration of the United Front, an arm of the Chinese government that sponsors Chinese cultural and educational groups all over the world. In Canada, for example, the Front mobilized Chinese groups to buy up masks and gloves in the early days of the pandemic and send them to China. Chinese President Xi Jinping calls the Front one of China's three "magic weapons," along with the Communist Party and armed struggle. What is the global response? Other countries are enacting sanctions and reorienting their military strategies to confront the Chinese threat. The Philippines, which under President Rodrigo Duterte had been openly anti-American and deferential to China, has just changed course, deciding not to go through with a planned withdrawal from a military treaty with the U.S. Australia unveiled new military spending of $186 billion over the next 10 years, with a focus on deterring China itself rather than supporting U.S. missions. Britain is following suit. "We need to work out how we will deal with a China that economically, technically, and militarily is going to surpass the U.S. within our lifetimes," said Tobias Ellwood, head of Parliament's defense committee. What has the U.S. done? President Trump has reversed his early praise of Xi on the coronavirus response, now blaming China for "worldwide killing." In May, his administration canceled visas for Chinese grad students with links to the Communist Party. More recently, the Pentagon sent three aircraft carriers to the region and conducted huge exercises in the South China Sea involving dozens of ships and hundreds of warplanes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticized Beijing for "aggressive expansionism." Congress passed the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, which sanctions specific Chinese officials responsible for "gross human rights violations," and it is planning to spend an additional $7 billion over two years to boost Pacific forces. Will that deter China? No. International criticism of China over the pandemic and Chinese aggression has only produced more swaggering defiance from Beijing, which believes it will soon surpass the U.S. as the world's great superpower. "Xi Jinping's attitude now is that he can't fail," said Taiwanese defense analyst Huang Chung-ting. Xi is also emboldened by what he sees as a vacuum in American leadership. Chinese officials have openly cheered for Trump's re-election, saying that he is not only a weak leader but also, through his incessant tweeting, "easy to read" and therefore "the best choice in an opponent for negotiations." Trump spurns alliances, so he won't lead an international effort to rein in Beijing, and he is openly indifferent to human rights abuses. Beijing knows, Chinese specialist Minxin Pei told The Atlantic, that "Trump can be persuaded if the price is right." Steamrolling Hong Kong The national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in late June effectively destroys freedom of expression and the rule of law in the territory. It threatens with life in jail those who engage in secession, subversion, and "collusion with foreign forces" an offense so vague that it could include texting a foreigner or working with any international organization. Those charged with such crimes could be sent for trial to mainland China, where the conviction rate is 99.9 percent. Already, hundreds of protesters have been arrested under the law. Taiwan, which broke away from Communist China in 1949 but which China still claims, fears a military invasion. The Taiwanese are alarmed by the fact that the new security law asserts "universal jurisdiction," meaning anyone in any country can theoretically be prosecuted for criticizing Beijing. China has already accused Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of a "separatist plot" for speaking at a democracy forum. "Our sense of fear has increased," said Taiwanese lawmaker Chen Po-wei. "Because of China's nature, there is a high possibility of conflict." This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here. More stories from theweek.com Joe Biden vs. the most interesting man in the world Will Congress throw the American economy off a cliff? Trump's chief of staff reportedly wants him to 'avoid drawing attention' to COVID-19 MELBOURNE, Australia - After a one-day respite, coronavirus cases in the Australian state of Victoria have risen again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell. Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in the past 24 hours. Two men and a woman in their 90s died, taking the national death toll from COVID-19 to 122. On Saturday, Victorias new cases fell to 217 from a record high of 428 the previous day. By Wednesday, masks or face coverings will be mandatory for people who leave their homes to exercise or to purchase essential goods. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said up to 3 million face masks are on order by the state government and the first batch of 300,000 is due to arrive this week. Andrews said those who fail to wear a mask will be fined 200 Australian dollars ($140). Theres no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus and its a simple thing, but its about changing habits, its about becoming a simple part of your routine, Andrews said. In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region: A record 24-hour surge of 38,902 new cases has taken Indias coronavirus total to 1,077,618. The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 543 additional deaths for a total of 26,816. The number of people who have recovered continues to grow. The Health Ministry data shows 677,422 patients have been cured so far across the country, putting the recovery rate at 62.82%. Experts say India is likely to witness a series of peaks as the infection spread in rural areas. Hong Kong is tightening anti-coronavirus measures following a recent surge in cases. The wearing of masks will be mandatory in all public places and nonessential civil servants will again work from home. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam introduced the measures on Sunday. Travellers flying to Hong Kong from areas where the risk of infection is considered particularly severe will have to show a negative coronavirus test before boarding their flight, undergo another test upon arrival and undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel. Previously, those arriving could quarantine themselves at home. The nations included in the new regulation were given as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa. China on Sunday reported another 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the northwestern city of Urumqi, raising the total in the countrys most recent local outbreak to at least 30. An additional three cases from overseas increased Chinas total number of confirmed infections to 83,660 with 4,634 reported deaths. Despite the Urumqi outbreak, China has just 251 people remaining in treatment for COVID-19. Another 151 people were being monitored in isolation for showing signs of having the virus or for testing positive without showing symptoms. At least 23 of those asymptomatic cases were in Urumqi, although China does not include them in confirmed cases. Urumqi has responded by reducing subway, bus and taxi services, closed off some residential communities and is now conducting citywide tests, beginning with areas where cases had been reported, according to state media. Some restrictions on people leaving the city have also been imposed, with the number of flights from the city reduced. South Korea has reported less than 40 additional cases of the coronavirus for a second straight day, as authorities struggle to suppress an uptick in local infections. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday the 34 new cases raise the countrys total to 13,745 with 295 deaths. The agency says 21 of the newly confirmed cases were domestically infected, all of them in the densely populated Seoul area or two central cities. The rest were from overseas. Health authorities have said imported case of COVID-19 are less threatening than local transmissions because South Korea is mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all people arriving from abroad. ___ Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak DUBAI, United Arab Emirates The 91-year-old emir of Kuwait underwent a successful surgery on Sunday that required the crown prince of the oil-rich nation to be temporarily empowered to serve in his place, its state-run news agency reported. Kuwait has yet to explain why the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, needed to seek a previously unannounced medical treatment beginning Saturday. However, Sheikh Sabahs sudden surgery could renew a power struggle within Kuwaits ruling family. The state-run KUNA news agency had described Sheikh Sabahs hospitalization on Saturday as medical checks, citing a statement from the countrys royal court. Several hours later, KUNA published a second report saying that the 83-year-old crown prince, Nawaf Al al-Ahmad al-Sabah, had assumed some of Sheikh Sabahs powers temporarily, without explaining why that was necessary. But a copy of the ministerial decree posted by Kuwaits official gazette, Kuwait Al-Youm, and seen by The Associated Press on Sunday said the crown prince would be empowered for the duration of a surgical procedure until the health event is over. New South Wales recorded 18 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the origins of four a complete mystery to officials. The total number of active cases in NSW is now 99, with one in intensive care, while authorities are concerned the spread of COVID-19 is out of control. Officials said three people - two in Sydney's south and one the south-west - have not been linked to any known clusters. One of the cases is still currently being investigated by contact tracers. New South Wales recorded 18 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, four of which officials have no idea how they originated (someone being tested at the Crossroads Hotel testing centre) One of new locally acquired cases attended Holy Duck! restaurant in Chippendale (pictured) on the evening of July 10 The total number of cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster is 45, while one of new locally acquired cases attended Holy Duck! restaurant in Chippendale. The restaurant has closed for cleaning after the person dined there between 7.15pm and 9.30pm on July 10. Another case visited the Anytime Fitness Gym in Merrylands on July 14 from 9pm to 10:30 pm. NSW Health has advised anyone who may have gone to the venues on the same day to self-isolate for up to two weeks and get tested if any symptoms occur. All NSW residents are being urged to avoid all non-essential travel and to stay away from high-risk venues such as restaurants, pubs, gyms and social gatherings. NSW Health is directing anyone who attended Holy Duck! or the gym to immediately self-isolate for 14 days since they were there and get tested if they show symptoms. Another new case visited the Anytime Fitness Gym in Merrylands (pictured) on 14 July from 9pm to 10:30 pm The total number of cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster is 45 (Pictured: NSW Health worker administering tests outside the pub) Tests are carried out at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic at Victoria Park in Picton on July 14 The restaurant was closed last night and is being cleaned and all close contacts are being identified. Five of the new cases were travellers returned from overseas and are in hotel quarantine. CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 27,244 Victoria: 20,269 New South Wales: 4,273 Queensland: 1,161 Western Australia: 692 South Australia: 473 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 27,244 ESTIMATED ACTIVE CASES: 269 DEATHS: 897 Updated: 5.31 PM, 11 October, 2020 Source: Australian Government Department of Health Advertisement Another five cases are linked to the Thai Rock Restaurant at Wetherill Park in Sydney's south-west and five were from hotel quarantine. Two people were members of the same household that involved two cases reported on Saturday. NSW Health has issued a statement urging people to put more effort into stopping the virus from spreading. 'People are urged to avoid non-essential travel and gatherings,' it read. 'Of particular concern is transmission in venues such as hotels and restaurants, the gym and social gatherings.' The news comes as authorities fear the spread of COVID-19 is out of control as testing is being urgently increased to find the origins of mystery cases. Of the 15 cases recorded on Saturday, five remained under investigation on Sunday. These cases included a man and a teenager from the same house who visited a bistro at Batemans Bay and McDonald's in Albion Park. Coronavirus detectives are still trying to determine the origin of these cases, leading to fears the rate of community transmission could be on the rise. 'They're the ones that make us really concerned,' Dr McAnulty said of the mystery cases. 'Where we are unable to find links between cases that means we haven't been able to lock down that cluster and there may be other people out there.' The duo attended the bistro at the Soldiers Club in Batemans Bay on July 13 between 7 and 9.30pm and McDonald's at Albion Park on July 15 between 2 and 2.30pm. Dr Jeremy McAnulty said residents who live on the NSW South Coast should be on high alert after two people who tested positive to COVID-19 visited a bistro and a McDonald's restaurant. Pictured: Albion Park McDonald's Dr McAnulty said health authorities are asking residents who were at the bistro over the same time period to immediately self-isolate for two weeks. McDonald's diners have also been advised to watch for symptoms. 'We're also asking anybody at Albion Park McDonald's on the 15 July between 2pm and 2:30pm to watch carefully for symptoms and if they develop any respiratory symptoms, coughs, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath or fever, to come immediately forward for testing and isolate themselves,' he said. NSW Health is urging residents to consider wearing masks if social distancing in public is not possible. They are also encouraging people with the 'mildest of symptoms' to come forward and be tested. A member of the public is seen getting a test for the coronavirus disease at the Crossroads Hotel testing centre following a cluster of infections in Sydney 'Don't host, or go to, a gathering of more than 10 people at home,' NSW Health said. 'Don't go to the gym unless the equipment is thoroughly cleaned before and after customer use by supervising staff or yourself, and there is good spacing between machines and customers.' Meanwhile, face masks will become mandatory across Melbourne and Mitchell Shire in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the drastic new measure on Sunday as the state recorded another 363 cases and three more deaths from the infectious respiratory disease. Those who disobey the new government directive - effective from 11.59pm on Wednesday - will face a $200 fine. He said the mask did not necessarily need to be hospital-grade, and could be a home-made face covering like a scarf. The Victorian premier arrived at Sunday's press conference in a face mask before announcing the new measures Face masks will become mandatory across Melbourne in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19 (pictured, masked police officers at locked-down North Melbourne tower block on Sunday) Victoria's number of cases spiked again on Sunday to 363 after a brief reprieve on Saturday with only 217 infections Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has meanwhile announced the state's state of emergency will be extended to August 16 as case numbers continue to rise. Mr Andrews said there would be exceptions to the order in cases where it's not practical or masks cannot be worn for professional reasons. 'Those who have a medical reason, kids under 12 years of age, those who have a professional reason or if it's just not practical, like when running [will be given an exemption],' he said. 'However you will still be expected to carry your face covering at all times to wear when you can.' Mr Andrews stressed the stage three restrictions already in place would still apply and Melbourne residents could only leave the home for one of the four permitted reasons - for essential shopping, to provide care, for work or study or for exercise. 'I just want to make a point about the fact that whilst a mask or a face covering will be of benefit, it doesn't mean that we can be shaking hands again,' he said. Bindu Gopal Rao By Hari Krishna Nayak from Koraput sits in a corner of his house, his fingers busy stringing together rice grains on bamboo slivers. He holds the structure in place with the help of naturally dyed coloured yarn. Associated with prosperity, spirituality and wellbeing, paddy is revered in rural India. It can often be seen in the form of torans (door hanging), decorating entrances to the homes in South Canara district in Karnataka. Moving to the East of the country, the grain takes on a more divine formDhaan Murti. The craft has its origins in tribal communities of Odisha, especially in Balasore, Kalahandi, Koraput and Bolangir districts. Typically, colours such as yellow, red and green are used. The bamboo slivers and rice grains are soaked in turmeric water and sun-dried to help retain the yellow hue of the turmeric. These strings are then shaped into idols or in any other way required. I have been doing this since I was a child, says Hari, adding that when he began working on the craft, there was no one in his community who was doing it. I was taught by someone from another community, he says. Today, besides his own family, only one more from the community practices the artform. It is beauty in its rawest form. Light-weight and brightly coloured, the idols have an aura of culture, richness and rootedness to them. Goddess Saraswati Using unhusked rice grains, idols of Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha are made during Diwali. It helps supplement their income from farming, Hari admits. But he knows that this work may not find takers with the new generation. It is boring work and the art needs a lot of patience. Working with something as small as a paddy grain is not easy. I have three children. I hope one of them would take it forward, he says. His wife Asha picked up the art after she got married and has been doing it for 20 years now. Now I enjoy doing it, she says. Though the younger generation is yet to show any interest, the couple is hopeful of the crafts revival. Before the lockdown, they had showcased at the Dastkar Samelan Committee in Bengaluru. This has rekindled their hopes of many such opportunities in the future. Today, apart from idols, the craftsmen also make traditional combs and jewellery. In an effort to reach a larger audience, the figures are also stitched on to clothes and at times new styles are crafted based on individual orders. The Nayaks primarily display their creations at local exhibitions. Have they thought of teaching others the craft? I am ready to teach anyone. I hope others also learn. I am ready to train people as it is important that the tradition continues, says Hari. Holding on to what is indigenous is more imperative today than ever before. A craft technique untapped can say a lot about a culture unrevealed thus far. Press Release Nokia deploys Self-Organizing Network software for Telstra to boost automation across its mobile network and support 5G Nokia's Self-Organizing Network (SON) software will boost automation of Telstra's Australia-wide radio access networks (RAN), better supporting the evolution to 5G The SON software will help Telstra to minimize complexities from multi-technology and multi-layered networks 20 July 2020 Espoo, Finland - Nokia has deployed its EdenNet Self-Organizing Network (SON) software for Telstra to help the Australian operator centralize and automate network operations and to support its move to 5G. Nokia's EdenNet SON solution will automate Telstra's radio access network (RAN) configuration management, improving network performance and efficiency to support the increased demands of 5G. Partnering with Nokia will allow Telstra to migrate legacy tools to an open, scalable and future-proof platform and increase automation. The agreement will see Telstra roll out Nokia's SON solution on its multi-vendor, nationwide 3G, 4G and 5G RAN. It will be delivered across model, staging, and production environments. Nokia's EdenNet SON is an open, 3GPP standards-based platform that enables mobile operators to efficiently realize the full potential of their existing networks, as well as drive transformation to 5G. As a centralized solution, the cognitive EdenNet SON platform eliminates complexities from multi-vendor, multi-technology and multi-layered networks. Nokia's EdenNet SON has helped over 100 communications service providers globally to enhance their radio network reliability while improving efficiencies. Ashley Hunter, Network Engineering Executive, Telstra, said: "Telstra is a world leader in adopting new radio and platform technologies, and Nokia's EdenNet SON solution will help enable us to automate our network configuration and operations to improve cycle time, repeatability, reliability and cost. Nokia's Open SON framework APIs hide the complexity of the underlying network, allowing Telstra to focus on automating the configuration of our network to help provide greater reliability, faster speeds and peace of mind for our customers." Vishal Singh, Senior Vice President, Nokia Software , said: "As Telstra laid the groundwork for its 5G rollout, it was looking for an opportunity to enhance its network performance with new RAN technologies and software releases. Nokia was the obvious partner thanks to our EdenNet SON, which allows Telstra engineers to customize and automate network configurations in a cost effective and timely manner." Additional resources Web page: Nokia 5G (https://www.nokia.com/networks/5g/) (https://www.nokia.com/networks/5g/) Web page: Nokia EdenNet (https://www.nokia.com/networks/solutions/edennet/) About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. Only Nokia offers a comprehensive portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing opportunities across the globe. With our commitment to innovation, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we are a leader in the development and deployment of 5G networks. Our communications service provider customers support more than 6.4 billion subscriptions with our radio networks, and our enterprise customers have deployed over 1,300 industrial networks worldwide. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we transform how people live, work and communicate. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia. Media Inquiries Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: press.services@nokia.com Hundreds of Protesters in Bangkok Demand Govt's Resignation, Adoption of New Constitution Sputnik News 19:43 GMT 18.07.2020(updated 19:47 GMT 18.07.2020) BANGKOK (Sputnik) - Several hundred demonstrators gathered on Saturday at the Democracy Monument in the historic center of the Thai capital city of Bangkok, demanding the government's resignation and the adoption of a new constitution. The first mass rally since the lifting of some of the coronavirus-related restrictions is organized by a group calling itself Liberation Youth, which convened hundreds of young protesters through a call on social media. People began to gather at the Democracy Monument at about 4.00 p.m. local time (09:00 GMT) and continued to rally until late at night. The protest's organizers, on behalf of the participants, put forward three demands to the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago. The demands included the dissolution of parliament, an "end to harassment of government critics", and amendments to the military-written constitution followed by new elections. "We will stay on this square until morning, and if we do not receive any response from the authorities, we will give them two more weeks to rewrite the constitution, and if this does not happen, we will again gather for a mass rally, and next time it will not be for a day," the movement's leader said. The police soon cordoned off the square and constantly appealed to protesters to disperse. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SPRINGFIELD (AP) Gov. J.B. Pritzker took the unusual step Thursday of preemptively filing a lawsuit to ensure school children wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in a few weeks. The action filed late Thursday in Sangamon County Circuit Court by the state attorney general seeks a judges approval of Pritzkers order that schoolchildren, teachers and staff wear coverings over mouths and noses among other measures to reduce the chance that the highly contagious and potentially deadly virus can spread. As a father, I would not send my children to a school where face coverings are not required because the science is clear: face coverings are critical to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Pritzker said in a prepared statement. Its typical for the governor to be in court as a defendant seeking validation of a policy or action. In this instance, no lawsuit has been filed, but a public school district and two private academies have informed the Illinois State Board of Education that Pritzker no longer has authority under emergency rule-making to require face masks in schools and that they will be developing their own safety rules. It was time to get ahead of the issue, Ann Spillane, Pritzkers chief legal counsel, told The Associated Press. Students need to prepare, parents need to know whats coming, administrators need guidelines. Confusion on these things leads to risk, Spillane said. Were sending a signal that this issue is not up for debate. The governor doesnt have an option. A lawyer representing Hutsonville Community Unit School District No. 1 in southeastern Illinois, Parkview Christian Academy in Yorkville and Families of Faith Christian Academy in Channahon wrote letters in the last month to the state board explaining that the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in a 1922 case that government cannot make rules which merely have a tendency to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, particularly if arbitrary and unreasonable. Thomas DeVore of Greenville also noted that Pritzker has said theres not enforcement for violators of the guidelines, which DeVore contends turns rules into recommendations. He did not return a message left at his office after hours Thursday. With the surging spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, Pritzker on March 13 ordered public schools closed eventually for the rest of the term. Despite a leveling off of cases in Illinois, there are concerns here and, especially in other parts of the nation where case numbers are rising again, about reopening the classic community center, the school, in an age where people are urged to wear face masks, stay 6 feet apart, and step up the hygiene protocol dramatically. Pritzker in June released of a set of guidelines for safe congregation in schools from kindergarten through college, but among others, the states two major teachers unions have continued worries about keeping congested classrooms, hallways and playgrounds safe. With public health officials announcing 25 additional deaths Thursday among 1,257 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, the state has now lost 7,251 lives to virus-related complications. Nearly 160,000 have been infected; tens of thousands of those have recovered. Dissidents who bristle at government telling them what to wear and how to act in public gained traction last spring when Republican Rep. Darren Bailey of Xenia, represented by DeVore, won an opaque victory in Clay County against Pritzker, arguing that his ability under state law to impose emergency rules ended after 30 days on April 8. Despite the fact that it only applies to Bailey, and the ruling precludes further challenge, supporters have taken up the charge. DeVore has notified the government on behalf of individuals, retail establishments, and now schools, that they dont plan to comply. PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a virtual conclave on Blockchain Technology: Leveraging Business Innovation and Application with Mr. Arun Kumar Jha, Director General, National Productivity Council, Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India along with an august gathering of industry stalwarts. The objective of the conclave was to get an overview of Blockchain technology, its tools, open-source, platforms, and ecosystems that will help in practical application and use cases of Blockchain. It was to understand the legal and regulatory framework including Bitcoin and its implications. The conclave focused on getting institutional perspective on Blockchain-Enabled Platforms and its adoption in terms of Blue Print for adoption, implementation, and running Blockchain-based systems and to evaluate its integration with Emerging Technologies like IoT, AI, ML, Cloud, Edge, Fog Computing, Big Data, and Data Analytics. Mr. Arun Kumar Jha deliberated about the blockchain, the subject which needs an understanding by the industry. An industry 4.0 revolution that is taking place is a golden opportunity for the industry that needs to be adopted at the earliest. We have got low-cost automation techniques available that include machine measuring data that can be connected by all MSMEs to grow their businesses, said Mr Jha. In these changing times, industry has the potential to swiftly shift to blockchain technology. He cited examples of the industry which can use blockchain that can ease the business process and share data in one kind. He urged the members of PHD Chamber to start adopting blockchain, as that will be the next game-changer. The conclave witnessed the deliberation of august industry stalwarts including Dr. S D Sivakumar, Director, Agribusiness Development, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; Mr. Ryan Soh, Founder and CEO, Edufied; Mrs. Shanthini Raja, Founder, Chairperson and CEO, Rsquare Technologies W.L.L; Mr. Surinder Kalra, Blockchain Expert, and Mr. Rahul Kumar, CEO, EGW Capital. Dr. S D Sivakumar gave a detailed presentation on BlockChain for Agriculture with focus on relevance of Blockchain relevant for Indian Agriculture. He cited sample of the flow of the food chain and how the process can be smoothened and amplified with the help of blockchain. He discussed the end languages that include C++, Javascript, Python, Solidity, and many more and explained in working on the blockchain that includes Transaction, Block, Verification, Hash, and Execution. Mr. Ryan Soh, in his deliberation, shared insights about Blockchain-Enabled Platforms and their Blockchain adoption in the world of today. He shared industry perspective and the implications in the Legal and regulatory framework of Blockchain technology including Bitcoin and its implications.He highlighted the focus area in expanding Massive Open Online Courses(MOOCs) and the ways to transform education using blockchain that included improvement in record keeping; increase efficiency in existing business processes; create a new market for digital assets and create a disruptive business. He also shared practical process and cited examples related to blockchain. Mrs. Shanthini Raja gave a presentation on BlockChain in Banking and Insurance Sector and explained the different aspects and need for blockchain in sectors like banking and insurance. She also threw light on the use of cryptocurrency and how it makes its special from traditional currencies. Mr. Surinder Kalra, deliberated on the Integration of Blockchain in Agriculture/ production, trade, and overall business to increase its productivity and production. He also covered the convergence of blockchain, data analytics, and artificial intelligence that will aid in the adoption features of blockchain and building the blocks. He also explained how to define the business process, its scope, and its application. Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Senior Vice President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry while giving an overall industry perspective gave an overview of the blockchain technology that can help to amplify the business development in the country leading to ease in doing business, governance, and living of the country. He deliberated about the various benefits of the application of blockchain that mainly included privacy, record keeping, cost efficiency, better time management, and the go-to technology that will impact the future. He shared industry reports of different sectors which are leveraging blockchain technology. He lauded the efforts and initiatives of government bodies to propagate the usage of blockchain in the country that has opened several opportunities in various sectors of the country. Mr. Ashish Aggarwal, Chairman, Startup Forum, PHD Chamber while moderating the session gave an industry perspective and how blockchain can leverage the industry can leverage the technology for business development and growth in Indias developing economy. Mr. Sumit Duggal and Mr. Bharat Singh Mehta, Startup Forum, Co-Chairman, PHD Chamber gave their concluding remarks and delivered a formal vote of thanks to all the delegates and participants. The session was moderated by and Mr Ashish Aggarwal and Dr. Jatinder Singh, Director, PHD Chamber. The virtual conclave witnessed participation of more than 290 industry stalwarts around the country. Thesession was supported by Master IoT. Geneva, July 19 : The number of new cases of coronavirus rose by almost 260,000 in 24 hours -- the largest single-day increase since the pandemic began, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. According to WHO, this is the first time the number of new daily infections has surpassed a quarter of a million, BBC reported. The biggest increases were in the US, Brazil, India and South Africa. The global death toll from coronavirus also rose by 7,360 -- the largest daily increase since May 10. The previous record rise in new confirmed cases was recorded by WHO just one day earlier. The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus passed 14 million on Saturday, with over 600,000 recorded deaths, according to the tally kept by US-based Johns Hopkins University. Cases are surging in several US states, particularly in southern states that were initially reluctant to enforce lockdowns or mandate the wearing of masks. Florida, Texas and Arizona have seen particularly high surges. Florida is currently the epicentre of the US epidemic. The state recorded more than 10,000 new infections and 90 more deaths on Saturday, bringing its total number of cases to more than 337,000 and its death toll to more than 5,000. In recent weeks, hospitals across the state had also warned that their ICUs were at capacity and that they were unable to accept any new patients. Measures to stem the spread of the virus, including wearing masks, have become highly politicised in the US. Situation not conducive for resuming of tourism Jammu and Kashmir: Report Covid-19: Bank unions write to Maharashtra CM over employees safety in state 36 new Covid-19 positive cases reported in Dharavi area of Mumbai today Total number of Covid-19 positive cases in Himachal Pradesh stands at 1,483 Maharashtra records a total of 310,455 Covid-19 cases with 9,518 new cases Lockdown in Kerala capital extended till July 28 in view of rising number of Covid-19 cases US continues to see massive spikes in the number of coronavirus cases rose by 1.4%. Texas reported more than 10,000 cases for the fifth consecutive day and Arizona reported a record number of Covid-19 deaths. The European Union is yet to finalise a economic recovery plan as the southern European nations expressed their displeasure accusing the northern counterparts of being frugal. Click here for the complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic India which stands the third worst-hit nation by the pandemic recorded its highest ever single day spike of 38,902 cases. The country's tally has now reached 1,077,618. States such as Bihar and Karnataka saw spikes in Covid-19 cases and deaths. Bihar health minister said that the state is increasing its testing capabilities and asked citizens not to panic. More than 90 people have died in Karnataka due to Covid-19 in last 24 hours. KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A local mother is grieving and fighting for justice for her son and many other families who have lost a loved one. Charron Powell lost her 4 year-old son LeGend Taliferro in June. LeGend was asleep inside a Kansas City, Missouri, apartment when he was shot and killed. Plastic bags of Fentanyl are displayed on a table at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection area at the International Mail Facility at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 29, 2017. (Joshua Lott/File Photo via Reuters) US Sanctions 4 China-Based Individuals, Firm Over Fentanyl WASHINGTONThe United States announced sanctions against four China-based individuals and a company run by alleged Chinese drug kingpin Zheng Fujing for links to trafficking in fentanyl. The U.S. Treasury Department on July 17 identified the individuals as Ji Songyan, Zhang Longbao, Cheng Guifeng, and Zheng Guangfu, and the firm as Global United Biotechnology Inc., which it said was owned and operated by the Zheng Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) run by Zheng Fujing. The Treasury identified Zheng Fujing and the Zheng DTO as significant foreign narcotics traffickers under the U.S. Kingpin Act last August. Fentanyl and other drugs have caused overwhelming devastation to communities across America, Deputy Treasury Secretary Justin Muzinich said. The United States is committed to holding drug traffickers and those who facilitate their operations accountable for the suffering they impose upon American families. The four individuals were designated for allegedly facilitating purchases of fentanyl and other drugs for the Zheng organization, a Treasury statement said. It said the Zheng DTO laundered drug proceeds using digital currency such as bitcoin and transmitted proceeds into and out of bank accounts in China and Hong Kong. Global United Biotechnology was a virtual storefront for the Zheng DTO, Treasury said. The designation means all property of the individuals and Zheng DTO in the United States must be blocked and reported. Fentanyl is a cheap painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin that has played a major role in a devastating opioid crisis in the United States; more than 28,000 synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths were recorded in 2017. U.S. officials say China is the main source of illicit fentanyl. President Donald Trump has accused Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping of failing to meet promises to help stop the flow of the drug into the United States. By David Brunnstrom Amid rising novel coronavirus cases and ongoing debates about anti-black violence and police brutality, another alarming development is making headlines. Unidentified federal officers in unmarked vans reportedly stormed the city of Portland, Ore., resulting in the surveillance and arrests of peaceful protesters. Federal officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and Department of Homeland Security were there purportedly to "assist" local law enforcement. In a scathing news release, acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf detailed every alleged incident of "lawless destruction and violence" "perpetrated by anarchists" since May 29 as the reason for federal agents' presence in Portland. The involvement of DHS in surveilling and detaining protesters in Portland lays bare how the federal immigration regime and local policing have become increasingly entangled. During the recent marches against anti-black violence, local police within and beyond the 100-mile border zone received assistance from DHS through the deployment of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drones and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to monitor nationwide demonstrations. This matters. Historically, partnerships between local police and federal immigration authorities have made possible the surveillance and arrests of noncitizens and U.S. citizens presumed "alien" during extraordinary moments and manufactured narratives of crisis. These collaborations have contributed to the simultaneous expansion of the carceral state and deportation regime. And now, these expanded surveillance and policing capabilities are not only targeting and constraining the lives of immigrants, but U.S. citizens increasingly caught in the immigration dragnet - such as those who were forcibly detained into unmarked vehicles in Portland. The history of policing immigrants and U.S. citizens assumed to be foreign-born or accused of engaging in activities unfavorable to the government goes back nearly a century. In the years after the 1929 stock market crash, the United States entered a historic recession that saw record unemployment and widespread food insecurity. Politicians, journalists and members of the American public scapegoated Mexicans as the reason for the employment crisis, because of the concentration of Mexican and Mexican American workers in agriculture, one of the hardest-hit sectors. In conjunction with county welfare officials and local law enforcement, immigration authorities decided to deport hundreds of thousands of Mexicans as a "solution" to the national crisis - often without respect for citizenship status, age, familial integrity or rights to due process. In short, people were targeted on the basis of race and ethnicity. To identify, track and apprehend migrants, the Immigration Service surveilled labor strikes that involved foreign-born workers, while welfare and labor officials entertained proposals that would have fingerprinted migrant workers with and without U.S. citizenship as they moved with their children. The raids ended up separating families and deporting or repatriating an estimated 1 million Mexicans - about 60 percent of whom were U.S.-born citizens. In the mid-1950s, the Border Patrol tackled another "crisis" of migration with a mass deportation campaign. Legal immigration of Mexican workers in this period was largely limited by the terms of the temporary guest worker Bracero program. But farmers were unwilling to comply with wage and labor regulations and the bureaucratically cumbersome and costly nature of formal Bracero recruitment. So they continued recruiting undocumented immigrants from border areas willing to work for low wages. In Mexican border towns and Southwestern U.S. cities, the Border Patrol enlisted informants to infiltrate smuggling networks and gain intelligence about immigrants seeking unauthorized entry into the United States. Immigration officials also offered local police officers in Texas border cities $1 to $2 bounties for every Mexican woman and child they apprehended and transferred to Border Patrol offices. The end of the Bracero program in 1964 and the 1965 Hart-Celler immigration reform didn't stop these practices. In fact, the federal government soon expanded its surveillance capabilities - this time with data collection technologies. In 1969, the government created a centralized databank called the Migrant Student Record Transfer System (MSRTS). The database recorded the names, addresses, birth dates, birthplaces and migration patterns of predominantly Mexican children and parents with and without U.S. citizenship. It tracked migrant students who moved between districts with their farmworking parents during the school year, purportedly to enhance their education. But this data collection occurred within the context of heightened anti-immigrant nativism, the expulsion of noncitizen youths from public schools, the scapegoating of migrants for straining the welfare system and burgeoning mass incarceration. When local migrants' rights advocates accused state officials of using the MSRTS to "track down" migrant Mexican children and their families, education authorities publicly stated that the MSRTS was developed to help migrant children - not to surveil them. But internal MSRTS guidelines and private government correspondence told a different story. The guidelines issued in 1970 instructed teachers and school clerks on how to "track" "Mexico Students." Additionally, an internal policy memo of the California Department of Education made clear that MSRTS files could be released to law enforcement officers seeking information about "alien" pupils. The MSRTS allowed data collection in the 1970s to fuel the U.S. deportation machine and carceral state, making children and their parents vulnerable to identification by police and immigration agents. When migrant parents spoke out against hostile school administrators with access to the MSRTS database, local police and federal immigration officers targeted them for arrest. Undocumented minors also risked being turned over to law enforcement when they protested the policies of schools reliant on the MSRTS and joined class-action lawsuits like Plyler v. Doe in 1982 - the Supreme Court case that ensured educational access regardless of immigration status, but which remains vulnerable to reversal. And now, a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit recently revealed that ICE has access to databases with personally identifying information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, despite multiple assurances to the contrary. Whether ICE will actually use this information and how remains to be seen, but the discovery is still alarming because databases and technology created to support vulnerable young people have long been refashioned for insidious purposes. The history of immigration demonstrates that access to sensitive data and surveillance powers doesn't help migrants. Rather, it expands detention and removal efforts, thereby eroding their fundamental rights while also expanding the authority and reach of federal law enforcement agencies. Doing this once again will continue to balloon the deportation machine and surveillance state - to the detriment of us all. - - - Padilla-Rodriguez is a U.S. history Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University and a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley's Latinx Research Center specializing in the 20th-century legal history of child migration. Sesa Sen By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Indias retail sector has racked up a whopping Rs. 15.5 lakh crore in losses ever since the lockdown was imposed on March 24, leading many businesses to down shutters as the coronavirus-induced lockdown wreaked havoc on the industry. According to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents around seven crore traders and about 40,000 trade associations, at least 20 per cent or 1.4 crore more retailers are likely to wind up their businesses in the next few months in the absence of any support from the government. COVID-19 has caused a huge dent in retail trade with losses crossing Rs.15.5 lakh crore in the past 100 days. Even after 45 days from Unlock-1, there has been no clear-cut improvement, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said. The traders body has also urged the government to award a substantial package to traders to ensure their survival. Their demands include: Relaxation in payment of taxes, extension in repayment of bank loans and EMIs without any further interest or penalty as well as measures that would provide money directly in the hands of the traders. In April, the losses stood at about Rs. 5 lakh crore whereas in May it was estimated to be about Rs. 4.5 lakh crore, followed by Rs. 4 lakh crore in June. Losses stood at about 2.5 lakh crore in the first fortnight of July offering a grim snapshot of the effect of the pandemic on consumer spending. Even as the lockdown was relaxed, store footfall was only 10 per cent. Most of these traders do not have deep pockets to sustain this severe economic catastrophe and on the other hand have several financial obligations to meet. At this crucial time, handholding of these traders is all the more much required, Khandelwal said. Retailers have also pointed out that their working capital has completely dried up leaving them even more vulnerable. Payment for goods supplied between December and March to customers on credit has been delayed due to lockdown restrictions, which is now expected to begin flowing in from September, 2020. The rule of economics describes such a situation, when input is low and the output is high, as unhealthy business eating capital. Therefore, a helping hand from the government is much needed, the traders body said in a statement. Earlier, the credit rating agency CARE ratings gave the retail sector, which contributes about 10 per cent of Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a Negative outlook. The impact on demand, which is expected to remain muted at least for the next three four quarters, will be more in case of players with presence in non-essential items and luxury segments, it wrote in a note. Apart from weakness in discretionary spending on the backdrop of potential job losses and wage cuts across sectors, the rising count of fresh covid-19 cases and the subsequent intermittent lockdown in some of the states to curb the contagion is likely to aggravate the woes of retailers. The resulting job losses will continue to mount. FM refutes US official's groundless accusations about China 'replacing the US' Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/18 1:03:58 China has never sought to confront or replace the US as the top power in the world, but has the right to fight back against "malicious slander" and attacks by the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a regular press conference on Friday. Hua's comments came in response to a reporter's question noting that US Attorney General William Barr said during a speech on Thursday that China is now engaged in an economic blitzkrieg. Barr also noted that China is launching a campaign to grasp the commanding heights of the global economy and is trying to surpass the US to be the main superpower in the world. He also warned that China will take advantage of globalization to spread its political ideology. Despite being the country with the most developed and advanced medical technology in the world, the US has the most COVID-19 cases and deaths, Hua said, noting that four former directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have claimed that the US administration has been unprecedentedly politicized in its approach to science. Washington is playing a real version of "House of Cards" at the cost of people's lives and social disruption, which is a misfortune for the American people, Hua said. The US reported a record high of more than 77,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 3,560,364, according to Johns Hopkins University. Hua stressed that China's major concern was improving the livelihoods of the country's citizens and the rejuvenation of the nation. China hopes to maintain global peace and stability, Hua noted, saying that those who claim China wants to surpass the US to become a major power and attempt to overthrow the existing rule system, obviously misjudge and misunderstand China's strategic intentions. Barr also called some US technology companies "pawns of Chinese influence" and warned that the Communist Party of China has threatened to use retaliation and ban market access to influence American companies. When asked to comment on this issue, Hua noted how the US government has brutally and unscrupulously cracked down on Chinese companies such as Huawei, adding that Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, is still being detained illegally. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Amaravati, July 19 : Andhra Pradesh's Covid-19 tally skyrocketed on Sunday with 5,041 new cases detected in the 24 hours ending 9 a.m., state health officials said. This is the highest ever single-day tally and comes on the back of successive records set over the preceding four days. The day also saw a record 56 deaths due to coronavirus in the state. Sunday's update takes the overall tally of Covid cases in the state to 49,650. Yet again, all the thirteen districts reported Covid cases in triple figures. East Godavari reported the highest tally of 647 positive cases, while Anantapur followed with 637 cases. Srikakulam with 535 cases and Chittoor with 440 cases were the other districts that reported high numbers. Other districts that reported high Covid cases over the previous 24 hours include Krishna with 397, West Godavari with 393 cases, Nellore with 391 cases, Guntur with 354 cases and Visakhapatnam with 266 cases. Vizianagaram with 241 cases, Kadapa with 226 cases, Prakasam with 150 cases and Vizianagaram with 118 cases were the low incidence districts over the previous 24 hours. Sunday's figures also included the highest death toll on a single day. The state reported 56 deaths compared to the all time high of 52 deaths on Saturday. As per the latest update, deaths have occurred in 11 of the 13 districts in the state. The overall death toll in Andhra Pradesh has now shot up to 642, state health officials said. East Godavari recorded the day's high of 10 deaths, while eight deaths were reported from Srikakulam and seven each were reported from Kurnool, Visakhapatnam and Krishna districts. Similarly four deaths were reported from Prakasam district and three deaths each were reported from Anantapur, Kadapa and Vizianagaram districts. At the bottom of the list, Guntur and Chittoor districts reported two deaths each. Over the past 24 hours, 1,106 persons were discharged from hospitals and Covid treatment centres. There are 26,118 active cases while 22,890 persons have been declared as cured and discharged in Andhra Pradesh. On the brighter side, not a single positive case was detected among returnees from other states to Andhra Pradesh. Till date, 2,461 cases have been identified as Covid positive among persons who returned from other states. The active cases tally in this category currently stands at 290, while 2,171 persons have been declared as recovered till Sunday. Similarly, there were no new cases detected among overseas returnees. The cumulative tally of Covid patients in this category stands at 434, while 390 persons have been discharged after getting cured. As of Sunday, 44 patients are receiving treatment for Covid infection in the state. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says its too early to make such an ironclad guarantee. I have to see. Look ... I have to see, Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News Sunday. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time, either. The Biden campaign responded: The American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House. Trump also hammered the Pentagon brass for favouring renaming bases that honour Confederate military leaders a drive for change spurred by the national debate about race after George Floyds death. I dont care what the military says, the commander in chief said. Recent polls show Biden with a clear advantage over Trump. Most polls throughout the campaign in 2016 similarly showed Clinton ahead until Trumps base solidified in the final weeks before the election to secure him his narrow win. The Republican president described the nations top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, as a a little bit of an alarmist about the coronavirus pandemic, and Trump stuck to what he had said back in February that the virus is going to disappear. On Fox, he said, Ill be right eventually. The United States tops the global death toll list, with more than 140,000, and has the most confirmed infections, with 3.7 million. Its remarkable that a sitting president would express less than complete confidence in the American democracys electoral process. But for Trump, it comes from his insurgent playbook of four years ago, when in the closing stages of his race against Hillary Clinton he said he wouldnt commit to honouring the election results if the Democrat won. Pressed during an October 2016 debate about whether hed abide by the voters will, Trump responded hed keep you in suspense. His remarks to Fox are certain to fuel conversation on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had already been airing concerns in private about a scenario in which Trump disputes the election results. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asked Monday about Trumps interview, told MSNBCs Morning Joe: The fact is, whether he knows it yet or not, he will be leaving. Just because he might not want to move out of the White House doesnt mean we wont have an inauguration ceremony to inaugurate a duly elected president of the United States. Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement Monday that Trumps concerns are driven by a push to expand the availability of mail-in voting and pointed to recent problems with mail-in voting in New York and New Jersey. Against this backdrop, we dont know what kind of shenanigans Democrats will try leading up to November, Murtaugh said. Trump has seen his presidential popularity erode over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and in the aftermath of nationwide protests centred on racial injustice that erupted after Floyds death in Minneapolis nearly two months. Trump contends that a series of polls that show his popularity eroding and Biden holding an advantage are faulty. He says Republican voters are underrepresented in such surveys. First of all, Im not losing, because those are fake polls, Trump said in the taped interview, which aired Sunday. They were fake in 2016, and now theyre even more fake. The polls were much worse in 2016. Trump was frequently combative with Wallace in defending his response to the pandemic, weighing in on the Black Lives Matter movement and trying to portray Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, as lacking the mental prowess to serve as president. On policing, Trump said he could understand why Black Americans are upset about how police use force disproportionately against them. Of course I do, he said, adding his usual refrain that whites are also killed, too. He said he was not offended either by Black Lives Matter, but defended the Confederate flag, a symbol of the racism of the past, and said those who proudly have their Confederate flags, theyre not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the South, they like the South. Thats freedom of speech. And you know, the whole thing with cancel culture, we cant cancel our whole history. We cant forget that the North and the South fought. We have to remember that, otherwise well end up fighting again. You cant just cancel all, Trump said. Wallace challenged Trump on some claims, such as when Trump falsely asserted Biden wants to defund the police. The former vice-president has not joined with activists rallying behind that banner. He has proposed more money for police, conditioned to improvements in their practices. Trump stood behind his pledge to veto a $740 billion defence bill over a requirement the Defence Department change the names of bases named for Confederate military leaders. That list includes Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Benning in Georgia. The president argued there were no viable alternatives. Trump, 74, stuck to a campaign charge that Biden, 77, is unable to handle the rigours of the White House because of his age. As for polls showing the incumbent is trailing, Trump noted he was thought to be behind for much of the 2016 contest. I wont lose, he predicted. The president and top advisers have long accused Biden of using the pandemic as an excuse to stay in his basement in his Delaware home. Biden has indeed shifted much of his campaign online but frequently travels in Delaware and Pennsylvania, organizing speeches and small gatherings with voters and community leaders within driving distance of his home. Bidens campaign says itll begin resuming normal travel and campaign activities when health officials and state and local authorities say its safe. Questioned about the coronavirus, Trump chided Fauci, the National Institutes of Health expert, and repeated false claims that anybody could get a test and that increased testing was the only reason that the U.S. was seeing more cases. Cases are rising because people are infecting each other more than they were when most everyone was hunkered down. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus has been on the rise across nearly the entire country. ___ Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut, Hope Yen and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Two Ugandan nationals were arrested late Friday night by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police for running a sex trade at their apartment. The two were staying at a housing society in Padwalnagar, Thergaon and are natives of Kampala Masaka in Uganda. The duo was staying in the country on expired visas, according to police. They were staying on student visa that expired in 2018. We are yet to get any college admission records from them, said senior inspector Vivek Muglikar of Wakad police station. The two used a WhatsApp number to fix alleged meetings with clients, according to the police. The police sent a decoy customer and caught them in a raid at 8pm on Friday. Assistant inspector Sapna Devtale of Wakad police station is the complainant as well as the investigating officer in the case. The two were booked under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of Immoral Traffic Prevention Act and Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. The case was registered at Wakad police station. The two were produced in court for further custody. The police will also initiate deportation process for them. I spent a little while recently contemplating life after my death. The lives of others, that is. I have no illusion about my lights staying on in some parallel universe. When the lights go out, they go out. This looking to the future was prompted by some legal eagles of my acquaintance in Carlow who persuaded me to register a will during lockdown. It didn't take long to sort out where to leave my worldly possessions. But what was to be done with 'me' after my lights go out? I had an idea, so I thought I had better write it down. I have a very clear memory of being on the Bateaux Verts many summers ago doing the 20-minute journey across the bay from Saint Maxime to St Tropez in the south of France. It was a Saturday morning and we were going over to walk the market and probably buy nothing. It is a nice way to spend a morning. You can have very sticky, very expensive hot chocolate at the port and look at the rich people who rent/own the yachts. Ivana Trump sat beside me once. Myself and my companion chatted about her 'as Gaeilge'. Halfway across the bay, the captain stopped the boat and announced that there was a funeral party on board and that they were going to take a minute to spread the ashes of a loved one on the bay. I thought this was a great idea for my final resting place and have never had a better idea since. Some years later, I announced this to my extended family and was met with horror. This was not because of my request. They shrieked, "but you weren't even on the boat. We told you that story." Apparently my very clear memory just did not happen. I am always wary of memory. When people recount to me a 'he said' and then 'I said' story, I usually take it with a pinch of salt. I know it is being reconstructed, no matter what they tell me. I often wish I could take out a recording and play it the way Woody Allen pulled Marshall McLuhan out of the queue in Annie Hall. It is just that no one can remember anything verbatim. They remember in a way that suits them. Things get modified along the way with each retelling. I have a scar on the fourth finger on my left hand. It was a childhood accident. We were on the slipway in Dunmore East harbour after a day on the beach. My father thought I was in the car and shut the door just as I was trying to get in. The door closed on my finger. I have a clear memory of my crushed finger with the bone exposed. Only problem is it never happened. There was a small incident at the car but my father spotted me in time and I barely got a bruise. It was cured by an ice cream. Where the scar came from, I am still not sure, but it was not as I, so clearly, remember it. Several people have told me that they had very vivid and unusual dreams in lockdown. Old memories surfaced. I suspect it was because we had a lot of time to rummage around our brain without the usual distractions of commuting and socialising. I spent a few hours looking at photos from the pre-digital days. They jogged a lot of stories and reconstructions of what was going on at the time. If my nocturnal mental activity was anything to go by, a lot of things were taken out of one memory box and put in another one. I enjoy rummaging through my memories. But I am never all that confident that my memory coincides with what actually happened. With one exception. I still think I was on that boat, whatever other people say. And if I wasn't, I now know I will be one day. Not too soon, I hope. You are invited. Note: This story was updated at 10:33 p.m. to show that police have put the ceremony on hold. Madison city officials have halted their plans to present departmental medals to police officers involved in the controversial shooting death of a Black man outside a gym. AL.com on Sunday afternoon reported that the city planned to award three police officers for their actions on the night Dana Fletcher was killed by police. It happened October 27, 2019 in the parking lot of Planet Fitness after someone called to report that Fletcher was taking pictures and asking questions inside the gym. In a statement released Sunday night, Chief Dave Jernigan said the timing of the ceremony was not optimal. Jernigan said he decided to put the ceremony on hold after speaking with Mayor Paul Finley. AL.com obtained a screenshot from a departmental email, which said the officers would be awarded the Medal of Honor the Madison Police Departments highest award for their bravery on the night of Fletchers death. The awards were to be presented in a private ceremony on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28. The city and police department wont release the names of the officers involved in the shooting, and the officers names were redacted from the email concerning awards obtained by AL.com. AL.com on Friday spoke to Finley, who confirmed the medal ceremony would be held at City Hall but said he couldnt provide details about why the awards are being given to three officers. An attempt to reach Jernigan for comment wasnt successful on Friday. In his statement Sunday night, Jernigan said he and Finley decided late Friday afternoon to halt the ceremony. In the departmental email obtained by AL.com, Jernigan said only police department and city employees, city council members and the officers family and friends could attend the ceremony. No media is authorized for this event, Jernigan wrote in the email. Fletchers family continues to protest each weekend at the corner of Wall Triana Highway and U.S. 72 the intersection where Planet Fitness is located. They are calling for the release of body camera videos and the 911 call tape. After the shooting, five officers including two who fired their guns at Fletcher were put on leave for the authorities to investigate. All of the officers were cleared to return to work after an internal investigation and a probe by the Madison County Sheriffs Office. The officers acted according to department policies and procedures, city officials said after their internal review. Madison County District Attorney Rob Broussard said the officers were entirely justified after reviewing body camera footage, which appeared to show Fletcher holding a gun when he was pulled from his van by police. The district attorneys office said Fletcher pointed the gun toward officers. The officers involved in this incident displayed bravery in defending themselves, other officers and the public at Planet Fitness last fall which was was validated following the Madison County District Attorneys official report presented to the community on November 15, 2019, Jernigan said in the statement Sunday night. 5 Dana Fletcher shooting press conference The district attorneys office showed news reporters still images taken from the body camera video, but the authorities have declined to release complete footage. Asked about Fletchers familys calls to release the videos, Finley said the district attorneys presentation to the news media had already answered many questions about the case, including showing that Fletcher was armed during the encounter. He declined further comment. Fletchers family released the following statement in response to AL.coms reporting on the ceremony: The more they double down in support of their unnecessary aggression against regular law-abiding people like Dana, the more obvious it will be once the truth comes out that the most dangerous criminals are the ones currently running Madison County. But until then, all we can say at this point is Enjoy your ceremony. This story was updated at 10:33 p.m. to include a statement from Chief Dave Jernigan, announcing the ceremony was put on hold. Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi said on Saturday that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's trip to Baghdad will take place in line with enhancement of bilateral relations, Trend reports citing IRNA. Masjedi tweeted late on Saturday that the visit is aimed at promoting strategic relations in all fields between the two countries. Zarif is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on Sunday at the head of a high-profile delegation. During the visit, he will discuss common challenges and taking advantage of opportunities in line with the joint interests. Zarif is also slated to hold meetings with the Iraqi president, prime minister, his counterpart, and parliament speaker. Idaho is one of a few states which allows citizens to bring proposed legislation to the ballot for citizen approval, a process known as initiative, which has become the preferred way of groups to add laws where the state wont do so. But its an open question as to whether the process is a fair or effective one. Last year, Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoed two proposals which would have tightened the initiative signature gathering process, which many in the Legislature thought was too lenient. The governor disagreed, saying he thought bills were likely to be overturned in court, Hence, the vetoes. Then, just last week, another group, known as Reclaim Idaho, went to federal court to force the state to allow it to gather more signatures for a new initiative which would give huge new boosts for teacher pay. The state has appealed, saying time has run out. The reasoning for these disputes is the changing nature of the American republican form of government. Citizen groups, like Reclaim Idaho dont want to rely on legislatures to get what they want. They want new laws which give them more money (Its always about the money.) by putting issues before the people as they did with medicaid expansion. Others say that opens the door to allowing a non-elected body to determine what citizens pay. If we go down that road, theres no reason for a Legislature at all. Why not let voters determine, up or down, whether to fund this or that? Thats what happens in some states like Maine, where a new but small proposed police barracks gets on the statewide ballot. Groups like Reclaim Idaho say the initiative process reflects the peoples voice where none is now heard, but thats not true. Most states dont allow initiatives at all, and of those which do, including Idaho, there are often restrictions on how petitions can be gathered, the time line allowed and the density of populations to assure fairness for rural communities. Idahos approach was thought to be about right until the Reclaim group successfully passed the Medicaid expansion initiative in 2018, which Reclaim now wants to use again to raise peoples taxes. The teacher pay initiative would pour new tax money into teacher and administrator salaries but doesnt help other professions such as law enforcement and nursing. Futhermore, it appears to be driven by out-of-state, mostly California, union interests, as well as union backing in Idaho and among lefty journalists. A dedicated revenue stream for new and larger raises just for educators and administrators may sound nice, but there are many objections to the proposal, including its basic fairness, the amounts of money involved (over $150 million annually), and the equity of a particular groups effectively dictating Idahos financial path. The tax proposal has been floated past fall in various forums and has won approval from Idaho Democrats who see any tax jump as a positive thing. To those on the left, its a pro-Socialist, soaks the rich, class-envy, Warren-ista change. But there are a number of reasons why this idea should arrive statewide in a hearse. One. This is Idaho, not California. Reclaim Idaho is part of a national union-driven initiative effort with money coming chiefly from California unions. (https://Eastidahonews.com. (3/31/2019) Vote for enhanced union influence in Idaho? Not a good idea. Two. There are very few Republicans who will vote for a Democrat tax increase, and the GOP makes up roughly two-thirds of the electorate. Its an election year and if theres one thing people arent likely approve, its to raise their own taxes. Three. Reclaim Idahos proposal is essentially a wealth transfer from people whove earned money to others who havent, otherwise known as a redistribution or reparations, a common liberal ploy. Four, Idaho already pumps about $100 million in new money annually into Idahos public schools budget and has for the past half dozen years. That apparently isnt enough for Reclaim Idaho. Theyre effectively saying, we want all your tax money. Five. With the 2020 election shaping up as an up-or-down on the Trump economy, Idahos a good example how prudent fiscal policies drive growth. Vote for more taxes? Nah. Particularly since theres no accountability here, nothing like relying on school test scores Its just a pay-us-more scheme. Idaho is growing nicely with businesses coming in and local businesses expanding; incomes are rising and people are moving on up in many sectors, including, food processing, health care and agriculture. Who wants to give more personal income increases to the government? (https://www.bea.gov/news/2019/state-personal-income-second-quarter-2019/. Reclaim Idaho presents its income tax increase idea as an investment in Idaho, but the numbers really reflect at least a huge 16 percent jump in income taxes. Wanna pay more taxes? Thought not. Just as big a hurdle is Reclaim Idaho premise that Idaho needs a tax increase initiative because, well, Idaho just needs it. The group hasnt been elected by any voters in the state to anything, arent accountable to anyone and are unlike duly-elected legislators who delve into real budgets and the real numbers. Reclaim Idaho answers to no one in Idaho. Theyre an outside, California, liberal lobby, plain and simple. Theyre in it for the money, yours. Idaho has a long and proven tradition of prudent spending, fiscal responsibility and living within our means. Reclaim Idaho would sharply raise taxes by diluting voters power within the state with a pie-in-the-sky scheme of union interests. Handing Idaho voters decisions to an out-of-state entity wont strike many as a very good idea. Turn a sows ear into a silk purse by calling it an investment? Nah. Same old story. Stephen Hartgen, Twin Falls, is a retired five-term Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Commerce & Human Resources Committee. Previously, he was editor and publisher of The Times-News (1982-2005). He is the author of the new book Tradition & Progress: Southern Idahos Growth Since 1990. This column was first published in www.idahopoliticsweekly.com. He can be reached at Stephen_Hartgen@hotmail.com Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Staff of Shinhan Bank's branch in Yangon, Myanmar, address customers in this photo provided by Shinhan Bank. / Courtesy of Shinhan Bank By Kim Bo-eun Banks are expanding their presence in Myanmar, as they seek new opportunities in the fast growing Southeast Asian country. Myanmar is drawing the attention of financial firms, as a rising economy which has recorded an average of 7 percent GDP growth since 2012, and has a young working population. Nonghyup Bank is preparing to expand its existing presence, to offer specialized services in agricultural finance. The lender said last week it acquired approval from local authorities to set up an office in Yangon. The bank has been offering micro financing services via its subsidiary Nonghyup Finance Myanmar since 2016. "Setting up an office paves the way for us to set up a branch as well as a subsidiary," a Nonghyup Bank official said. While he said plans have not yet been specified as the lender is currently in the stage of setting up an office, Nonghyup is seen to be planning to begin a banking business there, based on its area of expertise. Nonghyup Bank, as a commercial bank offers both retail and wholesale banking services, but it is primarily an agricultural bank which provides financing for farmers. "Myanmar is an agriculture-based economy and with our expertise in agricultural finance, we will be able to offer relevant services," the official said. KB Kookmin Bank, along with Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) and Korea Development Bank (KDB), received regulatory approval to set up a subsidiary in Myanmar in April. KB Kookmin plans on expanding a mobile banking base there, as well as provide housing finance. KB Kookmin is planning to launch its mobile-based financial services platform "Liiv" in Myanmar. The plan comes after the lender introduced the platform in Cambodia. The platform had 100,000 users as of the end of last year. "The plan is to connect the services of offline bank branches with mobile-based services available on mobile phones," a KB Kookmin Bank official said. "We are seeking to become a global digital banking platform there, because the region lacks competitive digital banking services." As for housing finance, this is an area of expertise for KB Kookmin Bank as the current lender is a merger of Kookmin Bank and Housing & Commercial Bank. "We plan to provide education and consulting on setting up related systems, based on an agreement with the government in Myanmar," the official said. Meanwhile, the state-run IBK and KDB are set to provide financing for Korean firms doing business in Myanmar. There are about 300 Korean companies there. IBK is preparing to change its existing office into a subsidiary in January next year. Shinhan Bank became the first Korean bank to enter Myanmar in 2016, setting up a branch in Yangon. Islamabad: Indian authorities have been accused of using the country's surging coronavirus pandemic as a chance to round up and hold critics protesting against Narendra Modi's treatment of minorities. While attention has in recent weeks been focused on accelerating deaths in the country, as many as a dozen prominent activists have been held under tough sedition and anti-terrorism laws. A caretaker in a graveyard splashes rose water on the body of a Muslim man who died from coronavirus in Delhi. Credit:Getty India's coronavirus restrictions, which have closed the courts, have left lawyers unable to file bail applications or even meet their detained clients, The New York Times reported. The nation of 1.3 billion is currently wrestling with one of the world's largest outbreaks of the virus and its case toll last week passed one million. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: The doctors and other subsidiary health professionals working as frontline warriors at different Covid-19 treatment centres are proving highly vulnerable to the infection in Bihar. So far, according to a release of Bihar chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA), more than 200 medical professionals besides other paramedic staffs have tested positive for COVID-19 so far in the state. Unfortunately, two of them namely Dr. NK Singh, posted as associate professor at ENT department in Patna Medical College and hospital and Dr. Ashwani Kumar, a private physician of Gaya, have died in the last few days. Concerned over this alarming situation with the people in the medical fraternity, the Bihar chapter of IMA has demanded fortnightly COVID-19 tests for all doctors and the paramedics staff working as frontline warriors mandatory along with a 15-day break for relaxation for the state's health professionals, working in the frontline against the COVID-19. One can well gauge the severity of infection in Bihar from the fact that even the director of IGIMS, Dr NR Biswas, has tested positive. Recently, more than 50 doctors, technicians, ANMs, laboratory incharges and other staffs of PMCH were also tested positive. According to sources of health department, a dozen of technicians of RMRIMS have also tested positive besides half a dozen staffs of NMCH's microbiology department. At AIIMS also, as many as 15 medical staff have tested positive and have been admitted in addition to staffs and doctors of other medical institutions testing positive so far. "In such a situation, a delegation of IMA representatives has met health minister Mangal Pandey on Thursday with a demand to reserve 50% of total beds for doctors and other health workers in AIIMS besides other important demands including mandatory COVID-19 tests for all doctors, health workers and a 15-day long relaxation break", Dr Sunil Kumar, IMA secretary, said. He said that demand by IMA has been made for Rs 10 lakh compensation from the state government and Rs 50 lakh insurance cover announced by the central government to be given to the family members of two doctors died recently due to coronavirus. "The IMA has also strongly put a demand for filling the existing vacancies of assistant professors and revocation of suspension of doctors immediately to meet the challenges emerging during the pandemic times here", he said. The IMA has also expressed serious concerns about poor condition of infrastructure and human resources in government-run hospitals in the state in a letter sent to Ashwani Kumar Choubey on July 7. The letter stated that AIIMS in Patna has about 800 beds and 90 ICU beds but only 200 beds and 40 ICU-beds for the COVID-19 patients are not sufficient to cater to the needs. Apart from them, junior doctors at PMCH and NMCH have also demanded safety kits and arrangments for doctors fighting against the COVID-19 on a war footing. Meanwhile, Bihar Chemist & Druggists Association has also demanded COVID-19 tests of CNF, distributors, stockists, wholesalers, and retailers of medicines on the part of the government. Representative image With the novel coronavirus infection surging past 10 lakh in India, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said the country now shows community transmission of COVID-19 has started and the situation looks bad. According to news agency ANI, Dr VK Monga, Chairperson of IMA Hospital Board of India said "this is now an exponential growth". Every day the number of cases is increasing by more than 30,000 in the country, said the doctor. This is really a bad situation for the country. There are so many factors connected with it but overall this is now spreading to rural areas. This is a bad sign. It now shows a community spread, he told the news agency. Speaking further about the current situation, Dr Monga said now the novel coronavirus infections are "penetrating down" into towns and villages where it will be "very difficult to control the situation". "In Delhi, we were able to contain it, but what about interior parts of the country in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh (which may be the new hotspots)?" Dr Monga said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic Calling the issues "very important", the doctor said the state governments should take full care and seek the help of the central government to control the situation. This report has come at the time when the Union Health Ministry has been maintaining that community transmission of COVID-19 has not started yet in India. Talking about the containment of the disease, the doctor gave two options. Firstly, 70 percent population contracts the disease and gets immune, and the other is getting an immunisation, he was quoted as saying. India registered 34,884 new COVID-19 cases on July 18 that took the countrys tally to 10,38,716, according to the union health ministry data. It was the third consecutive day when the number of COVID-19 cases increased by more than 30,000. The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 26,273 with 671 fatalities reported in a day. Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here The Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA), a non-governmental organisation, has advised the citizenry to take personal responsibility at their homes, workplaces and social gatherings to protect themselves and loved ones from the COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has come to redefine the way we relate, and this will definitely affect the way we work, it said. This was in the Annual Report of the GDCA presented at its 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Dalun in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region. Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, the Executive Director of GDCA, presented the Report on behalf of the Chairman, Dr Osman Al-Hassan. It covered projects undertaken in 2019 by the NGO and its subsidiary organisations including School for Life, Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships, and Dalun Simli Centre. Projects implemented during the year under review included the Empowerment for Life Programme (E4L), Project to Support Livestock Mobility for better access to resources and markets in West Africa, Enhancing Participation in Revenue Mobilisation, European Volunteers Aid, Community Volunteer Teacher, and Education Quality Initiative. GDCA works to empower citizens of deprived communities to achieve political, social and economic development and engage in sound environmental practices for sustainable living. Dr Al-Hassan said: A lot was achieved in our effort to bring the desired development to our people. The lives of thousands of people in deprived communities have been made better as a result of the interventions of the programmes. Many women have benefited from our various E4L programmes, which have improved their businesses and families. Potable water and sanitation facilities have been provided to communities and schools in the past year, which did not only reduce the drudgery of looking for water but also improved their health status. He said through the various capacity building and advocacy programmes, community people had gained awareness on issues of governance and human rights and were able to participate in decision-making. Dr Al-Hassan spoke about various government policies that continued to support the GDCAs efforts at contributing to the development of communities and these include the Planting for Food and Jobs through which many farmers were able to grow more to feed their families and improve income. He mentioned the One Village One Dam and the National Health Insurance Scheme as two policies that provided the development context and enabling environment for the GDCAs operations and promoted the welfare of beneficiaries. Dr Al-Hassan said challenges that hindered the smooth operations of the organisation included floods causing destruction to crops, livestock and other property. That resulted in high food prices, which were worsened by the global hikes in fuel prices, he said. Mr Inusah Atchulo, the Acting Northern Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, commended the GDCA for implementing a number of interventions to bring social change, expand access to education and improve livelihoods. 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 Abu Dhabi Capital Group (ADCG) has announced that Imkan Properties CEO Walid El Hindi has decided to step down from his role to pursue his own interests, after leading the Emirati property development company for five years. Announcing the planned departure, Fadel Al Ali, board member of both ADCG and Imkan, said: "El Hindi had played a major role in establishing and growing Imkan from a vision to one of the leading developers in the region and for presiding over a phase of significant growth for the business." "Under his leadership, Imkan has grown to have offices in Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Morocco and has successfully launched six master planned communities with 11 projects completed or currently under construction,," stated Al Ali. Imkan Properties has a portfolio of 30 million sq m of land, which spans 26 projects across six countries and is valued at over Dh100 billion ($27.2 billion). The brand has positioned itself as a world class place-maker using its unique research-based approach to property development. The first Abu Dhabi community, Nudra on Saadiyat Island, is near handover, substantial progress has been made across other Capital-based projects; Makers District, AlJurf and Sheikha Fatima Park and over 250 units of our Alburouj project in Egypt have recently been handed over. "Amongst his most significant achievements, Imkan saw a 300 per cent year-on-year increase in sales across its collection of projects last year," remarked Al Ali. "His commitment and vision have put Imkan in a strong position to move forward to the next phase of its success story and I would like to wish Walid the very best for the future," he added. In addition to his role as Imkan CEO, Walid also held the position of managing director of Imkan Misr, board member of HHRM, an international hotel management company as well as being on the executive committee for Imkan Moroc.-TradeArabia News Service Minor Hotels, together with Seven Tides Limited, are pleased to announce the launch of Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate Dubai Hotel. Located in the Jebel Ali area of Dubai and in close proximity to the Expo 2020 Dubai site, the 396-key property and Ibn Battuta Gate complex are well known for the iconic gate design which has become a landmark sight in the city. The hotel is situated opposite Ibn Battuta Mall, with the Dubai Metro close by allowing visitors to travel conveniently across the city, including being able to reach many of Dubais tourist highlights and business districts. Dubai Marina is also easily reachable, with its many attractions including Marina Mall, multiple dining options, sky diving and the beach. Dubai International Airport (DXB) is 30 minutes drive, with Dubai Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) also easily accessible and Abu Dhabi International Airport under an hour away. Marking the second Oaks property in Dubai and the third in the UAE, Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate offers modern accommodation options for both business and leisure travellers. These include 352 guest rooms across three different categories, plus 44 suites. The three guest room types Premier, Deluxe and Executive are stylishly furnished with Moroccan influences, whilst the Suites have decor inspired by the explorer Ibn Battutas adventures across the world. The 13 Family Suites offer 55-sq-m of flexible space, with the 29 Battuta Suites providing a generous 85-sq-m including living area and a spacious terrace with city views. The two, Two Bedroom Royal Suites, each an impressive 140-sq-m, have two king bedrooms, a living and dining area, plus an outdoor terrace. All room types offer a 40-inch HD LCD television, complimentary wifi, tea and coffee making facilities and a bathroom with walk-in shower and separate bathtub. Restaurants and bars at the property include Mistral, the all-day dining restaurant offering international cuisine and live cooking stations, Revo Cafe for freshly brewed coffee, pastries and healthy options, Moroc Lounge & Bar, a Moroccan-inspired terrace and lounge to enjoy sundowners and shisha, and a pool bar. Additional hotel facilities are a swimming pool and gym, a spa and a kids club, plus guests at Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate have complimentary access to the beach at a private beach club on Palm Jumeirah. For business guests or those looking to organise events and celebrations, the hotel is the perfect venue for meetings of all sizes, with exceptional flexible spaces, the largest able to accommodate up to 350 guests. Pre-function areas both indoors and outdoors and a business centre further add to the picture. We are delighted to add Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate to our portfolio of hotels and resorts in Dubai, commented Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotels and Minor International. With its close proximity to Dubai Exhibition Centre and the site for Dubai Expo, the property is perfectly situated to capitalise on this hugely significant global event, now rescheduled to a year later and therefore extending the opportunity further. We look forward to working with our partners Seven Tides, to build on the success of this impressive hotel. Abdulla Bin Sulayem, CEO, Seven Tides, said: The Minor Hotels group is no stranger to Seven Tides, we have worked with them on a range of successful projects, including Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort. Having witnessed first-hand the success the group contributes to a property, I am confident this strategic decision to partner with Minor on Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate will allow us to adapt seamlessly to the parameters of the 'new normal. Recognised as a hotel owner, operator and investor, Minor Hotels currently operates 11 properties in the UAE across three hotel brands Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Avani Hotels & Resorts and Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites and a total of 18 properties in the GCC region. Minor Hotels and Seven Tides have an existing partnership in the hospitality market in Dubai, with Minor Hotels operating two properties owned by Seven Tides International Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort since 2013 and Avani Deira Dubai Hotel since 2016. Oaks currently operates over 60 properties in five countries, including Oaks Liwa Heights in Dubai and Oaks Liwa Executive Suites in Abu Dhabi. - TradeArabia News Service Photo by cottonbro from Pexels American conservative cable television news channel, Fox News, broadcast an exclusive interview of a virologist from Hong Kong Dr. Li-Meng Yan on July 13. In the interview, the virologist has accused China of covering up coronavirus cases and claimed to have fled from Hong Kong to the United States (US) for her life. In the wake of airing the interview, some Western politicians and media have created quite an uproar around the world as if they were waiting for such an interview. They have bought no time to label the Hong Kong virologist as a whistleblower. Western media have given the interview such uncritical coverage that they even haven't felt the need for cross-checking her statements. However, after going through the interview, many questions have popped up in my journalistic mind about the authenticity of her claims. I would like to share a few of them with my readers in this article. For example, the virologist has said, 'She believes the China knew about the coronavirus well before it claimed it did.' I have found this statement untrustworthy. Because she couldn't or didn't cite any evidence for the verification of her claim. It appears to be a repetition of the accusation oft-made by some of the Western forces against China. Dr. Yan also claimed that she was one of the first scientists in the world to study the novel coronavirus. She was allegedly asked by her supervisor at the University/WHO reference lab, Dr. Leo Poon, in 2019 to look into the odd cluster of SARS-like cases coming out of the Chinese mainland at the end of December 2019. Her claim to be one of the first scientists in the world to study the novel coronavirus is also contradictory to her own statement. Because she later in the interview said, 'The Chinese government refused to let overseas experts, including ones in Hong Kong, do research in China.' If the government didn't allow any Hong Kong experts, how she, despite being a Hongkonger, could study the coronavirus. Besides, in an official statement, her university, Hong Kong University (HKU), has clarified that Dr. Yan never conducted any research on the human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus at the university during December 2019 and January 2020. Dr. Yan has apparently made another dubious claim of fleeing Hong Kong. It's an absurd claim because no Hongkonger is barred from traveling to the US. The virologist also told Fox News that she landed in Los Angeles on April 28 and told customs officials at the airport that she wanted to reveal the so-called truth about China. Her statement has raised a question of why she has taken around two and a half months to appear before the camera, that too from an undisclosed location. I think it won't be strange to ask if she had been being groomed by any agency during the period to face the media to reveal her so-called truth! The virologist also expressed that she believes her life is in danger saying she knows how China treats whistleblowers. But I think she has forgotten or might not be allowed to talk about how Western governments treated Edward Joseph Snowden and Julian Paul Assange for revealing the real truth. Putting aforesaid analysis into perspective, I have enough reasons to consider the virologist a Western propaganda puppet instead of a true whistleblower. Moreover, the interview of the virologist has reminded the world of Nayirah testimony once again. It was a false testimony given before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus of the US in 1990 by a 15-year-old girl who provided only her first name, Nayirah. The testimony was widely publicized and was cited numerous times by US senators and then-president George H. W. Bush in their rationale to back Kuwait in the Gulf War. But in 1992, it was revealed that Nayirah's last name was al-Sabah and that she was the daughter of Saud Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti ambassador to the US. Furthermore, it was revealed that her testimony was organized as part of the Citizens for a Free Kuwait public relations campaign, which was run by the American public relations firm Hill & Knowlton for the Kuwaiti government. Following this, al-Sabah's testimony has come to be regarded as a classic example of modern atrocity propaganda. It is crystal clear that the virologist is used as a Western propaganda puppet. Her interview is very similar to the Nayirah testimony. Because the testimony was used to justify the US invasion in Iraq, while Dr. Yans interview might be orchestrated to help President Donald J Trump confirm his second term at the White House by blaming China to cover up his failures in the fight against the coronavirus. The interview has again proved that Western imperium can stoop to any lower for withholding their opponents and attaining their ulterior motives. The author is the China Correspondent of the Bangladesh Post. BJP asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan resorted to 'unconstitutional' methods to tap politicians' phones and demanded a CBI probe New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday sought a report from the Rajasthan chief secretary on allegations of phone tapping after two audio clips of conversations purportedly regarding a "conspiracy" to topple the state's Congress government emerged amidst the ongoing political crisis in the state, officials said. In a communication, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajasthan chief secretary to send a report on the allegations of phone tapping, an official said. The chief secretary has been told to provide the details of the incident after two audio clips emerged, the official added. The Rajasthan Police's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act in connection with the two clips of conversations purportedly regarding a "conspiracy" to topple Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot''s government. The ACB Director General Alok Tripathi said it has registered an FIR on a complaint by Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi. The FIR mentions details of conversations of (Congress rebel MLA) Bhanwarlal Sharma with Gajendra Singh (Congress claims it is a reference to Union minister Gajendra Singh) and a third man called Sanjay Jain. The BJP on Saturday asked if the Congress government in Rajasthan resorted to "unconstitutional" methods to tap the phones of politicians and demanded a CBI probe into what it called a "saga of illegalities and concocted lies". BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said senior Congress leaders, including chief minister Gehlot, have been claiming that these audio clips are authentic even though the FIR registered by police does not say so. By Caitlin Johnstone July 18, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - OMG you guys Putin hacked our coronavirus vaccine secrets! Today mainstream media is reporting what is arguably the single dumbest Russiavape story of all time, against some very stiff competition. Russian hackers are targeting health care organizations in the West in an attempt to steal coronavirus vaccine research, the U.S. and Britain said, reports The New York Times. Hackers backed by the Russian state are trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine and treatment research from academic and pharmaceutical institutions around the world, Britains National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on Thursday, Reuters reports. Russian news agency RIA cited spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the Kremlin rejected Londons allegations, which he said were not backed by proper evidence, adds Reuters. To make news gathering easier, we should just always assume that Russia has tried to hack everything stored on every computer ever emails, recipes, Atari consoles and only report it when anonymous US & UK intel officials determine that Russia has NOT hacked something https://t.co/XfOAbNr7pJ Aaron Mate (@aaronjmate) July 16, 2020 I mean, there are just so many layers of stupid. First of all, how many more completely unsubstantiated government agency allegations about Russian nefariousness are we the public going to accept from the corporate mass media? Since 2016 its been wall-to-wall narrative about evil things Russia is doing to the empire-like cluster of allies loosely centralized around the United States, and they all just happen to be things nobody can actually provide the public with hard verifiable evidence of. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Ever since the shady cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike admitted that it never actually saw hard proof of Russia hacking the DNC servers, the already shaky and always unsubstantiated narrative that Russian hackers interfered in the US presidential election in 2016 has been on thinner ice than ever. Yet because the mass media converged on this narrative and repeated it as fact over and over again theyve been able to get the mainstream headline-skimming public to accept it as an established truth, priming them for an increasingly idiotic litany of completely unsubstantiated Russia scandals, culminating most recently in the entirely debunked claim that Russia paid Taliban-linked fighters to kill coalition forces in Afghanistan. Secondly, the news story doesnt even claim that these supposed Russian hackers even succeeded in doing whatever they were supposed to have been doing in this supposed cyberattack. Officials have not commented on whether the attacks were successful but also have not ruled out that this is the case, Wired reports. Thirdly, this is a vaccine which does not even exist at this point in time, and the research which was supposedly hacked may never lead to one. Meanwhile, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University reports that it has successfully completed tests on volunteers of the worlds first vaccine against coronavirus, in Russia. Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, how obnoxious and idiotic is it that coronavirus vaccine secrets are a even a thing??? This is a global pandemic which is hurting all of us; scientists should be free to collaborate with other scientists anywhere in the world to find a solution to this problem. Nobody has any business keeping secrets from the world about this virus or any possible vaccine or treatment. If they do, anyone in the world is well within their rights to pry those secrets away from them. Watch this. They're literally just saying Russians talked about already leaked documents on the internet. That's the whole entire news story. https://t.co/pZdqWC75IW Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) July 16, 2020 This intensely stupid story comes out at the same time British media are blaring stories about Russian interference in the 2019 election, which if you actually listen carefully to the claims being advanced amounts to literally nothing more than the assertion that Russians talked about already leaked documents pertaining to the UKs healthcare system on the internet. Russian actors sought to interfere in last winters general election by amplifying an illicitly acquired NHS dossier that was seized upon by Labour during the campaign, the foreign secretary has said, reports The Guardian. Amplifying. Thats literally all there is to this story. As we learned with the ridiculous US Russiagate narrative, Russia amplifying something in such allegations can mean anything from RT reporting on a major news story to a Twitter account from St Petersburg sharing an article from The Washington Post. Even the foreign secretarys claim itself explicitly admits that there is no evidence of a broad spectrum Russian campaign against the General Election. The statement is so foggy and contradictory that it is almost impossible to understand it, responded Russias foreign ministry to the allegations. If its inappropriate to say something then dont say it. If you say it, produce the facts. Jeremy Corbyn refuses to answer questions about Russian involvement in last year's general election. Leaked government documents highlighted by Mr Corbyn during the campaign were almost certainly amplified online by Russia, the UK Government has said https://t.co/aZBxub1VzE pic.twitter.com/2cOuLC3JbU ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) July 16, 2020 Post your comment below See also Graham releases newly declassified documents on Russia probe : FBI officials were skeptical of reports in early 2017 of contact between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence officials. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. European Union leaders failed to agree on a massive stimulus fund to revive their coronavirus-hammered economies on Saturday after two days of fraught negotiations, but extended their summit for another day to try and overcome their differences. As the 27 leaders scurried back to their hotels after a late, inconclusive dinner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron stayed behind in the EUs headquarters in Brussels to haggle with the Dutch-led camp of thrifty countries demanding cuts to the 1.8 trillion euro ($2.06 trillion) package. The negotiations were heated, said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy, one of the EU countries most affected by the coronavirus crisis that are seeking generous aid from the bloc. Europe is under the blackmail of the frugals. We have to do all what is possible to reach a deal tomorrow. Further delays are not useful to anybody. Summit chairman Charles Michel was due to hand new proposals before the 27 reconvene on Sunday. With the pandemic dealing Europe its worst economic shock since World War II, leaders first locked horns on Friday over a proposed 750 billion euro ($857bn) recovery fund and a 2021-27 EU budget of more than a trillion euros ($1.14 trillion). But a group of wealthy and fiscally frugal northern states the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden blocked progress in the first face-to-face EU summit since spring lockdowns across the continent. They favour repayable loans rather than free grants for the hard-hit indebted economies mostly on the Mediterranean rim, and they want stricter control over how the funds are spent. Hopes for an agreement grew earlier on Saturday when Michel proposed revisions to the overall package designed to assuage the Dutch concerns. Proposed cuts sink early deal Under his new plan, the portion of grants in the recovery fund would be reduced to 450 billion euros ($514bn) from 500 billion euros ($571bn) and an emergency brake on disbursement would be added. But hopes that this would be enough faded quickly as Sweden asked for grants to be cut to 155 billion euros ($177bn), according to diplomatic sources. Some pointed out the recovery scheme would risk being irrelevant at that much-reduced scale. Conte also said a de facto veto on national applications for aid sought by The Hague was politically and legally improper and also largely unfeasible. The budget commissioner of the blocs executive branch reminded the leaders who wore masks and kept their distance from each other that COVID-19 was still among them and that they needed to act. Just a solemn reminder: the Corona crisis is not over: infections on the rise in many countries, Johannes Hahn tweeted. High time to reach an agreement which allows us to provide the urgently needed support for our citizens+economies! Diplomats said the frugals also pressed through the day for bigger rebates for net payers into the core EU budget, among other demands. Other countries had their own demands in negotiations criss-crossing different regional and economic priorities, putting in doubt an unprecedented act of solidarity for the EU under which the executive European Commission would borrow billions of euros on capital markets on behalf of them all. The exact size of the EUs long-term budget and how far to use payouts as leverage for reforms or whether to withhold money from countries that fail to live up to democratic standards were issues unresolved as the leaders left on Saturday. Countries including the US, South Africa and India are struggling to hold down rising rates of coronavirus as global deaths from Covid-19 surged past 600,000. Concerns are rising that the pandemic has found fresh legs over the past few weeks, with Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organisation (WHO) both recording daily highs in newly reported infections. Pope Francis said that the pandemic is showing no sign of stopping and pointed to those whose suffering from the outbreak is worsened by conflicts. While the US leads global infections, South Africa now ranks as the fifth worst-hit country in the pandemic with 350,879 cases roughly half of all those confirmed on the African continent. Its struggles are a sign of trouble to come for nations with even fewer healthcare resources. India on Sunday reported a 24-hour record surge of 38,902 new cases, taking the countrys total to 1,077,618. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Elsewhere in Asia, China confirmed 13 new cases in the northwestern city of Urumqi. The outbreak is the latest to pop up since China largely contained the domestic spread of the virus in March. At least 30 people have been infected and authorities are conducting universal testing in communities where cases were discovered, later to be expanded to other parts of the city and major businesses. Expand Close A health worker screens an elderly woman for Covid-19 symptoms at a temple in Mumbai, India (Rafiq Maqbool/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A health worker screens an elderly woman for Covid-19 symptoms at a temple in Mumbai, India (Rafiq Maqbool/AP) South Korean authorities are also struggling to suppress an uptick in local infections, with 34 additional cases, 21 of them domestic and 13 from overseas, raising the countrys total to 13,745 with 295 deaths. Both countries are mandating testing and enforcing two-week quarantines on all overseas arrivals. After a one-day respite, Covid-19 cases in the Australian state of Victoria rose again, prompting a move to make masks mandatory in metropolitan Melbourne and the nearby shire of Mitchell. Health officials on Sunday recorded 363 new cases in the past 24 hours. Two men and a woman in their nineties died, taking the national death toll from Covid-19 to 122. The WHO on Saturday again reported a single-day record of new infections with 259,848. South Africa now trails the US, Brazil and India all far more populous countries in the number of infections, surpassing Peru, after health authorities announced 13,285 new cases. The simple fact is that many South Africans are sitting ducks because they cannot comply with World Health Organisation protocols on improved hygiene and social distancing Foundation of Desmond and Leah Tutu South Africas new coronavirus epicentre, Gauteng province, hosts the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and one quarter of the countrys population of 57 million, with many poor people living in crowded conditions in the middle of a frosty southern hemisphere winter. The simple fact is that many South Africans are sitting ducks because they cannot comply with World Health Organisation protocols on improved hygiene and social distancing, the foundation of former South African archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah warned in a statement. Confirmed global deaths from or with Covid-19 rose to more than 602,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins. The United States tops the list with 140,119 deaths, followed by 78,772 in Brazil, 45,358 in the United Kingdom and 38,888 in Mexico, where a surge in cases has frustrated plans to reopen the economy. The number of confirmed infections worldwide has passed 14.2 million, out of which 3.7 million are in the United States. There are over two million in Brazil and more than one million in India. Experts believe the true numbers around the world are higher because of testing shortages and data collection issues in some nations. Infections are soaring in US states such as Florida, Texas, Arizona, fuelled by the haphazard lifting of lockdowns and the resistance of some Americans to wearing masks. Expand Close A waiter takes a food order in Burbank, California(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A waiter takes a food order in Burbank, California(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) Teams of military medics have been deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deal with a deluge of patients who are flooding emergency rooms in parts of the US. Some patients are being moved into hallways to make room for the most seriously ill and nurses are working extra shifts to keep up with the surge. Patients struggling to breathe are being placed on ventilators in emergency wards since intensive care units are full, officials say. Patients are waiting hours and hours to get admitted, said Dr Alison Haddock of the Baylor College of Medicine in the state of Texas, which reported a new daily record for virus deaths on Friday and more than 10,000 confirmed cases for the fourth consecutive day. More than 80 infants have tested positive for the virus in the state. Ive never seen anything like this Covid surge, said Dr Haddock, who has worked in emergency rooms since 2007. Were doing our best, but were not an ICU. Following a recent surge in cases, Hong Kong made the wearing of masks mandatory in all public places and told non-essential civil servants to work from home. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the situation in the Asian financial hub is really critical and that she sees no sign that it is under control. Expand Close Police officers guard a barrier to stop people entering a beach in Barcelona, Spain (Emilio Morenatti/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police officers guard a barrier to stop people entering a beach in Barcelona, Spain (Emilio Morenatti/AP) Police in Barcelona are limiting access to some of the citys beaches because sunbathers are ignoring regulations amid a resurgence of coronavirus. Authorities in Amsterdam are urging people not to visit the citys famous red light district and have closed off some of the historic districts narrow streets because they are too busy. Local governments in India continued to reimpose focused lockdowns in several parts of the country following a surge in cases. And in Iran, the president made the startling announcement that as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Hassan Rouhani cited a new Health Ministry study that has not been made public. Iran has the Middle Easts worst outbreak with more than 270,000 confirmed cases. In Bangladesh, confirmed cases surpassed 200,000 but experts say the number is much higher as the country lacks adequate labs for testing. Most people in rural areas have stopped wearing masks and are thronging shopping centres ahead of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha this month. (Natural News) Your favorite woke and socially conscious brands may be profiting off the products of slave labor, a new report has revealed. Think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), in its report titled Uyghurs For Sale, noted that big, well-known global companies and brands such as Amazon, GAP, H&M, Nike, Apple, Samsung, Sony and Victorias Secret, among others, are part of a massive supply chain that uses Uyghur Muslims as forced labor in their factories in China. Incidentally, the majority of the mentioned brands have positioned themselves as ethical and progressive entities aligned with social justice campaigns. In their report, ASPI noted that ethnic minorities such as Xinjiangs Uyghur Muslims, are often trafficked from their home provinces and brought to factories where they are forced to work. Between 2017 and 2019, we estimate that at least 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang and assigned to factories through labor transfer programs under a Central government policy known as Xinjiang Aid, the Australian think tank said, adding that they were able to identify 27 factories that currently use Uyghur labor. The factories in which these Uyghur Muslims are made to work, ASPI said, form a major chunk of the supply chain of big, global brands such as Nike. The popular shoe and sportswear brand, ASPI said, gets its shoes from Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. Ltd., which, as of January this year, has over 600 ethnic minority workers from Xinjiang most of whom are Uyghur women. Ironically, Nike released a campaign meant to uplift women just last year. Another factory, Haoyuanpeng Clothing Manufacturing Co. Ltd., which was discovered to have strategic partnerships with global companies like the Italian-South Korean fashion label Fila, German sportswear companies Adidas and Puma, was also found to be a part of the Xinjiang Aid network and has Uyghur Muslims as part of its labor force. Tech-related corporations were equally complicit in unethical labor practices, ASPI said, noting that O-Film Technology a camera manufacturer that supplies tech giant Apple with parts for its world-famous line of smartphones has Uyghur Muslims in its employ, again, as part of the Xinjiang Aid system. (Related: Theres blood on your phone: Tech giants linked to slave labor in Chinese factories.) Apple, the ASPI report has uncovered, also has ties with Foxconn Technology, a Taiwanese company whose facilities in Zhengzhou also employ Uyghur workers. Considered to be one of the biggest contract electronics manufacturers in the world, Foxconns Zhengzhou facility makes half of the worlds iPhones a reputation that has since caused it to be dubbed by locals as iPhone City. More than being a site for technological advancements, however, the companys Zhengzhou factory, has been called out by the New York-based labor organization China Labor Watch for worker exploitation, with the company making its workers including Uyghur Muslims put in at least 100 overtime hours in a single month. This inhumane treatment of its workers has since led to several cases of employees committing suicide. Apple, on its website, claims to be a donor to the Equal Justice Initiative project, a non-profit organization that aims to challenge racial injustice. China now a hotbed of modern slavery Chinas use of forced labor was first documented by human rights workers during the height of Deng Xiaopings wave of economic reforms. According to a paper by Karine Leppillez of the University of Denver and the Society of Gender Professionals, Dengs reforms led to the Communist partys adoption of a doctrine called reform through labor, which promotes labor as a way to transform dissidents into people who can be of use to the state and help further its development. In practice, however, that doctrine merely led to the creation of a vast network of prison labor camps known as Laogai across the country. These camps, Leppillez said, have been used to suppress and indoctrinate petty criminals, political dissidents, religious adherents and others who are seen as threats to governmental and social stability. The same thing continues to happen today, as per the Walk Free Foundations Global Slavery Index, which found that over 3.8 million people are living in conditions akin to modern slavery in China. This estimate by the foundation does not include figures on organ trafficking, however. This correlates with the findings reported by ASPI. In their report, ASPI noted that the current program that brings Uyghurs to the factories is disguised as the governments way to provide Uyghurs and other minorities with training and employment. Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, in an earlier statement denouncing ASPIs findings, even noted that the workers mentioned in the report are actually graduates of the countrys vocational centers the new, Party-approved name for the countrys network of extrajudicial re-education camps in which Uyghur detainees are made to erase all traces of their cultural heritage and religion in preparation for their integration into the rest of the Han-dominated population. The workers in these factories are brought [to] and kept in dormitories after they finish their re-education in the camps. In their workplace, they lead a harsh and segregated life. They are forbidden to practice religion and are required to compulsorily take Mandarin lessons. Most strikingly, local governments and private brokers are paid a price per head by the Xinjiang provincial government to organise the labor assignments, the Australian think tank said. The Trump administration, earlier this year, asked U.S. companies to exercise caution before doing business with Chinese suppliers that have been linked to human rights abuses, such as the forced labor of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. The advisory will make businesses aware of the potential exposure in their supply chains to entities that engage in human rights abuses in Xinjiang or elsewhere in China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement, and the associated reputational, economic, and legal risks of such involvement. Sources include: BlackListedNews.com ASPI.org.au News.Yahoo.com SundayGuardianLive.com TheDrum.com VentureBeat.com ChinaLaborWatch.org CBSNews.com Apple.com DU.edu GlobalSlaveryIndex.org APNews.com State.gov The mother of a Tamil asylum-seeker family detained on Christmas Island has been medically evacuated to Australia, according to lawyers and friends of the family. A series of court orders have stopped the federal government from deporting parents Priya and Nadesalingam and their Australian-born daughters, Kopika, 4, and Tharunicaa, 3, to Sri Lanka since they were moved to Christmas Island last August. Priya and Nadesalingam and their Australian-born daughters Kopika and Tharunicaa. The parents came to Australia separately by boat in 2012 and 2013 following Sri Lanka's civil war and established themselves in Biloela, near Gladstone. The couple claims they face persecution in Sri Lanka due to links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Mother Priya was allowed to leave Christmas Island to travel to Perth Hospital on Saturday night in order to undergo a CT scan for "debilitating" abdominal pain, to the family's supporters. President Donald Trump declined to say whether he will accept the results of the November election, claiming without evidence that mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic could "rig" the outcome. In a wide-ranging interview with "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, the president also continued to play down the severity of the coronavirus crisis in the country, declined to say whether he is offended by the Confederate flag and dismissed polls showing him trailing former vice president Joe Biden by a significant margin. The interview comes as the 2020 campaign has been upended by the pandemic, which has claimed more than 137,000 lives in the United States. Most in-person events have been canceled, and both political parties are planning to hold smaller-scale conventions to limit the spread of the virus. Several states switched to primarily vote-by-mail primaries earlier this year, and the U.S. Postal Service is bracing for an onslaught of mail-in ballots this fall as states and cities seek alternatives to in-person voting. In the "Fox News Sunday" interview, Wallace asked Trump whether he considers himself a "gracious" loser. Trump replied that he doesn't like to lose, then added: "It depends. I think mail-in voting is going to rig the election. I really do." Trump's comment echoed unfounded claims he has made in recent weeks that mail-in voting is susceptible to widespread fraud. "Are you suggesting that you might not accept the results of the election?" Wallace asked. Trump responded, "No. I have to see." Later in the interview, pressed on whether he will accept the results of the November election, Trump again declined to say. "I have to see," he said. "Look, you - I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say 'yes.' I'm not going to say 'no.' And I didn't last time, either." During the final presidential debate of the 2016 campaign - which was moderated by Wallace - Trump similarly suggested that he might consider the November election results illegitimate because the process is rigged. "I will keep you in suspense," Trump said at the time. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton described Trump's answer as "horrifying," saying he was "talking down our democracy." Elections officials are anticipating a high turnout in November, along with a dramatic increase in voters who choose to mail their ballots instead of risking exposure to the coronavirus at polling places. Biden's campaign responded to Trump's remarks in a statement Sunday morning."The American people will decide this election," Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said. "And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House." On "Fox News Sunday," Trump played down the recent spike in U.S. coronavirus cases, arguing that "many of those cases shouldn't even be cases." "Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day," he claimed. "They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test." More than 20 states are reporting seven-day averages in coronavirus-related deaths higher than at the end of June, underscoring the turnaround since May and June, when deaths declined nationally. Wallace pressed Trump on the issue, noting that there are currently about 6,000 cases in the entire European Union. "Is it possible that they don't have the virus as badly as we do?" he asked. "It's possible that they don't test, that's what's possible," Trump replied. "We find cases, and many of those cases heal automatically." The president also defended his oft-made prediction that the virus will "disappear" one day. "I'll be right eventually," he said. "I will be right eventually. You know I said, 'It's going to disappear.' I'll say it again. ... It's going to disappear, and I'll be right." On the issue of the Confederate flag, a symbol that for many represents the country's racist past and history of slavery, the president declined to offer his own feelings. "It depends on who you're talking about, when you're talking about. ... When people proudly have their Confederate flags, they're not talking about racism," he said when asked whether the flag is offensive. "They love their flag. It represents the South." Amid a nationwide debate over Confederate monuments and symbols, Trump has previously said he views the flag a matter of freedom of speech. He went further in the "Fox News Sunday" interview, appearing to equate the flying of the Confederate flag to the Black Lives Matter movement against systemic racism and police brutality. "So you're not offended by it?" Wallace asked Trump of the flag. "Well, I'm not offended, either, by Black Lives Matter," Trump said. "That's freedom of speech." Amid a raft of polls showing him trailing Biden, Trump has remained defiant, and in the interview with Wallace, he again dismissed the survey results. "I'm not losing, because those are fake polls," he said. - - - The Washington Post's Michelle Ye Hee Lee contributed to this report. Mexico City: Carrying sniper weapons, the men could be mistaken for members of Mexico's beleaguered army. However, a closer look at the video that went viral in the country on Friday reveals that they are wearing bullet-proof vests emblazoned with "CJNG" - the acronym for the New Generation Jalisco Cartel, one of the biggest and most violent of the gangs that now operates across almost all of the country. New Generation Jalisco Cartel displays its hardware. The camera slowly pans along the line of heavily armed men and a huge convoy of armoured vehicles. The video, now being investigated by the authorities, is the latest show of power from the group. Streets across Karnataka bore a deserted look on Sunday as the state observed a complete lockdown today in a bid to control the rise in coronavirus infections. The state government decided to impose a full day lockdown every Sunday from July 5 till August 2 to tackle the rising cases of Covid-19 in the state. Karnataka is the fourth worst-affected state in the country after Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. It has more number of active cases than the national capital which has reported over 80 percent recovery rate. As of Sunday, as per the data released by the health ministry, Karnataka has registered over 59,000 coronavirus cases and is nearing the 60,000 mark. The death toll here stands at 1,240 while 21,775 people have recovered from the disease. Also read: India reports record 38,902 new Covid-19 cases in one day, tally over 10.77 lakh A major chunk of the infections come from capital city Bengaluru where nearly 30,000 people have contracted the disease. Karnataka observes complete lockdown today. Visuals from Chennamma circle, Hubli. State govt is imposing complete lockdown every Sunday till August 2 due to #COVID19. Weddings already fixed on Sundays&essential activities allowed during night curfew permitted on Sunday lockdown. pic.twitter.com/01yJCwodoF ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2020 The government has said that inter-state travellers have led to the rise in infections in the state, saying those from hotspot states like Maharashtra could have brought the infection. State minister for Medical Education K Sudhakar said there was no community transmission of the pandemic, adding if it were to be the case, the number of infections would be running into lakhs. As you know, Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city. So from every nook and corner people came here. When they came they were not mindful of what they were supposed to do (health precautions, apparently) and they spread the infection, he told news agency PTI. I am not washing away the governments role. The government can do every bit to contain, to treat them, but citizens should cooperate. Society should actively come forward in controlling this pandemic, he pointed out. (With inputs from PTI) By Jan Strupczewski and John Chalmers BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders appeared close to agreement on a massive stimulus plan for their coronavirus-blighted economies late on Monday after the chairman of their fractious four-day summit presented a new proposal to bridge gaps between them. EU Council President Charles Michel said he was confident the compromises he offered the 27 leaders would clinch a deal on the 750 billion euro recovery fund that many say is critical to dispel doubts about the bloc's very future. "I know that the last steps are always the most difficult but ... I am convinced that an agreement is possible," he said. The EU was slow to coordinate its initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, already weakened by Britain's departure from the bloc, it needs the deal on economic aid to demonstrate publicly that it can step up to a crisis and stay united. "It has been a long summit and a challenging summit but the prize is worth negotiating for," Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said as the Brussels summit dragged into its fourth day - approaching the record length set at a 2000 meeting in the French city of Nice. European nations have done a better job of containing the coronavirus than the United States after a devastating early few months that hit Italy and Spain particularly hard, collaborating on medical, travel and economic fronts. The European Central Bank has pumped unparalleled money into economies to keep them going, while capitals hammer out their recovery fund. Diplomats said the leaders appeared to have put aside the rancour that stood in the way of a compromise over hours of haggling through the weekend, and one said they were "on the home stretch". 'STINGY AND EGOTISTIC' Emotions ran high at a dinner on Sunday as a group of fiscally frugal northern nations led by the Netherlands stood their ground on the level of free grants within a proposed special recovery fund of 750 billion euros overall. Story continues French President Emmanuel Macron lost patience in the early hours of Monday, banging his fist on the table in frustration at "sterile blockages" by the "frugals", two diplomats said. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also railed against the "frugals", branding them "a group of stingy, egotistic states" that looked at things through the prism of their own interests. Poland would be a top beneficiary of the recovery package, receiving tens of billions of euros in grants and cheap loans, along with high-debt Mediterranean-rim countries that have taken the brunt of the pandemic in Europe. Despite the continued rhetorical skirmishing on Monday, diplomats from across the bloc sounded optimistic that an accord on the stimulus package and, linked to it, the EU's 2021-2027 common budget of around 1.1 trillion euros, were at hand. Hopes for a deal to help address Europe's deepest recession since World War Two sent Italy's borrowing costs to their lowest since early March and pushed the euro to a 19-week high. Michel proposed that within the 750 billion euro recovery fund, 390 billion should be non-repayable grants, down from 500 billion originally proposed, and the rest in repayable loans. The Netherlands had pushed for a veto on aid for countries that backslide on economic reform, but diplomats said it was now willing to back a "stop-the-clock" mechanism by which member states could put a brake on disbursements for three months and have them reviewed. Disbursements will also be linked to governments observing the rule of law. Hungary, backed by eurosceptic ally Poland, had threatened to veto the package if funds were made conditional on upholding democracy, but diplomats said a way forward on that had now been found. ($1 = 0.8728 euros) (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski and John Chalmers; Additional reporting by Roboin Emmott, Kate Abnett and Yun Chee Foo in Brussels, and by Reuters bureaus across Europe; Writing by John Chalmers; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Peter Cooney) File image As the Ashok Gehlot government struggles to retain power in Rajasthan, the Bhartiya Tribal Party says it is now in a position to punch way above its weight despite its miniscule presence in the state assembly. We have two MLAs in a House of 200, yet we are in the position of kingmakers, party president Maheshbhai C Vasava told PTI on Sunday. At a joint press conference with the Congress on Saturday, BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad Dindor made it clear that they are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. This ended days of uncertainty over where the Gujarat-based party's loyalties lie. The two MLAs supported the ruling Congress in the state in last month's Rajya Sabha polls. But when the power tussle between Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot re-surfaced recently, the BTP said it will remain neutral. Vasava said the party is now extending support to Gehlot after an assurance that its demands related to the development of tribal areas will be met. We have fought against the Congress and the BJP on tribal issues but if the government now assures full support on the issues raised by us, why shouldn't we support it? After all it is fulfilling the agenda of tribal welfare and development, he said. When the crisis began last week, Vasava issued a whip directing both Roat and Dindor not to support any leader or party in case there is a floor test in the assembly. However, Sagwara MLA Ramprasad Dindor expressed defiance of the whip, saying both of them will support the state government. Later, party office-bearers and the MLAs held discussions with the chief minister on their demands. We had supported the Congress government in the Rajya Sabha elections last month after an assurance by the chief minister on our demands, Chorasi MLA Roat said. But the demands were not fulfilled. Some of them could have been met in just one day, he complained. The party then thought of not extending support to him, the MLA said. Last week, Roat appeared in two video clips, alleging that he was being stopped by Rajasthan police from travelling to his constituency in Dungarpur district. He claimed that police personnel had come in two vans and taken away his car keys. He also alleged that some people were forcing him to come with them. The videos were circulated by the Sachin Pilot camp and the BJP had questioned the state government over them. But Raut later dismissed the episode as a misunderstanding with police. He said the party's agenda is development of tribal areas and they have raised 17 demands before the CM. Some of the demands are related to reservation in jobs and the utilisation of funds for tribal areas. The BTP came into being in 2017 in Gujarat, and expanded into Rajasthan the next year. In the December 2018 assembly elections, it fielded 11 candidates in the tribal belt in southern Rajasthan. Raot was 26 when he won and most other candidates too were young. The youth are our power. Today's youth is educated, understands issues and understands how the tribal people were deprived of their rights. We fielded many young candidates and the party's performance was very good, BTP state president Velaram Ghoghra said. The crisis in Rajasthan Congress has been brewing since the party picked Gehlot over Pilot for the chief minister's post. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's state unit president when he and 18 other MLAs stayed away from two Congress Legislature Party meetings. The rebel MLAs were served notices by Speaker C P Joshi after the Congress sought their disqualification from the assembly. The Rajasthan High Court will on Monday resume hearing their petition challenging the notices. Including the dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72. If the 19 Congress dissidents are disqualified, the current strength of the state assembly will reduce to 181, slashing the half-way mark to 91 and making it easier for Gehlot to retain majority support. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Officials continue putting together a proposal they hope will alleviate some of the rate shock associated with the federal consent decree aimed at bringing the citys antiquated sewers into compliance with the Clean Water Act. What the city and its ratepayers may have working in their favor is a rather "uncommon phased approach" sanctioned at least for now through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But at this point the potential cost figures are what City Manager Tanisha Briley described as "some of the scariest numbers I've ever seen," to the tune of more than a half-billion dollars, broken down into three tiers of projects. Likely first up on the slate of projects would be correcting more than half of the 40 sanitary sewer overflows or "SSO's" in the city that can discharge raw sewage into tributaries of Lake Erie, as well as cause backups that flood basements with as little provocation as a "five-year rainfall," as opposed to a 50- or 100-year storm. While the initial pricetag for this "Tier 1" fix is preliminarily set at $50 million, consultant Kevin Vander Tuig estimates that 30 percent -- about $15 million -- is still earmarked as "contingency" funding. "We want to extend the program out with an affordability analysis, and that's going to bring the cost down," as he expects actual project implementation will do as well, Vander Tuig told City Council's Municipal Services Committee on July 13. The projected big ticket item would be "Tier 2," calling for the remediation of the city's "over-under" sewers, that is, those that were dug in a common trench, probably to save money because of the shallow rock underground in northeast Ohio. With 87 percent of Cleveland Heights' sewers dug in common trenches and 33 percent "over-under" -- the storm sewer generally on top of sanitary line -- that projected cost is set at $440 million. As the sometimes century-old systems age, they tend to leak more, so that heavier rainfall sends stormwater rushing into the sanitary sewers with the mix winding up in basements. One possible solution might be to dedicate the existing common trenches to sanitary flow and build new stormwater systems, noted Vander Tuig, the senior project manager for Wade Trim, which received a $2.1 million contract extension from the city in 2018 to help oversee the early phases of the consent decree. There is also a "Tier 3," which would include work beyond the "over-under SSO's" but still subject to flooding, at a possible cost of $130 million. Keeping costs, rates affordable Attorney Lou McMahon recommends proposing nothing more than a 5-to-10 year solution with another affordability analysis after that, as opposed to a "sweeping" 30-year plan for the system. "The city has to be nimble," McMahon said. "If there's a street renewal project, a housing repair or utility work, take advantage of the opportunity to fix the sewers and get a 'two-for-one.'" Public Works Director Collette Clinkscale thinks some of the proposed work in the $620 million layout may be "overkill," with the city considering a questionnaire for residents to check actual performance and whether their basements are prone to flooding. Briley arrived in Cleveland Heights in 2013. Entering into the partial federal consent decree in 2017, the city froughly quadrupled its sewer rates from the previous average of $7 a month in order to provide $12 million in the early going to study the required sewer overhaul. So far about 75 percent of the city's 117 miles of sewers have been cleaned and "televised," and an overall study of "capacity, monitoring, operations and maintenance (CMOM)" is 90 percent complete. Due to the EPA by June 1, 2021 is the development of an integrated overflow control master plan. Briley was expected to get permission from council this week (July 20) to seek requests for proposals (RFPs) from financial experts to put together a package to submit to the EPA. Councilman Mike Ungar called the numbers "horrifying -- even more so in a post-COVID world. This city isn't reeling in wealth these days." Noting that compliance with the Clean Water Act is "not optional; it's mandatory," Ungar asked "how sensitive are federal regulators to the new economic realities being visited upon all communities that are hard hit, and egregiously so? The timing of this is regrettable and challenging." A little history After the EPA issued administrative orders in 2007 and 2012, officials there started pursuing vigorous enforcement in 2015, having determined that the city's progress was "not fulsome or robust, to be kind," McMahon said. The perceived complacency led to a punitive consent decree from the EPA through the U.S. Department of Justice, although it took an uncommon phased approach, McMahon noted. "This is a unique sewer system in northeast Ohio," particularly with the inner-ring suburbs," McMahon said. "We cannot take any solutions right off of a shelf, and it's taken a long time for the EPA to recognize that. It's a hopeful thing as we go into Phase Two negotiations." Among the first fixtures to arrive at the Top of the Hill construction site have been large culverts and other pieces of stormwater management infrastructure. Ungar asked if there was any possibility of piggybacking or capitalizing on the tunneling effort by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District for the Doan Brook and Euclid Creek watersheds, the former just down the hill in University Circle. But the massive Doan Valley Storage Tunnel Project and others are being built to store runoff from "combined sewer overflows (CSO's)," part of NEORSD's own $3 billion consent decree with the EPA, known as Project Clean Lake. Cleveland Heights' sewer system is supposed to be tied into the Heights-Hillcrest area interceptor and that remains the plan going forward. Councilwoman Mary Dunbar, who chairs the Municipal Services Committee, asked about work that was done along Fairfax Road that included a trench measuring several feet, as well as a deep tunnel along Coventry Road. Vander Tuig said that was part of work done by NEORSD from around the late 1970s to the mid-1990s that "did a lot of good in alleviating basement flooding and some of the problems caused by SSO's." More recently was a project along Fairmount Boulevard to eliminate sewer overflows in recent years, as well as the $1.34 million "Delamere Drive Basement Flooding Relief Project" currently being undertaken with a grant through the NEORSD. Also working in the city's favor is the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act passed by Congress last year that allows cities under consent decrees to argue affordability to federal regulators as they make improvements to their systems. "The city now needs to put forward a defensible plan that protects taxpayers from rate shock and undue burden," McMahon said. Briley said the presentation was meant to bring new committee and council members "up to speed on our journey through the sewer consent decree and a very big project and process." She also thanked McMahon and Vander Tuig for their ongoing work to keep the potential costs of the massive project in line. "I'm not sure if we have the cardiac capacity to deal with something worse at this point," Briley added. Read more from the Sun Press. Long before George Floyd, Penn State University Brandywine associate professor Dr. Marinda Kathryn Harrell-Levy had been deeply entrenched in the work of affirming Black lives, in particular women. And even as she and five colleagues have been creating safe spaces for younger Black and Latina women, they have decided to host a two-day open conversation called Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers, an open call to the community for any wanting to learn more about the perspective of people of color. Part of what this country is hungry for is productive conversation that is honest but not aggressive, that is open and healing but doesnt necessarily burden people of color, Harrell-Levy said. When people of color can have these conversations on their own terms, it is very helpful. So, she and her colleagues with more than 60 years of collective experience in higher education decided to create this two-day Zoom conversation to have a space where such discussion can take place. Yet, this is not their first foray into racial healing work. What began as this group of Black and Latina women backing each other as they progressed through their academic careers evolved into Sistas of the Pride, a no-cost empowerment group. We started somewhat as a support group for each other, the Pen State adolescent researcher and trauma educator said, adding that they were all passionate about these issues so they talked about challenges, racism, sexism and reaching the youth. Harrell-Levy said that evolved into a way to work with youth, as they collectively agreed, Lets work together. Lets work together and see what we can do. From that, Sisters Caring, Reconciling, Empowering and Mentoring, or S.C.R.E.A.M. LSL (Like Someone is Listening) emerged about a year ago. This is a healing group where young Latina and Black women from high school through graduate school meet with the Sistas of the Pride as they assist them in preparing for success in their path. They meet once a month, virtually now. Harrell-Levy said the Sistas prepare these young women for the event they may experience institutional racism or sexism, even if they are never victims of it. While the Sistas are not de facto therapists or college advisors and clearly explain that, participants in these groups are equipped with tools as they move ahead. Its a free service, Harrell-Levy said. We are literally doing this out of our compassion and concern. She explained that this affinity group, which is kept intentionally small, allows participants to be free of judgement and they are allowed to act in any way. It is, she emphasized, a safe space. Last week, the group discussed graduate school preparation as anxiety associated with that was addressed, as was whether it was the right path for every attendant. It provided them space for people whove already traveled this journey, the associate professor explained. Harrell-Levy talked about the title: S.C.R.E.A.M. Like Someone is Listening. We needed a way to organize ourselves and the conversations we were having, she said. It was important to give People of Color permission to scream, to reclaim their voices and to be able to take agency over their lives Youre screaming because you think no one is listening. That also comes from her own experience as a trauma educator with an expertise in youth. Im also focused on helping people getting a better look from my lens, Harrell-Levy shared. That perspective was among the catalysts that led to the creation of Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers. She explained that Trayvon Martins death in 2012 had impact. The country was so upset, Harrell-Levy said. He was a child, he was in his fathers neighborhood. He was treated like he was a foreigner in his own country. To be so visible and so invisible at the same time, his youth and his innocence and the fact that nothing happened. Then, more recently where was a cluster of deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Brionna Taylor and George Floyd. When this series of events began, the country said, Enough is enough,' Harrell-Levy said. Part of what happened as a result, she said was that compassionate people feel like theyre late to a party, but they dont even know what to wear. Even my friends who had thought of themselves as allies have to assess what that needs to be. Its one thing to be an ally but am I actually anti-racist? I realize that I have been complicit in racism because I have stood by knowing what was happening was unjust and unfair. That, Harrell-Levy said, is a whole other level of accountability, and part of the Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers is to begin having needed discussions. One of our motivations was actually protecting People of Color, she said. For example, Harrell-Levy explained that many workplaces will have discussions or workshops on race and in those situations, the three or four Black or Latinx employees then by default, become responsible for educating everybody else. That person is highly unlikely to be honest, she said, explaining that the power dynamics of that situation is not balanced or safe. Theyll commend you in the moment and sabotage you later. The lack of balance and representation makes it very hard for people to have accurate conversations. And, she explained, for people of color, this is not just a talk. The activism is about your own life, she said. Its activism about my own worth and dignity. Its hard, its laborious. The organizers of Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers envisioned that the two-day conversation are targeted for individuals who are interested in better allyship; a person of color looking for productive conversations without being required to take the lead or risk exposure; a representative of an organization working to create more inclusive spaces; a member of a community struggling to respond to racial incidents; a youth advocate or educator who wants to be more attuned to the needs of Black and Latinx youth; and people who care about the trajectory of the United States and who want to be a part of conversations that lead to change. She said the conversation welcomes all. Its not an Us v. Them, she said. I believe in change. She spoke of Malcolm Xs path, how he went from absolute hate of white people to more nuance. He lived in an age when people were allowed to change. Sometimes, in 2020, we dont. Harrell-Levy said Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers is an open forum, but that respect is central to the discussion. I want to invite people to the table that says, There is space for you here. Theres not space for your racism but theres space for our interpretations of racism,' she said. She expressed the intention that it is meant as a sincere step for what do we do next. We hope that there are enough people out there who want to do more than just march, they want to grow, Harrell-Levy said. Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 5. Attendance is a donation of pay what you wish and registration is through SCREAMLSL.com/events. FREDERICK, Md. - They say they've been stalked, stopped and harassed by police officers. And when they tried to tell their stories - the way these stories are now being told across the nation - they were yelled at, waved away and belittled in a fist-pumping, flag-waving show of aggression. "Go get a job!" yelled a woman flicking two small American flags at a group of protesters in this charming downtown of outdoor cafes and flower boxes, the way you might shoo away an animal. "Go back to where you came from!" There were chants of "Black lives matter!" in downtown Frederick on Monday night. But this group of protesters also said "Brown lives matter!" and that distinction triggered the ongoing, nasty immigration debate that has festered in this place for years. Frederick is a town of about 72,000 with a restaurant scene banging enough to draw Washingtonians from 50 miles away. And it has a sheriff who has been loudly and gleefully catching and jailing immigrants for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for years under the 287(g) program - a controversial agreement that the federal agency can make with municipalities across the nation to deputize local cops with ICE powers. Long problematic for the racial profiling it encouraged and the federal cash that local departments ka-chinged when they detained suspects, the 287(g) program was coming to a close after more than a decade in use until President Donald Trump revived it. Since 2017, 287(g) agreements mushroomed in red jurisdictions across the nation. Prince William County in Virginia, which several months ago saw a Trump protege leave as chair of the Board of Supervisors, ended its involvement with the program a few weeks ago. There have been plenty of lawsuits over the way Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, a Republican, uses the program to allegedly profile and target the Latino population of Frederick, and a county audit scrutinizing the program's costs is due this week. Just last month, Frederick County settled the decade-old case of Roxana Orellana Santos, who was arrested by sheriff's deputies while on her lunch break. Essentially, she was lunching while Latina. The ACLU is currently working on the case of grandmother and 13-year Frederick resident Sara Medrano, who was pulled over for an allegedly malfunctioning taillight that turned out to be working just fine after deputies found all her papers in order. So, driving while Latina. And I spoke with Josefina Romero, 27, who said she was recently followed by a sheriff's deputy for seven miles on her way home from her restaurant job until he finally pulled her over for not stopping at a stop sign. She said she stopped properly at the sign and then pulled out her perfectly legal Maryland driver's license. "I have my papers," she said. Again, driving while Latina. Sound familiar? These cases echo the dangerous and too-often deadly traffic stops that the black community has endured and fought for years. African Americans are killed by police at the highest rate in the nation - 31 out of every million black people are killed by a cop. The Washington Post's database shows police kill 23 of every million Hispanics. The rate is 13 for every million whites. The protests following George Floyd's death spawned demonstrations in Texas and California by Latino communities joining in solidarity - and familiarity. And that happened Monday night in Frederick, a majority-white town with a population that's 18% black and 17% Hispanic. Protesters intended to stand on the steps of Winchester Hall, the county government building, and read the testimonies of Hispanic and black residents who have been profiled by police. But the building was blocked off by the flag-waving counterprotesters who thwarted the group with their signs, their insults and, in at least one case, their spittle. "I'm tired of having to turn away when these people are yelling, screaming and spitting in our faces," Blair Hudnall, 19, said. Hudnall is black and came to the march to stand in solidarity with the Latina women who said they've been profiled, just like her. "A lot of us standing right here know what it feels like to be discriminated against," Hudnall told the crowd, who had regrouped in front of a boutique furniture store as the counterprotesters sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." "Today is the end of that. They want to see us divided, but today we stand united. Our lives have always mattered." Then Romero spoke up, telling her story of always fearing that she would be detained and separated from her three children, even though she left El Salvador as a small child and is in the United States legally. Her husband was deported last year after being stopped by a sheriff's deputy. The stops made by deputies emboldened with ICE superpowers are not that fruitful. "Eighty percent of the people that have been processed through the 287(g) program were detained for nonviolent and minor offenses," said Juliana Downey, coordinator for RISE, the Resources for Immigrant Support and Empowerment Coalition of Western Maryland, and one of the protest organizers. Sixty percent of those people got nothing more than minor traffic violations, Downey said. So much for all the violent crime the program's stopping. As the all-white counterprotesters grew louder and angrier behind a line of stone-faced police officers, a woman tried to pull the black and Latino protesters away. "They're not worth it," Dajah Gee, 21, said. "We're not here to argue with them, we're here for black and brown lives." Gee spoke with me as the crowd broke away from the chaos and walked through the swank restaurant district filled with outdoor cafes and surprised diners. "I'm just standing with my brown brothers and sisters," said Gee, who is black. "We're all tired of being dehumanized." And as they walked past diners eating Mexican food beneath colorful market umbrellas, they chanted. "Black lives matter! Brown lives matter!" And they left a thick stack of the stories and pleas they didn't get to read on the steps. Stories of being stopped, of being afraid. Giovanni Zevallos simply wanted to say "Gracias" - thank you. Dilicia Rosabell Fuentes said "Necesitamos ayuda" - we need help. Josefina Romero didn't use that chance to tell government officials about being stalked and stopped. Instead, she left them with this: "We are USA." Will there be a war between China and the US? Global Times By Hu Xijin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/18 12:08:57 Toward the end of my dialogue with Qiu Zhenhai, a Phoenix TV commentator, Friday night, in a video chat about the current US crackdown on China, a netizen asked: Will there be a war between China and the US? Here's my answer: First, as the strategic mutual trust between China and the US has almost evaporated and the US has strengthened its military presence in China's close neighborhood, the risk of accidental military frictions between China and the US has increased compared with the past. Moreover, when and if such friction occurs, it will be more politically difficult to keep it under control through peaceful means or to stop it from simmering beyond peaceful intentions. Second, neither China nor the US wants a military conflict with the other side. Although both militaries are preparing for the worst-case scenario, neither wants a military showdown. There is therefore room for both sides to manage risks and avoid a military crisis. Third, China is peace-loving in nature. We have no ambition to establish hegemony and replace the US. We will not go further in the Pacific or the Indian Ocean to challenge US interests. China has a profound historical conclusion that a belligerent state will eventually perish. China is a cautious major country. Fourth, China has a very restrained definition of its core interests, all of which are as close as just on its doorstep. But if China, as a great power, is still subjected to serious military provocation, we have nothing to think about except for taking the challenge. China will take the call and will surely defeat the US on our doorstep. When it comes to our ability to mobilize people and resources to safeguard China's core interests, when it comes to the will to fight to the end, Washington can hardly compare with Beijing, and Washington knows this better than we do. Even though I don't know what the lowest ebb in US-China relations might be, I know China has a clear principle that makes hegemons like the US cautious when making moves around China. Of course, I hope that China and the US can manage all accidents well. The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address (Natural News) We have now confirmed that the FAA has declared NOTAM flight restrictions at the Battle Ground Vortac (BTG) near Portland, Oregon, described as, Temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons. Under NOTAM (Note to Airmen) number FDC 0/1203, published by the FAA at this link, the FAA warns that, No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described). The notice describes the exceptions to the flight restrictions as involving, active national defense, homeland security or disaster response missions. Radical left-wing terrorist groups such as Black Lives Matter and Antifa continue to operate in the area, firing explosives at government buildings and assaulting federal law enforcement officers, all while Mayor Ted Wheeler is now fully siding with the terrorists. The entire U.S. media has been ordered by the CIA into a nationwide news blackout of the real events there, so that left-wing media can continue to falsely describe the Black Lives Matter terrorist group as a peaceful operation. The FAA notice further warns that pilots operating aircraft within the restricted airspace may have their aircraft seized or destroyed. The notice refers to the Battle Ground Vortac in Southern Washington, which is a navigation beacon system for pilots. See full details at PilotNav.com. The FAA notice seems to indicate that unmanned aircraft may pose a security threat to government buildings or personnel. The altitude described in the order is from zero to 1000 feet, which is the very low altitude where buildings are located. From the notice: (emphasis added) A. UAS OPERATIONS MAY BE AUTHORIZED WITHIN THE DEFINED SSI AIRSPACE IF IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS LISTED BELOW: 1) AN APPROVED SPECIAL GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST (SGI) AIRSPACE WAIVER HAS BEEN GRANTED FOR OPERATIONS IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF AN ACTIVE NATIONAL DEFENSE, HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, OR DISASTER RESPONSE MISSION; AND, 2) UAS OPERATORS IN SUPPORT OF EVENT OPERATIONS, WITH A SGI AIRSPACE WAIVER. 3) ANY APPROVED UAS FLIGHT OPERATIONS MUST COMPLY WITH ALL OTHER APPLICABLE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS. B. UAS OPERATORS WHO DO NOT COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS ARE WARNED THAT PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. SECTION 130I AND 6 U.S.C. SECTION 124N, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD), THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) OR THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (DOJ) MAY TAKE SECURITY ACTION THAT RESULTS IN THE INTERFERENCE, DISRUPTION, SEIZURE, DAMAGING, OR DESTRUCTION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT DEEMED TO POSE A CREDIBLE SAFETY OR SECURITY THREAT TO PROTECTED PERSONNEL, FACILITIES, OR ASSETS. The restrictions are in place through August 16, 2020. See full details at this FAA link. Heres a closer look at the map: This air restriction declaration by the FAA may indicate that the U.S. government is planning imminent action against the armed, illegal insurrection in Portland which is being aided by Portlands treasonous Mayor Wheeler, who obviously should be arrested and charged with treason (along with the Mayor of Seattle). It also indicates that Americas civil war is rapidly moving into the kinetic phase, with armed left-wing forces now confirmed to be receiving support and, in some cases, funding from 269 U.S. corporations, some of which is being used to purchase full-auto military weapons upgrades (and silencers) that are confirmed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to be smuggled into at least three U.S. cities. We now have an actual civil war breaking out in America, where corporations like McDonalds, Google, Nike and Netflix are supporting militant terrorist insurrection groups, while the treasonous corporate-controlled media is pretending the terrorists are all peaceful. Meanwhile, the entire GOP is doing nothing, largely out of fear of being called racists if they demand enforcing the rule of law on Americas streets. Heres a video of the peaceful rioters barricading federal agents inside a building, which they no doubt plan to set on fire in future attacks: 50th night of riots in Portland. https://t.co/9MOBSpCjZ0 Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) July 18, 2020 Read CivilWar.news for more daily coverage. As soon as the statement of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was released, the U.S. Position on Maritime Claims in the South China Sea triggered a sensation among the countries surrounding the sea and beyond. The statement, clearly signifying that the United States had chosen its side regarding rival claims, is nothing more than biased stance on China's legitimate maritime claims in the South China Sea. It claims to share with the rest of world a "common interest" in the South China Sea. However, given that the United States lies well outside the region, this statement sounds somewhat bizarre to those inside. After all, it is difficult for a country outside the region to understand the history of the people-to-people exchange underway for many centuries in the South China Sea, and their shared values even in the face of competing interests. One immediately recalls the 19th Century Monroe Doctrine in which the U.S. warned off European powers seeking to challenge its paramount position in determining affairs in the Americas. The present U.S. position on the South China Sea is allegedly based on international law, i.e., the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS). It is interesting to note that the United States is not a signatory to this document. Therefore, it's somewhat baffling to find a non-contracting state trying to convince those who have signed up to accept its position based on its outsider's interpretation of the convention. It becomes even more curious when one realizes that the United States for ages had been sticking to a policy of neutrality on competing claims in the South China Sea, which seems to suggest it was up to the countries directly involved to sort out their competing claims. That stance suddenly seems to have been abandoned. Again, the timing of this political move is also quite intriguing. The statement was not made at the very beginning when the claims of the coastal countries in the South China Sea became known to the outside world. It was even not made at the time an internal arbitration tribunal rejected China's claim. Instead, it was made when the tension has accumulated to its height in the South China Sea for the routine yet often highlighted patrol in the waters by the U.S. Navy. If one is curious enough to probe more deeply into this statement, then one finds it is basically blind to the history of the South China Sea, and based merely on selective interpretation of the UNCLOS, as a means to achieve American geopolitical goal against China. Firstly, China's maritime claim is based on historical evidence. There is no need to go back to ancient times when Chinese people harnessed the riches of the South China Sea for living and Chinese officials exercised clear jurisdiction over the region. It will suffice to mention how the Chinese government, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, re-claimed and resumed control over the various islands and islets in the South China Sea, and how the famous dash lines denoting maritime territorial boundaries were drawn up without opposition of any country, if not, indeed, with the actual encouragement by the United States it was the U.S. that provided the military vessels patrolling the South China Sea in those early days. Secondly, compared with the long history of Chinese activities in the South China Sea, the UNCLOS emerged as a result of the recent endeavor to institutionalize the law of the sea. As a general principle of international law, it should be interpreted in good faith. Unfortunately, the South China Sea arbitration tribunal totally disregard these elements in the face of disputed jurisdictional claims. For this reason, among other things, the award has been boycotted by the Chinese government. With or without the arbitration award, a due account of history does no harm to the furtherance of the principle. The U.S. position statement is a full-throated endorsement of the controversial award without looking into the true merits of the UNCLOS rules vis-a-vis the specific history of the South China Sea. Thirdly, the betrayal of the American longstanding neutral position is naturally viewed as an attempt to sow discord between China and other littoral countries, and a political move with geopolitical implications. As a matter of fact, China and ASEAN countries (including those abutting the relevant waters) are in the process of negotiating a Code of Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (COC), which can be viewed as a body of special rules for the region to supplement the international law of the sea. Needless to say, the COC is expected to further promote peaceful cooperation among China and other littoral countries in the South China Sea, but the U.S. position statement will serve no role other than a discouraging one to early conclusion of the COC. Moreover, it is no secret that the United States views the South China Sea issue as a lever to contain China. Its position statement is conveniently used as a tool, which also lends "legitimacy to its ever-increasing regional military presence. To conclude, the American statement on the maritime claims regarding the South China Sea does not help countries in the region to manage their competing claims and promote stability of the region. It not only portends more worrying external interference in the region e.g., in the form of military operations, but also unwisely misleads other littoral countries in the South China Sea to distrust and even antagonize a neighboring giant country. Professor Kong Qingjiang is dean of the School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. In the church where I grew up, in the front of the room, right below the pulpit was a table with the words Do this in remembrance of me inscribed. I distinctly remember this and have seen it written out in some form in many churches since then. Why do these words hold such a prominent position in our faith? Remembrance is an important aspect of Christianity. As believers we are encouraged and strengthened by remembering the faith and deeds of those who have gone before us. We remember that ours is an ancient faith, we remember the promises of Gods word, and as we do so our confidence is built in trusting God and living in his truth. There are several places in Scripture where we are encouraged to remember, but the commandment from Jesus spoken on the night he was betrayed stands out from the rest. There is a deep and vibrant meaning to this instruction, and this remembrance continues to be a cornerstone of our faith. The Origin of Remembrance and Its Fulfillment And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (Luke 22:19-20). Events in the Old Testament often serve the dual purpose of fulfilling Gods promises to his people in the moment, while also providing a view of what is to come. This occurrence is one of the most obvious of these, as Jesus fulfills the meaning of Passover. This verse takes place within the context of the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples. This meal was a part of the Jewish festival of Passover, which had been observed annually since Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt. The original Passover was a miraculous occurrence, and the pivotal event in the formation of Gods people as a nation. After having been enslaved in Egypt for centuries, this represented the night that their tormentors were punished and the Israelites were freed from slavery according to Gods promise of restoration. The account from Exodus 12:12-14 describes what happened: On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lorda lasting ordinance. The Jewish people had observed this meal every year in order to remember Gods fulfillment of his promise. Every year they reenacted the preparation of fleeing Egypt, and being prepared for whatever came next. Jesus takes this concept to its completion as he reveals that he is the true fulfillment of the Passover. Here we see Jesus commemorating, observing, and remembering what God has done while simultaneously revealing what God is doing and will do. Just as the blood of the lamb covered the doorposts, the blood of Jesus covers our sins. The disciples would certainly observe this meal again, as would the entire nation of Israel and the church to come, but Jesus is now adding a deeper meaning to it. As we remember freedom from physical slavery, we also remember the sacrifice of Jesus that frees us from spiritual slavery. Photo credit: Getty Images/IngridHS Is Luke the Only Gospel That Includes This Phrase? For such an important command spoken by Jesus, we might imagine that it would be recorded in all four Gospels. Yet, this is not the case, and the phrase Do this in remembrance of me is only found in Lukes Gospel. Does this give it less significance? Not at all! It is clear from Pauls writings later on that this phrase was well known and well understood within the church. Paul repeats it verbatim in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes. It is clear that these words of Jesus held significant importance and were cemented into the hearts and minds of the early Church. How Can Christians Practice This Command Today? The most obvious way we can practice this command is through doing what the Church has done for centuries: observing communion together regularly, prayerfully and thoughtfully considering together what the Lord has done for us. In John 6:56, Jesus says something strange that makes no sense out of context: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. In that moment, these words caused many to turn away from him, but we can now clearly see what he was referring to; the fulfillment of the Passover meal in his life, sacrifice and resurrection. As we observe Communion today, we are declaring ourselves to be in community with him and with one another. In our immediate context, in this trying time of quarantine and pandemic, it seems nearly impossible to remember Jesus through communion as he instructed his disciples to do. In that way, we can be discouraged. However, we cant assume Jesus didnt foresee this! Regardless of our situation, we can faithfully remember his sacrifice for us daily in all of our thoughts, words, and deeds. Photo credit: Getty Images/Suwaree Tangbovornpichet Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net. But he will need a coalition of progressives and centrists to unite around it. Hunkering down in his Delaware basement has not protected Joe Biden from political attacks. That he is receiving jabs from those on the political right is expected, especially as polls show the presumptive Democratic Party nominees lead over President Donald Trump increasing almost daily. What is more of a worry for Bidens electoral ambitions are the critiques coming at him from the left of the political spectrum. In this regard, the question is if Biden can thread the political needle that is, unite progressives and centrists on the American left to beat Trump in November. Where we are seeing some life from the Biden campaign precisely on this point is in his latest economic proposal his $700bn economic recovery plan. While not exactly red meat for leftists, the plan contains critical elements that have the potential to serve as the basis for putting together a broad coalition. If Biden plays his cards right and builds from his plan, then he could help lead the charge behind the creation of a new New Deal, or in other words, a series of policies with a coalition behind them that would address critical problems in environmental policy, race relations and infrastructure. Read Bidens plan in detail, and one cannot help but see shades of other radical plans from the left. For instance, even though Bidens proposal is not as ambitious as the Green New Deal, his plan does pay significant attention to addressing climate change by promising net-zero emissions by 2050, as well as pledging to reform trucking, shipping, and aviation technologies to reduce their collective carbon footprint. On racial justice, Biden has said that he does not support calls to defund the police. Still, his billion-dollar economic recovery plan addresses various issues of concern to communities of colour. More specifically, Bidens plan features a section on ensuring clean drinking water calling attention to Flint, Michigan. In this city, people of colour suffered disproportionately from lead poisoning after state and city officials decided to switch the citys water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River in 2014. Additionally, Bidens proposal features a section on including historically marginalised communities in decisions pertaining to transportation planning. Not only is he making a point to involve people of colour in the decision-making processes concerning future projects, such as the construction of highways and airports, but he also proposes the creation of a Community Restoration Fund that would distribute resources to people in areas who have been negatively impacted by past investments. Bidens vision for infrastructure includes making substantial repairs to roads and highways, investing billions in education, and ensuring that everyone in the country has access to high-speed internet. The focus on infrastructure is not simply about making things. The idea, at least according to the plan, is to have people doing this work in union jobs, earning pay that would put them into, at least, the middle class. When considering the impetus for this plan, we must recall that Biden is making these proposals due to the overlapping health and economic crises that the coronavirus pandemic has forced upon us. That, as well as the brutal murder of George Floyd, at the hands of Minneapolis police, which has triggered protests around the world against white supremacy. If there has been a historical moment somewhat analogous to what we are witnessing now, then that would be when the Great Depression brought the world to its knees in the 1930s. At that time, the global economic crisis shot unemployment to close to 25 percent in the United States. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when he was elected president in 1933, initiated a series of programmes to address a country in economic freefall. His administration proceeded to enact a variety of substantial measures, including the creation of social security, the legalisation of collective bargaining for private-sector unions, as well as a series of government-funded infrastructure projects that put unemployed people to work. Those policies did not emerge from presidential fiat they were forged with a coalition of actors, including labour and farm movements, as well as people of colour in urban areas in the northern US and Democrats in the South. The New Deal had serious faults principal among them excluding rural workers from unionising. The reason at the time was to ensure the support of Southern landowners, many of whom employed African American and poor white sharecroppers on their large-scale operations. We should assess Bidens multibillion-dollar plan in the context of the New Deal. Seemingly, his proposal carries within it enough different proposals to build a coalition the likes of which we have not seen since many different groups of people came together in the 1930s. More than that, perhaps, we may see this rising coalition with Biden ostensibly reaching out to people demanding environmental, racial and economic justice address the shortfalls that the first New Dealers failed to. Biden may neither be the perfect messenger, nor the ideal candidate. Regardless, we need to remember that the presidency is not one person, but an administration of thousands. This means that influence has potentially many ways to reach the top. This also means that now there is reason for optimism on the left as nationwide protests have caught the candidates attention, perhaps Bidens campaign will continue to hear the call for change and see it through. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. MONTGOMERY, Ala. It was a dark winter night in Troy, Alabama, when Bernard Lafayette said goodbye to John Lewis for what he feared might be the last time. The two Black men, college roommates and friends at the American Baptist Theological Seminary, wanted to try to integrate the interstate bus system during their Christmas holiday in 1960. Despite some minor trouble in Nashville, where they boarded a segregated bus from an integrated bus station, they were able to make it to Troy, Lewis's hometown and final destination. As Lewis stepped off the bus at a shuttered service station, the town's bus stop, Lafayette stayed on the vehicle to make it to his hometown in Florida. After hours of camaraderie, sitting in the front seat shoulder-to-shoulder, both faced the coming hours alone. "It was dark, the lights were out," Lafayette remembered Saturday. "He got off and was waiting for his ride there. I was worried about him. I didn't know if I would see him again. When I said goodbye, there was some finality there" Participation in Nashville, Tennessee's lunch counter demonstrations landed John Lewis, left, Bernard LaFayette, second from left, and Paul Brooks, far right, in court on Nov. 21, 1960. But it wasn't goodbye forever. The two survived the trip and each would go on to shape the 1960s civil rights movement, turning late-night dormitory philosophy conversations into social justice leadership for decades to come. On Friday night, Lewis, a U.S. congressman and civil rights icon, died following a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Lafayette was able to speak with his lifelong friend days before his passing, though he didn't realize it would be for the last time. "A week before he passed, he wanted to talk to me," Lafayette said. "I realized he was ill and was going through these struggles with his health. When it was over with, I found out he just wanted to hear my voice. We didn't have a long conversation, it was only about his health and how he was doing. I didn't expect this to happen. I didn't expect him to leave us this soon." Appreciation: For John Lewis, a lifetime of making 'good trouble' left scars and a legacy Story continues More: Rep. John Lewis, who 'risked his life and his blood' as a giant of the civil rights movement, dies of cancer at 80 Another friend and enduring civil rights leader, C.T. Vivian, died hours before Lewis on Friday, heartbreaking losses for those who knew and loved the men. "To be honest, I'm still struggling with it," Lafayette said from his Tuskegee home on Saturday afternoon. "To be honest, it's an emotional time." Lewis' death has triggered an outpouring of public grief, as tens of thousands across the country mourn a gifted leader who championed a life of "good trouble," a nonviolent but forceful activism that did not shy away from civil disobedience to change hearts and minds. "The world feels different without him in it," said Dorothy Walker, the director of Montgomery's Freedom Rides Museum. "He had such a guiding presence, not just in our state as an Alabamians, but in our country and to a lot of people across the world. To carry on this work without him creates a void, but it also renews in us a commitment to the sense of urgency he felt in his life for this work." Lafayette remembers Lewis' preternatural leadership qualities welling up from an early age. "He had a tremendous appeal to people. He didn't go out of his way to do that," Lafayette said. "He was quiet, in terms of his spokesmanship, but people had confidence that he had a sincerity. There was no arrogance on his part. He never put anybody else down. He had respect. People had confidence in him in terms of his leadership. That's the thing that made the difference." Federal Judge Myron Thompson greets Freedom Rider Bernard Lafayette, Jr., during the 2020 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday March 7, 2020. Lafayette credits Lewis for starting him down his own activism path. While roommates in Nashville, Lewis began pressing Lafayette to attend nonviolence activism workshops with him. On Saturday, Lafayette chuckled while recalling how disinterested he was at the time, as he juggled full-time seminary work with a new job as an on-campus librarian. "I didn't have time for any more workshops!" Lafayette said. John Lewis 'Note to Self': 'One day, youll be elected to the Congress,' Lewis tells younger self More: John Lewis was 23 at the March on Washington. His life in service to justice, in 12 images. But Lewis kept pressing. He knew Lafayette had a heart and a mind for the civil rights work, as the two young men burned through midnight hours discussing philosophy and ideals. "This is what we talk about in the dormitory at night," he told Lafayette. "All night long, we would talk about segregation and racism. John convinced me to go to these workshops, and I got stuck," Lafayette said with a chuckle. "That was it. That was the beginning of the journey for me." Months after their goodbye at the Troy service station, the Freedom Rides would begin in earnest. Integrated groups of Black and white activists planned to travel interstate bus routes through the Deep South, where states regularly and openly defied federal law that found segregated bus systems unconstitutional. "The plan was to stop in different cities along the way, to meet local movements and inspire people. The irony is that you could ride all the way from Virginia on a segregated bus and when you got to Nashville, you got out at an integrated bus station. Then you had to get on a segregated bus all the way to Montgomery, which ironically had already integrated its local bus system. That's why it was important to get these other local communities to start implementing the change, because if people don't implement the change, the change doesn't take place." A group of Freedom Riders from Tennessee stands at the door of a Greyhound bus in Birmingham waiting for a bus to leave for Montgomery. 5/19/1961 Archivist's note 2013: (names of riders, taken from caption of AP Wide World photo in Raymond Arsenault's book, "Freedom Riders.") Left to right: Joseph Carter, Susan Hermann, Susan Wilbur, Catherine Burks, Lucretia Collins, and Bernard Lafayette. John Lewis is the partially obscured figure standing behind Lafayette. Lewis was accepted into the initial Freedom Riders. But Lafayette was under 21, younger than his friend by just a few months, and needed parental permission to join. His parents, fearful for his life, refused to sign off. Still Lafayette, who had already worked with Lewis at the Nashville sit-ins to integrate lunch counters, was undeterred and continued training in nonviolent activism. When violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham suspended the original Freedom Rider route, Nashville's college students began fielding groups to travel as replacements. "During our training, we became aware of the possible physical injuries that we would get. We made out our wills. Prior to our going, the buses burned in Anniston, Alabama. The people who set it on fire held the doors close. They expected to kill people," Lafayette said. "We knew the possibility. We were prepared for it. We felt that we had to endure whatever confronted us to show that nonviolence would work. We also knew that whatever happened to us, we had a backup group, because we had people being trained in Nashville to take our places in case we wouldn't make it." Lafayette said he and Lewis led two groups from Birmingham to Montgomery on May 20, 1961. Though they were given federal supervision as they left Birmingham, Lafayette said it fell away as they entered Montgomery to suspiciously quiet streets. At the Greyhound Bus Station, a racist mob descended on the group and accompanying press. The Freedom Rides Museum, the old Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, May 11, 2012. "A mob came out of the bus station doors and started beating up the media, the press. Smashing the cameras. We didn't know what to do. We knew the mob would come to us next, the only reason they were beating up the media is they didn't want this recorded," Lafayette recalled. "There was one cab there. We tried to get the girls into the cab, to at least get somebody saved.The cab driver refused to drive the cab because there were two white girls among us. He said it was against the local law in Montgomery, for a black cab driver to drive white women." "We said OK, we'll just join hands and sing 'We will overcome.' And the mob came after us." Newspaper reports from the melee report "white men, cheered by women, seemed to work with precision" in beating the activists until bloody and unconscious. The Alabama Journal newspaper reported one white woman held up a small child to allow him to hit a Black activist in the face. "Five or six would concentrate on one person, holding him down while others kicked and beat him," the newspaper reported. Law enforcement failed to initially respond to the mob violence, later claiming nobody had called to report it, despite it spilling into the streets in downtown Montgomery. Lewis was knocked unconscious when a member of the mob swung a wooden Coca-Cola crate at his head. Soon after, a local attorney general would hand over an injunction to a "bloodied" Lewis barring the group from remaining in Alabama. "The fact that we would be injured or even face death was not a deterrent," Lafayette said. "We understood that you had to make a personal commitment. Those of us who started to go on the Freedom Rides thought it was a worthwhile cause to give our lives to." The rides inspired renewed civil right activism and led to the desegregation of interstate transportation in 1961. On Saturday morning, someone laid a small bouquet of flowers on the South Court Street pavement in front of the former Greyhound Bus Station. It now stands as the Freedom Rides Museum, where the pictures of Lewis and Lafayette, among many others, are commemorated on the very spot their blood was once spilled. A wreath honoring civil rights icons John Lewis and C.T. Vivian sits outside the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday, July 18, 2020. Dorothy Walker, the site director of the museum, worked in blistering July sunlight on Saturday afternoon to set up a wreath, ringed in mourning black, to honor Lewis and Vivian. "I had the dual emotions of a heavy heart, complete sadness, but also incredibly inspired to have had the opportunity to know who he was, to know of his work, to understand his legacy," Walker said of Lewis's passing. "It's critical for people to understand the commitment, the sacrifice, the courage it must have taken, and the length of time people committed themselves. Congressman Lewis and other Freedom Riders, a lot of them were so young. The ones that were attacked here were 18- to 22-years-old. To meet hatred and violence with such commitment and sacrifice, they were willing to risk their lives not even known if that would change anything. They just knew it needed to be addressed, it needed to be confronted, and the only way they knew had was to sacrifice themselves in a peaceful, loving way." This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bernard Lafayette remembers John Lewis from Nashville to Montgomery When COVID-19 arrived, ProtoCall Services could have classified its workers as essential and they could have stayed in the office. But to company leaders, it was more important to make sure the employees and the surrounding community stayed safe and healthy. We have an obligation as an employer to pay attention to the fears and anxieties and concerns of our staff, ProtoCall CEO Phil Evans said. The more people that ProtoCall can keep out of congregate areas, the better for our communities. ProtoCall Services, based in Portland, provides around-the-clock call monitoring and over-the-phone behavioral health services, such as crisis intervention and referring callers to counseling services, for other businesses clients. This year, the company is a first-time winner in The Oregonian/OregonLives Top Workplaces competition, now in its ninth year. The organization was originally a division of what once was Metro Crisis Intervention Services, a nonprofit suicide crisis hotline. The division, which was created in 1992, was meant to leverage the hotlines ability to answer calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and sell that service to other businesses to generate revenue. ProtoCall Services is a winner in The Oregonian/OregonLive's 2020 Top Workplaces competition. CEO Phil Evans wears a shirt with the company logo and motto, "Here, when help is called for."Randy L. Rasmussen/For The Oregonian/OregonLive Now, ProtoCall is a separate entity with four contact centers in Portland; Grandville, Michigan; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Tempe, Arizona, with 250 employees and 400 customers. The organizations annual revenue was $17 million last year. At the time ProtoCall was established, organizations that were required to have somebody always available to answer calls had their regular daytime staff stay on call at night, Evans said. This system exhausted employees and made it more difficult for them to effectively handle calls. The kind of service that we were envisioning at the time just didnt exist anywhere, Evans said. We saw a real opportunity to bring the dedicated professionalized role of immediate crisis response to these other types of behavioral health organizations. Evans said its important that this service is provided, and monitored 24/7, because any one of the calls they receive can range from someone searching for counseling services to someone standing on a bridge. Either way, the people who answer the calls, and support staff such as the tech team or supervisors, can have a big impact on whoever is calling. We have the opportunity to make that part of the process really smooth and friendly and accessible, Evans said. Our call taker has been able to be one of those early voices in that persons journey towards a more fulfilling life. ProtoCall Services is a winner in The Oregonian/OregonLive's 2020 Top Workplaces competition. CEO Phil Evans stands in the Portland office, looking at a photograph his father took of him with Muhammad Ali.Randy L. Rasmussen/For The Oregonian/OregonLive Because the calls carry so much weight, its important to take care of the people answering the phones. ProtoCall is trying to do some of the toughest work there is to do, Evans said. We have to be better than your typical workplace because we are asking people to do work that is harder than a lot of other work. Various policies and programs help make sure employees are supported and recognized. Employees can earn up to eight hours of paid time off through a health and wellness program where they set health goals for the year and complete and log tasks to achieve the goals. Employees can also receive benefits such as free food and prizes for working during mission critical days, which is what ProtoCall employees call holidays. ProtoCall Services is a winner in The Oregonian/OregonLive's 2020 Top Workplaces competition. The Portland office and other locations are closed as employees work from home.Randy L. Rasmussen/For The Oregonian/OregonLive ProtoCall continued to offer programs and assistance when all employees started working remotely on March 21. Assistance included support from IT staff, who made sure employees were able to set up all of their equipment at home and keep it running, and company-made videos which included instructions on how to create a home office space and tips for working from home. The company also hosted a virtual talent show to help keep people connected. Senior clinical specialist Nina Gilliland, 64, has been an employee at ProtoCall for almost eight years since starting as a call taker. I feel like we are so valued, Gilliland said. Even before I was an SCS, I always felt understood by and valued by and supported by all of the people above me. Gilliland believes this is partly because many of the people in leadership roles started as call takers. The company offers many opportunities to grow, specifically for call takers looking to work in senior or supervisor positions, Evans said. This is important because it not only provides opportunities to move up, but it also means those who are making the big-picture decisions understand what is going on at the lower levels. ProtoCall Services is a winner in The Oregonian/OregonLive's 2020 Top Workplaces competition. CEO Phil Evans checks in on the Portland office, which along with other locations is closed as employees work from home.Randy L. Rasmussen/For The Oregonian/OregonLive Having folks who have mastered other roles in the organization step up to want to master other roles in the organization, thats huge, Evans said. The more of that we can do, the stronger we are as an organization. Because the work the call takers do is fulfilling but stressful, it creates a supportive work environment. Gilliland said one way this shows up is when people send each other notes on specific calls they take. Once the call is over, I always try to say, Great work on that call, or, Thanks so much for your hard work on that, " Gilliland said. Evans said that during exit interviews, employees consistently talk about how much they enjoyed working with their coworkers. You almost always find people talking about their love of their colleagues, Evans said. The thing that they value most at ProtoCall are their colleagues. -- Madison Smalstig l msmalstig@oregonian.com l @madi_smals l Read more Top Workplaces stories at oregonlive.com/topworkplaces. Keep up with Oregon business and economic news by subscribing to our Oregon Business Insights newsletter. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that he "absolutely" believes the Trump administration is violating the Constitution by deploying unidentified federal agents to arrest protesters in the city. The state of play: President Trump and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have defended the use of federal law enforcement by claiming that violent anarchists have overrun the city, which has seen more than 50 nights of protests over the killing of George Floyd. The U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon has called for an investigation into reports that officers have arbitrarily detained protesters in unmarked vans. Trump tweeted on Sunday: "We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!" What they're saying: "The president has a complete misunderstanding of cause and effect," Wheeler told Jake Tapper. "What's happening here is we have dozens if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city and what they're doing is they are sharply escalating the situation." "Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism, and it's not helping the situation at all. They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave," he continued. "The tactics that the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are abhorrent. ... People are being literally scooped off the streets into unmarked vans rental cars, apparently. They are being denied probable cause, and they are denied due process. They don't even know who's pulling them into the vans." Go deeper: U.S. attorney calls for investigation into federal officers arresting Portland protestors Coronavirus cases have continued to climb in the United States, and more major retailers are moving from recommending to requiring customers wear masks if they are to enter their stores. Here are some of the largest that currently are requiring face coverings, or will very soon. The grocery chain announced that shoppers will need face coverings as of July 27. Workers will continue to wear masks as they have for months, the company said. Apple The tech company announced back in May that face masks "will be required for all of our teams and customers, and we will provide them to customers who dont bring their own." Best Buy Best Buy will require customers to wear masks in the store, and can provide masks to those who don't have any. However, "small children and those unable to wear one for health reasons may enter without one." The requirement began Wednesday. Costco Costco, similar to Best Buy, will require all customers to wear a mask, with the exception of "children under the age of 2 or to individuals who are unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition." CVS "We're joining others in taking the next step and requiring all customers to wear face coverings," CVS tweeted Thursday. The policy goes into effect July 20. Dollar Tree and Family Dollar As of Aug. 10, Dollar Tree Inc., which owns the two chains, says it will now be enforcing a mask requirement for all customers at all of its locations. On their websites, both companies say the new mask requirement was to comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. In early July, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar said shoppers, vendors and employees must wear face coverings, before reversing course two weeks later. The chains then said it would only require customers wear masks if mandated by state or local rules. USA Today reports it is unknown when exactly the latest face mask order went into effect. Harris Teeter Supermarket chain Harris Teeter, which has locations in seven states and Washington D.C., will begin requiring masks on Wednesday, according to a press statement issued Thursday. "Starting July 22, we will require all shoppers to wear a mask when visiting our stores, joining our associates who continue to wear masks," store officials said in a statement. "We are taking this extra step now because we recognize additional precautions are needed to protect our country." Home Depot Home Depot announced that shoppers will be required to wear masks or facial coverings while inside all U.S. stores beginning July 22. Small children or those who have a valid medical condition will not be required to wear a mask. According to a news release from the home improvement chain, about 85% of Home Depot stores already require face masks to comply with local and state regulations. All Home Depot employees are also required to wear masks in stores, distribution centers and other locations. We appreciate all of our associates who have been working so hard to serve our customers with the essential products they need throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we want to thank our customers for their cooperation as we work to protect everyone in our stores, said Ann-Marie Campbell, executive vice president of stores for The Home Depot. Kohl's Beginning Monday, July 20, Kohl's will "require all customers to wear a face covering while shopping in our stores." Related video: Kohl's to require customers to wear face masks in stores Kroger Kroger announced that all customers nationwide must wear face masks if they are to enter their stores. The policy takes effect July 22. Lowe's Lowe's announced it would begin requiring all customers to wear masks or face coverings in all U.S. stores effective July 20. Lowe's will also offer free masks at the customer service desk of every store for customers who need them, while supplies last, a news release from the company says. "As a retailer offering essential goods, we have a responsibility to our associates, customers and small businesses in communities nationwide to help provide a safe shopping experience," said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe's president and CEO. "Throughout this pandemic, our associates have worked tirelessly so customers could get the goods and services they needed for their homes and small businesses. For the safety of everyone in our stores, we ask that customers wear masks, and to make this new standard less restrictive, we will make masks available to those who need them." Publix The company said signs for the requirement will be posted at store entrances, and in-store announcements will be made. Young children and those with medical conditions will not be required to wear face coverings. It starts July 21. Sam's Club Sam's Club, along with sister-store Walmart, will begin requiring all customers to wear a mask in their stores on Monday, July 20. Starbucks On Wednesday, the coffee company began "requiring customers to wear facial coverings while visiting all company-owned cafe locations in the U.S." Target Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Target said in a statement it would start requiring masks or face coverings starting Aug. 1 in all stores. "This builds on the more than 80% of our stores that already require guests to wear face coverings due to local and state regulations," it said. Target said it would provide disposable masks at entrances to customers who don't have one. Trader Joe's Trader Joe's is requiring all customers to wear a face covering while shopping in its stores. The retailer says the policy does not apply to young children and those with medical conditions who are not able to wear face coverings. Walgreens Walgreens has expanded requirements for customers to wear face covers while in stores across all of its locations. Face covers had already been mandatory at thousands of Walgreens in states and jurisdictions where they are required. The retailer says starting July 20, there will be new and additional signage on exterior doors with this information, stores will also be increasing the frequency of reminders to customers via the stores intercom system. We support the new CDC guidance that urges the use of face covers to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, said Walgreens Chief Medical Officer Kevin Ban. As cases continue to rise in many parts of the country, its critical we, as businesses and members of the community, do everything we can. Walmart The largest retailer in the United States will require customers nationwide to wear a face covering if they are to enter the store. The policy begins July 20. Winn-Dixie Winn-Dixie reversed its stance on masks and is now mandating that all customers wear face coverings while shopping in stores, CNN reported. The mandate goes into effect July 27. Last week, Winn-Dixie said it would not require shoppers to wear masks in its stores, even after its competitors announced that they would. Stop the spread of COVID-19 To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask. Masks are required in public places in some states and businesses. The CDC also recommends you keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and others. Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE. MANISTEE COUNTY The Manistee County Library is offering new resources for patrons who suffer from memory loss. The library partnered with the Alzheimers Association Michigan chapter to present a series of free educational programs online. The first aims to help individuals recognize common signs of Alzheimers, including what to watch for in themselves and others. The webinar is titled the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimers and includes tips on how to approach someone about memory concerns and it explains the importance of early detection. The free event will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Michigan chapter of the Alzheimers Association also plans to offer a free online version of its program called Healthy Living for your Brain and Body at 6 p.m. on July 29. This program outlines lifestyle habits that are associated with healthy aging. To register for these programs, call 1 (800) 272-3900 or visit helplinegmc@alz.org for more information. Additionally, the Manistee County Library is offering new memory care kits for patrons. Each kit is different and comes with several activities intended to benefit cognitive skills and memory retention. The kits were designed to promote a better sense of independence, a greater sense of purpose, perhaps faster thinking skills and they may also improve motor skills, writing and drawing skills, said reference librarian Carol Shively. Shively added that some activities focus on social skills, while others are intended for when people are alone. Sometimes people are sitting home alone; no one visits them, no one calls them and the brain just declines, Shively said. So, we thought these were great to get out to people. The kits can be checked out at any library branch location and include puzzles and games. To reserve one of the 10 kits available, call the Manistee County Library at (231) 723-2519. "Supporting our physicians through the COVID-19 crisis is at the top of my mind," says Dr. Ely. "The health of this nation is reliant on a physician force that is under-resourced, overworked and at risk of both physical and mental health consequences. We must meet this challenge head-on." The AOA represents more than 151,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students, many of whom serve on the front lines as emergency physicians, family doctors, hospitalists, and physicians in other specialties. Advocacy will be a priority "We've seen some advances in telehealth because of the pandemic, but there's more to be done to protect the health, and livelihood, of our health care community and public," says Dr. Ely. "Appropriate protection is required for physicians and all healthcare providers on the front lines on the front lines, and appropriate compensation is needed for physician practices who invest in the services that enable care to continue." The AOA offers telemedicine resources for osteopathic physicians interested in updating their practices. The professional organization also offers members access to masks and other PPE through a carefully selected industry relationship. At the federal level, the AOA has been advocating continuously for Congressional legislation for support for all healthcare providers. "On the public health front, it is my personal mission to advocate for vaccinations and immunizations," says Dr. Ely. "We must fight this war on all sides and prevent future disease from spreading. Please get your flu shot and take your children to the doctor to get their scheduled vaccinations." A leader with a team-based approach Dr. Ely credits his years of military and private practice experience for his strong leadership capabilities. His decades of leadership experienceincluding 20 years in the military, and two combat tours in Vietnamwill be critical to the continued growth of the profession. An aeromedical evacuation pilot with the Army early in his career, Dr. Ely later worked for the Army Surgeon General. His success in that role led him to pursue medical school at what is now the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCU-COM). After decades of service, he opened a private practice in Clarksville, Tennessee, with a fellow KCU-COM graduate, eventually joining with other physician practices to form a large physician led multispecialty medical group. Later, he joined hospital leadership, transitioning from chief of medical staff to director of medical affairs and finally chief medical officer for 13 years. Currently, Dr. Ely is a health care consultant. "When I applied to medical school in 1976, there were only eight DO schools," says Dr. Ely. "Leading this proud profession through the pandemic and into another period of sustained growth will be my greatest honor." There are now 38 colleges of osteopathic medicine, located on 59 campuses. Approximately 7,000 new physicians graduated from osteopathic medical schools in 2019, bringing the total number of DOs to 121,006, the highest number in history. In the last three decades, the number of DOs has grown by nearly 300%. About the AOA The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) represents more than 151,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and osteopathic medical students; promotes public health; encourages and funds scientific research; serves as the primary certifying body for DOs; and is the accrediting agency for colleges of osteopathic medicine. To learn more about DOs and the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, visit www.DoctorsThatDO.org. About the AOA House of Delegates The AOA's House of Delegates, comprised of more than 500 delegates, representing osteopathic state medical associations, specialty societies, residents, fellows, and students from throughout the country, meets annually in July to set organizational policies for the American Osteopathic Association and elect its Board of Trustees and officers. SOURCE American Osteopathic Association Related Links www.osteopathic.org Singapore urges China to come clean in island dispute >> China preps huge oil platform for deployment in East Sea >> PetroVietnam vows to continue operations in East Sea Singapore on Monday urged China to be more open about the extent of its territorial claims in the South China Sea, saying Beijing\'s ambiguity was causing international concern. Singapore has urged China to be more open about the extent of its territorial claims in the South China Sea, saying Beijing\'s ambiguity was causing international concern The foreign ministry said while Singapore had no claims of its own, the city-state was a major trading nation whose interests could be affected by issues relating to freedom of navigation in the area. Tensions between China and other rival claimants to the strategically vital South China Sea -- home to two potentially oil-rich archipelagos, the Paracels and Spratlys -- have escalated in recent weeks. The Philippines and Vietnam in particular have expressed alarm at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed waters, but Beijing has insisted it is committed to resolving the issue peacefully. Singapore\'s statement was issued after a Chinese surveillance vessel, the Haixun 31, docked in the island-state after passing through the South China Sea. "We... think it is in China\'s own interests to clarify its claims in the SCS (South China Sea) with more precision as the current ambiguity as to their extent has caused serious concerns in the international maritime community," the Singapore statement said. "Singapore is not a claimant state and takes no position on the merits or otherwise of the various claims in the SCS," it added. "But as a major trading nation, Singapore has a critical interest in anything affecting freedom of navigation in all international sea lanes, including those in the SCS." Manila on Friday said it would deploy its naval flagship to the South China Sea a day after China announced the Haixun 31\'s mission, while up to 100 Vietnamese rallied outside the Chinese embassy in Hanoi for the third weekend in a row against Beijing\'s claims. Vietnam and China have held separate live-fire military exercises in the area after Hanoi accused Chinese ships of ramming one oil survey ship and cutting the exploration cables of another. The Philippines, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam claim all or part of the territories in question. Though the coronavirus testing landscape continues to expand, most patient samples must still be routed through laboratories for processing, and the demand is once again straining supplies, equipment and trained technicians and causing shortages. Its very important for people to be able to get the results in time, so they dont continue infecting people, said Pamela Martinez, an expert in disease dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That has become increasingly essential, Dr. Martinez added, as mounting evidence has indicated that the virus can spread from people who dont have symptoms. Maybe if I take a test, but I dont have many symptoms, Im not going to take the same precautions, she said. Health workers typically advise their patients to quarantine at home while they await their test results, out of an abundance of caution. To the extent that one can, The best thing to do is to act as if youve been infected in this interim period, said Olivia Prosper, an infectious disease modeler at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. But the longer people are forced to wait, the more difficult that advice is to follow and the larger toll their absence from work or family responsibilities can take. Additionally, negative results can be of little use if they are delivered after too long of a delay. Diagnostic testing, which searches for bits of the coronaviruss genetic material, can only assess a persons health status from the time the sample was taken, and cant account for any subsequent exposures to the virus. UP assembly polls will be about '80 per cent vs 20 per cent'; BJP will win: Yogi Adityanath Have info on Vikas Dubey? You could share it with SIT India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Lucknow, July 19: A SIT set up to enquire into the Kanpur ambush in which eight policemen were killed by Vikas Dubey and his henchmen, has sought information from the people on the gangster's criminal antecedents, including his alleged connivance with various authorities. The three-member Special Investigation Team, headed by Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay R Bhoosreddy, on Friday issued a mobile number besides an e-mail id and postal addresses for the people, including their representatives, to contact the SIT to apprise it of whatever they may know about a nine-point probe agenda of the enquiry team. Uttar Pradesh: Gangster Vikas Dubey's wife, son arrested Maintaining that it has to submit its probe report to the office of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by July 31, the probe panel, also comprising Additional Director General of Police Hariram Sharma and DIG J Ravindra Goud, said people can contact it between July 20 and 24 in the afternoon. "The enquiry will be conducted at the office of ACS Bhoosreddy. Those who want to provide evidence, documentary or oral, can meet him personally between Jul 20 and Jul 24 in the afternoon," an official statement issued here said. Those interested in providing details or evidence can also give the same on phone and email or through a letter, it said. The team is probing the sequence of events leading to the Kanpur ambush and the role of Dubey's sympathisers and political patrons and had visited Kanpur on Sunday, said an official. The SIT had also gathered information from the Kanpur's district magistrate and senior superintendent of police Kanpur about Dubey's rise and the cases lodged against him apart from the post-ambush actions, the official said. They had also asked the DM and SSP to explain as to why no process was initiated to cancel the gangster's bail in earlier cases lodged against him and the arms licenses issued to Dubey's henchmen. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News Vikas Dubey encounter: UP to file status report, SC to hear pleas on July 20 The SIT is probing how despite being involved in several criminal cases, the gang members could manage to get arms licenses, it said The team has been asked to probe into what effective action was taken in all the cases against Dubey. The SIT will also ascertain what actions were taken to cancel the bail of "such a dreaded criminal", besides the actions against him under the Goonda Act, the National Security Act, Gangsters Act, and if there was any laxity and at what level, it added. On July 3, eight police personnel, including a DSP, were gunned down in Bikru village in Kanpur by the henchmen of Dubey. Dubey was killed in an encounter on July 10 after a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhaunti area in Kanpur. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, July 19, 2020, 9:08 [IST] Washington DC: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that they are targeting an August 2 return of the SpaceX's spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth. Jim Bridenstine, NASA's Administrator, wrote on his official Twitter account, "We're targeting an Aug. 1 departure of @SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft from the @Space_Station to bring @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug home after their historic Launch America mission. Splashdown is targeted for Aug. 2. Weather will drive the actual date. Stay tuned." NEWS: We're targeting an Aug. 1 departure of @SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft from the @Space_Station to bring @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug home after their historic #LaunchAmerica mission. Splashdown is targeted for Aug. 2. Weather will drive the actual date. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/VOCV51gzLi Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) July 17, 2020 Earlier on May 30, the Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk-owned SpaceX created history by becoming the first private rocket company to launch two American astronauts (NASA's Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley) towards orbit from Florida. Just before the liftoff, Hurley had said, "SpaceX, we're going for launch. Let`s light this candle," paraphrasing the famous comment uttered on the launch pad in 1961 by Alan Shepard, the first American flown into space. SpaceX`s Crew Dragon capsule carrying Bob and Doug docked with the ISS on May 31, within 19 hours of the launch, making it the first US space capsule to do so with a crew since 2011. This is the first time in human history @NASA_Astronauts have entered the @Space_Station from a commercially-made spacecraft. @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug have finally arrived to the orbiting laboratory in @SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/3t9Ogtpik4 NASA (@NASA) May 31, 2020 The Crew Dragon had lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center after their second attempt as the first one was deferred due to the poor weather conditions. - Man United, Chelsea and Leicester all stand a pole position to finish in the top four - Only a point is separating Chelsea in third and Man United who sit fifth - Leicester have a golden chance to move to third should they earn points away at Spurs Gary Neville has claimed the top four is Leicester City's to lose as the the 2019/20 season heads into the final week. There are just two matches left to end the campaign, with the top four race set to go down the wire. READ ALSO: Ian Wright includes David Luiz among six Arsenal players who impressed during FA Cup win over Man City READ ALSO: Man United vs Chelsea: Preview, possible starting line up as Red Devils take on Blues With Man City and Liverpool already confirming their Champions League qualification, Leicester, United and Chelsea have been left to fight for the two remaining two slots. The Blues are currently occupying third place with 63 points, with just a point separating them and the Red Devils in fifth. United have been in fine shape among the three teams and are on a 19-game unbeaten streak in all competitions. READ ALSO: Manchester United: Red Devils complete signing of teenage stars Pye, Hugill and Vitek However, they dropped points against Southampton in their league clash to miss out on a glorious chance to go third on the charts. Neville, a former Man United defender now says the result would have given Leicester an edge over the Red Devils in the race for top four. "They would have been two points clear with Leicester needing to go to Tottenham and West Ham. Its really up for grabs. Tottenham v Leicester is a big, big game. Leicester beating Sheffield United was big," Metro UK quoted the former England international saying. PAY ATTENTION: Install Pitch Football app for FREE to easily access stats, news and live updates "It looked to me that Manchester United were, not in cruise control, but were pulling back at Leicester. But that Southampton goal has given Leicester a lifeline. Manchester United did well against Palace but Leicester winning [against Sheffield United] means its all going to come down to the last week," Neville added. The Foxes will play Tottenham in their next match on Sunday, July 19. 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. We lost five children before our daughter Charisa came - Shinel Wanja | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: SportsBrief.com Published on 2020/07/19 | Source Cho Nam-joo's feminist novel "Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982" has been longlisted for France's Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature. Advertisement The prize is awarded by the Guimet Museum of Asian Art to works of literature every year. In 2018 it was won by fellow Korean Hwang Sok-yong for "At Dusk". "Kim Ji-young" became a bestseller here in 2016 and has sold more than a million copies in Korea alone. The rights have been sold to 16 countries including China and Japan. "Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982" was made into the movie "KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982". Meanwhile, the Korean novels "On the Origin of Species" by Jeong Yu-jeong and "The Hole" by Pyun Hye-young were shortlisted for Germany's LiBeraturpreis award given to female authors from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Arab world. London copper fell on Friday, hit by worsening U.S.-China relations and rising coronavirus infections that could dampen global economic recovery and demand for metals. The Trump administration is considering a ban on travel to the United States for all members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The virus has infected more than 13.84 million people globally, with more than 588,000 deaths. "Geopolitical and domestic political risks remain elevated," Fitch Solutions said in a note on Friday. "The uneven recovery... and risks of second-waves slowing down the pickup in industrial commodities poses demand side risks." The U.S. presidential election in November could also rattle investor sentiment, it added. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell $0.2% to $6,426.50 a tonne by 0704 GMT, still up 0.2% on a weekly basis and set for its ninth straight weekly gain. The contract hit its highest in nearly 25 months on Monday. The most-traded August copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.3% to 51,430 yuan ($7,348.93) a tonne, tracking overnight gains in London. However, Fitch Solutions remained bullish about the base metals sector, citing better-than-expected Chinese demand, supply disruption, stimulus measures and economic re-openings around the world. Fundamentals Copper Outlook: Tight supply could help a further rally in copper prices in July-December, but downside risks are also rising. Nickel: The global nickel market surplus widened to 9,000 tonnes in May from an overhang of 5,100 tonnes the previous month. Other Metals: LME aluminium eased 0.5% to $1,661.50 a tonne, zinc decreased 0.7% to $2,209.50 a tonne, while Shanghai lead fell 1.1% to 14,925 yuan a tonne and Shanghai nickel was down 0.9% to 106,320 yuan a tonne. Coronavirus in India: Highest-ever single day spike of 38,902 cases; tally at 10.7 lakh Coronavirus vaccine: AIIMS to start COVAXIN human trials from Monday United Citizens of Zongoiri made up of son and daughters of Zongoiri both home and abroad whose aim is to turn around the developmental challenges and to improve the lives of residents has donated health equipment to the Bulinga health centre to help run the facility. Bulinga health centre and its unique geographical location in the north-south corner of Zebilla of Bawku West, is close proximity to the neighbouring Gambaga Scap in the North East Region and Togo, and so, a significant volume of patients/clients are drawn from these places. The items which worth thousands of Ghana cedis include; 2 infrared thermometer gun, 3 hospital beds, Veronica buckets, 10 mattresses, 6 OPD chairs and 5 benches. Dr. Joseph Ayembilla, leader of the United Citizens Zongoiri said the rationale for the donation and forming the group was to come together as Citizens of Zongoiri to develop the area. Dr. Joseph Ayembilla noted that the group is nonpolitical and that it was initiated to help fill the developmental gaps in Zongoiri and its environs. Dr. Joseph called on Ghana Health Service to elevate the health centre into a hospital status considering the growing population size. Receiving the items, the District Directorate of Health Services Alhassan Lawal expressed gratitude to the united Citizens of Zongoiri and called on others to emulate same. Mr Lawal said as part of efforts by the district directorate of health services, the office of directorate has renovated Bulinga health centre with funding from their IGF. He lauded the staff of the facility for their commitment in serving the people. Naba Asuguru Abugbabilla II, Chief of Zongoiri was excited for the initiative and said he is ever ready to release land for any other developmental projects that the group may want to execute in his jurisdiction. Naba Asurugu admonished his subjects to be each others keeper and desist from all forms of criminal activities noting that Zongoiri as peaceful and the focus of the people is development. However, the medical assistant of Bulinga health centre, Amoro Peter said telecommunication services in the area pose a challenge to their daily activities whenever they had to communicate or send information to seek assistance from the district health directorate. Being vision-impaired is not stopping Christine Norman from seeking ways to bring light and cheer to others. The Tauranga woman has opened a post office box so that she can write to and receive letters from people who may be shut in or experiencing isolation. I got one of those Thats Life magazines from the op shop and read an article in there about Abbie Williams. Shes 24 and living in the Gold Coast. She wondered how she was going to connect with her nanna and granddad back in the UK and realised shed have to write a letter because they dont do Facebook or email. On an invalids benefit and experiencing the challenges of life with complications from diabetes, chronic fatigue and anaemia, Christine Norman wondered if there may be people living in New Zealand who might like to receive a letter. I was inspired by Abbie. She writes what she calls Letters of Hope, writing to people spreading some good cheer. The idea behind Letters of Hope is to show people in their darkest hours that there are good people, people who care and people who will take time out of their day to make them happy. She is worldwide and has written more than 700 letters. I dont think I want to go that far. I just want to do Bay of Plenty, but Ill see. Christine returned to New Zealand at Christmas after living in Australia for a year supporting her daughter who has been in a Womens Refuge with seven children. She crochets baby blankets for special care units at Tauranga and Rotorua Hospitals, also donating them to the Womens Refuge and community centres. Christine has decided to call her own letter writing network Friendship from the Fountain Pen and wants to write personalised letters and cards to people. Abbie has really inspired me to spread kindness. Word of mouth about her letter writing is spreading through friends, local churches she attends and a Welcome Bay craft group she has been running for about four years. Friends are saying: Ive got a son in jail or: Ive got a friend who is suicidal. Theres all these people giving me names. When I shared the idea with a friend, she said: thats beautiful what youre doing, my son would love a letter, hes in prison, hes a young family man. And hes sharing his cell with someone who doesnt get any phone calls, any letters and no communication from any family. So thats just two guys there in one prison cell. And I was thinking rest homes, because there may be oldies who dont get a letter from one year to the next. She plans to deliver some handwritten cards to local resthomes offering the opportunity for anyone to receive a letter. I would like to encourage anyone who would like a letter from me to reach out, also if they know anyone who might appreciate a letter. If you are having a hard time, struggling with your mental health or simply need a pick-me-up, contact Christine and she will mail you a handwritten letter to brighten your day. Christine Normans Friendship From the Fountain Pen address is PO Box is PO Box 55026, Welcome Bay, Tauranga 3156. With over 1.2 million people affected in Germany alone and over 50 million people worldwide, Alzheimer's disease, also referred to simply as Alzheimer's, is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time. Due to pathological changes in the brain, patients become increasingly forgetful and disoriented as the disease progresses. In the worst cases, even close relatives are no longer recognized and simple household tasks can no longer be carried out independently. This means care is needed for those affected. Despite intensive research, Alzheimer's disease is still considered incurable today. Researchers at the University of Gottingen and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology Leipzig-Halle have described a promising approach to treating Alzheimer's disease. The results have been published in the journal Biochemistry. For the study, Professor Kai Tittmann from the Gottingen Centre for Molecular Biosciences worked together with researchers from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Gottingen and the team led by Professor Hans-Ulrich Demuth from Fraunhofer IZI in Halle. Several years ago, the team from Halle discovered that a specific enzyme that is part of the human brain's hormone metabolism plays a critical pathophysiological role in the development of Alzheimer's disease, in addition to its actual biological function of hormone maturation. The first inhibitors of this enzyme, which inhibit specific pathological processes, have already produced promising results. In order to give these active ingredients a chemical "tailor-made suit," the research team investigated the enzyme's reaction mechanism using protein crystallography. "This enabled us to obtain 'snapshots' of the working enzyme for the first time," says senior author Tittmann. This made it possible to build novel inhibitors where the principle of the design is based on the natural reaction. These inhibitors therefore lead to highly selective binding without the risk of dangerous side effects. The scientists also succeeded in determining an atomic structure of the human enzyme with the new substance. This forms an important basis for further development of the inhibitors. "We are confident that our results will lead to the development of a new, highly selective generation of Alzheimer's drugs," explained Demuth. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-20 03:05:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Egypt supports Yemen's security and stability and rejects any foreign, non-Arab intervention in the country, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told reporters on Sunday. Egypt backs the efforts of legitimate Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to reconstruct Yemen and restore security and stability across the country, Madbouly told a joint press conference with his visiting Yemeni counterpart Maeen Abdulmalik. For his part, Abdulmalik said Yemen and Egypt have the same position on national security, noting "Yemen is going through a difficult period due to foreign interventions and the policies of Houthi militias." Earlier in the day, the two prime ministers, along with a number of ministers and officials from both countries, held discussions in Cairo on various aspects of joint cooperation. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of much of the country's north and forced Hadi's government out of the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led Arab coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels since early 2015 in support of Hadi's government. The conflict in Yemen has killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians, displaced 3 million and pushed more than 20 million to the verge of starvation. Enditem Mount Greylock District Weighs Wastewater Testing WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The interim superintendent of the Mount Greylock Regional School District Tuesday expressed interest in pursuing wastewater testing as a method for identifying early the presence of COVID-19 at the district's three schools. Robert Putnam was reacting to a suggestion from parent Foster Goodrich, who offered his comments during a meeting of the Education Subcommittee of the School Committee. Goodrich told the panel that he works with engineering firm AECOM, one of the companies using wastewater analysis to test sewage, a strategy that the City of Pittsfield announced the week before that it will employ in the fight against the novel coronavirus. "I wanted to make the subcommittee aware that there are other ways to test for COVID as a whole," Goodrich said. "[Wastewater testing] is a precursor to symptoms. Because you're testing in the parts per billion and everything is passed through your system, there is the ability to test, and there is data that shows that those test results show up seven to 14 days ahead of symptoms. "The best way to test, quite frankly, is test on a Monday and test on a Friday. I'm not advocating for testing every day. But if we were to test twice a week, I think it would be relevant." Putnam indicated he agreed the data could be relevant. "I was very interested in Foster's comment," Putnam said. "That was an interesting idea. I think it's valuable for us to have a sense of what is the data on transmission in the county, within our town areas. I'm not sure how to get that information. "Foster's suggestion, I thought, 'This is interesting.' We're not necessarily going to get accurate information on the number of folks who are living in our towns who have tested positive. This, at least would allow us to know. I would feel assured if we knew there was no incidence of COVID that was discernible through our wastewater." The waste testing was just one topic in a wide-ranging discussion by the subcommittee, which took reports from five of the district's working groups tasked with helping develop a plan for the reopening of schools in September. Goodrich said tests can be conducted at a community's sewage treatment plant; Lanesborough, home of one of the district's two elementary schools, sends its sewage to Pittsfield. But the wastewater also can be treated wherever there is a manhole, Goodrich said. Cost is a major consideration, he noted. "The single greatest impediment to a national platform on this is funding," Goodrich said. "The federal government is not supporting it, currently. There's a vague, gray zone in which FEMA may or may not support it, and currently the state of Massachusetts, as well as other state and municipal governments do not support it because of the financial implications and the decline in tax revenue. "As a ballpark figure, in Berkshire County, if there was only one testing source, it would be about $125,000 a year to test one source, once a week. There are economies of scale, so if all the school districts and the jail and others in Berkshire County decided to sign on board, that test cost drops down to about $500 a test [$26,000 per testing site, per 52-week year]. And given a school year, obviously, that drops the price dramatically." Putnam indicated that $500 per test sounded like it could be a manageable number given the need for good data about the virus' spread, and he promised to raise the issue on Wednesday at a meeting of the county's superintendents. The interim superintendent of the Lanesborough-Williamstown district, who was hired by the School Committee on July 7, has plunged head-first into the work of devising three different plans for the fall as mandated by the commissioner of education: a full return to the classroom for all students, a fully remote teaching model and a "hybrid" model that combines in-person and remote learning. Districts across the commonwealth have until July 31 to submit those plans to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. UPDATE 3pm: The NZ Transport Agency advise that State Highway 25A remains closed today due to slips. State Highway 25 between Hikaui and Whangamata will also remain closed following a large slip. Work to clear two separate slip sites on SH25A continues today, however SH25A is closed between Kopu and Hikaui and is expected to be closed until at least Monday. An alternate route is using SH25 via Coromandel and Whitianga. Following a large slip, SH25 between Hikuai and McBeth Rd will remain closed until later this evening. Motorists are advised to delay their journey or allow extra time for alternative routes. An alternative route is using SH2 via Karangahake Gorge. Earlier, 10am: The NZ Transport Agency advise that State Highway 25A remains closed today due to slips. State Highway 25 between Hikaui and Whangamata is also closed following a large slip. "Work to clear two separate slip sites on SH25A continues today," says an NZTA spokesperson. "However SH25A is closed between Kopu and Hikuai and is expected to be closed until at least late Sunday afternoon or possibly longer with further slip activity. Motorists are advised to delay their journey or allow extra time for alternative routes. An alternate route is via SH25 through Coromandel and Whitianga. SH25 is also closed between Hikaui and McBeth Rd following a large slip. "And will remain closed until at least late afternoon, or possibly longer with further geotechnical assessments ongoing." Motorists are advised to use SH2 via Karangahake Gorge until further notice. President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says its too early to make such an ironclad guarantee. I have to see. Look ... I have to see, Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News Sunday. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time either. The Biden campaign responded: The American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House. Trump also hammered the Pentagon brass for favoring renaming bases that honor Confederate military leaders a drive for change spurred by the national debate about race after George Floyds death. I dont care what the military says, the commander in chief said. The president described the nations top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, as a a little bit of an alarmist about the coronavirus pandemic, and Trump stuck to what he had said back in February that the virus is going to disappear. On Fox, he said, Ill be right eventually. The United States tops the global death toll list with over 140,000 and confirmed infections, with 3.7 million. It is remarkable that a sitting president would express less than complete confidence in the American democracys electoral process. But for Trump, it comes from his insurgent playbook of four years ago, when in the closing stages of his race against Hillary Clinton, he said he would not commit to honoring the election results if the Democrat won. Pressed during an October 2016 debate about whether he would abide by the voters will, Trump responded that he would keep you in suspense. The presidents remarks to Fox are certain to fuel conversation on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had already been airing concerns in private about a scenario in which Trump disputes the election results. Trump has seen his presidential popularity erode over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and in the aftermath of nationwide protests centered on racial injustice that erupted after Floyds death in Minneapolis nearly two months. Trump contends that a series of polls that show his popularity eroding and Biden holding an advantage are faulty. He believes Republican voters are underrepresented in such surveys. First of all, Im not losing, because those are fake polls, Trump said in the taped interview, which aired Sunday. They were fake in 2016 and now theyre even more fake. The polls were much worse in 2016. Trump was frequently combative with Wallace in defending his administrations response to the pandemic, weighing in on the Black Lives Matter movement and trying to portray Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, as lacking the mental prowess to serve as president. Among the issues discussed was the push for wholesale changes in policing that has swept across the nation. Trump said he could understand why Black Americans are upset about how police use force disproportionately against them. Of course I do. Of course I do, the president said, adding his usual refrain that whites are also killed, too. He said he was not offended either by Black Lives Matter, but at the same time defended the Confederate flag, a symbol of the racism of the past, and said those who proudly have their Confederate flags, theyre not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the South, they like the South. Thats freedom of speech. And you know, the whole thing with cancel culture, we cant cancel our whole history. We cant forget that the North and the South fought. We have to remember that, otherwise well end up fighting again. You cant just cancel all, Trump said. Wallace challenged Trump on some of his claims and called out the president at time, such as when Trump falsely asserted that Biden wants to defund the police. The former vice president has not joined with activists rallying behind that banner. He has proposed more money for police, conditioned to improvements in their practices. Trump continues to insist that Biden signed a charter with one of his primary rivals on the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. At one point in the interview, Trump calls on aides to bring him documentation to support his assertion. Trump, however, is unable to point to language from a Biden-Sanders task force policy document released this month by the Biden campaign. Trump stood behind his pledge to veto a $740 billion defense bill over a requirement that the Defense Department change the names of bases named for Confederate military leaders. That list includes Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Benning in Georgia. The president argued there were no viable alternatives if the government ever tried. Were going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton? Trump asked, referring to a prominent civil rights leader. What are you going to name it? Trump, 74, stuck to a campaign charge that Biden, 77, is unable to handle the rigors of the White House because of his age. As for polls showing the incumbent is trailing, Trump noted he was thought to be behind for much of the 2016 contest. I wont lose, he predicted. The president and top advisors have long accused Biden of using the pandemic as an excuse to stay in his basement in his Delaware home. Biden has indeed shifted much of his campaign online, but frequently travels in Delaware and Pennsylvania, organizing speeches and small gatherings with voters and community leaders that are within driving distance of his home. Bidens campaign says it will begin resuming normal travel and campaign activities, but only when health officials and state and local authorities say it is safe. Questioned about the coronavirus, Trump chided Fauci, the National Institutes of Health expert, and repeated false claims that anybody could get a test and that increased testing was the only reason that the U.S. was seeing more cases. When Wallace cited criticism about the lack of a national plan to confront the virus, Trump said, I take responsibility always for everything because its ultimately my job, too, and claimed, I supplied everybody. Case are rising because people are infecting each other more than they were when most everyone was hunkered down. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus has been on the rise across nearly the entire country. Your browser does not support the audio element. People in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang do not mind getting dirty and inhaling toxic dust as they spend days afloat collecting ash and selling it for compost to make a living. Unlike fruit, flower, and vegetable sellers who typically gather at floating markets on rivers crisscrossing the Mekong Delta, these traders deal in ash, a greyish agricultural by-product which was considered waste in the past. Dirty work Tra Thon Canal, snaking through Long Dien B Commune in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province, is lined with dozens of sampans heaped with ash. According to Cao Van Bet, 45, who has earned his living as an ash trader for 15 years, each ash collecting trip takes seven to ten days. The lack of agricultural machinery in the region in the 1970s meant farmers had to thresh rice manually and pile the leftover straw into heaps on the paddies without knowing what to do with it. There was no need for more fertilizers because the soil was already naturally enriched by silt-laden rivers, so traders like Bet saw an opportunity. We would go to the field owners to ask for unused straw after harvest and collect ash reduced from burning it. One hectare of paddy would yield 20 to 22 kilograms of straw ash, he recalled. As the stock in their own locality ran out, the traders turned to neighboring districts or even provinces nearby including Dong Thap for more straw to turn into ash. Apart from straw, other sources of ash include charcoal and wood, Bet added. Ash compost is applied to paddies and orchards or sold to flower growers in the Sa Dec Flower Village in Dong Thap Province or its Cai Mon counterpart in nearby Ben Tre Province, which have become well known amongst locals and foreigners. The fertilizer later found new markets in the provinces located north of Ho Chi Minh City including Binh Duong and Tay Ninh, where farmers applied it on the soil which is less fertile than that in the Mekong Delta so they can grow peanut, papaya, and cassava crops. With Tra Thon Canal alone home to around 300 ash trading households ranging from sourcers, sellers to buyers, the area is usually bustling with commotion. The otherwise valueless by-product has earned many locals a good living. Many families have bounced from daily grind to a financially secure life. They can provide for their families, support their childrens education, and build houses, Tran Phi Long, 53, who has been on the job for more than 30 years, said, adding each trip earned them a profit of about VND1 million VND (US$43), which is less than what they had previously received. Ash compost is currently a favorite among farmers in An Giang Province and neighboring localities in Vietnams Mekong Delta. Photo: Thanh Nhon / Tuoi Tre It is taxing work, involving early mornings, inhaling the dust, and getting ash in their eyes. After one day of hard work, we can get about 200 sacks, or two metric tons at best. Its really irritating to have ash in your eyes or nose, Long said, adding the job also gives collectors what they call ash tan. Sacks are then loaded onto sampans for sale, each of which can carry up to 1,500 sacks in one go. Ash vending trips normally last from one week to 20 days, with two or three men on board to help with the sacks. I quit the job some years ago over old age after accompanying him on the trips for dozens of years. Those who stick to the job now just scrape by earning a modest profit, Lam Thi Kim Dung, Longs wife, said. Many have given up as the job takes us away from home for up to one month and poses health hazards, 68-year-old Nguyen Minh Hai shared. Family tradition Despite meager profits and health risks, some young men are still keen to follow in their fathers footsteps. Long said he is considering retiring and passing the trade altogether on to his son, 31-year-old Tran Phi An, who has picked up the tricks after working as Longs assistant for the past few years. Im terribly homesick during the trips, but Ill try to follow my fathers career, An said. Similarly, Cao Huu Duc, Bets son, has also lent a hand to his father during ash vending trips for nearly three years. Ill hold on to the job as long as there is still demand for ash. Every job has its own merits, the 19-year-old man shared. Cao Van Bet, from Cho Moi District, An Giang Province in Vietnams Mekong Delta, prepares for a days-long ash selling trip. Photo: Thanh Nhon / Tuoi Tre Seasonal job In recent years, traders have switched to rice husks over the scarcity of straw and wood ash. Their clients are mostly brick kilns and factories which use the husks as burning materials. Hoa Do Canal, snuggled in Lai Vung District, Dong Thap Province, is the meeting point of sampans loaded with tons of rice husks. Le Quoc Tuan, 39, who has been on the job for nine years, said he now boasts a fleet of three sampans with a capacity of approximately 12 metric tons of husks. We dont make handsome profits, but can get by on the job, which is done seasonally, along with rice crops, he said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! 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The unidentified demonstrator stood outside the Federal Courthouse on Saturday evening, footage shared on Twitter shows. In the clip he attempts to protect the building from vandals who tore down a fence. Portland has seen nearly two months of nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Late Saturday, demonstrators broke into a building, set it on fire and started dumpster fires, police said. The man tells protesters: 'If you stand for justice come here and stand with me, stand with me because I stand for justice. Im not here to tear down this f***ing fence, Im not here to spray-paint.' He adds: 'Its going on every day. If you dont want to get gassed, stop! It has to stop! None of you guys represent Black lives.' Fencing that had been placed around the federal courthouse was removed by protesters Saturday and made into barricades, police tweeted. WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE A black man holding an American flag tells protesters in Portland 'none of you guys represent Black lives' as he tries to protect the Federal Courthouse from vandals A man with an American flag ask why the mob is ripping down the fence in front of the Federal Courthouse #Portland pic.twitter.com/XP5QZtLTRO Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) July 19, 2020 A demonstrator hits pieces of fencing blocking a door used by federal law enforcement officers deployed under the Trump administration's executive order to protect federal monuments and buildings, during a protest overnight Saturday A protester dances around a fire set by protesters while burning a peace sign near the Federal Courthouse in Portland on Saturday night The mayor of Portland said Sunday the presence of federal agents is exacerbating tensions in Portland. Speaking on CNN's Democrat Ted Wheeler said federal officers 'are not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave.' He said: 'Well, the president has a complete misunderstanding of cause and effect. What's happening here is, we have dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they're doing is, they are sharply escalating the situation. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. 'And it's not helping the situation at all. They're not wanted here. We haven't asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave. What we're seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, by a Trump administration that's falling in the polls. And this is a direct threat to our democracy.' President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as 'lawless anarchists' in a visit to the city on Thursday. 'We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it,' Trump tweeted Sunday. 'Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!' A fire at the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later, Portland police said on Twitter Saturday. The department declared the gathering a riot, and began working to clear the downtown area. 'As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire. Portland Police did not use any CS gas,' the bureau said in a statement early Sunday. Tear gas was deployed, according to pictures and video from the scene, but it was not necessarily CS gas. Police said protesters had gathered Saturday evening at the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct, vandalizing patrol vehicles and taunting officers as they reported for work. The unidentified demonstrator stood outside the Federal Courthouse on Saturday evening, footage shared on Twitter shows. In the clip he attempts to protect the building Portland has seen nearly two months of nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protesters are pictured on Friday night Protesters disagree over the presence of a US flag during a protest in Portland Saturday Later, as police dispersed a group that had gathered near North Interstate Avenue, people threw rocks and paint-filled balloons at officers. Some were injured, the statement said. Before the aggressive language and action from federal officials, the unrest had frustrated Wheeler and other local authorities, who had said a small cadre of violent activists were drowning out the message of peaceful protesters in the city. But Wheeler said the federal presence in the city is now exacerbating a tense situation. 'What we're seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, Wheeler said Sunday. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court late Friday. The complaint said unidentified federal agents have grabbed people off Portland's streets 'without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.' Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to 'immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.' However, federal officers and Portland police advanced simultaneously on demonstrators to clear the streets early Saturday, making arrests as protesters threw bottles and pieces of metal fencing. Protesters push a chain-link fence against an entrance to the Multnomah County Justice Center in an attempt to prevent police from leaving the building during a protest Friday A smoke grenade burns in front of federal law enforcement officers, deployed under the Trump administration's new executive order to protect federal monuments and buildings The action by Portland's police was condemned by Jo Ann Hardesty, a prominent member of the City Council. Hardesty said Saturday that local police 'joined in the aggressive clampdown of peaceful protest.' Hardesty also slammed Wheeler, telling the mayor he needed to better control local law enforcement. Hardesty, who oversees the city's fire department and other first-responder agencies, said in an open letter to Wheeler if 'you can't control the police, give me the Portland Police Bureau.' In a statement Saturday, Portland Police said as they responded to the overnight protests some federal agencies took action 'under their own supervision and direction.' Portland Police said city officers arrested seven people, and one officer sustained a minor injury. Charleston's 350th Commemoration In 2020, the City of Charleston and its citizens will commemorate its 350th anniversary of the arrival of English settlers from Barbados to Charles Towne Landing in 1670 and share Charlestons full and accurate story up to the present day. Throughout the year, we will honor the customs, diverse cultures, and rich heritage through a deep reflection and true representation of the citys history. Most people worry about turning up to work too late. But Dr Ranj Singh's weakness is turning up to work too early, as he admitted that he accidentally rocked up to work two months too soon at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday. The Strictly Come Dancing contestant, 41, revealed that he arrived at work to cover his colleague's NHS shift, unaware that he had mixed up the dates by eight weeks. Blunder: Dr Ranj Singh admitted to fans on social media that he confused the date for his NHS shift at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London and accidentally turned up two months early In a social media post, the NHS doctor made light of the fact that he turned up on the wrong date and blamed the current lockdown circumstances for playing havoc with his mind. He wrote in a Tweet: 'Guess which idiot turned up to work for his shift this morning... 2 months early #lockdownbrain. 'An explanation: colleague asked me to swap into his shift for the 19th... I thought he meant July. Turns out he meant September.' Face palm: The TV personality, 41, who is also an NHS doctor agreed to cover one of his colleague's shift at the hospital unaware that the date was for September instead of July When he's not rocking up to work two months too soon, Dr Ranj is dispelling any myths about mask-wearing. He has encouraged others to wear face coverings when out in public and clarified that there is 'no evidence6' to suggest wearing a mask is bad for your health. The doctor said via the Mirror: 'Unless you have a medical reason not to, or cannot manage them, they should be worn where recommended. Small children are also exempt. 'There is NO evidence that masks/face coverings are bad for you. This is nonsense. Multi-talented: Ranj is a man of many talents as he appeared on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and was the sixth contestant to be eliminated 'If I can wear one of these for 12 hours on shift and be absolutely fine, then you can wear a face covering on public transport and to the shops! 'Remember: masks are mainly about protecting each other!' Dr Ranj frequently presents on TV to provide important medical advice, he even received a HIV test live on air to inspire others to get tested and show how 'quick and easy' it is. He appeared on ITV program, This Morning, as he showed how it is simply a case of pricking your finger and collecting the blood in a vial. Bambi Northwood-Blyth has finally found romance, three years after splitting from her fashion designer husband Dan Single. The 29-year-old model was spotted in the arms of a hunky mystery man as they strolled around Bondi, New South Wales, on Saturday. Bambi, who was previously linked to male model Jordan Barrett, made her feelings for the unnamed hunk crystal clear as they canoodled on the sidewalk. She's smitten! Model Bambi Northwood-Blyth, 29, was spotted kissing a mystery man in Bondi on Saturday - three years after her split from husband Dan Single At one stage during their stroll, Bambi's man slung a protective arm around her slender shoulders and nuzzled his face close to hers. The couple were also seen packing on the PDA outside a local take-away chicken shop. After ordering their food at the counter, the pair retreated to the sidewalk and began kissing and cuddling while their food was being prepared. She's taken! Bambi, who was previously linked to male model Jordan Barrett, made her feelings for the unnamed hunk crystal clear as they canoodled on the sidewalk Winter warmers: Bambi was dressed for comfort, looking cosy in a cream sweater, black Nike leggings and black-and-pink sneakers Bambi was dressed for comfort, looking cosy in a cream sweater, black Nike leggings and black-and-pink sneakers. The genetically-blessed catwalk star went makeup-free and left her striking bob-style hair to fall loosely. Her male companion meanwhile wore a black hoodie, khaki shorts and white sneakers. Cosy: The couple were also seen packing on the PDA outside a local take-away chicken shop Can't keep their hands off each other! After ordering their food at the counter, the pair retreated to the sidewalk and began kissing and cuddling while their food was being prepared He slung a beach towel over one shoulders, suggesting that a dip in the ocean could have been on the couple's agenda for the day. Bambi split from her husband Dan Single in 2017, one month after he fell 'feet first' from a bedroom window at the Hotel Grand D'Amour apartment in Paris. Following the horrific accident, Bambi was seen rushing to a nearby hospital, where Dan was placed in an induced-coma. It's official! The pair enjoyed a romantic smooch outside the popular take-away restaurant Natural beauty: The genetically-blessed catwalk star went makeup-free and left her striking bob-style hair to fall loosely A month later, previously supportive fans turned on him, labelling him 'pathetic' for using fundraising website Go Fund Me to ask for $250,000 to cover hospital bills. It was later claimed Bambi was 'mortified' about Dan's decision to ask for money, and reports subsequently emerged speculating the pair had split during the fallout. However the lauded fashion icon has since vehemently denied that was the case, instead revealing that there were still 'good vibes' between the pair. Alongside an image of the model staring out to sea posted to his Instagram, Dan explained: 'By the way [she] didn't leave me because of a stupid go fund me page I don't even remember writing, days out of a coma in a complete morphine haze.' 'She has her own dreams to chase and it's her time to do it now. She works hard and is making those dreams come true and I am very proud of her, nothing but good vibes... Go girl!' the clothing entrepreneur added. Delicious! The glamazon was seen sipping on a purple take-away beverage The name Veerappan which was synonymous to dacoity in the 2000s has a new identity today. The sandalwood smugglers daughter, Vidhya Veerappan, is the new vice-president of the BJPs Tamil Nadu youth wing, according to a report by the Indian Express. The 29-year-old law graduate runs a school of children in Krishnagiri and does social work. She joined the BJP party, which is grasping at last straws in the southern state, in February 2020. I dont relate to any particular community, I believe in humanity, she adds. Vidhya came to know about her appointment through a Facebook post by the state party leadership and almost immediately, the talk was all about her father. Her infamous father made the national headlines in 2000 for kidnapping and releasing Kannada movie star Rajkumar. He was believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 150 people, police and forest officers included, poaching of over 100 elephants and smuggling sandalwood. Four years later, he was killed in a shootout by the Tamil Nadu Police Special Task Force (STF) headed by K Vijay Kumar. Vidhya met her father once in her life. I had seen him only once, during a school vacation, when I was at my grandfathers village Gopinatham, near Hanur in Karnataka. There was a forest nearby, I was hardly six or seven years old. He came to where we were playing, spent a few minutes talking to me, and left. I remember him asking me to do good, study well to become a doctor and serve people, Vidhya said. But by the time I started knowing the world, he had lived his lifeI believe it was the situation around him that made him choose a problematic path. But some of the stories I heard about him motivated me to do social service, she added. Vidhya was born in a Chennai hospital after her mother surrendered to the police. Her mother was lodged in a womens hostel where she was dubbed Vidhya Rani by an STF officer, Kumar in his book Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand wrote. There is a popular narrative which sees Veerappan as the Robin Hood figure for the Vanniyars, an influential OBC community that he belonged to. He was never into politics but his approach and actions were based on his understanding of the world around him. There are many interpretations about his work for the Vanniyar community, says Vidhya. She joined the BJP after a local leader introduced her to the then Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan. She admits that the arena of politics is unknown to her. I was interested in social service, and Radhakrishnan suggested that I do the same work for the party, she said. Her mother, Muthulakshmi is still affiliated to Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK), an offshoot of the PMK, a Vanniyar party and NDA ally. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot may go for a floor test as early as Wednesday to end the political challenge his government faces after the rebellion by a faction of MLAs led by now-sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. Having secured the support of two Bhartiya Tribal Party MLAs, Gehlot met Governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday evening at Jaipur Raj Bhawan. The BTP's support came as a shot in the arm for Gehlot who was asked by Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Gulab Chand Kataria, to prove his majority. Sources said Gehlot informed Mishra about the support extended by the two lawmakers and claimed a majority amid the political crisis in the state. However, an official statement from the Raj Bhavan made no mention of the crisis, describing the meeting between Gehlot and Mishra as a "courtesy meeting". A Raj Bhavan spokesperson said during the meeting, which lasted for about 45 minutes, Gehlot briefed the governor about the efforts being taken to protect the state from the coronavirus pandemic. Sources aware of the development said the assembly session could be called on Wednesday for a floor test. The calling of the session serves twin purposes; it will not only test Gehlot's strength on the floor of the House, but will pose another challenge to the 19 MLAs who have gone to court seeking a stay on the disqualification notice served to them by speaker CP Joshi on a complaint filed by Congress chief whip in the state assembly Mahesh Joshi. In the house of 200, Congress has 107 MLAs, including 19 of those who have been issued notices of disqualification by the assembly speaker on complaint by chief whip Mahesh Joshi. The party claims that the Gehlot government has 109 MLAs, including Congress, independents and other supporting party legislators, in its support to run the government. The sacking of Pilot from the Congress and his imminent exit have once again ignited the debate of young turks vs old guards and spawned fears of a fresh wave of defections from the party. The former Rajasthan deputy chief minister's refusal to yield to the party high command's overtures is already being linked to his proximity to Jyotiraditya Scindia, who earlier revolted and left the Congress in March. (With PTI inputs) Online classes are posing as much of a challenge to teachers as students, with many educators complaining that they are unable to have disciplined classes. Weeks after the management of St Xaviers College in Dhobi Talao suspended three Class 12 students for sharing their online class IDs with outsiders, who, in turn, abused the teacher during a class, a large number of teachers are complaining about similar problems. A handful of colleges have already started lectures for Class 12 as well as second and third-year degree courses, and teachers are finding it difficult to handle students, most of whom keep their videos and audios off during class, leaving the teacher unsure of their presence during the lecture. The rule is that only the teacher gets to talk during the class, while students can ask questions in a chat window, or at the end of the class. The problem is that at any given point, Im unsure of the students presence because the screens are mostly blank. Theres no way of finding out if the students are present or not, said Archana Sachdeva, a visiting faculty at a host of suburban colleges. Several colleges are using free video chat apps to conduct lectures, and many teachers believe it is the reason security cannot be upgraded for online classes. The paid apps are for around 90-100 people per class, but our junior college classes have anywhere between 100-120 students, so we will end up paying for two classes per lecture, which is not feasible. At present, we are trying to plug the loopholes with the help of our information technology team, said Rajendra Shinde, principal of St Xaviers College. He added that while a first information report (FIR) has not been registered against the perpetrators, the incident has been shared with the deputy commissioner of police, cyber crime cell. Recently, a senior professor from a Delhi-based university took to social media to share his experience of conducting an online class, in which he faced constant abuse and was made fun of by some users. His post went viral within hours, and teachers affiliated with Mumbai colleges shared similar problems faced by them during online classes. While regular lectures as per a timetable are yet to begin, many colleges have started conducting classes online to ease teachers and students into the process. This insistence on starting online classes, however, has not gone down well with many teachers. None of the colleges have thought things through, and have dived into the online class bandwagon without considering security protocols and precautions for teachers as well as students. In some cases, the colleges have not even bothered to check if teachers or students have access to good internet, and still, classes have started, said a lecturer of a prominent south Mumbai college, on condition of anonymity. As of now, the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (MFUCTO) has not received official complaints from their members, but the problem is real, said the spokesperson. Classes have commenced due to the compulsion laid down by colleges, and teachers are bearing the brunt. To date, not a single notification to start classes has been released by the University of Mumbai (MU) or state government. On what basis then, have classes begun, asked Tapati Mukhopadhyay, president, MFUCTO. She added that amidst confusion on the status of exams for final-year students, no notification has been released by universities to the colleges. Whats worse is that colleges have started lectures without waiting to find out about the syllabus. Since the 2020-21 academic year is being reduced to seven months instead of nine or 10, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has clarified that the curriculum will have to be compressed. Yet, some colleges have started lectures, she added. As of now, state universities have asked their affiliated colleges to promote all students, except those in the final year, but no clarity on commencement of regular academics has been shared yet. We still request colleges to call off classes until further clarity from the government, added Mukhopadhyay. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By Express News Service KOLKATA: Fugitive Ayesha Jannat Mohona spent three years in India and last one year in Bangladesh before she was arrested in Dhaka on Friday on the charges of recruiting youths and raising funds for Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), said an official of the central intelligence wing in India. The 25-year-old woman with Hindu origin from Kolkatas adjoining Hooghly district who changed her religion to Islam joined JMB, an outlawed terror outfit in Bangladesh. The sleuths of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), the central intelligence wing, are looking for leads to track Ayeshas footprint in West Bengal and other parts of the country since she had left home four years ago. "Bangladesh police are interrogating her. We have been told that they would share her activities in India before she settled in Bangladesh with us. Now our prime concern is what Ayesha did for three years in India after leaving home," said a SIB officer. The daughter of daily wage earner Pradip Debnath, who named her Pragya, left home in September 2016 saying she was going to Kolkata. "She never returned home. On the day she left home, we kept calling my daughter but her cellphone kept ringing. At night, her cell phone was not reachable. In December, she called and told that she changed her religion to Islam. We were shocked. That was the last time I heard my daughters voice," recounted Pradip. Ayeshas family members were stunned when they were searching for her photographs to lodge a missing diary on the day she had left home. "She destroyed all her photographs, including those which were clicked during her childhood, and took away all the documents related to her education," said Pradip. The SIB sleuths came to know Ayesha had changed her religion in 2009 when she was studying in school. "She disclosed it to her family three months after leaving home in 2016. She started visiting Bangladesh from 2016 but started living there from August 19 in 2019 in the garb of a teacher at a religious institute. She first rented house at Keranigaj and then shifted to Fatullah, said a SIB officer. The central agency came to know Ayesha had 13 Facebook accounts using different names."She used to communicate using the messenger call facility of the social web portal. We are waiting for the information that Bangladesh police will share with us," said the officer. Ayeshas mother Geeta said she never imagined her daughter would become an active member of a terror outfit. "We tried our best to provide her education. I want her to be punished for her actions," the mother said. We will be kingmakers, says BTP as Rajasthan crisis unfolds India oi-PTI Jaipur, July 19: As the Ashok Gehlot government struggles to retain power in Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Tribal Party says it is now in a position to punch way above its weight despite its minuscule presence in the state assembly. "We have two MLAs in a House of 200, yet we are in the position of kingmakers," party president Maheshbhai C Vasava told PTI on Sunday. At a joint press conference with the Congress on Saturday, BTP legislators Rajkumar Roat and Ramprasad Dindor made it clear that they are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Act on plaint against Congress demands Rajasthan BJP This ended days of uncertainty over where the Gujarat-based party's loyalties lie. The two MLAs supported the ruling Congress in the state in last month's Rajya Sabha polls. But when the power tussle between Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot re-surfaced recently, the BTP said it will remain neutral. Vasava said the party is now extending support to Gehlot after an assurance that its demands related to the development of tribal areas will be met. "We have fought against the Congress and the BJP on tribal issues but if the government now assures full support on the issues raised by us, why shouldn't we support it? After all it is fulfilling the agenda of tribal welfare and development," he said. When the crisis began last week, Vasava issued a whip directing both Roat and Dindor not to support any leader or party in case there is a floor test in the assembly. However, Sagwara MLA Ramprasad Dindor expressed defiance of the whip, saying both of them will support the state government. Later, party office-bearers and the MLAs held discussions with the chief minister on their demands. "We had supported the Congress government in the Rajya Sabha elections last month after an assurance by the chief minister on our demands," Chorasi MLA Roat said. "But the demands were not fulfilled. Some of them could have been met in just one day," he complained. The party then thought of not extending support to him, the MLA said. Last week, Roat appeared in two video clips, alleging that he was being stopped by Rajasthan police from travelling to his constituency in Dungarpur district. He claimed that police personnel had come in two vans and taken away his car keys. He also alleged that some people were forcing him to come with them. The videos were circulated by the Sachin Pilot camp and the BJP had questioned the state government over them. But Raut later dismissed the episode as a "misunderstanding" with police. He said the party's agenda is development of tribal areas and they have raised 17 demands before the CM. Some of the demands are related to reservation in jobs and the utilisation of funds for tribal areas. The BTP came into being in 2017 in Gujarat, and expanded into Rajasthan the next year. In the December 2018 assembly elections, it fielded 11 candidates in the tribal belt in southern Rajasthan. Raot was 26 when he won and most other candidates too were young. "The youth are our power. Today's youth is educated, understands issues and understands how the tribal people were deprived of their rights. We fielded many young candidates and the party's performance was very good," BTP state president Velaram Ghoghra said. The crisis in Rajasthan Congress has been brewing since the party picked Gehlot over Pilot for the chief minister's post. Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's state unit president when he and 18 other MLAs stayed away from two Congress Legislature Party meetings. The rebel MLAs were served notices by Speaker C P Joshi after the Congress sought their disqualification from the assembly. The Rajasthan High Court will on Monday resume hearing their petition challenging the notices. Coronavirus: WHO reports single-day record global spike in Covid-19 cases | Oneindia News Including the dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly and the BJP 72. If the 19 Congress dissidents are disqualified, the current strength of the state assembly will reduce to 181, slashing the half-way mark to 91 and making it easier for Gehlot to retain majority support. In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). A Christian author has revealed that he is gay and announced that he and his wife are getting a divorce. Matthew Paul Turner took to social media to inform his readers and followers that he is splitting with wife Jessica, who is also a writer. The Nashville-based couple, who married in 2004, have three children together. Turner is a former editor of CCM, a twice monthly online magazine about contemporary Christian music, and is also known for penning a series of rhyming children's books some of which have sold more than 100,000 copies each. 'Dear friends, I have difficult news to share. After much thought, prayer, and counseling, Jessica and I have made the decision to end our marriage,' Turner began. 'While we're best friends and thoroughly love doing life, parenting, and pursuing our dreams together, ending our marriage is necessary because I am gay.' Christian children's book author Matthew Paul Turner came out as gay on social media and announced that he and his wife are divorcing on Instagram Turner was the former editor of CCM, a magazine covering contemporary Christian music, left. He is also the author of bestselling children's books, right, which have sold more than 100,000 copies Turner posted some sweet photos as he celebrated Father's Day last month The couple had three children together and plan to co-parent while 'moving on' with their lives He added: 'Being gay isnt a new discovery for me. However, as someone who spent 30+ years in fundamentalist/evangelical churches, exploring God through conservative theologies, Ive lived many days overwhelmed by fear, shame, and self-hatred. 'Though my own faith evolved long ago to become LGBTQ+ affirming, my journey toward recognizing, accepting and embracing myself took much longer. 'But for the first time in my life, despite the sadness and grief Im feeling right now, I can say with confidence that Im ready to embrace freedom, hope, and God as a gay man.' His wife Jessica also posted on Facebook explaining how the couple 'are moving forward with ending our marriage, while remaining deeply committed to our family and each other.' Wife, Jessica Turner, is also an author and founder of the blog The Mom Creative and wrote a lengthy post on Facebook detailing the couple's spit Matthew Paul Turner said he seeks to 'embrace freedom, hope, and God as a gay man'. The Nashville couple married in 2004 She revealed that the couple worked for more than a year on trying to make their marriage work, despite knowing her husband's truth. Ultimately the couple felt that it wasn't fair to either of them or their children. 'Our three incredible children have taken the news remarkably well,' Jessica wrote. 'We are all adjusting to a new normal, with our home now extended under two rooftops. I am so grateful for the way we love each other... We are both grieving the loss of what we had and taking hope in what is to come.' Jessica Turner explained how the couple had worked on their marriage for more than a year but ultimately decided that a divorce was best for everyone involved The couple had been married for 16 years having met online. 'I fell in love with her 17 years ago and still love her deeply,' Matthew wrote. 'Despite her own grief and pain, she has loved and encouraged me to be fully me.' The couple have not stated when their divorce is to be finalized. Turner has said he hoped to continue to write children's books with the backing of his publisher. Jessica is founder of popular blog The Mom Creative and writes about her family, motherhood alongside tips for DIY and how to save money. It's not you. It's us. The new Malibu Times website is coming soon! We are doing some maintenance on our site. It won't take long, we promise. Come back and visit us again tomorrow. Thank you for your patience! The first Arab space mission to Mars blasted off Monday aboard a rocket from Japan, after weather delays set back the launch of the probe dubbed Hope. A live feed of the launch showed the rocket carrying the unmanned probe, known as Al-Amal in Arabic, lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Centre in southern Japan. We have launched the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 42 (H-IIA F42) carrying aboard the Emirates Mars Missions (EMM) HOPE spacecraft... at 6:58:14 (JST) (2158GMT), rocket manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said in a statement shortly after the launch. Five minutes after launch, the rocket carrying the probe was on course, carrying out the first separation of its flight. The Emirati project is one of three racing to Mars, including Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest. In October, Mars will be a comparatively short 38.6 million miles (62.07 million kilometers) from Earth, according to NASA. Hope is expected to reach Marss orbit by February 2021, marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of the UAE, an alliance of seven emirates. Once there, it will loop the planet for a whole Martian year, or 687 days. While the objective of the Mars mission is to provide a comprehensive image of the weather dynamics in the Red Planets atmosphere, the probe is a foundation for a much bigger goal -- building a human settlement on Mars within the next 100 years. The UAE also wants the project to serve as a source of inspiration for Arab youth, in a region too often wracked by sectarian conflicts and economic crises. Several dozen probes -- most of them American -- have set off for the Red Planet since the 1960s. Many never made it that far, or failed to land. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Agra, July 19 : Women in the modern era are comparatively safer, better empowered and they enjoy a more dignified life than women during the days of 'rajas and maharajas' in ancient India. Often, women were publicly disgraced as victims of war or despicable politics practiced by feudal lords, says historian Dr. S. Chandnibi, Associate Professor, in the Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University. Women had no political role in ancient India, nor were they empowered to play any significant role in the governance of the state. Their presence was merely ceremonial, says Chandnibi. Talking to IANS, she said ancient literature available suggests clearly that women were not allowed to participate in politics, as in the 21st century. But despite their non-involvement in political matters, they were the worst sufferers and the most vulnerable group during those days of autocracy. The Tamil Sangam literature gives a vivid picture of the pathetic life of the royal women of the loser kings. Even in the epic Mahabharata, the rivalry between the Kauravas and Pandavas climaxed with the public disgrace of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Chandnibi said women captives were made a part of the victors' domestic establishment. Their living area was called as Velam. These women and children were forced to do all kinds of degrading work assigned to them in the palace. In many cases, they were compelled to become part of the king's harem, where they were sexually abused against their will. Pattinappalai, a Sangam literature (poem 246-249) explains that these women took bath publicly in a pond or a tank and lighted a perpetual lamp in the podiyil, which was a common meeting place and had to pray to God probably to secure their own deliverance and to save the souls of their dead husbands. Clearly they had no freedom even to worship their own Gods and follow their own religious rituals. A commentator describes this as a compulsory service by the females which brought glory to the victorious king. "As time passed, in the 7th century, we hear Rajyashri, the sister of Harsha Vardhana who escaped from the hands of the enemy and tried to commit suicide to get rid of such treacherous treatment. In south India, King Rajendra Chola I who ruled in the beginning of 11th Century AD boasted himself for having cut the hair of the royal women of the enemy king. The description in an inscription says that the royal chariot was pulled by using the enemy's royal women's hair as rope. As if this subjugation was not enough, we hear the king boasting how he created the perennial streams of tears rolling off the eyes of the women whose men failed to pay the tribute." In certain wars, the inscriptions describe the items of war booty to include hordes of women and detail how the king destroyed the honour and chastity of the enemy kingdom. Such descriptions are common in many inscriptions and copper plates of many Chola rulers, like the Tiruvangadu and Karandai Plates. This description which appears in the inscription is again supported in the literature called KaliThogai etc. "This was rather the first time that a king openly took pride for such an atrocious behaviour towards women, although such inhuman treatment to women seemed frequent and often unquestionable. This might have been in practice to victimize the women in the war, as a political hate action at least for quite some time before Rajendra. The difference is that they never openly glorified such activities but it was Rajendra I who committed this grave blunder." Dr Chandnibi said for thousands of years we have been hearing and reading of gory details of subjugation and humiliation of women all over the world during and after the wars, in conflict zones. Women have been subjected to the cruelest and inhuman treatment for no fault of theirs throughout human history. Men have waged and fought wars, women, and children have had to suffer the consequences. This is the tragic tale, unfortunately. In the modern era, such crimes would be unpardonable and considered highly objectionable especially among warring states or political parties in rivalry, Chandnibi added. (Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in) In all its shades and hues, Harris County prides itself in its racial and ethnic diversity, with large Latino, white, Black and Asian populations that have put our region at the forefront of the changing face of America. But a new report on government contracts finds that diversity ends when the color in question is green. Less than 10 percent of county contracts go to women- or minority-owned businesses, according to a study sponsored by the Harris County Commissioners Court. And yet those same firms make up 28 percent of the market for available vendors. The disparity breaks down differently across industries, but the shared feature in each is that businesses owned by white men get disproportionately large shares of the county contracts. For instance, the county spent $525 million on road and bridge contracts between March 2015 and May 2019. The total amount paid to minority- or women-owned businesses? Just $35.5 million, or less than 7 percent, despite the fact that those firms make up 35 percent of the available market. On a smaller scale, less than 10 percent of the $10.4 million Harris County paid for dry-walling and insulation during that same period went to minority- or women-owned firms, despite the latter making up 20 percent of the market. All minorities are disproportionately underrepresented compared to the share of businesses owned. Out of every $100 spent by the county, 50 cents went to Black business owners, 60 cents to Asian-owned businesses, $4.60 to Hispanic businesses, 10 cents to Native American companies and $3.20 to companies owned by white women. As the country grapples with its history of systemic racism and inequality, it must address these economic disparities. The study, conducted by the government consulting firm Colette Holt & Associates, found a host of obstacles faced by women and minority business owners, including discriminatory attitudes and assumptions that these companies are less qualified, pressure to lower prices when subcontracting, lack of access to capital and entrenched relationships that leave minority firms out of the loop. These relationships are seen as key by some of the minority business owners interviewed for the study and quoted anonymously. Youre not in the frat. You didnt get the letter, you know? You didnt get the call. But whatever you need to do to get in, you need to figure it out, one owner said. Figuring it out may mean political contributions. When you go back and you look at whos paid the most money to Commissioner X, and then whos got the most work out of the commissioner those following months, theres a correlation. And as a small business, we cant afford to pay, another owner told researchers. Allegations of a pay-to-play culture are common. There is little oversight and even less incentive for politicians and contractors to change the system. Most of the money donated to Harris County commissioners political campaigns comes from vendors and contractors who do or want to do business with the county. Despite the obvious conflicts of interest this system entails, these contributions are legal. Colette Holt was also tasked with making recommendations for how to fix the problem, and the commissioners should pay close attention. The first step, the firm says, is to create a system of incentives that help boost minority- and women-owned participation naturally. This can mean hosting mixers so that large prime contractors can meet smaller firms who can later compete to be subcontractors. Nearly 23 percent of the $1.26 billion handed out by the county in the study period was paid to subcontractors. Or it could mean the county breaking up larger contracts into smaller ones, so that a wide range of firms could compete to be the prime contractor on a job. Those steps and many like them will change the playing field without specifically establishing goals for minority participation. But the firm also urged the county to set such goals as a second step. How can we have a county spending $1 billion and the numbers be that low? Its just embarrassing, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis told the editorial board. Ellis, who was involved in creating minority participation programs in the city of Houston in 1984 and at the state level in 1991, spearheaded the studys creation. Those programs have been largely successful. Houstons most recent disparity study, which is set to be updated this year, found that minority- and women-owned businesses make up about 35 percent of the construction market and received 30 percent of contracts. The citys efforts havent been problem-free. Questions of pay-to-play culture dogged the last mayoral race and the city has been bedeviled by lax monitoring of how well prime contractors follow-through on pledges to hire minority firms as subs. Beyond that, Colette Holt also recommends the county set goals for awarding contracts to minority firms based roughly on how big a share of the labor market they represent. To get those targets right, and for the program to withstand legal scrutiny, Harris County will have to make good on plans to collect better data on how its contracting dollars are spent something Colete Holt said it had to painstakingly put together manually. Minorities and women are driving the growth of new businesses in our area, making inclusive economic policies essential to long-term success. We commend the county in taking these first steps and helping ensure that our diverse region includes shared benefits. President Donald Trump assailed likely opponent Joe Biden as not competent to lead the country, speaking as polls over the weekend showed deepening voter disenchantment with his own handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Hes shot, hes mentally shot, Trump said about Biden in a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Sunday. He said that if Biden is elected on November 3, he will destroy this country. Facing the multiple challenges of a spreading pandemic, racial unrest and a struggling economy, Trump made several unfounded or highly speculative accusations against the former vice president, saying Biden would triple your taxes and defund the police. He added, Religion will be gone, referring to Democratic officials banning large church services to stem the virus spread. Asked whether he would accept the election result in November, even if he loses, Trump echoed his position of 2016, saying, I have to see ... Im not going to just say yes. The interview, which was taped in advance, came as new polling results showed support for Biden surging as doubts about Trumps handling of the pandemic grow amid a resurgence in many states. Interviewer Chris Wallace told the president that a new Fox opinion poll showed Biden with a substantial lead over Trump not only on his ability to manage the pandemic (with a 17-point edge) and to deal with racial unrest (by 21 points), but even -- by a single point -- on handling the economy, long a Trump strong point. And a new Washington Post-ABC News poll has Biden leading Trump among registered voters nationwide by a resounding 15-point margin, 55-to-40 percent. Trump dismissed such polling as fake, saying White House surveys show him winning both nationally and in key swing states. - Mommy, Mommy... - He repeatedly pummeled Biden, who has kept a relatively low profile amid the restraints imposed by the pandemic. Trump claimed that the Democrat wanted to defund the police -- a battle cry of some anti-racist protesters -- and insisted that such language was in a Biden policy document, though he was unable to produce it when challenged by Wallace. As he repeatedly questioned his rivals mental acuity, Wallace asked him directly if thought Biden was senile. I dont want to say that, Trump replied. I say hes not competent to be president. He questioned whether the Democrat could pass a cognitive ability test that he said he had aced, and said the former vice president would fall apart under tough questioning. Let Biden sit through an interview like this, hell be on the ground crying for Mommy. Hell say, Mommy, Mommy, please take me home. - Envy of the world - Trump again defended his handling of the pandemic, claiming that we are the envy of the world on testing; and, of his early prediction that the virus would someday disappear, said, Ill be right eventually. He again opposed any national mandate for mask-wearing, saying, I want people to have a certain freedom. Referring to the racial unrest in the country, and a recent spike in violent crime in some cities, the president blamed Democrat-run cities, which he said were stupidly run. Asked about statistics showing American blacks are twice as likely to be shot and killed by police as whites, Trump replied, Many whites are killed also. You have to say that. And he equated those who fly the Confederate flag with those saying that Black Lives Matter, adding, Its freedom of speech. - Long overdue - Trump again stated his opposition to renaming US military bases named after Confederate generals -- even after the military supported the idea. I dont care what the military says, the president said. Were going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton? he asked rhetorically, referring to a prominent African-American civil rights leader. There was no immediate response to the interview from Biden or his campaign, though the former vice president did tweet that Banning the Confederate flag from military installations was long overdue. On other subjects, Trump said the economy was doing very well, even as millions remain jobless, with some states reimposing lockdowns. The stock market, he said, was near record highs. bbk/jm Students in the United States are unlikely to return for in-person school reopening as the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths continues to spike. It is very important to protect the life and health of our children because they are the beholder of our future. In this time of the global pandemic, they should be the first to be protected against the virus. If the majority of them will get infected due to haphazard in-person school reopening, then we have to start asking what future we're going to have. Even though there are only few COVID-19 infections among the children, it does not mean that they are not exempted to observe the basic health and safety protocol. Though, the younger you are the less that you are susceptible not unless you have pre-existing medical conditions. However, the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the country is very alarming. In fact, of the world's more than 14 million cases and over 600,000 deaths, the United States has recorded over 4 million infections and more than 140,000 according to worldometers. Despite these surprising numbers of infections and deaths, some states will still pursue the in-person school reopening while others decided not to. While it is true that children are less likely to get hospitalized once they get infected but virus transmission within the family might lead to the death of our loved ones most especially the elderly. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom laid strict protocols for school reopening. Around 6.7 million students are going to have online classes but those who will have in-person classes are required to wear facemasks most especially the second grade and the essential staff. Meanwhile in Texas, the state officials gave the public schools to remain close until fall for the safety of 5 million students. However, the guidelines said that they can hold online-only instruction up to the first eight weeks and they are expected to return to campus in November. However, students in Chicago will need to return to the classroom two days a week and they will spend their three days remotely. The final decision of the fall classes of more than 300,000 won't come until late August. Chicago has the nation's third-largest school district. On the other hand, the decision of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds to require the students to spend half of their classes in the school, as she will override school districts, drew criticisms from the teachers' union who are adamant to have the in-person schooling. The number of hospitalizations and deaths in the country continue to increase everyday. The number of infections of those who belong in the adult group has also increased. In fact, some states are already ordering cooler trucks to store the dead bodies because morgues of some states are already in full capacity. The resurgence of the virus began when the lockdown was lifted. It was the time that people seemed not to follow the basic health and safety measures like social-distancing anymore but instead go to a bar just like what happened in Florida. Now, that the World Health Organization recognized the possible transmission of the virus through the air, the federal and state government should think for a thousand times if they will push through for the in-person schooling, delay it for a while, or have the online classes. Check these out! Long traffic delays are expected around Kangaroo Point and Brisbanes Gabba stadium on Sunday afternoon due to a large protest against refugee detention. Queensland Police failed in a court bid to block the protest on Friday, which has been organised on behalf of about 100 refugees detained in the Kangaroo Point Motel under Medevac laws. Refugee advocates blockade the Kangaroo Point motel where refugees are being held last month. The protest is scheduled to run from 12:30pm and will close Main Street at Kangaroo Point until 1:30pm. The official protest is expected to move to nearby Walmsley Street from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Congressman John Lewis, the son of sharecroppers and a proponent of nonviolence who was battered and beaten at Selma, passed away Friday night. How fortuitous it is that while we mourn the loss of John Lewis, a veteran of some of the most pivotal moments in the history of the civil rights movement, we also observed Mandelas Day Saturday. George Santayana, the English philosopher and poet was right after all when he crooned, there is no cure for birth or death save the interval. Congressman Lewis was a true champion for change. He battled and sacrificed for black people to have the right to vote. As one of the original Freedom Riders, he suffered a fractured skull at the hands of the Alabama State Troopers on Bloody Sunday on that bridge at Selma. He was the youngest speaker (only 23 years old) to speak with Martin Luther King Jr (MLK Jr) from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington where the latter gave the famous, I Have A Dream speech. Mr Lewis was one of Americas famous civil rights leaders and was dubbed the conscience of the Congress. He represented Georgia State for 33 years. He was a strong advocate of nonviolent protest. The essence of the nonviolent life, he wrote, is the capacity to forgive even as a person is cursing you to your face, even as he is spitting on you, or pushing a lit cigarette into your neck and to understand that your attacker is as much a victim as you are. At the bottom, this philosophy rested upon the belief that people of goodwill the Beloved Community, as Mr Lewis called them would rouse themselves to combat evil and injustice. I was privileged to meet Congressman John Lewis five years ago in Washington DC- at the Embassy of Haiti specifically, where he was invited to come to share his experience and insights on issues confronting the globe. Meeting this enigma for me was one of the most poignant and surreal moments of my life. It was akin to taking a ride on a time machine. A trip exploring the remarkable life of the son of an Alabama sharecropper who became an icon of the civil rights movement and preserved his ideals through a career in Congress fighting for equality, fairness and justice. He has seen progress on this front, but As a nation and as a people were not quite there yet. We have miles to go, he said. He spoke to my soul every time he used the phrase good trouble. Mr Lewis after hearing MLK Jr. on the radio said, I would ask my mother and my father and my grandparents, my great grandparents, Why? And they would say, Thats the way it is. Dont get in the way. Dont get in trouble. As he recalled in a 2015 speech, The action of Rosa Parks and the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired me to find a way to get in the way, to get in trouble good trouble, necessary trouble. Writer with Congressman John Lewis at the Embassy of Haiti, Washington, DC, 2015. And good trouble he did get into because sometimes it is good to cause trouble. John Lewis caused trouble for a racist American South in his early 20s. He caused trouble for a conflicted congress once elected. His good trouble helped bestow on me rights he was born with. When I met with him, I knew I had not even scratched the surface in impacting my world. The many confrontations with authorities that I had read and watched on him showed a man who was deeply courageous and passionate about his convictions one that aspired toward a Beloved Community. He said he had been arrested 40 times in the 1960s, five more times as a congressman. Congressman Lewis through his lifes work has helped bend the arc of the moral universe (which Dr King alluded to as long) towards justice. President Obama hugs John Lewis during event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. As former American President, Barrack Obama, rightly put it in his eulogy to the one he called a friend and mentor Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did. CARACAS, Venezuela - The "biological" threat was gathering on the western border, Venezuela's socialist government claimed. So, besieged President Nicolas Maduro, ever vigilant against potential invasion, dispatched gun-toting reinforcements to the frontier. The 57-year-old authoritarian wasn't worried about the Colombian army. Rather, he was targeting his own people - Venezuelan migrants abroad, left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic, now returning home. Many are stealing in from Colombia, entering the country through illegal crossings, without testing for the novel coronavirus. Maduro says they're fueling a dangerous spike in cases in this uniquely vulnerable nation. "Those who cross (back home) illegally, you are killing your families," Maduro said in a televised speech last week. "The Colombian virus has sneaked everywhere, and is killing good people." Venezuela's U.S.-backed opposition says Maduro's government is making a bad situation worse by penning new arrivals in ill-equipped quarantine centers, where opposition figures say the virus is spreading. The sides agree on at least one point. This South American nation, whose tattered health system, experts say, is among the least prepared in the world to cope with the pandemic, is now belatedly witnessing a long-feared coronavirus outbreak, with cases soaring and hospitals overwhelmed. More than 5 million people have fled starvation, poverty and government repression in Venezuela in recent years, with most settling elsewhere in Latin America, where the poorest have scraped out precarious lives as domestic workers, laborers and street vendors. But as the coronavirus has torn through the region, and countries from Mexico to Argentina have locked down, many of these refugees, left jobless and hungry on the streets of Quito, Lima and Bogota, are heading home. In recent weeks, a rush of 60,000 returnees has caused bottlenecks at Colombian border-control points. Some have spilled over to illegal crossings, known as trochas, along the lawless frontier between Colombia and Venezuela. Waiting for the returnees are Maduro's soldiers and mandatory quarantines in the border states of Zulia, Tachira and Apure, the region seeing by far the most alarming spike in cases. Returnees say they are being held without face masks or social distancing. Mayra Jimenez, a 37-year-old manicurist, lost her job in Colombia when the country locked down. At the border, she said, she was given two rapid tests - one by the Colombians, the other by the Venezuelans. Both, she said, came out negative. Five days after returning home, however, she tested positive. She was sent for 35 days to a public hospital in Apure state. The facility had no working X-ray machine, so at one point she was transferred to the nearest hospital that had one - seven hours away. "I remember asking God to take care of my family," said Jimenez, who has since recovered. "I swore to God that I would never leave my country again if He saved me." Border-state hospitals, already ravaged by years of equipment breakdowns and chronic shortages of medicines and supplies, are struggling to cope with rising demand. Venezuela has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and 96 deaths. But with limited testing and the authoritarian government in control of the data, both are widely believed to be undercounts. Staff at University Hospital Maracaibo last week said the facility, designated by the government as the city's primary hospital for the coronavirus, was averaging 500 patients with symptoms, double the number a month ago. All eight ICU beds and 10 ventilators were in use, with dangerously long waiting lists for others who needed them. One medical resident spoke of alarming mortality. "The number of deceased is increasing," she said. "We're seeing normal days in which we lose up to 10 patients." Staff say most of Maracaibo's dead have not yet been included in the official count because tests are sent to Caracas for processing and take up to a month to get back. The resident, who, like other staff, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of government reprisal, said conditions at the hospital were so bad that many infected people are choosing to forgo care. "There's no air conditioning, and we have to endure 100-degree heat," she said. "It's suffocating." There's also no running water, so nurses and doctors wash their hands in buckets. The hospital is one of the few in Zulia state to have recently received face masks, but they're being reserved mostly for health workers. The lack of personal protective equipment for janitors has meant that ward floors sometimes go days without cleaning. The local physicians' association says 44 doctors and nurses in Zulia have been stricken by the coronavirus. Nine have died, according to the nonprofit Doctors United for Venezuela. A dozen remain in intensive care. Staff say the pro-government hospital administration has threatened them with criminal charges if they do not keep reporting for duty. The sicknesses and deaths of doctors and nurses, they say, have worsened already severe staff shortages. One nurse who tested positive for the coronavirus was escorted to a quarantine center by armed soldiers. "Now there's practically no staff," she said. Venezuela was among the first nations in South America to impose a strict national lockdown. That move, along with the country's relative isolation - even before the pandemic, only a handful of airlines flew here - appeared initially to keep infections low. But cases have soared ninefold since late May, according to the official count, with the highest spikes in states along the Colombian and Brazilian borders. The data suggests that 70 percent of new infections are from community transmission. But doctors say the high concentration of cases near the Colombian frontier suggests a link with border crossings. Maduro's government is openly blaming returnees, and the traffickers helping them, who are avoiding legal crossings and the tests that are administered there. "Any person who violates the immigration system and enters the country (illegally) will be considered a biological weapon," said Lisandro Cabello, a senior member of Maduro's party in Zulia. On Tuesday, Maduro announced a Gmail address for Venezuelans to denounce countrymen who enter at illegal crossings. Maduro has accused the Colombians of lax procedures and weak border control. The Colombians reject the charge. "What's really sad is that over 5 million Venezuelans left the country, and now they're trying to stigmatize the few thousands who are trying to return to their own land," said Felipe Munoz, a senior adviser to Colombian President Ivan Duque. Some doctors who are allied with the Venezuelan opposition say the government's quarantine facilities, which lack running water, electricity, soap or masks, are promoting the spread of the coronavirus. "It's the migrants," said Julio Castro, the epidemiologist who is spearheading a team monitoring the crisis for the opposition. "We're sure about that. But our theory is that they're getting sick in the camps, not that they're all somehow entering the country as coronavirus carriers." Aid workers and doctors express concern about conditions in the quarantine centers but say authorities are testing rigorously. They also say some returnees are bribing soldiers to avoid being quarantined. "People in the border can pay $20 to the guards to get them in," said Martin Carballo, an infectious-disease doctor in Caracas. "Now we have a well-established community transmission." Maduro's government and the Venezuelan opposition signed an agreement last month to coordinate relief efforts through the Pan American Health Organization. The deal would use government funds frozen by the U.S. and European governments to purchase protective gear, medicines and medical equipment. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, the health organization's assistant director, said he hoped for a final deal, with transparency measures required of the Venezuelan government in exchange for the supplies, this month. It can't come soon enough. The organization has already supplied Venezuela with shipments of personal protective equipment. "But of course they need more," Barbosa said. "We are still trying to get more. When health workers are not protected, it's a problem. Other health workers will be afraid to go to the hospitals. "It's very important the process move more quickly." - - - Faiola reported from Miami. In about a month, the fall school year will begin for many American students. But what will school look like? Some districts are attempting business as usual. Los Angeles is starting the year entirely online. Some schools are giving parents options. Plenty of districts still dont know what they are going to do. All parents want their kids to go back to school. Yes, some of us are more comfortable than others with the idea of in-person school right now. But we all want our children to learn. We want them to see their friends. We want them to be out of the house so we can work or just, like, think for a second. Many of us are also scared for their health, for our health, for everyones health. And, if I may be so bold as to speak for millions of parents I do not know, were angry that the country, now and in all the years leading up to now, hasnt done what it needs to do to make school a priority. Advertisement The Trump administration has been clear on how it feels about the issue, from the presidents tweets demanding that schools reopen to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos threatening schools that dont open full time with defunding. Government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics have released their guidelines and recommendations. Opinion columnists and education experts have weighed in. But until recently, the voices of teachers have largely been missing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What about the teachers? What do teachers want their jobs to look like in the coming school year? What kind of guidance are they getting from their principals and superintendents? What options do they have, including the many who are parents themselves? How do they feel about the loud and persistent complaints from working parents? Or from the parents who are so fed up with the school system that they are threatening to pull their kids out? And how are teachers talking with one another about the position that our country has put them in? Advertisement Advertisement I asked four teachersall writers for Slates Ask a Teacher columnto join me on Slates parenting podcast, Mom and Dad Are Fighting, to talk candidly about what its like to be a teacher facing the great unknown of fall 2020. They are Matthew Dicks, a fifth grade teacher in West Hartford, Connecticut; Brandon Hersey, who teaches second grade in Federal Way, Washington, and is also on the Seattle school board; Cassy Sarnell, an early childhood special education teacher in Albany, New York; and Amy Scott, an eighth grade English teacher in Durham, North Carolina. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation. Dan Kois: Youre all talking to your colleagues and friends. In three words or fewer, how would you characterize the emotional state of teachers right now? Advertisement Matthew Dicks: Well, my wife is also a teacher, a kindergarten teacher, and today she told me she was frightened and angry. I think I probably possess a little bit of those two things, as well as hopeful. I think Im more hopeful frankly than my wife is. Cassy Sarnell: Im going to go with frustrated, scared, and sad. Brandon Hersey: Confused as fuck. Amy Scott: I was going to say disappointed. But given what I know about the Trump administrationyoud have to have an expectation in order to be disappointed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So can each of you please tell me where your school system stands today? What do you, as a teacher, know about your fall 2020? Advertisement Advertisement Hersey: In Federal Way, we have not received any real update on what school is going to look like. I think that we are playing around with the idea of the A/B model. And for those of you who might not know, its this idea that 50 percent of the kids will come to school on Monday and Tuesday; the other 50 percent will come on Thursday and Friday; and Wednesday will be kind of a check-in day, mostly virtual. As cases continue to spike, and as were starting to see more and more come out of the CDC around how dumb of an idea it is to send kids back, those decisions are changing. Amy, whats the story in Durham? Whats the plan right now? Advertisement Scott: The school where I am right now, its planning to be fully remote, K through 8, for 30 days. And then, to go to what Brandon was talking about with the A/B planit is still up in the air. Nothing is board approved, and who knows? Things could change in a moment. Dicks: Right now, as of this moment, were going back full time. Were in Connecticut, so the infection rate is actually the lowest in the country right now. And I have not seen a person in public not wearing a mask where I live. So people are taking it very seriously here. And as a result, were in a better position, I think, than in a lot of places in the country. So we are offering full-time school at school, and also full-time distance learning, and parents can choose between the two. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Ive been telling my teacher friends that everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face. You know that famous Mike Tyson quote? Because we have a thousand teachers in our school district and what will happen, 100 percent, will be: A kid or a teacher will die over the course of the school year. And when a kid or a teacher dies, everything is going to change. Sarnell: Im in a bit of a different boat than everyone else here, because I teach preschool. So I dont work in one district [in Albany]. I work with up to 20 different school districts at my school. Right now, every district that Im working with, they are all in the process of figuring out how to open in person. Theyre all very secretive. None of them will say what their plan is. Nobody has any information out. Advertisement This question of what happens when someone dies, that Matthew brought up, seems very crucial. Because no one in my kids school district in Arlington, Virginia, has given me any sense that there is a plan for what happens when someone tests positive. When a teacher tests positive, or a student, or a students dad. Which is another way of saying, is there any kind of benchmark for when a school shuts down or changes its policy? Have you been given any kind of guidance as to what that future planning looks like? Dicks: I know that in our school district, one of the goals we have is to sort of bubble kids. And so the teacher and the students are going to remain as isolated from the rest of the school as possible. So that if I have a class of 20 kids and one of my kids, or I, or one of the parents tests positive, that group of kids theoretically can then enter quarantine. And if the teachers healthy, we can begin distance learning for the two to three weeks that were going to decide quarantine is necessary, and then come back into the school, theoretically having not contaminated anyone else in the process. I stress the word theoretically because Im not quite sure how that is possible, given the physical space that we occupy. But I think its a reasonable attempt by the school district to maintain school in the event that someone tests positive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hersey: I think that we also need to really give space to the socioeconomic and racial barriers, and issues that come along with thinking about schooling in person. A lot of times when we are thinking about coming back, were only looking at this pandemic from a medical standpoint, but were also facing a pandemic of racism. And as we think about the safety of our children, what Im really concerned about is that I know for my students, a lot of their families dont and didnt have the luxury of quarantining. They still had to go to work. So if we are sending kids back home, a lot of our students also are living in multigenerational family settings. So youve got grandma, youve got aunt, youve got uncle. Advertisement But also we need to be prepared as a school system because we found that, honestly, we are the social safety net for children. Were where they get food. In a lot of places, were where they get counseling, or where they get clothing. If we dont have a clear and consistent plan for how were going to address those disparities, the opportunity gap is just going to continue to widen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It seems like that problem cuts both ways. If you close the school for safety reasons, youre cutting that safety net for all of those kids who depend on school, but if you dont, youre exposing them to a much greater level of risk, which is then transmitted right down the line to those families they live with. The ones who maybe cant afford to quarantine. It seems to me that no one has been able to quantify, either through research or even through argument, what the answer is for how to best serve students who both need school and are most threatened by in-person school right now. Thats not really a question. Thats just me expressing my angst. Hersey: Yup. Thats the work. Are you afraid for your own health? Hersey: Yeah, man. I mean, we have health insurance. But I can tell you right now, districts are going to fight tooth and nail not to provide the adequate PPE needed to do our job effectively. Our school doesnt provide any type of hand sanitizer. We have soap and water, but some schools dont even have sinks. Sarnell: Before I taught preschool, I taught middle school. And I loved my middle schoolers dearly, but they were always licking each other or sticking their fingers in each others ears. Dumb kid things. I went from that to my preschool where I walked out to the playground, I leaned over to see what some kid that I didnt quite have my eyes on was doing, and shes sucking on another kids finger in the corner of the playground. Scott: Middle schoolers do that too. Sarnell: In what scenario are you going to keep kids from spreading normal germs? Because I think a lot of schools are going to pretend that, Oh, well, you know, I think if you guys just keep them from licking each other, itll be fine. But if we could keep them from licking each other, we would have by now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dicks: Its the students, I think, that concern me the most. And my own children. And frankly, my wife, who is a kindergarten teacher. I worry about her a great deal. Because kids come to kindergarten and theyre crying on the first day of school, and the only way to get them to stop crying is you hug them. My wife is trying to figure out, what is she going to do to crying children who are leaving their parents for the first time? And you say, Please stay six feet away. Im behind some plastic and so are you. Stand over there and cry. Listen to the full conversation on Mom and Dad Are Fighting: Many of you have brought up how all these plans are theoretical, and were eventually going to see the plans break down. And it sort of seems to me that the breakdowns are happening even now, as plans are in theoretical form. Where I live in Arlington, a few weeks ago, the district announced what the plan was: Parents had a choice. You could choose between the A/B plan, where your kid has two days in school and three days at home, or you could choose full-time distance learning. And then about an hour ago today, a brand new email went out from the superintendent saying, basically, Nope. We changed it. Schools going to be all virtual for everyone, at least for the first quarter. They didnt say why, but my hunch is that it has something to do with the huge gulf between the number of parents who wanted their kids to go to school, and the number of teachers who felt safe going into that school environment. Because they asked all the teachers, Well, what do you want to do? Do you want to teach remotely, or do you want to go into class? Are you all seeing this kind of disparity between parents expectations or needs, and teachers expectations or needs? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hersey: Yeah. I dont know how were going to thread that needle between parent expectations and good policy. But I think that your district did the right thing, Dan. I think that your district realized that, for our workforce, this is not the best move. Dicks: I think districts are very concerned right now about the workforce, in terms of how many actual adults they can get to go back to the building. The number of immunocompromised teachers, based upon either age or health conditions, is really going to limit the workforce. There will be teachers who just say, Im out, or there will be teachers who say, Im going to stay home and home-school my kids this year. Have a nice time. Were going to be short-staffed in many, many circumstances. Dont even start to think about substitute teachers. Can you imagine the situation when a teacher gets sick? Because, as soon as you have the sniffles, in the era of COVID, you cant muscle through. You cant say, Ive got a cold, but Im going to go to school. If you have anything, you cant go to school anymore, and just the dearth of substitute teachers alone is going to collapse the system. Scott: And what they pay substitutes. I cant imagine being a substitute and being like, Yeah, Im going to risk my life for, what is it? Eighty bucks a day, or something. Its ridiculous. Ive seen a lot of chatter on my very North Arlington, very white, very upper-middle-class Facebook feed that what parents should do right now, if they have the choice, is to not send their kids to school. Pick the all-distance option, create a home-schooling pod if you need to for a year. Ease the pressure on the system, so the lower-income kids have more access to the resources they need, including if they need in-person learning. What do you guys think of that idea? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hersey: I think thats racist as fuck. We have these 13 schools [with] high African American populations that we focus on as a district in Seattle, in terms of policy and resources, to boost those schools up. And folks are saying, like, Well, why dont you just keep those schools open and send the kids who are experiencing homelessness, the special education kids, to those schools to get in-person learning? So what youre saying is, you want us to create a COVID hotbed that only the students that are experiencing the most trauma will have access to? And thats the exact type of policy recommendations that we, as educators and policymakers, need to be really wary of. Because on the surface, that sounds like a great idea. Ill keep my kid home. Ill home-school them, and then that frees up resources for everybody else. When actually, collectively, we need to be uniting our voices and demanding a system that best serves all students, regardless of if you have the resources to choose a different one or not. Dicks: Yeah. It makes you feel good. Hersey: Exactly. Dicks: Like, I can keep my kids home and save the world. Meanwhile, over at that school, all the teachers are sick and three kids have died, but I saved the world by keeping my kids at home. Brandon, youre on the school board in Seattle. Lets say the Department of Education suddenly did an about-face and just was like, We are going to throw $10 billion at the problem of opening schools up. How would you want to spend it? What could we do with money that would increase safety to any kind of acceptable level? Hersey: Support efforts for municipal broadband. We need a device for every student. We need adequate and real rigorous professional development as educators to provide distance learning. We need a communications specialist for every district, so that for the kids who, for whatever reason, have not been as engaged in distance learning, we can actually reach their families and get them plugged in. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are so many things that we could ask for, but I havent been asked, so thats the thing. Scott: Having one device per child makes a huge difference as a teacher. Theres a lot to say for getting kids technology. But its not enough. In the district where my kids are zoned, theyre doing the one-to-one device for the kids; theyve ordered all these Chromebooks. Are they going to be here in time, first of all, for the school year to start? And the district ordered all these laptops but didnt add any additional staff to inventory them, to label them, to distribute them. So far, they havent had sufficient professional development on Canvas, the system that theyre using. Its like, Oh, OK, well just get laptops and thatll solve the problem, but theres so many layers underneath that that need to be addressed. Sarnell: The professional development piece is so important because you could give every person in the country a Chromebook, but if you dont teach teachers what tools they have and how to use those tools to best reach students, its not going to matter. Cassy, if my child has an IEP (individualized education program) or otherwise benefits from special education in some way, what is this coming year going to look like for them? And how should parents be thinking about the role that special education can and should be playing in a mostly distance learning scenario? Sarnell: Yikes. Thats how your years going to look: yikes. I think for a lot of those kids, the IEPs that were written before the quarantine started are just meaningless. If the district lets you, you can physically scrap the document and start over. If they dont, youre just going to have to know in your heart that your teachers are doing what they can, but the document they wrote under the assumption that they could be there in person to provide therapy and they cant, thats just not going to be a realistic goal to set for yourself. And the point of an IEP is to be a realistically meetable goal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matt, you alluded to this a little bit earlier. Do you all think that we are going to see a mass exodus from teaching in the coming year? Are people bailing? Dicks: I think that this is an opportunity for people who are on the back end of their teaching career to retire. If I was 55 to 65 and I was looking at a school year like the one thats coming and I was being sent to school, I might just say, I will take my retirement now, thank you very much, and move on. Frankly, I also believe that if we move forward with jamming people into schools and not having plans and PPE and all these things, theres just going to be people who die, and those people are going to have to be replaced too. Hersey: I dont know. I think teaching for a lot of folks is probably one of the safer positions. I know a few teachers in my building who are taking an early retirement and chucking up deuces and calling it good. I know others who are actively applying for jobs and receiving jobs right now. I think that were going to lose a lot of institutional knowledge around the field, but I also think that were going to get a lot of young people who are really, really excited to get into the classroom and repair a lot of the harm that has been done, not only from this pandemic, but from our racist school system, in the aim of truly reimagining what school looks like. So Im hopeful. Cautiously optimistic. What should parents do to make your jobs easier and safer? Hersey: Buy us N95 masks. Donate them to the school. Dicks: Thats a pretty good suggestion. I would say that if were going back in any kind of in-real-life setting, youve got to keep your kid home if your kid is sick, and youve got to let us know that your kid is sick. Do not send your child to school when theyre sick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarnell: I mean, I think the only answer to me is dont leave the house until then. Like, everybody go back into a full lockdown. If you want us to reopen in September, then you cannot leave your house from now until September. Thats it. Whats the best-case scenario for your school and your job as a teacher in 2020? Dicks: I think in a perfect circumstance, because Im in Connecticut and our infection rate is very, very low, if it stayed low, like it is now, and every teacher had an N95 mask and every kid was masked, my perfect scenario would be a school year where I get to be with my kids in a very safe environment. I just dont know if thats going to be possible. Scott: I do my best teaching in-person, obviously, and I, like Matt, would love to be in the classroom with my kids. With the North Carolina infection rate still going up, I dont think its safe. And until it goes down, until we have a vaccine, until were clear, I would advocate for full online education. Sarnell: I would love it if we could open in a way that was safe. Even if we could have them like once or twice a week, just to come to the school for a couple hours to be outside with their peers. But also in my perfect, perfect world, wed be able to wait until there was a vaccine and until it was fully safe. Hersey: Outdoor school, if your community can support it, is critical. It allows us to build closer partnerships with our community-based organizations who often have closer relationships with our students than we do. It allows us to actually socially distance ourselves in some meaningful way. It takes kids out of these institutionally racist buildings and gives them the opportunity to engage with curriculum in the way that we as human beings have been doing since our beginnings as a species, educating ourselves outside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So many folks are having these conversations about reimagining schools. And I really want us to be pushing ourselves to think about that more deeply. If we are going to reimagine this system, if we are looking at this as an opportunity that needs seizing, then we cant approach this with the same models and the same skill sets that weve been doing this so poorly, quite frankly, for the past several hundred years, right? Like if we are serious about rethinking and reimagining our school systems, an A/B model isnt going to do that. If we dont take bold action right now, like Matthew and others have been saying, people will die. Children will die. And I really need superintendents, school boards, elected officials, parents, I really need all of the folks who are pushing us to go back to really take into consideration how many people, how many students, how many children, how many babies are you willing to lose to try something that we know is a really, really bad idea? There is an alley in Lemon Grove you dont want to avoid. Five street artists armed with dozens of cans of spray paint and buckets of paint have been working for several weeks to paint six walls and two electrical boxes behind a home health care business. They splashed the formerly beige concrete walls of San Diego Homecare Supplies, and the walls of a metal storage building across the alley, with vivid shades of yellow, orange, purple and blue, leaving behind a tapestry of bright flowers, plants, geometric shapes, animals and creatures that pique your imagination. They did so at the invitation of Sydel Howell, who with her mother, Sara Cummings, has operated the business more than 20 years. The store stocks thousands of items related to wellness and recovery from leg compression stockings to post-mastectomy needs to wheelchairs. Advertisement The circa 1950s building used to house a hardware store. Howell said the dull outdoor walls have been a graffiti target for years and she was at a loss what to do. Then she became inspired during a January visit to the Wynwood Art District in Miami, which turned a blighted area into a hip and happening gallery-filled hotspot. Howell hired Beth Emmerich, who lives in Grass Valley, to paint a couple of walls on the back of her building at 7846 Broadway, across from a small city parking lot. Howell had seen Emmerichs work on the side of a tattoo shop in North Park, found her on Facebook and brought her down to San Diego, where Emmerich once lived (and has plans to move back). I was like a kid in a candy store when Sydel showed me the walls, Emmerich said. There was so much space to work in. Emmerich decided she would spread the work around, inviting four of her friends who are savvy in mural art to help Gloria Muriel, Alex Banach, Maxx Moses and KJ Ashley. It has been absolutely amazing, Howell said. Its beyond what I ever imagined. Im so excited about it. A positive change is what everybody needs, especially in these times. My hope is that when you create pride in something, it makes you want to take care of it. Thats my hope. I told the optometrist next door, Youre next! He tells his clients now to park in the alley he is so proud of it. The bold and bright murals have only been up a few weeks but have already created a buzz among other Lemon Grove businesses, residents and visitors. San Diego-based artist KJ Ashley adds some finishing touches to an electrical box in an alley behind San Diego Homecare Supplies in Lemon Grove. (Karen Pearlman/San Diego Union-Tribune ) On a recent afternoon, four of the artists were gathered in the alleyway discussing and touching up some of their work. While they were there, San Diego resident June Elliott, a self-employed food deliverywoman, drove up. Elliott, 70, told them she now drives down the alley twice a day, five days a week, to look at the murals. She said she thought it was a shame that theyre back here instead of in the front. Theyre gorgeous, she told the artists. It makes you happy when you drive up. These walls have always been dull and oppressive, really kind of depressing. It takes you on a little trip without drugs. And Ive heard that murals like these discourage graffiti, too. City Councilwoman Jennifer Mendoza has seen the tagging on the walls. Mendozas manicurist is next door to Howells business. She said the area has been blighted for years. Ive seen what goes on back there, and its not good, Mendoza said. So now I think this is something that is going to give this area such a lift. People are going to stop and look at those murals and its going to be so uplifting and give positive momentum in that back area. Mendoza said she gets much of the same feeling from when she drives by the Lemon Grove Bakery, which has on its side an award-winning, five-part mural. Those paintings 65-feet wide by 18 feet tall, filled with art depicting the Kumeyaay people, the 15th and 16th century Spanish Conquest, 1800s Mexican heritage, 19th century buildings and a current look at Lemon Grove were created over an eight-year span, starting in 2005. The new murals behind the medical supply store are just around the corner from the city-sponsored Lemon Grove Breezeway Mural Painting Project that was completed last year. That work, on the side of a wall off Lester Street, boasts bright orange, green, purple and yellow tones, painted trees and the words Lemon Grove in cursive writing inside a painted lemon. Additionally, just down the street, the city in 2015 used a $30,000 grant to turn both sides of an underpass at Buena Vista Avenue near state Route 94 into huge murals featuring flowers and birds. Howell said all the art in Lemon Grove is a positive that can have a domino effect with a reason to visit and a reason to stay. Mural art, including this piece by Maxx Moses, is on display in an alley behind San Diego Homecare Supplies in Lemon Grove. (Karen Pearlman/San Diego Union-Tribune ) People like to go where they feel good, to be uplifted, to be joyful, that positive energy, she said. I would love that our customers come to us after being recommended by a doctor or friend, and then that they come back to Lemon Grove because of the feeling they got... to have them say, Lets to go the place with the murals. Then to have them shop at our stores in the area and eat at one of our restaurants. Howell said theres no reason Lemon Grove businesses cant work together to continue the work all the artists have started. She brought up her motivating visit to the Wynwood district in Florida, which she said she learned was an area that used to be very derelict with tagged buildings and homeless people. The businesses beautified the area, all these amazing restaurants and shops and art galleries opened up, Howell said. I see no reason we cant do something like this in Lemon Grove. I hope other businesses will be inspired too and get on board. I hope this is just the tip of the iceberg and not the end. karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com In a shocking development, a rare statue of Gautam Buddha was found vandalised in Pakistan's northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday. Video of the incident went viral on social media, after which an FIR was filed under Pakistan's antiquity act. As per reports, four suspects have been arrested so far. Quoting local residents, news agency PTI said that the statue was discovered in tehsil Takhtbai of Mardan district and was destroyed allegedly on the orders of a local Maulvi. District Police Officer Zahidullah said the incident took place when a water line was dug up and construction workers discovered the statue. "We have arrested contractor Qamar Zaman and his workers, Amjad, Aleem and Saleem for smashing the Buddha statue and have also recovered some of its pieces from them," he said. A senior officer of the Tourism Department said after the video surfaced the authorities reported the matter to the police for action against the culprits. Heart breaking. A life sized statue of Buddha was discovered in a construction site in Takhtbhai, Mardan recently. However, before the Archaeology dept was informed about it, the contractor had already broken it into pieces as the local molvi warned him that he would lose.. pic.twitter.com/nWHHzkOxe7 Ahsan Hamid Durrani (@Ahsan_H_Durrani) July 18, 2020 Takhtbai area is a tourist destination for people from Sri Lanka, Korea and Japan since it was a part of the Gandhara Civilisation - one of the earliest urban settlements documented in the history of the subcontinent. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's old name is Ghandhara and the region is a highly revered place for the followers of Buddhism. Earlier in May, Buddhist rock carvings in the Chilas area of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK)'s Gilgit-Baltistan were found to be vandalised. The rock carvings belong to 800 AD and are archeologically important. Visuals show slogans and the Pakistani flag painted over the carvings. READ | Pakistan reports 1,918 coronavirus cases, total rises to 261,917 READ | Pakistan Charge dAffaires summoned by MEA over ceasefire violations along the LoC Buddhist carving in PoK vandalised In May, sources reported that the vandalized carvings were found by local Buddhist residents and the vandalism was allegedly in retaliation to the protests over the Pak-China DiamerBhasha dam project, which will reportedly destroy this archeological site. 19 years ago, the Taliban had demolished the carved statue of Buddha in Bamyan valley of Afghanistan in 2001. As per reports, the Taliban's 'Commander of the Faithful' - Mullah Mohammed Omar ordered the destruction of all statues and non-Islamic shrines located in different parts of Afghanistan on February 26, 2001. Explosives, tanks, and anti-aircraft weapons blew apart two colossal images of the Buddha in Bamiyan Province in stages. Initially, the statues were fired at for several days using anti-aircraft guns and artillery, and then anti-tank mines were placed at the niches, as per reports. Later, 25 men were lowered down the cliff-face to drill holes and place explosives, damaging more parts of the statues. Ultimately, the Taliban launched a rocket leaving a hole in the remains of the stone head, justifying it 'in accordance with Islamic law'. READ | Locust invasion wreaks havoc on Pakistan's crops, orchards READ | Buddhist carvings in PoK's Gilgit-Baltistan vandalised, Pakistan flag, slogans painted Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-19 22:45:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday that Egypt will never stand idle in the face of the challenge posed by the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD). The minster's statements came during a meeting held by parliament's small and medium-scale enterprises committee to explore the possibility of offering loans to farmers who wish to modernize their irrigation systems, state-run Ahram Online reported. "It is by no means an easy case and we have a lot of challenges in this respect, but we will never stand still or just stand as spectators," Abdel-Ati said. "Egypt has internal tools to address the problems that might be caused by the GERD." The Egyptian minister noted that Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is closely following the GERD negotiations. He revealed that the ministry's current strategy focuses on rationalizing the use of Nile water in agricultural projects, pointing out that the government is now expanding the use of sprinkling irrigation systems instead of the old-fashioned flood irrigation system. "The government is keen on helping farmers obtain soft-term loans to adopt modern irrigation systems that can save water," he added. South Africa, the current chair of the African Union (AU), invited Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to participate in a mini-summit on the GERD on July 21. The call for the summit came days after the three countries recently ended a round of talks on the GERD without reaching an agreement on the filling of the mega dam. The three countries sent separate reports to the AU on the progress of the talks, waiting for the mini-summit to come out with a decision regarding the Ethiopian dam. Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the water resources. Enditem Protesters march in France to remember a young Black man who died in police custody as his family continue their campaign for justice. A protest march took place in northern France, in memory of a young Black man who died in police custody four years ago. Adama Traore was arrested on his birthday after running away from officers who approached him for an identity check. But hours later, he was declared dead. Nobody has been convicted over his death. Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler reports from Persan, France. Merak Capital, a leading an asset management firm, has formally launched its operations from Saudi Arabia under the Capital Market Authority (CMA) license. The firm is founded by Abdullah Altamami, Othman Alhokail and Abdulrahman Bin Mutrib, Saudi nationals with extensive track record in technology and investments. The core focus of the company is building a technology-centric team and investing across different asset classes from early stage ventures into later stages, as well as special technology projects. Merak Capital technology focus is aligned with the Kingdoms Vision 2030 plan which has identified the technology sector as a key catalyst for economic development. One of the key themes of the Vision is to invest heavily in technology and digitization to create a flourishing business ecosystem that is ready to meet the challenges of the future. With more than 34 million in population, 60% of which is at age under 35 years, and with almost 90% online presence, the kingdom is utilizing its market size and infrastructure to further technological growth. Abdullah Altamami, Founding Partner and CEO of Merak Capital, said: We are delighted to officially launch Merak Capital. Technology has become a primary engine of growth across sectors, with the acceleration of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer adoption, increased digitization in enterprises and governments, and financial technologies changing consumer and business behaviour at a rapid pace. The launch of our technology-focused firm has come at a critical time for the Kingdom as we pave the way to a new future. TradeArabia News Service As many as 2,500 Russian mercenaries from the shadowy "Wagner Group" have faced off against 3,500 Syrian civil war veterans recruited by Turkey in the proxy battle for control in Libya, according to the Pentagon's Inspector General. U.S. Africa Command, which is focused on rooting out Islamic State and al Qaida-linked groups in the region, is essentially on the sidelines in Libya while closely monitoring activities in the civil war, the IG's quarterly report on counter-terror operations in Africa states. Read next: Pentagon Bans Confederate Flag on Military Bases Without Mentioning It by Name AFRICOM told the IG "that it has no credible reports of ISIS or al Qaida-affiliated militants among the mercenary forces from Syria, and assessed that the mercenaries are 'very likely' fighting in Libya for personal and financial reasons rather than ideological or political motivations," according to the 81-page report sent to Congress on Thursday. AFRICOM put the number of Syrian fighters at about 3,800 at the end of March and said they were recruited by NATO ally Turkey in support of the U.S. and United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, the report states Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have lined up behind the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) led by former Libyan Gen. Khalifa Haftar, who holds U.S. citizenship, while Qatar and Turkey support the GNA. "In Libya, fighting in the year-long civil war intensified following a significant increase of foreign mercenary forces," Acting IG Sean O'Donnell said in his preamble to the report. "As many as 2,500 fighters associated with the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary company, and as many as 3,800 Syrian fighters were in Libya during the quarter" as peace efforts floundered, O'Donnell said. To complicate an already confusing civil war, Russia has also been recruiting Syrians who fought against the Moscow-backed Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad to bolster the Wagner Group, the IG's report adds. The Syrian fighters aiding the Wagner Group "are former Syrian opposition rebels who reportedly agreed to fight in the Libyan civil war in exchange for $1,000 per month and clemency from the Assad regime," it states. The report did not estimate how much the Russians with the Wagner Group were being paid but said the Russians have "provided advanced equipment, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and advanced capabilities, such as trained snipers, to the conflict, resulting in significant casualties to forces aligned with the GNA." In a release Wednesday, AFRICOM said that the Russian mercenaries are planting land mines and improvised explosive devices around Tripoli and stretching east to the city of Sirte, Haftar's stronghold. In May, Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, the AFRICOM commander, charged that Russia had sent 14 advanced MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter aircraft to Libya in an effort to prop up Haftar's forces. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the Libyan fighting or knowledge of the Wagner Group's support for Haftar. The overall conclusion of the IG's report is that "violent extremist organization (VEO) activity appears to be outpacing U.S., European, and African efforts to counter it" in East, North and West Africa. In Somalia and East Africa, the al Qaida-linked al-Shabab terrorist organization "remains adaptive, resilient, and capable of attacking Western and partner interests," AFRICOM told the IG. "During the quarter, al-Shabab maintained its capability to conduct operations, using insurgent-style tactics, including harassing and hit-and-run attacks, ambushes, and improvised explosive device operations" against Somali and African Union forces, the report states. In West Africa, violence by extremist organizations increased in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon during the quarter, "reflecting a steady increase in violence over the past two years, the report adds. "The security situation in West Africa is a result of a complicated commingling of longstanding ethnic hostilities and the use of jihadist ideology that seeks to vanquish Western influence," the IG said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Russian Mercenaries Are Planting Mines in Libya to Shore Up a Rebel Leader, AFRICOM Says The NCP chief's comment comes a day after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundation stone next month. Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said some people think building a temple will help eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic, a day after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust suggested two dates in the next month for laying the foundation stone for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The trust had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lay the foundation stone either on 3 or 5 August. "Eradication of COVID-19 is the priority of the Maharashtra government, but some people think constructing a temple will help in its mitigation," Pawar told reporters in Solapur when asked about the proposed date for laying of the foundation stone for a Ram temple. Meanwhile, Arvind Sawant, the Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South, told news agency PTI that Lord Ram was a matter of faith for his party, and that it will not indulge in any politics over the issue. "Shiv Sena is a leading light of the Ram Mandir movement. (Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray had visited Ayodhya before becoming chief minister and even after taking charge," he said. The Sena, the NCP and the Congress are partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Sawant said ensuring health of people and providing them safety are priorities of the Sena-led state government, which is the concept of 'Ramrajya' (a rule of justice and truth). "....We are doing precisely this in our (the state government's) fight against the coronavirus in Maharashtra," he said. Kalaburagi, July 19 : Four pigs and half a dozen piglets were seen in a corridor of a state-run hospital in Karnataka's northern Kalaburagi district, an official admitted on Sunday. "As one of the doors was open, the pigs strayed into the corridor of the hospital's general ward in search of food, which some in-patients throw in the dustbin in the corner," a district health official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IANS on phone. The official hastened to clarify that the corridor was not in the hospital's Covid ward, which is sanitised and where entry is restricted. Though the pigs were seen strolling in the corridor and exiting from the open door 2-3 days ago, their video clip went viral on the social media on Sunday. "As the city is under lockdown again since July 15, civic workers have not been reporting to work daily to keep the premises secure from dogs and pigs, which stray into the hospital some times in search of food," said the official. Incidentally, the country's first coronavirus fatality was a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi who tested positive after he died at a private hospital in Hyderabad on March 11. Reacting to the incident, state Health Minister B. Sriramulu said he directed the district hospital staff to act against the pigs' owner for letting them off free to roam outside and stray into the hospital. "The video clip of pigs in the Kalaburagi hospital clip is 3 days old. All the pigs in the vicinity have been captured and relocated. I have told the hospital to ensure such an incident does not recur," Sriramulu told reports at Ballari when the incident was brought to his notice. A crime reporter who witnessed the execution of a white supremacist last week has revealed that the convicted murderer claimed he was innocent before he was put to death. According to Associated Press reporter Michael Balsamo, Daniel Lewis Lee was asked if he wanted to make a final statement from the execution chamber just moments before his execution on Tuesday morning. Balsamo said Lee leaned his head up and they locked eyes as he said: 'You're killing an innocent man.' Balsamo said Lee's last words were: 'You're killing an innocent man' Lee's execution was one of two that Balsamo witnessed over the last week at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. His execution marked the first lethal injection carried out by the federal government in nearly two decades. According to Associated Press reporter Michael Balsamo (pictured), Daniel Lewis Lee, was asked if he wanted to make a final statement from the execution chamber just moments before his execution on Tuesday Balsamo said there was 'a lot of waiting' before Lee's execution. 'Prison officials searched me extensively each time I arrived, then sent me back to my hotel during the legal maneuvering, only to call me back to the maximum-security facility,' Balsamo wrote. Lee, who was convicted of killing an Arkansas gun dealer, his wife and young daughter in the late 1990s, was scheduled to be executed Monday at 4pm, but the execution kept getting put off due to legal appeals. At 2.10am on July 14, the Supreme Court ruled the execution could proceed. Balsamo said that a Bureau of Prisons official called him to let him know that the execution was scheduled for 4.15am. 'We were brought into a small witness room,' Balsamo recalled. 'The curtain was shut, but I could hear noises coming from the other side of the wall. We couldn't make small talk. A man, albeit a convicted murderer, who was supposed to die soon could probably hear us.' 'There was no clock in the room. We lost track of how long we had been in there. Eventually someone asked if anyone knew what time it was. When a correction officer replied it was 6.10am, there was a collective gasp of surprise,' Balsamo said. Lee, who was convicted of killing Arkansas gun dealer, William Mueller, his wife, Nancy (pictured together), and Mueller's young daughter in the late 1990s, was scheduled to be executed Monday at 4pm, but the execution kept getting put off due to legal appeals Lee was convicted of murdering eight-year-old Sarah Powell (pictured) Lee's execution marked the first lethal injection carried out by the federal government in nearly two decades. The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, is pictured It was around 7.46am, when the curtain began to rise slowly, according to Balsamo, who said that Lee was strapped down with a light blue sheet covering most of his body. Balsamo also witnessed the execution of Wesley Ira Purkey (pictured) A US marshal inside the room with Lee picked up a black phone hanging on the wall and spoke to Washington headquarters, saying: 'This is the marshal inside the execution chamber.' The marshal asked if there were any legal impediments that would prohibit the execution. He listened, then said: 'I understand there are no impediments.' Moments later, Lee said his final words before the injection did its deadly work. 'His lips turned blue. His chest stopped moving. He was pronounced dead,' Balsamo recalled. Balsamo said there wasn't much time to dwell on what he had just witnessed because a second execution was scheduled for the next day. Wesley Ira Purkey was convicted of kidnapping a 16-year-old girl from her Kansas neighborhood, raping and killing her in the late 1990s and also killing an 80-year-old. His execution was also met with delays until Purkey's legal avenues were exhausted by the morning of July 16. According to Balsamo, the curtain of the execution chamber rose around 7.55am. Balsamo said that Purkey apologized to the family of the teenage girl he killed and to his own daughter. 'This sanitized murder really does not serve no purpose whatsoever,' Purkey said. 'Thank you.' A few minutes later, Purkey was declared dead just after 8am. First it came for your wetlands. Now its coming for your crawfish and your rice. A foreign snail that appeared in Louisiana just over 10 years ago and quickly infested ponds, bayous and streams in about 30 parishes has recently found its way to the farms that produce two of the states favorite foods. The invasive apple snail has shut down harvest at some crawfish farms in Vermilion, Acadia and Jefferson Davis parishes and has made its first devastating appearance in rice fields. In March, the invasive mollusks wiped out a 50-acre field of rice, marking the first reported case of the snail damaging the crop in Louisiana. "Where its hit em, its hit em hard, said David Savoy, a Church Point crawfish farmer and chairman of the Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board. In Vermilion, its so bad, you pick up a trap and theres 5 to 10 pounds of them. Its horrible. Attracted by the bait in traps, the snails crowd in, leaving little or no room for crawfish. At some farms, apple snails are being caught in such high numbers sometimes 12 crates per day that disposal of the thick-shelled snails is becoming a problem. Some farmers have had to halt harvests and drain their ponds early, suffering revenue reductions of as much as 50%, said Blake Wilson, an LSU AgCenter researcher. The impact on some of those farms, particularly where snail populations have been building for years, has been immense, he said. Only about 10 crawfish farms have been affected, but new reports keep coming in. Louisiana is by far the nations biggest crawfish producer. The industry contributes more than $300 million to the state economy each year and employs about 7,000 people, according to the research board. If the problem spreads to the whole industry, economic impacts could be tens of millions of dollars annually without effective control tactics, Wilson said. Those tactics are currently limited to pesticides. But what kills snails will also likely kill crawfish. Native to South America, the apple snails first appearance in Louisiana was in a Gretna drainage canal in 2006. Theyre popular in the aquarium trade partly because they eat the algae that dirties tanks. But they get quite big sometimes growing shells 6 inches in diameter and they often have a strong, swampy odor. Their presence in the wild is likely due to aquarium owners dumping them in ditches and ponds. Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The snails stay below the water's surface and arent often seen, but their bubblegum pink eggs are hard to miss. In clusters of 200 to 600, the tiny eggs have become an all-too-common sight on tree trunks and pilings just above the water line. Destroying the eggs is one of the best ways to reduce their numbers. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries recommends people scrape the eggs off with a stick and crush them, or at least knock them into the water. Be careful not to touch them because the eggs contain a neurotoxin that can irritate skin and eyes. The snails are edible but are known to carry rat lungworm, a parasite that can kill humans and other mammals. Rapid reproducers and voracious eaters, the snail overpopulates waterways and kills off habitat important to native fish and other wildlife. The snails appearance in crawfish farms comes at a particularly bad time for the industry. Crawfish have been hit with white spot syndrome, a deadly virus that was first discovered in farmed shrimp in Asia in the early 1990s and first appeared in Louisiana 2007. The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll as well. The AgCenter reported that some crawfish producers have been able to sell just 15% of their catch due to pandemic-related restaurant closures and occupancy limits. Scientists and farmers are perplexed about how the snail arrived in crawfish farms and why certain farms are swarming with them. Its weird, AgCenter researcher Greg Lutz said. It pops up in certain regions. You can have a farm with nothing, and three or four miles down the road theyre overrun. It could be that the snails benefit from flooding. An Acadia Parish farm started having a snail problem after its fields were flooded from a bayou linked to the Mermentau River, which is loaded with apple snails. The snail has been identified in just one rice field so far, but the potential for widespread destruction is strong. Its a major pest for rice growers in Spain, Asia and Central America. In the Philippines, the snail is considered a national menace, infesting about half the nations rice fields during the late 1980s. The snail left almost nothing at the rice field near Rayne. Wilson estimated the field had two snails per square foot. There was no trace of rice, he said. If you didnt know better, youd think it was a snail production farm. Jammu, July 19 : Pakistan again violated ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Sunday, a defence official said. "Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri at about 7.15 p.m.," Defence Ministry spokesman, Colonel Devender Anand, said. "Indian army is retaliating befittingly." On Friday, three civilians - a couple and their son - were killed in indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan in Khari Karmara sector of Poonch district. Pakistan has so far this year violated ceasefire on the LoC and the international border in J&K 2,711 times, killing 21 civillians and injuring 94 others. By Trend Military units of the armed forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 70 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles, Trend reports on July 19 referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. At present, relative calm is observed in the direction of the Tovuz region of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border. Armenian armed forces, located in Jil village and on nameless hills in Chambarak region subjected to fire the positions of the Azerbaijan Army located in Zamanly village and on nameless hills in Gadabay region. The positions of Azerbaijan Army were also fired from the positions of Armenian military units located near the occupied Goyarkh, Chilaburt villages of Terter region, Yusifjanly, Marzili villages of Aghdam region, Kuropatkino village of Khojavend region, Ashaghy Veysalli, Garakhanbayli, Ashaghy Seyidahmadli, Gorgan, Kurdlar, Horadiz villages of Fuzuli region, Mehdili village of Jabrayil region, as well as from the positions located on nameless hills in Goranboy and Terter regions. The enemy was suppressed by retaliation fire. Our units fully control the operational situation. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz As the coronavirus epidemic brought the worlds second-largest economy to a near-halt during the early part of the year, Chinese crude importers engaged in a massive buying spree, but now the Chinese bounty appears to be evaporating, and the bulls have been put on high alert by the weakening of a key oil price catalyst. In May, China's crude imports soared to an all-time high, with imports clocking in at 47.97 million tons, or 11.34 million barrels a day, according to Bloomberg. The furious buying by the worlds largest crude importer was a key reason why oil prices were able to stage a quick come back from their historic lows in April. But after two consecutive months of heightened purchases, Chinese imports of crude oil slowed quite dramatically in the month of June, with traders from Houston to Geneva to Singapore reporting that the countrys appetite for crude had cooled considerably in recent weeks. Customs data from 27 producer countries shows that exporters loaded ~2.55 million barrels a day, or 22%, less of crude headed for China during the month of May. Related: The Robinhood Phenomenon Is Fueling An Electric Vehicle Boom Theres a method to the madness though (hint: the second wave of Covid-19 is not to blame). Unsustainable Pace The export slump could be taken to mean either of two things: Chinas oil demand is hitting reverse gear once again, maybe due to the so-called second wave of Covid-19, or the pace of crude buying was unsustainable and is now reverting to the mean. Luckily for the bulls, the second option appears to be a more valid reason for the unfolding scenario. Chinas price-sensitive independent refiners--aka the teapots--took advantage of the oil price crash in April to stock up on cheap crude and cut their purchases sharply after crude prices rebounded. China imported a record 19.1 million barrels of Russias Urals for April loading. The journey from Russias Baltic Sea ports takes about 40-50 days, meaning much of the April-loaded oil would have arrived at Chinese ports in June. What some traders are latching onto is the hope that Chinas teapot refineries are still hungry--desperately so--for crude imports, if only to hold on to their government licenses to import at a certain quota. Further noted by traders is the fact that imports by the Chinese giants--China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec)--didnt miss a beat. This in turn means that imports are likely to remain lackluster in July and July and probably recover in September. This optimism, however, fails to account for the fact that the teapots make up over one-fifth of Chinese crude processing capacity. But theres another problem on the horizon for teapots in particular, if not for global traders: China is gearing up to build a mega refinery (400,000 barrel-per-day) in Shandong. That refinery is slated to come online in 2024, and it would render a lot of teapots irrelevant. Regarding demand being wrecked by the pandemic, China has been successful at dealing with its second Covid-19 wave, quickly bringing the situation under control in a matter of weeks and has remained relatively stable for at least a month now. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the giant North American markets. Global Demand Still Recovering You can expect to see more of this kind of trader-driven ebb and flow from the Chinese market in the future. Despite a slump in demand by a key customer, the price of Urals has held up pretty well. Russias flagship brand as well as Saudi and OPEC crude have been enjoying much better pricing power as we explained here thanks to the deep production cuts. Overall, global oil prices appear to have consolidated ~$40/barrel and are likely to remain range-bound until another big catalyst emerges (Covid-19 vaccine, anyone?) Related: Russia Looks To Woo Tech Companies As Oil Lags In the meantime, its worth keeping an eye on Chinas yuan-denominated crude-oil futures, launched in March 2018, because global interest is gathering--even if slowly. Challenges remain to this becoming a global benchmark, but its clearly headed in that direction. Global interest has increased because of fairly stable Chinese oil prices this year thanks to price controls that allowed it to slide through the oil price war that saw prices go negative for WTI in April, according to the Wall Street Journal. In 2018, there were only 45 international brokers offering up Chinese yuan-denominated oil futures. Now, there are 60, says WSJ, and they include JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. Further, for the first time, its profitable for traders to deliver this contract. Industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday that BP has now officially become the first major global firms to deliver oil to the Shanghai contract in July. BP reportedly delivered 3 million barrels of Iraqi oil to the contract, and is set to deliver another million barrels next month. By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: "Communal BJP", "Goonda RSS", "Demonetisation" in 2019 to "Phirey Daekha Ekushey July (Looking Back At The July 21 Martyrs' Day) in 2020 Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is ready with a new chant as she gears up to lead a virtual Shahid Diwas mega rally on July 21 in West Bengal to mark the killing of 13 Youth Congress activists on that day in 1993. Armed with a crackdown on her own corrupt party leaders, an image makeover and highlighting her governments achievements before the people Didi's Shahid Diwas speech is undoubtedly in many ways going to decide the future trajectory of peoples mood in the state considering the crucial 2021 assembly polls, observers say. The heart-wrenching pictures of thousands of migrant workers walking miles after miles and some states diluting labour laws during the Covid-19 crisis would very likely be in West Bengal chief minister's mind as themes to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with in her July 21 speech. Every year, the day is observed by Mamata in remembrance of the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in Kolkata police firing on July 21, 1993, while pressing their demand to make voter identity card the sole document required for voting. The chief minister, who was in the Indian National Congress at the time, was leading the protest. Over the years, the rally has transformed into an opportunity for Mamata to show her strength to political opponents. Lakhs of people gather at Kolkatas Maidan area to attend the Shahid Diwas programme, but this time Mamata will make her speech on a virtual platform because of the pandemic. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since last year's event, and and a-bit-wary Mamata (particularly after the 2019 Lok Sabha poll results showed the BJP had made massive gains in Bengal) has changed her stance substantially to get her party leaders organised for the 2021 assembly polls amid allegations of "syndicates", "cut money" and "Cyclone Amphan relief loot" involving some TMC members. A recent example was the show-cause notices sent to 200 party workers from just the Nandigram assembly constituency in East Midnapore the place which helped Mamata form her government in Bengal for the first time in 2011 by ending the Left Front's 34-year rule in the state. Perform or perish; I will bring a new face. There is no place for corruption in my party, she recently warned her party leaders through a videoconferencing meet. Party insiders said that besides highlighting the transparency in her governance, she will try to project the BJP as "rich, communal outsiders" and that it doesn't have a place in the "Bangaliana" culture of Bengal. The strategy to mobilise people based on their social and economic status worked well for Mamata when she came to power in 2011 with her famous "Amra-Ora (Us vs Them)" slogan. This time, on the same lines, Mamata is likely to highlight the intentions of political leaders from other states who have been levelling a series of allegations against her government without even knowing the geography, culture and emotion of the state. For example, recently BJP MP Tejasvi Surya from Karnataka tweeted about the Hemtabad BJP MLA death case. Our condolences to the deceased's family members, but do you actually think he should tweet without knowing the facts? Or do you think the people in Bengal actually care who Tejasvi Surya is? a senior TMC leader said. Forget about Tejasvi Surya. Do you think, except a few, people know the state BJP leaders by their faces and names? Mamatas clout in Indian politics can be gauged by the occasion when former President Pranab Mukherjee, a Bengali and an intellectual, described her as a "born rebel" and recalled how she once stormed out of a meeting, which left him "humiliated" and "insulted". Following her 2011 poll victory, instead of grand processions, Mamata had decided to walk down to the iconic Writers Building (state secretariat) in her flip-flops as lakhs of people marched behind her amid slogans of "Bodla Na, Bodol Chai (We want change, not revenge)". TMC district presidents, party leaders, block presidents, booth-level workers, MLAs and MPs have already swung into action with aggressive campaigning (involving small groups of people to ensure social distancing) with slogans like, "Phirey Dekha Ekushey July", "Didi Aachhe Chinta Nei (Dont worry, Didi is here)", Hridoye Aachhe Mamata (Mamata is in our hearts)" and "Banglar Gorbo Mamata (Mamata is Bengals pride)". They are also highlighting how the CMs schemes like Kanyashree, Sabuj Sathi, Khadya Sathi, Sabujshree, Shikshashree, Gatidhara, Gitanjali, Lok Prasar Prakalpa, Fair Price Medicine Shops, Shishu Sathi, Shishu Aloy, Pathasathi, Swasthya Sathi, Sabala, Anandadhara, Yuvashree, Samabyathi, Baitarani, Swabalamban, Khelashree, Safe Drive Save Life, Mission Nirmal Bangla, etc, have transformed Bengal in the past nine years, party leaders say. The Trinamool Congress has been organising Shahid Diwas every year since 1998 and this years commemoration will be a mega event as Mamata will kick off her assembly poll campaign via Facebook at 2 pm on July 21. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year, it is not possible to mark July 21 at the Maidan. Therefore, I have decided to address my people through a virtual platform at 2 pm. I would like to request my people to gather at their respective booths from 1 pm to hoist flags and pay respects to the martyrs. Please dont gather in large numbers and maintain social distancing, Mamata said recently. This will be Mamatas first virtual political rally in Bengal. Arrangements are in full swing to take her speech among the people at nearly 80,000 booths in the state. More than 3 lakh people across Bengal are likely to participate in this event. The TMC has also decided to circulate an audio version of Mamatas speech to party workers and supporters for maximum coverage. President Trump may be dissatisfied with some recent Supreme Court decisions, but voters who want the bench to lean conservative don't seem too worried about the direction it's going, The New York Times reports, and that could potentially have an effect on the 2020 election. Trump won some supporters in 2016 who were wary of his candidacy but felt his presidency was necessary to shift the balance of the country's highest court, and Trump did indeed fill two vacancies with justices who are considered adherents to conservative jurisprudence. As it turns out, the court has issued some surprising rulings with Chief Justice Roberts building a reputation as the court's swing vote, although Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have sided with the more liberal members of the court on certain issues too. The Trump re-election campaign is therefore once again bringing the Supreme Court to the forefront in the 2020 election, arguing it's necessary to instill another conservative judge should a vacancy open up. That will surely appeal to some Trump voters, but the Times reports it might not resonate as broadly as it did in 2016 because people are more or less satisfied with the Supreme Court's performance since Gorsuch and Kavanaugh took their seats. Trump himself may have played a role in that. "It's harder to make the case this year than it was in 2016 that there is an existential threat to the courts," said Rory Cooper, a Republican strategist. "Part of the problem is that the president and Senate Republicans have been so vocal about what a good job they've done on judicial confirmations, that some voters may think the job is done." More stories from theweek.com 7 ferociously funny cartoons about Trumps fight with Fauci Trump's chief of staff reportedly wants him to 'avoid drawing attention' to COVID-19 Coronavirus treatment reduces number of intensive care patients in clinical trial, biotech firm says Regarding the July 15 opinion piece by Tung Yin about Minoru Yasui, a Japanese Oregonian, (Rename a Portland school for the deserving Minoru Yasui), I was reminded of the wonderful Oregon Reads book of 2009 called Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese Family by Lauren Kessler. The book is a fascinating history starting with Minoru Yasuis father arriving in Seattle and then moving to Hood River where he started his fruit farms around 1913. It includes all the struggles the family endured over the years including those of Minoru Yasui, as described by Mr. Yin. Every Oregonian should read this book which highlights exceptional courage and fortitude. If there is an Oregonian who deserves to have a place of learning named after him, it is Minoru Yasui. Thanks to Tung Yin for highlighting one of the many remarkable Oregonians who've come before us. Susan Bexton, Portland The diamond industry has already suffered heavy losses due to the pandemic. In fact, today rough diamond sales are suspended globally, and so far, the time limits for this pause are unclear. The possible second wave of COVID-19 threatens with new losses, which may result in aggressive measures to save the diamond mining companies, the most capital-intensive part of the diamond pipeline. Against this background, the old discussion about the diversification of ALROSAs products is particularly urgent, which, from the point of view of some participants, can be considered as a real anti-crisis measure to hedge the risks due to the current problems facing the rough and polished diamond industry. As far as is known, this opinion is shared by vice-premier Yury Trutnev who instructed to develop proposals for ALROSAs participation in the development of precious and rare metals deposits. Vyacheslav Shtyrov, state adviser to the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) insists on the ALROSAs participation in the hydrocarbon production. At the same time, Sergey Ivanov, the current executive of ALROSA, is very skeptical about the idea of diversifying the Company. In our opinion, the only cause of the systemic crisis of any raw material company is the depletion of the mineral resources supporting its activities. Other reasons including the competition in the raw material market, financial problems of the companies processing raw materials, the problems in the final product distribution market are secondary, they require prompt actions and are temporary as previous experience shows. From this point of view, applying the term crisis to the current state of ALROSA is absolutely wrong, hence the emergency measures - including changing the line of business - are not required. ALROSA has diamond reserves in the amount of 1.0 bn carats on its balance sheet, these are the raw minerals of industrial categories approved by the State Committee for Mineral Reserves of the RF. The Company has a comfortable loan debt burden, high operational profitability and, most importantly, can count on the state support in the form of purchasing a part of marketable products by Gokhran. A combination of factors shows that ALROSA has obvious competitive advantages in the industry. The Company's management has a wide range of tools for making decisions during this difficult period, and minimizing losses depends on the management personnels proficiency. Supporters of the ALROSA diversification, as a rule, avoid assessing the impact of this process on the town-forming role - if not the geopolitical one - of the Company in the countrys Far East. However, this factor is crucial. The transition of the state economy from the planned regulation principles to the market economy in the early 1990s was not accompanied by complete privatization of the industrial sector. As a result, in various spheres of production, companies were set up with the participation of government agencies - both federal and municipal ones. As of the beginning of 2019, 59,300 enterprises of various organizational forms were registered in Russia that are indicated as the public sector of the economy category in the statistical reports. The general list of the public sector enterprises includes the companies playing a town-forming role, both of the regional and supra-regional levels. Of course, ALROSA is among them. By the volume of goods and services produced at the level of 250-300 bn roubles per year, ALROSA is inferior to the leaders of the state sector represented by Gazprom, Rosneft, Rosvooruzhenie (Russian State Arms Export Company), and many others. However, taking into account its town-forming role, ALROSA is among the leaders in Russia. The Company's total deductions into budgetary and extra-budgetary funds of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) amount to 50% of the cumulative business volume. However, the area of this entity of the Federation makes 20% of the total area of the country. ALROSA supports and fully develops the infrastructure network in the areas where it operates, from the transportation network to the energy supply facilities. The development of the public sector in the areas where ALROSAs enterprises are located is adequate to the state of the Company. This applies equally to the work of service firms including trade, supply, personal services, housing and utilities sector. The ALROSA's production activities are ensured by a significant consumption of material resources. These are fuels and lubricants, metal, construction materials, gas, electricity. In total, the Companys activities determine the development of the productive forces and production relations not only on a regional, but on a broader scale taking into account that ALROSA provides partner companies located outside Yakutia with work orders. Of course, changing the line of business of the Company will upset the balance of the production relations in the region and beyond. Any large-scale diversification, especially the one oriented towards new capital-intensive projects involving the production of solid minerals and (or) hydrocarbons will inevitably affect the ALROSA's dividend yield. Receiving dividends and the investments in the development are oppositely directed, since the source is the same - the profit from the companys activities. Attention should be paid to the indicators of the investment and dividend policy of the ALROSA Supervisory Board for the period from 2012 through 2019 (the data is taken from the annual reports). The data indicates that since 2016, there have been fundamental changes in the investment and dividend policy: prior to 2016, the funds exceeding the dividends by 4.0 times were allocated for the investments, and from 2016, the dividends began to exceed the investments by 2.0 times against the background of the decreased investments in absolute terms. There is no doubt that the shortage of raw materials in 2030-2040 will increase, which will necessarily raise the question of its partial compensation at the expense of the deposits that are in reserve. There are many previously discovered deposits that are on the balance sheet of ALROSA and its subsidiaries; the results of their Investment Feasibility Studies show a negative cash flow. This group of deposits is sometimes referred to as low margin deposits. Some blocks of mined deposits are also included in this category, such as pit reserves and rough diamonds reserves located below the boundaries of design mine workings. Obviously, the investments in the development of this category of reserves and their subsequent mining will reduce the total margin indicator of the integrated project that can be called the ALROSA Group Project. This resulted in a decrease in the high level of dividend yield in 2016-2019. From the strategic point of view, the shareholders have a difficult choice - to maintain a high level of dividends in the short term while keeping on reducing the capital investments in the raw material sector, or to increase the capital investments to the detriment of the dividend yield in order to get the geological reserves of raw materials prepared for long term mining. The second option is certainly preferred from the point of view of the development of the productive forces and production relations in the region and beyond taking into account the town-forming mission of the Company. Sergey Mityukhin and Sergey Goryainov Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Carol Mang and Jessie Pang (Reuters) Sun, July 19, 2020 16:27 549 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a40667940e0 2 World Hong-Kong,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Hong Kong tightened coronavirus restrictions on Sunday, with non-essential civil servants told to work from home from this week, as the global financial hub reported a record number of daily cases. Earlier on Sunday, an event by pro-democracy politicians to mark the one-year anniversary of an attack in a train station by an armed mob was stopped by police in riot gear for breaking coronavirus measures already in place that restrict group gatherings to four people. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told a news conference the city recorded more than 100 cases in the past 24 hours, the most since the pandemic took hold in late January, taking the tally close to 2,000 patients, 12 of whom have died. "The situation is very serious and there is no sign of it coming under control," Lam said. Amusement parks, gyms and 10 other types of venues will remain closed for another seven days, while a requirement for restaurants to only provide takeaway after 6 p.m. was extended. Face masks will be mandatory in indoor public areas. Read also: Chinese law could see UK judges stop serving at HK court Yuen Long anniversary Police in riot gear halted an event in the northern district of Yuen Long, where pro-democracy politicians planned to mark the anniversary of the attack on demonstrators and bystanders by more than 100 men with pipes and poles on July 21 last year, in which 45 people were injured. The Yuen Long attack was one of the most violent scenes of last year's pro-democracy protests, which plunged the global financial hub into its deepest crisis since it returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997. At the time, police were criticized for not responding quickly enough to calls for help, and for not arresting any alleged culprits at the scene. They later made several arrests and said the assailants had links to organised criminal gangs, or triads. A small number of protesters marked the anniversary chanting slogans in a shopping mall. Slate is making its essential coronavirus coverage free for all readers. Subscribe to support our journalism. Anthony Fauci, the countrys top infectious disease expert, says the data is clear that it is young people who are driving this new surge of coronavirus infections. While the young may feel invincible and theyre right that most of them wont get sick, they need to understand the role they play in making sure the virus keeps spreading to others with sometimes lethal consequences. Theyre not going to get very sick. They know that, Fauci said in an interview with WebMDs chief medical officer John Whyte. So what I think is happening is that, understandably, innocently, but not correctly, the younger individuals are saying, Well, if I get infected, so the chances of it is that I wont even have any symptoms, so who cares? Thats a big mistake. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent data shows that the biggest age group reporting new COVID-19 infections is at least 15 years younger than a few months ago, he said. And even though its true that statistically those people are less likely to develop severe symptoms, people need to analyze the consequences of their actions. By allowing yourself to get infected or not caring if you do get infected, you are propagating a pandemic. Because it doesnt end with you, Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. You get infected and have no symptoms. The chances are youre going to infect someone else, who will then infect someone else. And eventually in that chain the virus could reach someone whos vulnerable either because of their age or because they have a compromised immune system. All of a sudden, youre not operating in a vacuum, he said. Youre part of the problem as opposed to being part of the solution. Fauci emphasized that he didnt want to blame anybody, characterizing it as a messaging problem. These are people that are doing this innocently and inadvertently, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Fauci spoke as the surge in new COVID-19 infections is leading to packed emergency rooms in some parts of the country. New infections are rising around the world too, as the World Health Organization reported a record increase in cases for a second day in a row with a rise of 259,848 in 24 hours. The United States led the ranking with 71,484 new cases, followed by Brazil with 45,403 and India with 34,884. Fauci, who is currently locked in a tense relationship with much of the White House leadership, said he stands by his prediction last month that the United States may very well start reporting as many as 100,000 new COVID-19 infections per day. Although getting to that number isnt inevitable, avoiding it would require people to follow social distancing guidelines and wear masks. I do hope we dont reach that and that we actually turn it around in time, Fauci said. But, you know, the virus is a very formidable foe here. In an interview with Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, Fauci had warned that while most young people wont develop serious symptoms, there are growing reports that many do get sick for weeks, and that could have long-term consequences. Its the people who really get knocked out badly, particularly those who require hospitalization, that its going to take months to a year or more to determine if there are any long-lasting, deleterious consequences of the infection, Fauci said. We just dont know that now. We havent had enough time. EU leaders prior to a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP) Marathon European Union talks to agree an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro (1.68 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund have entered a third day. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the summit of 27 leaders could still end without a deal. The bitter negotiations, which are taking place amid the unprecedented crisis of the coronavirus pandemic, have underscored the deep fissures within the 27-nation bloc, with the traditional Franco-German alliance struggling to get its way. Whether there will be a solution, I still cant say, Mrs Merkel said as she arrived early for the extra day of talks at what had been planned as a two-day summit in Brussels. Expand Close German Chancellor Angela Merkel (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp German Chancellor Angela Merkel (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP) There is a lot of goodwill, but there are also a lot of positions. So I will join in working for it. But there may also be no result today. Mrs Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron walked out of heated talks late on Saturday, with a group of nations led by the Netherlands pushing to limit the amount of grants given to countries whose economies have been hardest hit by the pandemic and to impose strict conditions on how the money is spent. They run off in a bad mood, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in the early hours of Sunday after Mrs Merkel and Mr Macrons departure from talks. The fact that we continue talking shows we all have optimism. Expand Close Dutch PM Mark Rutte, right, with Swedens PM Stefan Lofven, left, Austrias Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, second left, and Denmarks PM Mette Frederiksen (Francisco Seco/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dutch PM Mark Rutte, right, with Swedens PM Stefan Lofven, left, Austrias Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, second left, and Denmarks PM Mette Frederiksen (Francisco Seco/AP) Mr Rutte is widely seen as the leader of the nations known as the Frugal Four the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden. Mr Macron and Mrs Merkel met deep into the night with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the leader of the EUs executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen. On Sunday morning, they continued their talks along with summit host Charles Michel before the summit restarted. The urgency of the talks is clear. The coronavirus pandemic has pitched the bloc into its worst recession ever and killed around 135,000 of its citizens. Expand Close European Council president Charles Michel, left, speaks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron (Francisco Seco/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp European Council president Charles Michel, left, speaks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron (Francisco Seco/AP) The EU executive has proposed a 750 billion euro (682 billion) fund, partly based on common borrowing, to be sent as loans and grants to the most needy countries. That comes on top of the seven-year, one trillion-euro EU budget that leaders have been haggling over for months. All nations agree they need to help but the four richer nations in the north, led by the Netherlands, want strict controls on spending, while struggling southern nations such as Spain and Italy say conditions should be kept to a minimum. Mr Macron said leaders need to compromise on Sunday. I think it is still possible, but these compromises, I say very clearly, will not be made at the cost of European ambition, he said. Portland, Oregon: Top leaders in the US House said on Sunday they were alarmed by the Trump administrations tactics against protesters in Portland, Oregon, and other cities, including Washington, DC, and called on federal inspectors general investigate. Militarised federal agents deployed by the President to Portland, Oregon, fire tear gas at protesters. Credit:AP This is a matter of utmost urgency, wrote House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, in a letter to the inspectors general of Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security. The Democratic lawmakers are seeking an investigation into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney-General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, DC, Portland, and other communities across the United States. The mayor of Oregon's largest city said on Sunday the presence of federal agents is exacerbating tensions in Portland, which has seen nearly two months of nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Hotels warned against price gouging under domestic tourism scheme BANGKOK: Deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul on Sunday (July 19) warned all hotels joining the Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) programme not to increase their room rates to take advantage of the 40% subsidy from the government. tourismeconomicsCOVID-19 By Bangkok Post Sunday 19 July 2020, 06:56PM A woman holds a phone displaying the Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) website offering hotel subsidies to promote tourism. Photo: Chanat Katanyu / Bangkok Post With a ban on foreign tourists in place, the government is relying on local travellers to inject money into the tourism sector with the Rao Tiew Duay Kan domestic tourism drive, which subsidises 5 million nights of hotel accommodation. Under the scheme, tourists pay only 60% of normal room rates, with the government responsible for the other 40%, with the subsidy capped at B3,000 per night for up to five nights. More than 3.6 million people have signed up for the package since registration on the website began on Wednesday. Ms Traisuree said any hotels caught price gouging will be terminated from the programme immediately, reports the Bangkok Post. Most of the registrants had reserved one-night stays in hotels in eastern and western provinces. Krabi was the most popular long-distance tourist destination so far, she added. The warning came after several registrants complained of inflated room rates on social media. One person wrote on a Facebook page that a hotel where she planned to stay had advertised a rate of B2,200 per night, but the amount increased when she tried to register with the tourism promotion campaign. The rate was now B4,000 per night, or B2,400 after the 40% discount rate, she wrote without naming the hotel. NEW CASES The warning came as the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Sunday reported that three new COVID-19 infections were found in Thais returning to the country from abroad. Two of the cases returned to the country from Singapore: a 60-year-old man who arrived in Bangkok on July 6 and tested positive five days later, and a 43-year-old man who was tested after showing symptoms when he arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday. The third case was a 39-year-old man who arrived from Sudan on Saturday. He also showed symptoms at the airport, was tested and then diagnosed with the disease. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said all three new patients had no contact with the public and are now hospitalised. The total number of confirmed cases was now 3,249, with fatalities unchanged at 58. Although the country has been free of local transmissions for 55 days, a Suan Dusit Poll issued on Sunday indicated that public sentiment was still against plans to open the doors to foreigners, the Bangkok Post noted. Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday (July 19) expressed condolence on the deaths of 10 people due to lightning strikes during thunderstorms in at least seven districts of the state. He announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. CM Nitish appealed to the people of the state to remain vigilant and stay indoors as long as possible during the bad weather. He also asked people to follow advisories issued by the Disaster Management Department in this regard. At least 10 people were killed in lightning strikes in the state on Sunday. Three people were killed in Purnea, two in Begusarai and one each in Patna, Saharsa, East Champaran, Madhepura and Darbhanga districts, a Disaster Management Department official said. More than 160 people have died due to lightning strikes in the state in the past three weeks. The highest number of 83 people were killed in lightning strikes in 23 districts on June 25. As European leaders haggled in Brussels on Saturday over billions of euros to prop up their coronavirus-blighted economies, four prime ministers slipped away in search of comfort food: a paper cone of Belgian fries. The snack that Americans call "French fries" - and Britons call "chips" - are such a staple dish in Belgium that roadside shacks and trailers selling "frites" were allowed to stay open during this spring's lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes tweeted a photograph of herself and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel outside the famous Maison Antoine "friterie" clutching their booty; she had "Andalouse" sauce with her fries and Bettel chose "Samurai". They were joined by the prime ministers of Estonia and Malta, and all four sat together outside the restaurant in the Place Jourdan, which has also served German Chancellor Angela Merkel during breaks in previous European Union summits. Belgium has sought to have "Belgian fries" and the culture around them recognised as a distinct part of global heritage, alongside its beer-making tradition. Many Belgians say their country invented fries, and that it was only because U.S. troops stationed in the French-speaking part of Belgium during World War One mistakenly called them "French" that the name stuck. KYODO NEWS - Jul 19, 2020 - 20:25 | All, Coronavirus, Japan Japan's prefectural governors on Sunday decided to ask the central government to consider excluding more areas from a travel campaign as necessary to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The governors said they hope the 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion) subsidy initiative aimed at sparking domestic trips will help revive their virus-hit economies. But "we have to avoid (the campaign) causing the virus to spread," they said in proposals to the central government compiled at an online meeting to discuss responses to the coronavirus. The proposals will be submitted to the central government in the near future. The government will launch the Go To Travel Campaign on Wednesday as planned, but is excluding Tokyo from the program after a recent spike in cases in the capital. "We are facing a critical phase where we have to deal with the movement (of people) in wider areas and prevent the spread of the virus at the same time," Tokushima Gov. Kamon Iizumi, president of the National Governors' Association, said in the opening speech, referring to a rise in nationwide infections. Tokyo remains the hardest-hit area with its new cases accounting for about a third of the nationwide tally. On Sunday, the Tokyo metropolitan government reported 188 new infections. Tokyo saw the figure reaching nearly 300 for three straight days through Saturday including a single-day record of 293 cases reported on Friday. Related coverage: Japan's travel campaign thrown into disarray after minister's remarks Japan reports over 660 new cases of COVID-19, most in over 3 months 1 in 4 commute by bicycle to avoid crowds amid pandemic: survey The daily figures reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions in the capital. Across the country, total cases stood at some 25,300 as of Sunday afternoon as a resurgence in infections has also become more apparent in other urban areas. The tally excludes 712 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama in February. The governors urged the central government to run the campaign over the long term, as some areas in the Kyushu region are not able to accept tourists anytime soon in the wake of devastating floods caused by torrential rain. They also asked the government for timely disclosure of information about infections at U.S. bases in Japan after an increasing number of new cases has been reported by the U.S military. In Okinawa, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan, 143 military personnel have tested positive, according to the prefectural government. A group calling itself Concerned Photojournalists in the Western Region has declared a total boycott of programmes organised by the Minister of State and Member of Parliament for Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira, Catherine Afeku. The photojournalists claimed that their decision has to do with the alleged manhandling of a Metro TV Cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Ashaley, by Afekus bodyguard at Axim. The group, made up of cameramen of television stations, say they are not happy that their colleagues recordings were deleted at the premises of an Axim Court on July 10, 2020, during a defamation suit the MP was pursing. The group of photojournalists has thus asked the MP to distance herself from the conduct of her bodyguard, cause his arrest and also apologize. The Convener of the Concerned Photojournalists group, Charles Agyir gave the ultimatum to the MP during a press conference in Takoradi following Catherine Afeku's continues denial and justification of the incident. Before the commencement of the court proceedings, the Metro TV Cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Gilbert Ashaley was taking video footages (cutaways) outside the court premises to support his story since recordings or picture/video in the courtroom is not allowed. This was after he had sought permission from the court clerk. Without any provocation, the said bodyguard identified as (Appiah) who arrived in the company of the MP and Minister of State, Mrs Catherine Afeku and the husband, Seth Afeku, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Frank Okpenyen, upon seeing the cameraman outside the court premises videoing the entrance of the court, rushed to the cameraman, interrupted him and ordered him to hand over the Metro TV branded video camera to him. The refusal of Alhaji Mustapha Gilbert Ashaley to hand over his official camera to the bodyguard resulted in a fierce confrontation and heckling, which attracted the intervention of a policeman. Another senior officer who was at the scene asked the cameraman to hand over the camera under duress to the junior police officer which he did. However, surprisingly, the Member of Parliament for Evalue-Jomoro Gwira Constituency and Minister of State and MCE looked on unconcerned and gracefully walked to take their positions in the courtroom. It was interesting to note that, after the camera was handed back to the Metro TV Cameraman after the court proceedings, all visuals on the camera had been deleted under the supervision of officers of the Ghana Police Service. Following this, the Concerned Photojournalists say they wont attend any of the programmes organised by Catherine Afeku until she apologizes. We would resist any attempt by Catherine Afeku to use her office to suppress media freedom. Therefore, we would stand firmly together with our colleague until the right thing is done. Again, we are declaring a total boycott of all programs of Catherine Afeku, the Nzema East Municipal Assembly, until the MP Catherine Afeku, and the MCE for Nzema East Frank Okpenyen distance themselves from the bad conduct of the bodyguard who appears to have gained notoriety in pummeling people. We would also like to throw our weight behind the Ghana Journalists Association (Western-GJA) for the call made for the immediate arrest of the bodyguard of the Member of Parliament for Evalue-Jomoro Gwira Constituency and Minister State at the Presidency for assaulting the Cameraman and deleting his video footages from his camera. The Concerned Photojournalists of the Western Region also challenged the Western Regional Police Command to conduct an independent investigation to bring to book the police officer and the bodyguard. We, therefore, view this as a clear human rights abuse and would like to condemn this unwarranted attack on Alhaji Mustapha Gilbert Ashaley while he was on duty, which is an affront to press freedom. We want to remind the police and the Minister of State that we are in a democratic era, governed by the rule of law, and therefore the era of tyrannical conduct belongs to the past. We are shocked that after the recent adaptation of a framework on Police Media Relations and safety of Journalists in the country, Axim Police supervised the bizarre seizure and deletion of the reporter's professional work. That obviously could not be anything less than an attack on press freedom. The reason why we are rallying support for our colleague to secure justice is because, journalists continue to face challenges such as physical attacks and threats in the discharge of their duties and if we dont stand together, any of us could become victims of such political attacks. We are reminding the Western Regional Police Command of our decades of good working relationship with them, and all security agencies. They should therefore not allow their men to be used by Catherine Afeku and the political class to undermine press freedom or curtail the freedom of the public unduly. We know that the cameraman, Alhaji Mustapha Gilbert Ashaley with many years of experience, followed due process in the court reporting protocols when it comes to court reporting even to the extent of seeking clearance. We once again wish to call on the Regional Commander to investigate the said senior officer why he ordered the reporter to hand his camera over to the junior officer. We also want to know who deleted the video footages from the Metro TV Camera and why? When Citi News contacted MP, Catherine Afeku for her response, she said her response would come from the police. It's being prepared by the police you will get a copy soon, she said. citinewsroom Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut recently appeared on Republic TV and made allegations against some Hindi film fraternity members. She was speaking to journalist Arnab Goswami in the wake of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death by suicide last month. During the course of discussion, she called Taapsee Pannu a B-grade actress who would come to Karan Johars defence at times. Now, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Pannu has hit back at Ranaut. She said, I never mentioned anywhere I like Karan Johar or anyone she alleges, but I have never said I hate them either. So, the fact that you dont hate someone she hates, is equivalent to you like that person and you suck up to that person? Read: Kangana Ranaut Claims Aditya Chopra Threatened Her for Refusing Sultan In her TV interaction, Ranaut called Pannu and Swara Bhasker better looking and more talented than Ananya Pandey and Alia Bhatt. In response, Pannu said, First of all I dont think my existence has got anything to do with looks primarily. And, I have had my share of struggles and just because I dont glorify them and deal with them with a positive outlook, doesnt make me any less of the outsider. Pannu also tweeted, Maine suna class 12th n 10th ke result ke baad humaara result bhi aa gaya hai! Humaara grade system ab official hai? Abhi tak toh number system pe value decide hoti thi na. Maine suna class 12th n 10th ke result ke baad humaara result bhi aa gaya hai! Humaara grade system ab official hai ? Abhi tak toh number system pe value decide hoti thi na #MaLifeMaRulesMaShitMaPot taapsee pannu (@taapsee) July 19, 2020 Ranaut has been very vocal after Sushants death and has been calling some Bollywood members a part of the movie mafia. She has also accused Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar of conspiring against outsiders in the film industry. Doris Group, Schneider Electric and Aveva have agreed to develop a strategic partnership to deliver Digital Twin technology for the upstream oil and gas markets. These new solutions will support the goals of oil and gas organisations to improve asset performance, increase sustainability and maximise return on capital on projects. Doris is a global Engineering and Project Management company in the energy industry, Schneider is the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation and Aveva is a global leader in engineering and industrial software. The three companies will combine offerings to bring engineering capabilities, an asset lifecycle software solution and digital specialisation in order to create a fully formed digital twin to serve as a backbone for improving performance for the upstream sector. The new solution will: *Bring new assets on stream faster through the use of cloud-enabled software that improves collaboration and increases engineering efficiencies; *Deliver enhanced safety leading to better business outcomes; *Improve traceability through a single point of accountability; and *Enable remote operations and production assurance through a fully functional Living Digital Twin that mirrors all aspects of the operating asset. Oil and Gas owner operators have struggled to go digital due to the lack of a structured offering and orchestration as no single vendor currently delivers what is required to achieve this. Large amounts of data of various types, from different sources is another challenge they face, often leading to data inaccuracy and incompatibility, as well as difficulties in organising that data and identifying trends. Similarly, the oil and gas sector is under considerable pressure to quantify, track and reduce CO2 emissions as well as reduce overall pollution this can be even more difficult with limited monitoring, no established method and no data-driven decision making. Together, Doris, Aveva and Schneider Electric will offer a structured digital and collaborative solution across the lifecycle of projects that will help oil and gas owner operators address many of these challenges. Christophe Debouvry, CEO of Doris Group, stated: Combining our complementary expertise will go a long way to providing a powerful enabler to offer our customers embarking on their digital transformational journeys with optimised solutions throughout their assets lifecycle. Craig Hayman, CEO Aveva, commented: Leaders driving the next wave of transformation are moving quickly and thats why this partnership with Schneider Electric and Doris Group is so opportune. Our common aim is to support organisations on their digital journey especially in the current environment, helping them accelerate the use of digital technology, realise the value of a digital twin and also work towards a more sustainable future. Its never been easier to begin a digital transformation programme, as access to cloud computing, great connectivity, a merged edge and enterprise combined with analytics and machine learning, means that the ability to digitally drive productivity improvements into the industrial world is now unprecedented. Christopher Dartnell, President Oil & Gas and Petrochemicals at Schneider Electric, commented: This partnership is in line with Schneider Electrics objectives around Digitisation and Energy Transition and we will bring our expertise in both energy and process efficiency to the industry. Our goal is to support customers looking to adopt a digital twin model, by offering our experience to facilitate the overall digital transformation for our clients enable them to improve lifecycle performance and safe operations while also making their operations more sustainable. -- Tradearabia News Service This summer, tens of millions of people across China have been affected by torrential rains that caused floods and landslides and battered cities and villages in dozens of provinces. It is the worst flooding to hit China in decades. Heavy rains have lashed 27 of the countrys 31 provinces since June, affecting more than 37 million people and leaving 141 dead or missing, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Monday. Economic losses have been estimated at 86 billion yuan (US$12.3 billion) so far. By comparison, the Great Flood of 1993 along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries one of the most costly and devastating floods seen in the United States resulted in about 50 deaths and 54,000 people being evacuated. Economic losses were put at US$15 billion to US$20 billion. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. Vehicles are submerged in Congjiang county, Guizhou province in early June. Photo: Xinhua Chinas floods started in the south, in the Guangxi Zhuang region and Guizhou province, in June. Heavy rains have since wreaked havoc across large swathes of the country, including Jiangxi province in the east, Anhui in the southeast and Hubei in the centre, with the emergency response for flood control raised to its highest level in some places. The scale of the disaster is vast, with the water level of 433 rivers going above the flood control line since June, and 33 of them at record high levels, according to the Ministry of Water Resources. In some of the hardest-hit areas such as Jiangxi, levees have collapsed and houses have been destroyed, reminding stranded locals of the devastating floods in 1998 that killed more than 3,000 people and left 15 million homeless. Were on higher ground so we did not expect the floods to be so serious, but the water rushed in and I had to take a car to my shop to pack up, said Ping Ping, a porcelain shop owner in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. I had only ever seen floods on the news. That night, the floodwater came up to my knees at first, then there was a swell of water again, she said. Story continues The Jingdezhen government must think about this problem. We hear that there are floods every year, so shopkeepers with experience usually know when to prepare, she said, questioning why they were so unprepared this summer. Why are this years floods so severe ? China has perennial flooding in summer but a combination of climate reasons and human behaviour have contributed to a longer-than-usual duration and incessant rainfall in some regions. The subtropical high pressure system over the western North Pacific was strong this year, said Song Lianchun, a meteorologist with the National Climate Centre. Its intersection with cold air has led to continuous heavy rainfall in the Yangtze River basin. Another reason was global warming, he said. We cannot say a single extreme weather event is directly caused by climate change, but seeing it over the long term, global warming has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, Song said. From 1961 to 2018, there has been an increase in extremely heavy rainfall events in China, according to the China Climate Change Blue Book (2019). And since the mid-1990s, the frequency of extreme rainfall has increased dramatically. Over the past 60 years, the number of days of heavy rain has gone up by 3.9 per cent a decade, according to Song. Aside from the rainfall, human behaviour has also contributed to the severity of the floods in China. Fan Xiao, a geologist with the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau, said decades of land reclamation and dam-building on nearby rivers had reduced the area and volume of Poyang Lake, the countrys largest freshwater lake which is located in Jiangxi. Some 1,300 sq km (502 sq miles) of land was reclaimed there from 1954 to 1998, which caused the surface area of the lake to shrink from 5,160 sq km (1,992 sq miles) to 3,860 sq km (1,490 sq miles), according to a study by University of Alabama geographer David Shankman. Environmental volunteer Zhang Wenbin said he had investigated illegal land reclamation activities at Tuolin, another lake in the province. He said some of the projects around the lake were still under way last year, even though they had been ordered to stop by environmental inspectors from Beijing. There are many similar cases, Zhang said, adding that Tuolin Lake had also shrunk in size, reducing its storage capacity for floodwaters. A fisherman rows his boat past a submerged house in the village of Longkou, Poyang county in Jiangxi on Thursday. Photo: AFP How does it compare to other years? Chinas worst known floods were in 1931, when more than 2 million people were killed. The flooding inundated an area the size of England and half of Scotland combined, affecting about 25 million people or a tenth of the population at the time, Chris Courtney, an assistant professor at Durham University, wrote in The Nature of Disaster in China. Since the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949, there have been two catastrophic floods. The first was in the summer of 1954 along the Yangtze River, resulting in over 30,000 deaths and affecting 18 million people. The second was in 1998, again along the Yangtze but also in the south and north of the country. It was the worst flooding in recent years, with more than 3,000 people killed, 15 million left homeless, and US$24 billion in economic losses. But Song Lianchun, head of the National Climate Centre, told reporters on Wednesday that this years downpours had not affected such a broad area of the Yangtze River basin as in 1998. The floods in 1998 had an impact on the whole Yangtze region, but this year torrential rains have mainly affected the middle and lower reaches of the river, so the affected area is smaller, Song said. What about flood defences? After the disaster in 1998, Beijing increased its spending on flood defences. Chinas investment in water resource [infrastructure] in the five years after 1998 was more than the total from 1949 to 1999, according to Cheng Xiaotao, who sits on an expert panel of the National Disaster Reduction Committee. Cheng said reservoirs built on Chinas major rivers after 1998, including the huge Three Gorges Dam, had a key role in relieving flood pressure in the lower reaches of the Yangtze. The controversial Three Gorges Dam in Yichang, Hubei is again under scrutiny. Photo: Reuters However, experts have questioned whether massive dams can effectively control flooding downstream, and the controversial Three Gorges Dam built in 2006 to help tame the Yangtze is again under scrutiny. Fan, the geologist from Sichuan, said the dam could partially intercept flooding upstream, but it had a limited effect on controlling floodwaters in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze. According to Peter Gleick, a hydroclimatologist and member of the US National Academy of Sciences, one of the lessons from the Three Gorges was that no dam no matter how large it was could prevent the worst floods from occurring. But Gleick added that it was not known whether Chinas floods would have been better or worse without the dam. What is known is that the growing risks of human-caused climate change is worsening the risks of extreme rainfall events and floods, which makes it even more likely that dams like the Three Gorges will be unable to prevent the worst flooding from occurring in the future, he said. Liu Junyan, a climate and energy campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia, said the growing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events meant climate risks should be a consideration for Chinas urban planners. Planning and construction should be able to deal with [climate] risks in the future, she said. Additional reporting by Phoebe Zhang Purchase the 120+ page China Internet Report 2020 Pro Edition, brought to you by SCMP Research, and enjoy a 30% discount (original price US$400). The report includes deep-dive analysis, trends, and case studies on the 10 most important internet sectors. Now in its 3rd year, this go-to source for understanding China tech also comes with exclusive access to 6+ webinars with C-level executives, including Charles Li, CEO of HKEX, James Peng, CEO/founder of Pony.ai, and senior executives from Alibaba, Huawei, Kuaishou, Pinduoduo, and more. Offer valid until 31 August 2020. To purchase, please click here. More from South China Morning Post: This article Global warming and illegal land reclamation add to severe floods in China first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. A note to the editors of the New York Times: When Bari Weiss says youre too liberal, youre too liberal. Weiss is the Times opinion editor who went out last week with a bang by firing off a resignation letter in which she stated that a new consensus has emerged in the press, but perhaps especially at this paper: that truth isnt a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else. That letter caused a big splash in the media, with many outlets labeling Weiss as a conservative. A conservative? Heres how Weiss described herself on a widely viewed interview with podcaster Joe Rogan: Im a centrist. Im a Jewish, center-left on most things, person who lives on the upper west side of Manhattan and is super socially liberal on almost any issue you can choose. Among those issues, she told Rogan, is the right to keep and bear arms. I would repeal the Second Amendment, she told Rogan. Theres plenty more where that came from, all of which would exempt Weiss from membership in my personal circle of right-wing reactionaries. Yet even her tame objections to Times orthodoxy got her harassed by her fellow journalists, Weiss wrote. Still other New York Times employees publicly smear me as a liar and a bigot on Twitter with no fear that harassing me will be met with appropriate action, she wrote. They never are. In the letter, Weiss also mentioned the recent flap at the Times over the decision to run an op-ed piece by Senator Tom Cotton headlined Send in the Troops in which he advocated using the military to keep the peace in American cities. This is where the Times truly went over the edge. The op-ed section and the news section are separate entities there, as they are at most newspapers. The writers in the former are supposed to be subjective, the writers in the latter objective. At least thats the ideal. But many reporters uttered howls of indignation at the thought that the Times ran the piece in question. This is reminiscent of the flap a few months ago in which the editors at the Hachette book publishing company walked out in opposition to plans to publish Woody Allens recent book. In a column on that, I wrote that the publisher should have informed the staff that Book editors are a dime a dozen and weve got a lot of dimes. The same goes for the members of the Times news staff. The publisher should have told the reporters that if they wanted to express their opinions they should resign and apply for work in the opinion section. But in both cases, the publishers succumbed to the cancel culture. Hachette dropped Allens book and the Times accepted the resignation of the opinion editor. In the case of the Times, the news staffers employed a particularly devious and dishonest new meme to camouflage their assault on freedom of expression. Instead of stating frankly their desire to suppress speech with which they disagreed, a number of reporters tweeted out the columns headline followed by the sentiment Running this puts black @NY Times staff in danger. Just how these staffers were put in danger was not stated. In Cottons op-ed, he argued that the troops would be used to prevent violence, not engage in it. He cites the 1962 decision by President Kennedy to introduce troops to keep the peace when white protesters tried to prevent the integration of the University of Mississippi. Whether his approach is preferable is subject to debate. But the Times staffers dont want to hear it debated. I confess I lack whatever gene causes writers to want to suppress the writings of others. I for one enjoy reading the opinions of people with whom I disagree. Most the time I have a horse laugh at their naivete. But sometimes I learn something I didnt know. Either way, I wouldnt want to suppress such speech. But thats the way the so-called cancel culture works. Its gotten so bad that earlier this month Harpers Magazine ran a letter signed by several hundred writers attacking the culture of stifling speech. We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters, they wrote. But it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought. The letter of course soon brought a response from other writers attacking the signers. The signatories of the letter seem to be suggesting that all viewpoints should be published in opinion pages, with no limits on what those viewpoints might be, they wrote. I dont know if thats what those signatories were suggesting. But it sounds good to me. ADD - ANDREW SULLIVAN GOT THE SAME TREATMENT: Later in the week, writer Andrew Sullivan, who is considerably more conservative than Weiss, was squeezed out at New York Magazine. Note the same meme of a phony physical threat to justify suppression of speech. Heres what Sullivan said of his critics at the magazine: They seem to believe, and this is increasingly the orthodoxy in mainstream media, that any writer not actively committed to critical theory in questions of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity is actively, physically harming co-workers merely by existing in the same virtual space. Actually attacking, and even mocking, critical theorys ideas and methods, as I have done continually in this space, is therefore out of sync with the values of Vox Media. That, to the best of my understanding, is why Im out of here. Florida reported 12,523 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive day the hot-spot state reported more than new 10,000 infections, according to the state's health department. The state has reported more than 11,865 new cases of Covid-19 on average over the past seven days, up 29% from a week ago, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The Florida Department of Health says the virus has infected more than 350,047 people in the state and killed at least 4,982 people. The state has reported more than 10,000 new cases per day since Tuesday. Of the past 10 days, Florida has reported more than 10,000 new cases on nine of those days, according to the state health department. It reported a record spike of 15,244 new cases on July 11. Hospitalizations have risen in recent weeks as well. As of Sunday, 49 hospitals had no more available adult intensive care units, according to Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration. "The residents here are terrified and I'm terrified, for the first time in my career because there's a lack of leadership," Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala, whose district is in Miami-Dade County, said on ABC's "This Week." "It's terrible. We have community spread, which means the virus is out of control." The lack of both federal and state leadership from Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has hampered local officials' ability to bring the virus under control, said Shalala, who was secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton. She added that the state did not shut down for long enough to "starve the virus" and that the governor has declined to issue a statewide mask order. DeSantis' office did not immediately return CNBC's request for comment. "In my district, it's low-income minorities: Hispanics and African Americans," she said, "who are forced to go back to work for economic reasons and because their employers demanded they go back to work." She added that the people in her district live in multigenerational households, so those who become infected often pass it on to their older family members. Over the past seven days, the median age of newly infected people in Florida was above 40, according to the state's health department. That marks a steady rise since mid-June, when DeSantis noted that the median age of those testing positive had fallen from 65.5 years old in March to 37 in June, hitting a low of 33 on June 24. Imperial Valley News Center Proclamation on Captive Nations Week, 2020 Washington, DC - Tragically, hundreds of millions of people around the world continue to suffer under repressive regimes. During Captive Nations Week, we condemn the cold grip of tyranny that holds nations under unjust rule, and we reaffirm our commitment to all who are fighting to overcome oppression. We renew our deep devotion to the principles of liberty, justice, and the rule of law, and we know the United States will continue to shine as an unparalleled example for all nations. President Dwight D. Eisenhower first proclaimed Captive Nations Week in 1959 to declare our Nations steadfast support for people throughout the world who are denied fundamental rights by their governments. The belief that a just governments powers are derived from the consent of the governed is sacrosanct in our country, but it is not shared universally. In many countries, citizens who peacefully speak their views, practice their religion, or strive to hold their governments accountable for abuses experience reckless disregard for their rights. Recently, authoritarian regimes have used the coronavirus pandemic to justify increased restrictions on individual human rights. These regimes have suppressed the free flow of timely and accurate information about the pandemic by censoring or imprisoning people who dare to share unapproved information or opinions. The most notable example today is China, where the virus originated and government suppression led directly to this global pandemic. In addition, the Chinese government has seized upon this opportunity to snuff out freedom in Hong Kong, which had been the only bastion of liberty in that captive nation. The United States encourages all nations to respect individual liberty, uphold the rule of law, and be accountable to their people through consent-based governments. Authoritarian regimes that do not respect the inherent dignity of every individual hold the dreams and potential of their people captive, enabling poverty, repression, and anguish to flourish as they deny their people their God-given rights. We will never waver in our firm belief that liberty, justice, and the rule of law unleash the fullness of life that God intended for everyone. This week and always, we stand with all people who yearn to live freely, securely, and prosperously under rights-respecting, transparent, and accountable governments rooted in the consent of the governed. The Congress, by Joint Resolution approved July 17, 1959 (73 Stat. 212), has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of July of each year as Captive Nations Week. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 19 through July 25, 2020, as Captive Nations Week. I call upon all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to supporting those around the world striving for liberty, justice, and the rule of law. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth. DONALD J. TRUMP Track-and-trace staff have failed to reach half of people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients in Blackburn - as the town hurtles towards a local lockdown. Professor Dominic Harrison - public health director of Blackburn with Darwen Council - revealed the figures and warned of an 'exponential growth' of new infections if the system did not become more efficient. Speaking to BBC Radio 4 he said the Lancashire area faces a 'rising tide' of infections. 'The key issue here is that 40 per cent of people who are infected by someone with Covid-19 who goes for tests because they have symptoms, will be infected by them before they have those symptoms,' he told the programme. Track-and-trace staff have failed to reach half of people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients in Blackburn - as the town hurtles towards a local lockdown. Pictured: a warning sign in Blackburn town centre 'So, there's a 48 hour window which is critical to get the contacts of the first case contacted, and if we don't get them contacted, and if they don't then get tested and self-isolated, and they then have symptoms, we do risk the spread progressing.' It is not clear why the contacts provided were not able to be reached and the government said the NHS scheme had helped identify thousands of cases. It was revealed earlier this week that Blackburn could be the next area to be plunged into local lockdown after a spike of coronavirus cases. Civic chiefs imposed new restrictions - set to stay in place for 'at least a month' - in a bid to prevent such measures as those put in place in Leicester following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Midlands city last month. It was revealed earlier this week that Blackburn could be the next area to be plunged into local lockdown after a spike of coronavirus cases. Pictured: an elderly woman wears a face mask to do her shopping in Blackburn town centre this weekend Blackburn with Darwen Council announced on Tuesday that only two people can now visit another person at home. Face coverings should be worn in enclosed public spaces and people are being encouraging people to swap handshakes for 'elbow bumps' to help reduce hand-to-hand contact. Recent statistics from the government show that of the people in England who tested positive for Covid-19 between July 2 and 8, 17.1 per cent could not be reached by NHS track and trace and a further 4.1 per cent did not provide their phone number. It said 71.1 per cent of the contacts provided were reached, but 21.8 per cent of those who originally tested positive said they had not been in close contact with anyone during the time frame. Fewer than half of contacts were reached in Oldham, St Helens, Manchester and Rochdale, according to The Independent who saw a leaked report. Professor Harrison has called for testing and tracing to be carried out at a local rather than national level, and for Public Health England to share more data with local authorities. What rules have Blackburn with Darwen Council put in place? These are the rules which Blackburn with Darwen Council announced on Tuesday: A limit of 2 people from the same household allowed to visit another household Please wear face coverings in all enclosed public spaces Avoid hugging or shaking hands with anyone outside of your immediate family Small shops - we will be stepping up our Public Protection advice to ensure that guidelines around face coverings, social distancing, good hygiene and increased ventilation is being followed Get tested - even if you don't have symptoms this will help with case finding Advertisement He added that PHE had only started sharing data about the areas where new infections were being registered on 29 June. He said: 'That has made a great difference in three weeks for us in being able to identify what our local outbreak issue is.' 'Had we had that data much earlier in this pandemic, I think we could have made progress much more rapidly.' The Department for Health and Social Care said the scheme had so far helped test and isolate more than 180,000 cases. It said: 'The service is working closely with local authorities across England to help manage local outbreaks and data is shared daily. 'The service relies on everyone playing their part - please book a test if you have symptoms, self-isolate and help us trace anyone you've been in contact with.' The NHS test and trace scheme began on June 1 and Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed it would be 'world beating'. It comes after a top civil servant admitted last night that the UK's coronavirus test and trace system would not stop the feared second wave because it can only find a third of the people it needs. Alex Cooper, who looks after two of the five pillars of the test process, said it could only identify 37 per cent of the total contacts it needed to be fully effective. The senior official admitted in an industry briefing the number needed to be higher to make the system work properly. He said: 'We need to be finding roughly half of the the people that have got Covid so that we can keep R down if test and trace is going to work.' Imagine you are a smoker who drives for a living. Every day you throw burning cigarette butts from the car. It's happened many thousands of times without incident. The smouldering stub lands, bounces and dies. Occasionally one may singe a clump of grass. You drive on in blissful ignorance. This analogy, say virologists, is a good way of thinking about zoonotic spillover events like the one which sparked the Covid-19 pandemic. They are happening all the time but are seldom noticed. Only very rarely, when environmental conditions are just right, do they spark a violent wildfire that spreads exponentially. "These things happen every day around the world, and we miss them because we don't focus enough on supporting surveillance of unusual illnesses in underserved and often distant rural communities", says Dr Peter Daszak, the veteran virus hunter, and one of the world's foremost experts on coronaviruses. Working backwards to find the origin of Covid-19 is necessary - but to focus on this is to miss the main point, adds Dr Daszak. If you are very lucky, you might find the smoker who sparked the wildfire, but that won't stop the next one unless something fundamental changes. "The key problem is that too many ill-informed people are working outside of their own experience to try to 'trace back' from ground zero", says Dr Daszak. "What we need to do is look at it the other way round: from the bats to the people". The idea that zoonotic spillover events are much more widespread than we realise is not just a theory but a fact, and variants of the Sars-Cov-2 virus are a case in point. A study published in 2018 by Dr Daszak and Shi Zhengli - Wuhan's famous "batwoman" - documented how they took blood from 218 people who live in close proximity to bat caves in Yunnan province, China. Most were farmers, and 97pc of them had a history of exposure to or contact with livestock or wild animals. In total, six of those tested (2.7pc) were found to have antibodies to a Sars-Cov variant carried by local bats. The virus did not appear to have caused harm, but even if it had, we may never have known. In the 12 months before the sampling date, only one of those infected had travelled outside of Yunnan. Several of the others had never left their village. This particular spark - like the vast majority of them - briefly smouldered, then died. But that's not always the case. Sometimes the conditions are right for things to catch fire. And on occasion, the blaze can be vast: one recent outbreak, HIV, has cost 30 million lives to date and is still burning. Take Hendra virus. Its traits mean it has never triggered a major outbreak - it isn't contagious enough - but every so often, it still sparks a lethal blaze. The first reported outbreak was in 1994 in Hendra, a small suburb in Brisbane, Australia, when a racehorse called Drama Series fell ill. Within 24 hours she was dead. Drama Series was the first of 21 racehorses to die in that outbreak. But the disease also jumped to two humans, killing one - a horse trainer called Vic Rail. It took years to find where the Hendra virus came from, but in the end it was traced to fruit bats. A bigger viral blaze was sparked in Yambuku, a village with a Belgian missionary outpost deep within the Congolese forest, in 1976. A mysterious hemorrhagic fever killed well over 200 people in just three weeks before apparently petering out. The virus - later named after the nearby Ebola river - has now sparked more than 28 different outbreaks (each a separate spillover event) and in the process has killed more than 22,000 people over the last 40 years. The worst occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, when the first spark fell near a major road, enabling its spread. At least 11,323 people died. Experts suspect the "natural reservoir" for Ebola is also bats - but they are far from the only animal to carry zoonotic viruses. The Spanish Flu of 1918 is thought to have started in North American poultry and then spread through a globe ravaged by World War I. Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), another coronavirus, comes from camels and has killed 858 people since it was first discovered in Jordan in 2012. The vast majority of spillover events go unreported, say experts. "We're continually exchanging viruses with animals, that's what happens", says Dr David Redding, from the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research at Unversity College London. It is HIV that best illustrates the point, a virus now known to date back to the early 1900s. Its simian version (SIV) is thought to have jumped from monkeys to humans through hunters and butchers in Africa. Dr Daszak describes HIV, which has killed an estimated 32 million people, as the "ultimate" example of spillover. After many decades of repeated small-scale flare-ups, it exploded as a pandemic in the early 1980s. What had changed was not so much the virus itself - the spark - but the society it landed in. The population boom in Africa, the globalisation of air travel, the sexual revolution in the west all played a part. "Changes to human behaviour increase the transmission of viruses between people," says Dr Dazak. Covid-19 may also have been circulating longer than thought. Today there are roughly 300 animal pathogens from 25 "high risk" viral families, which are known to infect people. That more will emerge is inevitable. Researchers estimate that as many as 1.7 million viruses from these same families exist in the wild, including some 700,000 with "zoonotic potential". That's a lot of sparks. Telegraph Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: %method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: %perl> 28: